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

Arrival~

[thelightshines]

[Scott might get the feeling that someone is watching them. A pair of crimson eyes that belong to something not human. A dark hedgehog just peeking out from one of the rooms. Shadow was not specifically looking at them, but what they were doing with the earpiece while they spoke to whomever was on the other side, studying. He wish they weren't so small so he could actually see better what they were doing to make it work.

Anytime Scott checks, he's quick to go back into the room before being caught. Maybe at most, there's a black blur, but it could just be nothing...]

[laserguy]

[It's not the first time he's felt like someone's been watching him. Mostly because of this place, with cameras plastered on every single corner, it's been hard to feel like he can ever just have a moment to himself. And yet, that stupid feeling of isolation has only increased with every minute he spends in this place. So, maybe actually confronting the person or creature that's watching him would be better.

Better than just standing around and not doing anything, right? Actually take some control or action into his hands.

Especially since he actually manages to catch a sight of something. A blur of black. Hard to really distinguish anything else though, but the black still stands out even through his red view. Scott still turns around in a circle, as if trying to catch sight of it again. Nothing yet, but he's actually watching now.]

Hey, I know that you're watching me! You might as well come out.

[thelightshines]

[He could choose to not come out. Move on to the next person now that they've noticed his presence. But that would also just prolong the process of learning how to use the earpiece. A quiet grunt. Just go in, ask and then leave. It doesn't need to be complicated.

There's a faint flash of light where Shadow had been hiding, and then another beside Scott a moment later. A light burst of wind coming from the spot as Shadow suddenly appears beside the human.] Your earpiece. [And that's his greeting.]

[laserguy]

[There's a moment of 'oh shit he's fast,' a rush of wind, and Scott turning to look at the new presence that's by his side. And. And.....

..........

So that's a talking animal. Right? That's what's next to him. Maybe an alien?? Hedgehog???]

Uh. [He is normally way more articulate than this, really!! But this is not what he expected at all. Scott can't stop his perplexed expression as he looks down at Shadow, even if he's looking back at him with a grumpy face.] Yeah, I have an earpiece.

[He somehow manages to respond, one hand lifting to the earpiece that's hooked around his ear. Right. The super science fiction thing. Somehow it feels less weird than what he's looking at now. Is this little guy truly an alien, a talking animal, or a mutant?? That's kind of cool though...]

[thelightshines]

[The look Scott gives isn't anything he's not used to. The people in the base often gave him strange looks, the skeptism, the curiousity, the fear. Especially the last one. He just continues to glare when they do. He is just here for information and then he's leaving.]

You know how to use it. Tell me. [He presents his own earpiece in his hand.]

[laserguy]

[Slow blink. Well, it's happening behind his glasses, so Shadow probably can't see his reaction, but it's certainly there in spirit. Okay, pull your mind from off the floor, Summers, and actually concentrate on what the talking animal is asking of you. He can't work the earpiece and he needs help. Start there, and that's easy enough to focus on.

It's definitely at least one thing he can do.

Scott kneels down by Shadow, before taking the offered earpiece from his hand.]

Yeah, sure. I can show you. [...] Have you tried putting it on yet?

[thelightshines]

[Please. If Scott takes this long to respond/react to whatever he's saying, he's going to think this is a waste of time and just leave. But they are doing something, making it easier for him to look at them and taking his earpiece.]

Not yet. [He like to see what it's doing, how it's doing whatever before attaching some foriegn object to his ear. Thank goodness he picked someone that spoke english that the translator isn't needed.]

[laserguy]

[The hedgehog's ear piece is shaped just a little differently compared to his own, probably so that it can properly fit on him, so he points to the one that's attached to his ear as example. He'll even tap it so that the HUD appears, although he's not sure if it shows up for Shadow to see.]

Well, you'll want to put this on first. It hasn't done anything to me so far and it's been pretty useful, I'll say that much.

[He's talked to a couple of people, felt just a little more connected to others. Like everything still sucks and he doesn't know why he's on some planet away from his friends, but it's sucked a little less knowing that others are in the same boat.]

Nothing's like, inserted into my brain. So yeah. [Scott nods at Shadow, before he tilts his head at him.] Did you want me to put it on for you?

