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etrayamemes2025-03-28 09:16 am
etrayamods) wrote in etrayamemes2025-03-28 09:16 am
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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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since learning the truth, her restless energy has been difficult to work through—the need to take action somehow. it's part shame, in that the other "shadow" himself had even raised what would turn out to be the truth, but it's also part frustration. frustration with herself for jumping to conclusions, and doubt as to who this other hedgehog might be.
and at first it's a comfort to her to run. the problem is that, as she runs, a familiar set of colours gives her pause—it is a set of colours associated with her earlier mistakes, and that alone is enough reason for her to slow her pace to a walk. once she gets close enough to have a better view of the hedgehog, she attempts to look him over, using the frame of reference she had gained from her last interaction with him.
it's hard to tell though, when he's turned around. when he finishes what he's busy doing, any attention he pays to his surroundings will make him aware of a certain purple cat, arms crossed, staring at him intently. what could she be trying to decode? ]
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He has wandered here to get away from the crowd, get his head together after everything that's happened. It...it was a lot. As overwhelming as waking up fifty years later. The concept that there are other Shadows, Maria. Things that would never cross his mind until he was brought here. He hates it. He had plenty of worries on his plate already back home to have that added on too. And what does he even think of the other one?
Well the other made it very clear what they thought of him. It's why he's no where near the other at the moment, or seeking them. Despite his efforts to find some moment of peace, the people in these alleys were an annoyingly chatty bunch.
He could hear whispers among the folk in this area, something about his appearance, his fur. It would make a fine coat apparently. He glares at anyone who would give him a look, an unwanted approach. He doesn't want to cause a scene, but he will strike, his left hand occasionally sparking as a warning if they got too close. There were other conversations unrelated to him that he unfortunately picks up. Something about a cat that looked like they could make a fine penny if they sell them to the upper class. And that's when he spots her, a distinctly purple cat from before that stands out, several steps away from him. Staring at him.
She gets a disapproving glance as he starts to walk away from her. He's not here to be stared and gawked at by all these stupid people.]
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but the more she thinks about it, the more it seems possible. just as her world acts as a mirror to sonic's, who is to say that there aren't other reflections? ones that they have yet to see.
blaze spends some time peering at him, and she does have a hunch that there might be a difference—but she was hardly counting quills before, so it's difficult for her to say with certainty. she didn't think that they would look so truly identical, and it's become hard to decide if this is the one that she means to approach between not one, but two shadows that she now realizes she has crossed paths with.
that glare though—she'd think that she has the right one. ]
Wait.
[ he begins to move away, but blaze takes a step after him, following him through the dim alleyway. hushed whispers prick at her ears as she moves past the people, but she pays them no mind, focused entirely on the hedgehog in front of her. ]
I have something to say to you.
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Don't waste my time. [She gets one chance to get a word in.]
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I owe you an apology.
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[ even she's unsure as he watches her, silent. but she can only assume so—if there is no sign that she is incorrect, she carries on. ]
I want to apologize for that what happened then. Ridicule me if you will, I'm sure it was a poor introduction, but it is my duty to take responsibility for my mistakes.
[ and unfortunately, even she has a habit of acting a little too brashly sometimes, and only thinking after the fact. ]
The truth is that I should have listened to you, rather than making assumptions.
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...You met the other one. [That must be it.]
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[ and he behaved much worse than this one, she will admit if asked, but it doesn't feel relevant to the apology. rather, she thinks it to be quite an understandable mistake, if still one worth making amends for. ]
I take it that you have, as well?
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[ she can hear it in his voice, but if she has to imagine what happened... ]
Don't tell me he mistook you for one of those androids.
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I supposed that was the case. [Meanwhile, he thought for a moment he met another like him. Not literally another him.]
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I cannot apologize on his behalf, but I am sorry for his behaviour. I'm sure that it reflects poorly on both of us.
[ almost as poorly as her own first meeting with him... ]
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Is that all you wanted to say? [Despite the apology, the disinterest is still there. It's been a long day, and he's tired of dealing with these people connected to the other.]
