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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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[ most of it is used up on pirate hunting, or otherwise, coming to assist with shadow's own world. even then... she had still sought knuckles' advice before she finally took that leap—decided on her "vacation". more importantly, as for the task in front of them: ]
Why don't we take turns?
[ ideally, she would prefer for him to take the wheel on at least some of these puzzles, no matter how simple they are. she's sure that, at the end of this challenge, their points will likely be distributed according to their participation and attitude. if shadow provides on neither front, it's hard to say whether his reward will be worth the time spent here.
blaze steps to the side, allowing shadow access to the puzzle. ]
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sure, he'll go next since it's not at the expense of his sanity.
eyeing the puzzle, the hedgehog leans forward with one hand placed on the fragmented pieces to move them around. there's normally one piece that won't move, but if it's all of them then that's fine as well. ]
What's the minimum amount of moves?
[ he didn't see that when he walked over, but maybe there's something on the wall that says so. ]
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she is, of course, experienced enough with them, but has no doubt that he's just as capable.
the piece that won't move is in the top left of the 4x4 puzzle with the pieces in a seemingly random order to start the board off. as for the minimum moves? blaze can only offer a shrug. ]
There are no instructions that I saw, but perhaps there's a clue upstairs. I shall go check.
[ they did kind of rush through that one, solving it quickly, but perhaps too quickly to see any additional hints it may have given them. she's already disappeared, leaving only wind behind her. ]
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with his arms crossed, he turns around waiting for her, and lightly taps his foot against the floor. ]
...
[ it's a simple puzzle really, and he can't help but wonder do they get harder as they go past these doors. that probably also decides how many points they're fed once they reach the end, and if he gets enough, he's sure to spend them wisely.
on maria that is.
depending on the shortest amount of moves could give him a pretty good amount of points, he shouldn't miss out on it. ]
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No more than 50 moves. I trust that you won't need all 50, however?
[ far be it from blaze to underestimate him, especially after the show that he had displayed in her presence last time. while she's happy to help, if he so needs it, she doubts that he will, and instead stands, arms crossed, to observe him as he solves it.
surely, it won't take so long that she needs to sit. ]
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[ she'll hear the sound of wood clicking up against one another, back and forth, and when he takes a step back to show the puzzle to blaze. ]
There.
[ if she listened to the amount of clicks made, she would have heard twelve is around where he stopped. it wasn't a difficult puzzle, it's child's play, but they are puzzles that he would share with maria when the professor would return from earth to give her a slice of their life.
he always thought the puzzle would become boring, but knowing maria, she never found anything outside of exciting. how intricate the details were on such puzzles, the amount of moves it would take to even get the pieces to make sense.
that was something shadow enjoyed watching himself. ]
ok lets....... see.................. (crying)
Shall we?
[ when he decides to turn the door handle, the inside looks to be... a grungy studio apartment.
it's a little bit messy—or rather, lived in. the paint on the walls is peeling, the wood floors are irreparably scratched up, and the glass windows that make up the wall opposite to them seem to be smeared with something.
stepping inside, there are several bookshelves that line the same wall as the door they've just stepped through, blending into the room as a closet, and once closed behind them, the clock clicks back into place, impossible to open. a bed, a bedside table with a drawer, and a laundry hamper fill one side of the room. on the opposite side, a small kitchen-like area, with a mini-fridge, a hot plate, and a small table circled by chairs. on the table, a digital clock rests.
blaze steps inside, grimacing as she looks around with hands on her hips. it's not... exactly to her taste. ]
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if not, he'll detour away from giving quick glances to the window that was on the opposing wall for a brief moment to see if he can see anything out of it, or if this is just nothing. don't worry, he won't try and bash it to get out of the room. ]
Hm.
[ his attention returns back to blaze who is also looking at the room as well, and if she isn't familiar with it then it's best to keep what information they find about this "puzzle" shared between the two. he doesn't do teamwork puzzles that much, but the nature of the game calls for it, and knowing her work ethic is with others than riding solo like shadow, he knows he'll have to share what he finds.
it'll make things go faster, possibly. ]
What stands out?
