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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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[ but it doesn't exactly tell her a lot. her response is stern, clearly not impressed with his teasing, and he can hear her sigh on the other end of the call.
still, he talks about this earpiece as if using it is the most natural thing in the world, and she can't help but be envious. as exasperating as he may sound, he has an expertise that she has need of at the moment. ]
I have been examining this earpiece, but I have yet to contact anyone with it. Tell me, `Shades`, how did you reach me?
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He felt really frustrated and lost too when he first got here, so he gets it. It sucks. Scott still doesn't know how to feel about the whole 'world saving' thing, like how much of it is true, but there's no denying the fact that he's on another planet now. And talking to her is better than just dwelling alone in his thoughts.]
So, when I sent that message, it basically went to everyone that has the earpiece. You just so happened to respond to it. I know, it's strange, but I just sort of messed around with it until I figured that out.
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So the only way is through trial and error. I'm willing to accept any advice you have about this device.
[ it doesn't help much, but at least she'll spend some time tapping at it after this. perhaps she can call one of the acquaintances she's met here. she's sure that if 'shades' can figure it out, she's more than capable herself. and more importantly: ]
And to answer your question, it does... suck.
[ she sounds like she doesn't use that word as a descriptor very often, but she gets it, and she doesn't disagree. ]
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[All this can be done through something so small... and without being connected to an outlet. In a way, he feels like he stepped into the future, strange new planet and all, but it's honestly less fun than he ever imagined it to be. He doesn't want to be in this place, with no one familiar around him. And being told to 'survive.'
It feels... sucky. Yeah. As she's agreed with him. Scott tries to push back those feelings, just wanting to concentrate on her voice. A faraway but sort of friendly voice in this faraway world.]
Right? I wasn't even given a warning before I just woke up here.
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[ somebody's going to be getting several dozen messages and calls. probably silver. ]
Have you been here long? I find this 'points' system to be a nuisance, but performance is not my strong suit.
[ there's a certain amount of public speaking and image management, as well as a necessity of developing relationships that comes with the territory in being a princess. however, none of it is particularly enjoyable—and blaze had considered herself as being 'on vacation' at her time of arrival. neither does she think that any of the public image maintenance that she's used to has been particularly useful here, where the main priority is entertainment over dignity. ]
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Unfortunately, he isn't quite sure what to do either. He's not good at... whatever this is.]
Not long either, just a few hours? [Scott answers, tone dipping into something more serious as he tries to work with the hand he's been dealt with. His life is actually on the line right now, his and everyone else that got brought to this planet and breathe. Okay.]
I know they're always watching us. [...] What would you say are your strengths? If we focus on that, we can find a challenge that you'd excel in.
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[ it doesn't necessarily need to be right now or anything, but perhaps after she earns some points from this brainstorming section here, she'll be able to repay him for his patience with her. even once they return to etraya, she would like to consider this debt paid. as for the question itself: ]
As for my strengths... I would say that I'm fairly fast.
[ as for any others, blaze can only frown as she continues. ]
Though I'm reluctant to use my abilities for others' entertainment—they aren't toys to be played with.
[ her fire, specifically, is a concern. she wouldn't mind using her physical skills so much, as she understands there's an extent to which she must attempt to follow the customs of this place. on the other hand, as skilled as she may be with her flames now, she can't help but associate their very presence with those difficult memories of hers. ]
no subject
So, are they more... combat oriented abilities? There's the colosseum, if you feel comfortable with fighting others. Otherwise, we'd might have to do something that is more flash than substance, even if you don't want to use your powers for entertainment.
[...] Although in a place like this, there's probably crime still. Maybe if we stop a robbery or something, that would help?
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[ well, she supposes she did just say she would assist him. fair enough. instead of lingering on that, she continues: ]
Crime in the main city appears to be rare, but it runs rampant in the backstreets if we wish to seek it out.
[ she's witnessed that much herself, but she isn't sure how many of those criminals will spread outwards in their activities. instead, she tracks back to another suggestion he's made. if they're in it together, after all... ]
Otherwise, until and unless something arises, I suppose... that I can take part in the colosseum. Can you?
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[Although, Summers, how are you going to stop a crime, really? Use your optic blasts? Okay, well, that will stop the crime, but that will also stop their lives from functioning and he really doesn't want to kill anyone. Although... he doesn't have to shoot at the actual person, maybe if he hits something nearby or just shows off his powers, that will be enough to scare them? It's not the worst idea, hopefully.
He has to worry about his points too.]
I. Yeah. Sure. [Spoken like someone that is truly confident about fighting on the colosseum.] I have something kind of unique. How about you?
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I'm not worried.
