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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. |
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[ listening to the girl explain her situation and arrival here, blaze crosses her arms. she glances around the area, lit up with lights, cameras, and action all around, and breathes a sigh. but she must admit, it sounds like she's talking to a regular girl. blaze can't help but feel sympathy for her situation. ]
My name is Blaze. Is there anything that I can help you with?
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I'm not sure what you can do to help Miss Blaze, but...maybe we can work together somehow> [Ah right! Introductions.] I'm Maria Robotnik. But you can just call me Maria.
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[ blaze repeats the name after her, committing it to memory before she turns to survey their surroundings. this area is always bustling, it seems, and she can spy some cameras panning across the crowds—others directed straight at them.
the girl seems a bit overwhelmed with the situation, but she can hardly be blamed for that. if it's up to blaze to decide what they should do: ]
Why don't we go somewhere quieter, first?
[ it could help her clear her head. ]
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That's a great idea. I'm still not used to having all these floating cameras following everyone around. It's what I was running from earlier. I was in the square and there were announcers and all these creatures were crowding in on me. I was trying to get away from all that.
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[ something that will follow them anywhere they go, except for perhaps one place. blaze considers it for a moment, and then asks: ]
Have you found somewhere to stay yet?
[ she has yet to visit them, but has been told of a series of apartments not far from here. if the girl is interested, then perhaps blaze can drop her off there before continuing what she was doing. ]
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[ blaze can't promise that there are none at all—only that they won't swarm you like a nest of hornets if you happen to catch their attention. for her, at least, that is enough. ]
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[Even where they were standing, Maria could hear the roar of the crowd from the busy square where she had initially appeared. At least it seemed that the majority of the drones were in that area. She did spot some flying overhead of course, but thankfully none seemed interested in them at the moment. If any paused to take note of them, they at least kept their distance.]
Then I can take stock of what supplies I have and figure out what's going on. [Plus if there was items that either of them had that could be useful, Maria would be willing to trade.]
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[ the square is... not blaze's preferred place to spend time, admittedly, but there are very few places for someone who doesn't enjoy the camera's spotlight to spend time here. without venturing into more dangerous territory, it's more about finding places where they're less intrusive, than escaping them entirely. ]
If there's anything you're missing, you can let me know.
[ she remembers her own bag being fairly bare bones—protein bars, water bottles, and similar supplies. with blaze's slow accumulation of points in the colosseum, it feels selfish to not share what she has with others.
for now, she's setting off in the direction of the apartments, careful to make sure that maria doesn't fall too far behind. ]
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[Maria followed Blaze, keeping up without any issue. It was clear she was a lot more relaxed than before, happy to have company in this strange place.]
Where are you from Blaze? I'm from Earth!
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[ she's already familiar enough with these parallel worlds, and imagines herself to be recognizable enough in her own. but blaze is happy to chat as they walk, and though she has quick steps, she tries not to go too far ahead, turning to maria with a smile. ]
Would you tell me about it?
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Because of my illness, I was sent up to orbit to live on the Space Colony Ark with my Grandfather, Professor Gerald Robotnik. The lower gravity and specialized treatments there enabled my condition to mostly be kept in remission. The lab facilities and medical staff up there were top notch. Grandfather was leader of Project Shadow. One of the main purposes of his work was to try and find a cure for my illness.
Earth is very beautiful from space you know. Blue oceans, swirly white clouds. The continents have large swathes of lush green. Though I liked living in space, I did miss being on Earth too and seeing its beauty up close. My goal was that when I was cured, I would travel the world and see all the different countries and cities.
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[ the name alone sends alarms blaring in blaze's mind, but while her brow furrows, she maintains her composure—she thinks that, surely, there must be no connection between the two. it must be a concidence, up until she mentions project "shadow". that's the part that catches blaze's attention.
well, first things first. clearing her throat, ahem... ]
You shouldn't give up on that goal. I'm sure that the cities of your world are beautiful.
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[She sighed wistfully.] I miss my parents. I still communicated with them while I was in space, but it's not the same as being with them, you know? I even have a baby sister that I haven't had a chance to meet!
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[ blaze can agree with that much, but this girl herself... despite her family name, she sounds quite innocent. so much as blaze recognizes the name—may be on guard because of it, she doesn't seem like a threat. still, concerned, blaze cautions at least one question further: ]
Have you met any of your family here? It would be good if you had a familiar face to keep you company—not to mention your illness.
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[She shook her head at the question.] No, I haven't seen any of my family. I wish my Grandfather were here though. I miss him. He'd know what to do! He's one of the smartest people I know.
I...I have seen Shadow though. But we got separated. I know he can take care of himself, but I still worry.
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Shadow... I happen to be acquainted with a Shadow as well, and if it's the one I'm thinking of, I can assure you there is no need to worry.
[ instead, she spares a glance to the sickly girl beside her. ]
I'm more worried about you. The apartments are just around this corner, it won't take long now, but please tell me if you need to rest.
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Maria's thoughts were interrupted by Blaze's concern, and she looked over with a small smile.]
That's really kind of you. I'm okay right now! We're not going at a hard pace or anything. But I will let you know if I need to rest at any time.