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the first place blaze makes her way to is the kitchen...ish area. she's interested in that clock on the table, and as she watches it, it doesn't seem to be telling the time at all. 29:51... 50... 49... 48... it's not difficult to tell what's happening, and she's quick to let shadow know: ]
We're on a time limit. Choose a place and search, it doesn't matter if it stands out.
[ things will go faster, alright—that's the first thing she notices, and she's sure he'll understand that her curt tone is out of necessity. for now, she'll linger in the side of the apartment that's more kitchen-like and allow for shadow to search the other. ]
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then he'll place his attention on the drawer after.
if they're on a time limit, it is a shame that she hasn't let him know how much time they have to their names. ]
Hm...
[ rustle, rustle.... ]
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shadow will find that under the pillow on the bed, there appears to be a small diary. the lock has long since fallen off, but if he opens it to investigate the contents, each entry seems to be written in size 1 font. at least, it's too small for him to make out with his eyes alone. towards the back, there's a page ripped out, a few highlighted items on the page before, but nothing else of note.
perhaps it's lucky, then, that in the drawer, amidst eyedrops, tissues, a cheap wristwatch, and an assortment of hair ties and accessories, he'll find a magnifying glass towards the bottom. ]
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whatever it is, he'll read the contents aloud for blaze to hear as well. ]
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- How to Live
- The Manitous
- A Broken Blade
- The Escape Artist
- Kamikaze Biker
blaze hums thoughtfully, but as he finishes reading the list, she'll make her way over with her own findings. ]
This was in the fridge. Do you think it's a clue as well?
[ holding out a piece of paper for shadow to take—seemingly blank. ]
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does it do anything? ]
...Hm.
[ he looks to blaze, the light that peers through the window illuminating where she stands. ]
Possibly.
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blaze has a hand to her chin, she's thinking over the diary clues while shadow investigates the paper. ]
Then I'll leave it to you. I have something I want to see about.
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as for the sheet of paper, he'll rub his fingers along the grooves to see if they make a word, unless they're braille. ]
You do that.
[ he has his little paper to mess with. ]
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which does not have braile—but it feels kind of like somebody might have spilled something on it in places. ]
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he stops, humming in thought between the diary and the sheet of paper given to him. he'll double check the book one last time to see if the slip of paper isn't the one that was ripped out supposedly. ]
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but as he holds it up to the light, something shines through.
the number 12 is stained into the paper.
and blaze just so happens to peek over her shoulder at that moment, observing shadow's discovery. ]
Did you figure it out?
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You must have found something over there to be back already.
[ he offers her the sheet of paper, then nudging towards the window's light. ]
Hold it there.
[ 12... th bookcase? or should he go to that page number in this diary or the listed books. ]
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she'll accept the paper in any case, holding it up to the light just as shadow had. she looks thoughtful, squinting at the number like that, but she'll hand it back to him once she's had a moment to consider it. 12... 12... Could it be talking about pages? ]
I thought that the list sounded like titles, so I was checking the shelves, but only one book matched. Here, that one.
[ indicating a book that's been slightly pulled out of the shelf, but not so much as to fall, titled: The Escape Artist. ]
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[ he'll take the book, flipping it left and right before checking the table of contents. is there a chapter 12, or anything ending with 12 that would stand out.
shadow doesn't have time for these childish games, he has half the mind to break down what they need to go to the next door.
...
but he's trying to do this the "normal" way. ]
Check the time.
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a sock
a dirty sock, for that matter. it's like brown and stinky. blaze is off in the kitchen-ish area looking at the timer. ]
There are 12 minutes left. Did the book have any clues?
[ she's assuming that the diary had something to do with it? ]
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...
[ as for the book, she can see it's being thrown her way without any stinky sock inside. ]
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I'll help.
[ as he dumps out the laundry hamper, all kinds of clothes and bedding fall out for blaze to sort through. there's a sheet, two hoodies, countless socks and three pieces of underwear. two pairs of pants, four shirts, and— and a letterman jacket with the number 12 printed on it. ]
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now you're just being mean to her
the saltwater room
ok owl city
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