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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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[ James doesn't seem to recognize him. The two of them had a bad relationship from the start because the man's a tourist and rejects the gifts of God. However, if he says that aloud, it makes him sound crazy. He decides to instead lie about what he's done to him in particular. Why not? ]
That mean you don't remember me? Convenient. [ Some truth and some lie is always good. ] You were very difficult to work with and made life hard on me for reasons I can't even begin to understand. [ Because Vincent decided to make life difficult for him first, but hey, he should put up with it. What right does a sinner walking the road have to be upset about anything? ]
Perhaps, we just got on the wrong foot but you certainly didn't take my religion to heart. [ A beat. ] I am a priest, you know, and can only take so much blasphemy from a nonbeliever before even I get mad.
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a coworker from home? but no he was quick to talk about religion or another. perhaps james reached out to him during that difficult time in life? he would have remembered surely— because the only measures he took to deal with that unfortunate circumstance was drinking. he certainly didn't turn to god or a professional. )
I uh....I'm sorry? Did you try and convert me back home?
( strange aurora would bring a man like vincent here but it was clear james was thinking maybe he had come to his house once and he had dismissed him?
maybe he had a grudge over that? )
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[ He snaps his hand up to point to the sky before lowering his arms back down to his sides. Vincent runs his tongue along his teeth, sucking against his canine. Breathing slowly, he rests his hands on his face; his skin feels warm and flushed. His eyebrows scrunch together in irritation before all the tension is released from his body and face. ]
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[ He says abruptly. Getting angry at a tourist is -- it's a pointless endeavor. Yes, he should remain calm instead of lose his head. ]
So long as you're sincerely sorry, it's fine.
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( of the entire rant that vincent went on, that particular line struck out to him the most. he couldn't say he was much of believer, not anymore at this point at least but if he was—
he would imagine god to be something a little more rooted in his own image, much the same way the red pyramid thing had been. he doesn't comment on that, instead focusing on some way to placate the man before him. he already had enough people annoyed and frustrated at him but he couldn't let his own curiosity sit idle. so he walked closer to vincent and shook his head, a hand coming up to touch his temple. )
Okay I get it, you're upset. Can you at least tell me how we know each other? You're not the first to say I've been here before but...I genuinely don't remember this place. Apparently someone named Heather hates me?
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[ He curtly replies to answer the question as to who "Her" is.
His anger has settled and he's doing better. There's no reason to hold onto rage or irritation; his eyes widen as he feels that isn't quite right, but he doesn't have time to self-reflect at the moment. ]
We've met each other in Etraya. Has Etraya been explained to you? [ He hums. ] Probably not. [ As for why Heather hates James, he feels a sense of pride and ego-boost at hearing this news. He told her months ago that he was not someone worth her time or pity and she dismissed him. But he was right! When isn't he right? ]
Well, yes. [ A beat. ] Although, I don't think she's capable of hating anyone. She probably is just very unhappy with you as a person. [ His shoulders bounce in a shrug. ] As for why that is? I couldn't say.
[ As for how he knows him? Well - should he get into that? "Sorry, not sorry. You came to Silent Hill and that is run by the Order. We tend to take note of every tourist that comes there. Especially those that are granted the kindness of walking the road of penance."
Vincent will let James digest what he's said now before getting into all of that, he supposes. ]
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at least it seemed vincent was. despite that though, he does seem to be paying close attention to the other's words, holding onto them and trying to make sense of it all. etraya was a world, not this one, that they had all been brought to. that much he understood, what he wanted to know was why he was so disliked, why people seemed to hate him and while he was sure maria was a good part of it, it also seemed he had been here before.
just what exactly did he do? )
Oh....okay that's good. ( in regards to heather, not that it really mattered anyways. who the hell was she? ) I guess I made an impression then the first time I was here? I just can't say that I remember it all....maybe I ( deliberately forgot, but he wasn't keen on admitting his own mental troubles. )
So....Etraya isn't the world we're on right?
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[ Vincent has that thought that only self-centered people could have: what if I left and came back? He scratches the area just underneath one nostril. He doesn't like the idea of leaving and returning with no memories. No. It's not empathy that drives him, but survival. ]
Perhaps, we can even consider the person that was here not even you. After all, you now know you're not the only you that has ever existed. [ He smiles a nasty smile before breathing out a happy little sigh. Normally, this would be where he'd fling his arms about or step around, but he has to remain in the shadows. Unfortunate. ]
It's not the world that we're on right now, correct. It's the one we will be returning to when this mission is complete. It's our home base, you might say. [ A slight pause. ] Like Silent Hill is my hometown.
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( the very notion that there is more than one version of him out there, possibly letting their secrets spill and irking people the wrong way was a difficult pill to swallow. even if deep in his core he new it was possible—
given that damn town and the never ending cycle he seemed to ruminate in, but still. he didn't want to accept that, he refused. no this was his first time leaving that town, first time experiencing that end. no one could tell him otherwise until.... )
Woah one thing at a time, what are you saying? You're from Silent Hill? As in born in it? I was just there, I didn't see you, I only saw— ( angela, maria, laura, eddie and her, but he won't be saying that quite yet. )
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He recalls Heather looking just as bewildered at how much Vincent knew about everything. The little bit of joy he got in saying he knew about Dahlia and Harry, but not just about them, he knew about her past. It's a rarity for him to be able to drop little tidbits on someone that he knows them. Gives him a sense of control in a situation where he has very little. ]
Yes, I'm from Silent Hill. Born and raised. [ A faint smile. ] I'm well-aware that you didn't see me. There wasn't any reason for us to meet. [ Obviously. ]
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it was enough to drive a sane man to insanity, and an insane man like himself?
it left him breathing heavy as he took a step back and tried to remember who and what he saw in that town. vincent wasn't certainly among the crowd but how could he have watched james? that's what was being implied here right? )
How....how is that even possible. Does that mean you saw me? You saw and you didn't....but what about the monsters? You saw those too?