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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. |
its the best option like every other option is bad
though, it's almost like shadow hadn't moved from the spot where he was. he doesn't explain, but if accelerator checks, he'll find a sticky note attached to his forehead with something already written.
don't get ahead of yourself, fool. ]
...
[ he's waiting for him to read it before they even move forward.
considering accelerator's role, he'll have to get to stepping soon enough. what he chooses is to point at one of the counters, there might be something he can read or maps of the place that could tell them what's off-limits. ]
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With a click of his tongue he walks over to the counter, glancing around. Another employee approaches, asking if he needs help with anything, and he gruffly lies about being new and looking for the staff room. She'll give him some directions about it being through a door marked staff only, and so he'll head in that direction, expecting Shadow to follow.]
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there is one issue (aside from how annoying the loud sounds are and the obnoxious lighting that flash onto them and other players), it's lack of knowledge they have with this place. if the other plays his cards right, perhaps there's intel that can be learned or even gambled.
shadow looks up at accelerator, his eyes staring at the back of his head. frail, looks sickly, but has enough energy to keep moving sticks out, but the two different color strands of hair that appears towards the nape is a choice.
then again, not something shadow feels the need to comment on. instead, he's facing forward (the baby blue highlights no longer his concern) as he looks around for the faculty door that was told to the other. ]
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The door doesn't block all the noise, but it does a good job. There's a long hallway in front of them, leading off into various offices, maintenance rooms, and other assorted staff stuff. He stops, glancing around, and sighs a little.
He does not notice the blue strands of hair.]
Well?
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he suggests one door by his left, turning to look at accelerator then bringing his attention back to it. obviously he's telling the other to check this room.
with the pen in hand, he writes something else on the sticky note and then sticks it to the door in case the individual he chose isn't too smart.
look for safes and any clues of where the gamerunner is
[ shadow has already started making his way into a separate room trying to see if there's any security cameras that they can use. ]
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If they're looking for the Gamerunner it's probably easier to start stalking all the broadcasts and livestreams, but oh God, there is no way he wants to do that. He'll take searching the casino over that any day of the week. And at least if they do come across something like a safe he can use his ability on it.]
Hm.
[He turns and heads into the room to start searching.]
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it flips through to other screens showing which is also normal. shadow thinks about rolling back the tape in this place, but he stops when he hears something squeaking. he turns his head towards the door not seeing anyone, but...
...
...
every time accelerator walks, he'll find that his shoes are squeaking. why is that? hm... ]
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It's annoying. It's really annoying. He leans against the wall, removing one shoe and testing it against his palm. There's a squeak whenever he puts pressure on it, which is... bizarre. The fuck?]
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...?
[ a cursory glance around accelerator's room, he doesn't seen much of anything moved around because... oh why would he have moved anything since he's playing with his damn shoe.
he claps his hands once to get the other's attention.
stop that. ]
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wordlessly, the hedgehog walks over to the other who is trying to analyze the cause which seems a little strange. shadow watches for a moment trying to see what it is accelerator is trying to figure out, but shadow's patience is short, and when he walks over to him.... it's not to ask what's going on.
initially, he wanted to take his shoe and throw it out the window to speed up the process, but with the way accelerator shoos him off would warrant shadow coming closer, he instead stops. it's not a gesture the other has done before, something akin to stay back so he can only wonder is there something wrong in the room. his eyes glance to the accessory that he touched before, then to the individual in question... keeping quiet still and watching him with a bit of interest.
it's not something he's familiar with, but there could be something happening that shadow doesn't understand. ]
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He really doesn't know this weird little hedgehog, but aside from thinking he's annoying he doesn't have anything against him. Certainly not strong enough feelings to want to see him die, so as soon as he notices him approach (by the slight displacement of air molecules he's waving him off. He'll move if he needs to, that isn't a big deal. He glares a little, because of course he does.]
Keep looking.
[His shoes are squeaking and while he could nullify the noise with his ability, he doesn't really want to spend his limited time on that. This is really, really annoying.]
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shadow will leave him to that business, walking to the other side of the room to see what they can find. how does a casino work in this world, do they get participants names, or is there someone that oversees which collection of machines does what? if only shadow could ask, but he's limited with what he's able to do.
then again, when he looks at the other... when did the red hair... get there. squinting, shadow lifts one hand up to the top of his quills to make a touching motion.
whether accelerator notices this or not, it seems a little... off... not from what he remembers when he first chose him. in all honesty, he wouldn't pick someone with that sort of hairstyle from how it stands out.
...
he touches at his own quill again to see if the other will mimic the motion. ]
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What?
[He pulls a smartphone out of his back pocket, turning the selfie camera on. This time, he notices both the blue and red hair. That is not normal.]
What the shit?! What the fuck is this??
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when he thinks about it, this started to happen around...
...
...
playing charades is the worst that the hedgehog could do, so he makes a circular motion to indicate the wheel at the beginning of the casino.
did he roll it? ]
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After more examining he glances over.]
What, that fucking wheel? I rolled it, but I didn't get anything that'd do this.
[There's a slight pause, and he narrows his eyes.]
What about you?
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as for shadow, he looks at accelerator with a bored expression, but he does offer a nod before turning away from him to go check what else is in the room. paperwork, blueprints of this place, anything that might give them an idea of where they should go first.
he hasn't said much at all aside from their initial exchange, but when he thinks about it....
not his problem. ]
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[No real answer. Great. He's suspecting that the hedgehog is responsible for this, so after putting his phone away, getting his shoe back on and switching his choker back to normal mode, he grabs a pen and paper from a nearby counter and storms after him.
He's shoving the pen and paper into his hands.]
What did you land on with the wheel?
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it'd be foolish to explain only for this to be entirely the other's fault. ]
......
[ he drops them both onto the floor, crossing his arms as he stares at the other as though he should confess what he rolled instead. ]
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What, was it something embarrassing? I didn't stick around to see what I landed on and I've been fine so far, so whatever I got hit with isn't a big deal.
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the hedgehog rolls his eyes as he lifts his hands to show all five fingers, and then he drops closes his hands with one finger sticking up.
he's pretty sure this person can add, hopefully. it's eleven.
makes sense why this hog isn't saying so much... ]
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Eleven. Anything you speak comes true.
And he called him a clown. Great. Great.
He suppresses the urge to click his tongue, and just stares at the hedgehog with a firm expression.]
Do you know if taking back what you say will undo the effects of something you said before that?
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he's not doing that. ]
......
[ besides, why would he tempt it. if the other is turning into a clown, it couldn't be that bad.
what sort of clowns does accelerator know that he doesn't want to turn into.
reaching for the piece of paper on the floor, he starts to write back to the other. ]
I don't trust it.
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Why not?
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that sounds dangerous itself to take back what he said. then if he doesn't look like a clown, then what would the other look like? ha, he'll probably turn into one of those aliens with not one bone in his body.
the hedgehog kneels down to look underneath a table, hand smoothing along the bottom surface in case there's a button or anything around, but doesn't seem to be the case. ]
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i had like 398489498030984 tabs up and didnt post.... dont look @ me
I do that a lot
im glad you understand i was like whoops
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