[thelightshines]

[Normally probably not, but maybe these nifty earpieces are aware someone is giving a demonstration that he can see the HUD appearing this time. He stares, reminded of the displays he seen in the Crab. How is it able to gather and display information like that though? He could at least see the machines holding the data for Robotnik, heck the machines were even larger back at the military base.

He blinks, returning his focus on Scott. They say they're fine, but he only just met this human. But no one else has shown any issues while wearing them as well. A wary glance before he takes his earpiece back.] I can do it myself. [Nothing different when the scientists would attach things to him for testing. Although this tech is smaller and more delicate. He lowers his head slightly so he can reach his right ear better. It takes him a moment, but he will get it attached, a bit crooked. His ear twitch at the foreign object now attached to it, trying to adjust to it being there. And nothing is being inserted into his brain, as far as he can feel.]

[laserguy]

[Guess this is his life right now, helping a talking animal adjust to technology. ...You know, why not? Scott can think of worse ways to spend his time and he's not going to turn his nose up on someone that genuinely needs help, especially if they're a weird hedgehog of sorts.

Like seriously, everyone knows that you help the talking alien. Well, long as he doesn't try to kill you.

Scott watches as Shadow adjusts the earpiece, although it remains slightly crooked even after all his finagling and the mutant can't help but cock a small smile at the sight. The teen's definitely amused, but it doesn't seem meanspirited at least.]

Hey man, it's crooked still. It'll probably throw off the screens that are supposed to appear in front of you.

[thelightshines]

[Ugh. How would he have known without a mirror to check? He reaches up to try and adjust it, unsure if he actually fixed it or made it worse. He growls irritably a moment later, lowering his hands. He glares at Scott like this is their fault. Reluctantly.] You fix it.

[Why are they grinning like that? Stop it, or he will make them explode. If he does anything funny while touching his ear, his fur is soft and fluffy to the touch by the way, he will make them explode. (He won't.)]

[laserguy]

[Still a little crooked. And Scott can also tell that he's getting kind of annoyed about the whole thing, so when he growls at him to fix it, the mutant doesn't find himself surprised at all. His grin just increases a little, before shrugging in an easygoing manner.]

Alright alright, just hold still for a bit.

[Scott reaches up to adjust the earpiece on Shadow, moving it until it's slotted perfectly on his ear. There. Now it's fine. And he absolutely does stroke some of the fur near his head, because who could resist something like that? Not him okay, especially since his fur is softer than he expected. Scott's just going to say that he was just making sure it's 100% on properly!

But he eventually pulls his hands back.] Okay, try it now.

[thelightshines]

[He's trying not to move his ear while they're adjusting it. It's no different really when the scientists would attach things to get readings from him. But this wasn't a scientist, but a stranger. He can't help but stay tense while they work, a curious glance when they touched his head. But they eventually assured him that it should be good enough for him to try.

He just has to tap it? His ears perk up when a screen suddenly appears in front of his face. He stares, there were words and displays passing by that he did not recognize or understand, and then it shows an empty green screen with one word at the center.] Username?

[laserguy]

[Well Summers, even if you fucking perish in this world, at least you managed to do one good thing. Cool. Just mark that on his grave, 'helped a strange alien hedgehog use an earpiece.' Still, Scott watches as Shadow eventually taps the device, his own screens popping up in front of him in a thankfully similar way.

It would've really sucked if it decided to do something different and make him look like a lying asshole. He only wants to be an asshole on his own terms, thanks.]

Yeah, basically a name that you want to be called. It doesn't have to be your actual name. I went with 'shades,' because, you know. [He taps his sunglasses as if for emphasis.]

[thelightshines]

[Oh. Well that's kind of nice that he doesn't need to use his actual name. His brows furrow, thinking. What would he use instead though? And once he thinks of something-]

How do I do that? [He does not see any letters...a keyboard? To type it in.]

[laserguy]

You might have to tap the username thing first and a keyboard should pop up.

[OR however it works when characters decide to put a username in. Scott will lead by example at least, tapping his own username of 'shades' and showing that he can change it even now, which kind of neat. If he ever gets bored or wants to choose something that's cooler, then he has the option.

Obviously, he'll think of something in the future.] Then you put your name in.

[thelightshines]

[Man I don't know, but Shadow isn't going to try and say what he wants out loud. That's silly and stupid. And embarassing. He will at least try to see if he can get something written down first and sure enough, a keyboard does appear. Now...what does he put?] Don't look. [He might need a moment to try some ideas. It can be changed at another time, sure, but he wants to be happy with the first one. Eventually he lands on something, something that gives him a small bit of assurance when he's feeling lost.

thelightshines accepted.