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[ not to be anticlimactic, but it's true, she had little other reason to seek him out. it's just that it felt like something important to do—as a princess, her actions reflect on all of her people, and she sees it as her duty.
but there is one more thing... ]
If possible, I would like to start over. Perhaps in time we can become friends.
[ it's a little harder to do than she had anticipated, but she's learned that it's a worthy effort. ]
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A person who is very dear to me once said, "Sometimes you can't do things alone. And when you can, it's still better with friends."
[ she won't give him her whole backstory—she feels like she's done plenty of telling him about herself. but it's easy to tell that those words mean something important to her. ]
I will admit, it would make me feel better to have a friend in this place.
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The wall holds, the questions continue.]
Because I have a familiar face? We don't know each other, you could choose anyone else to be your friend. [Why him?]
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[ maybe he would like to hear it after all? blaze folds her arms over her chest. ]
When I first met Sonic, I also pushed him away. I thought I could handle everything myself, that I had been cursed by fate to protect my people alone. The two of us even fought fiercely.
[ and when she looks in his eyes, she sees that same scared little girl who hid her flames under the safety of her cloak. who grew up to become afraid to rely on anyone but herself. she sees a hesitance that she understands, and even if she can't break through it today... the more he questions her, shows that desire to do anything but turn away, the more determined she feels to break through. ]
... I suppose that after we became friends, I took on a new perspective.
[ as someone who wants to pass on that lesson that he had so kindly shared with her. ]
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The circumstances between them are still different. She believed in protecting her people herself, he......well, far the opposite of that. He can understand Sonic's need to stop him. And they almost did. Sonic had the chance to end it, but they chose not to. Just like her, Sonic opened his eyes to a new possibility. That he always has a choice.] ...He has a way of doing that.
[Even when he's not here, somehow Sonic becomes the bridge connecting these two, find an understanding. He shakes his head. Silly. When he looks to her again, his gaze starts to soften, his lips part to say something, but it never comes out.
There was a sound like an explosion, a gunshot? Eitherway, there's suddenly panick in the streets. Several things clank loudly along the floor, fired from several unknown locations. Canisters that administer some kind of colorless smoke from it. Sleeping gas.]
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the thought crosses her mind, but before she gets the chance to say it, canisters at their feet are hissing as gas escapes them. she doesn't know what they might contain, and she doubts she wants to learn. there's no time to think, or even to fight, and there's only one thing that blaze is quick enough to do.
so she takes shadow's hand in hers and kicks off the pavement, hard, taking off like a bullet towards the open streets where the gas might not be so concentrated—though she hopes it doesn't reach there at all. ]
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But they're still not out of danger. He hears something to their right. Someone had fired what looked to be a net at them. Blaze was already holding onto him, so all he needed to do was locate a spot to teleport to. She'll suddenly feel a tug, world becoming a blur. Her stomach might turn being unable to tell what was up or down anymore as there's a feeling of weightlessness. In the next moment, they appear on the roof of one of the buildings. Shadow managing to land on his feet.]
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understanding quickly what's happened, blaze glances to shadow, schooling her look of surprise into a more confident smile. ]
Very impressive.
[ though it's quick to fall as she continues. ]
That was my mistake. I heard them talking earlier, I shouldn't have underestimated them.
[ she wouldn't have been afraid if the net came first—or even of a fight, but the gas felt almost underhanded. it wasn't something she was prepared for, and now, she feels it only makes her look like more of a fool. ]
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He walks toward the edge to get a better view. Having a vantage point, maybe he can spot whomever is after them. Everytime he glances at some movement on the rooftops, they disappear quickly enough that one would think they were imagining things.] We should keep moving. [Out of the alleyway idealy until things settle.]
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Of course.
[ blaze also approaches the edge of the roof, but she's much more tentative about it, swallowing before she gathers the nerves to look down herself. if her fur seems to stand on end, that's surely his imagination, and there's certainly no stutter as she says: ]
L-let's go.
[ and continues to stand there. ]
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