The network is now opens to him. Flashes of current events, something displaying a bunch of different subjects, public messages from other people here. A list of words on the side that would take him to other menus if selected. It is a wealth of information suddenly thrown at him. How does one choose to focus on anything like this?]

[laserguy]

[Scott absolutely keeps looking, he just pretends to look away, at least for a few seconds. It's hard to see past his sunglasses anyway, like they're always guarding half of the mutant's expression. Still he's expressive enough, especially with the way Scott's mouth twitches into one of approval.

'thelightshines,' huh? Not what he expected at all from the grumpy space animal, but sure, it definitely works. It probably holds some meaning to him and Scott isn't that much of an asshole to poke fun at it.]

Yeah, that's a good name. [YEAH letting Shadow know that he sees the username, but look he's still helping him with the whole earpiece thing. And getting an idea, Scott starts typing up a message, before sending it to Shadow.]

and now you can send messages to others. pretty useful, i'll admit. it's like instant.

[thelightshines]

[Scott gets one hell of a grim expression at the compliment. How do you know if it is a not? Don't bring attention to it. If he wasn't so defensive, he probably thank Scott for saying that. It certainly better than "hedgehog", "revengeguac" or straight up putting his name "shadow" at first, cause he really couldn't think of anything else in the moment. "Starrynight" did come close though.

He blinks, attention onto the screen as writing suddenly appears from them.] How did you do that?

[laserguy]

[That sure is a face..... it's fine. Scott's kind of getting used to it. He's been sent worse expressions before. Not that he's bragging or anything. Uh-huh.]

You just type it out on the keyboard and direct it towards me.

[He explains first, before he starts typing once more. Scott figures that it's better to lead by example in this case.] this sort of thing is pretty new to me too. we have phones and stuff, but not this.

[thelightshines]

[Who can outgrim the other, Wolverine or Shadow? He does appreciate the visual demonstration, retaining the information better from watching and then copying.]

Never typed like this. [Never typed at all.] It's strange.

[laserguy]

[Scott can't help the small smirk that slowly grows on his face. Maybe because he can still see Shadow grumping about this while texting to him.]

yeah, it's pretty strange, but you sort of get used to it. you can also communicate like this with voice and even video, which is really weird honestly. not used to seeing people's faces when i talk to them over a phone.

[Earpiece, whatever. A strange little device that can do more than a phone and is smaller than that. It doesn't even need to be connected to an outlet. It's really advanced stuff.

If he wasn't stranded on some alien planet, he'd be more excited. And he'd show Shadow the whole talking and video thing through demonstration, but it'd be kind of weird to do it since they're standing next to each other.]

[thelightshines]

[He won't. He's a kid from the 70s, suddenly tossed in some time traveling episode of the Twilight Zone with this stuff. But he has no choice but to try and figure this out. Eventually.]

What is technology in your time like? [An actual, curious question not related to the earpiece? Scott just sounds, not from somewhere as futuristic. Whatever Earth they're from, if it's still Earth. They talk about things that are on Earth anyway. And he's choosing not to type it, because it's tedious.]

[laserguy]

There's phones and computers, movies and television. Oh, and the arcade. You're not a teenager until you played at least one round of Pacman.

[It definitely is a lot easier to just talk instead of texting, so Scott abandons the whole messaging thing for now so that he can focus on Shadow-- explain what technology is like from his time period. Nothing is really bothering them right now, so it's easy to take his time and well, Scott enjoys talking about this stuff.

A small reminder of home. Which, fuck, he's somehow far away from. He's not going to think about that though, because he's already focusing on something else-- a little detail that he probably should've asked about to begin with.]

Huh, wait. You really don't sound surprised by any of this. Aren't you like some alien... hedgehog? [Head tilt.] Or are you a mutant like me?

[thelightshines]

[That all sounded familiar to him, except...he tilts his head.] The Arcade? [Apparently a place "teenagers" go to play...Pacman. Whatever that is. Place kids go to play. Maria at least never mentioned such a place.

He's quiet, the other starting to inquire about himself. Should have seen it coming when he got too familiar with Earth things. Shouldn't have asked.] You don't look like a mutant. [So his response is to give Scott a look over and not answer the question.]