[ blaze's response is immediate, and she... doesn't sound worried. she's quite capable in combat, especially from having to protect her own world from those who would cause her people harm. what could the colosseum possibly throw at her that she couldn't handle? instead, she's more focused on her partner. she'll have to give him a good look up and down when they're finally face to face. ]
Shall we meet in front of the building?
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He probably should mention that....]
Yeah, okay. Look for the cool guy with the red sunglasses.
[Wow. But okay, he'll start making his way to the place that he's been avoiding this entire time.]
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[ why does this kind of remind her of someone?
when he does arrive, of course there's a plethora of aliens and humanoids alike, but among them, there's also a three foot tall purple cat. the cat in particular is walking through the crowd like she's on a mission, disappearing into the people who are crowding around—either to sign up, or to spectate. give her a minute, and she'll loop back around before looking in scott's direction.
...
and start marching directly towards him, speaking up once she approaches. ]
Shades...?
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Because he has no idea who he's searching for. What he's searching for, in the mix of aliens and humanoids passing by him in the grand colosseum. People are really getting excited for this, aren't they? Almost like it's the grand challenge or event that brings the most points to people, the most viewed thing on this planet. It might be a little exciting in some fucked up way, but Scott's really not into it-- other than surviving and find Blaze.
That's when he hears a voice and--
He blanches. Because that sure is a three foot... cat?? Talking to him. But surprisingly, perhaps, he recovers quickly enough, mouth shutting with a small click. Partly because alien planet and partly because he's talked to a hedgehog that reminds him of her. Definitely different animal though.]
Uh, Blaze? [Scott answers, confirming awkwardly.] And yeah, I'm Shades-- Scott Summers is my actual name.
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but she'll let him live it down, ignoring it in lieu of a proper introduction. ]
Scott Summers, it is my pleasure.
[ she holds out her hand for him to take, a little higher than she's used to but he should be able to reach it without bending down or anything. ]
I am Blaze the Cat. Thank you for your assistance earlier.
[ not that it was much, but for a girl with very little technology in her own world, who's only experienced it secondhand in sonic's, anything is appreciated. ]
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Uh yeah, nice to meet you Blaze. Glad I could help.
[...It does actually feel a little good that he helped her out, small as it may be. Of course, now they're in an arena together and going to sign up for a fight soon and he might just die here and now, but at least he helped out a talking cat.] So, uh, ready to kick ass?
[YEAH......]
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I am prepared. Are you?
[ she's not sure exactly what she was expecting. armor, maybe. but by all accounts, he seems to be nothing more than a citizen in his plain clothes. ]
I will admit, I wouldn't have taken you for a combatant.
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But he's just assuming that because he doesn't see any weapons on her. He knows she has powers though. Just like him!! She mentioned that before. Which. Okay. If they're going to be fighting together on the battlefield, shouldn't they know just a little more about each other? Seems like a good idea to him at least.
He lets a hand linger on his sunglasses.]
Feeling's mutual-- but I can shoot optic blasts out of my eyes. They pack a punch. [Not from the punch dimension.] How about you? So we can coordinate our attacks.
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[ forgive her for her reaction; her world hasn't quite reached any comic book eras yet, so the idea of eye lasers is still foreign to her. the best she can conjure up in her mind is one of eggman's robots, with weaponry built into its eyes...
she peers up at him curiously, then shakes her head to dismiss the thought. ]
I see... Then I trust you to use them well. As for myself...
[ in the palm of her hand, she conjures a small fireball to demonstrate. ]
I have mastery over flames.
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[Technically a concussive force blah blah, that's what Professor McCoy told him about his own powers because he really didn't understand them at first. He listened for the most part, because he's the one with said powers and has to live with them for the rest of his life, but he doesn't feel like going into full detail right now.
Not the time, right?
But his jaw drops lightly when she creates a small fireball in her hand, seemingly out of nowhere. It feels just like a power a mutant would have, but she's a cat with fire. Honestly that makes this even cooler-- what?! A talking cat with fire? That's neat to him!]
Oh shit, now I know why your name is Blaze. Totally fits. [He's kind of excited, even if they're about to go into the arena to fight.] But okay, you have fire and I have my eye blasts. So, we're both going to fight long range? Maybe just stand side by side and attack whoever steps out across from us.
[...And hopefully not kill anyone.]
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I am capable in hand-to-hand combat as well, are you?
[ blaze has no way of assessing a human's capability really. they all seem rather unimpressive to her, relying on their technology to cause destruction to those around them, but it seems this one has more to offer.
that's why she wants to cover their bases and ensure that they both exit the arena safely at the end of this. ]
How will you respond if someone engages you in close range? Or from behind? We should have a plan in place, even if it's only a signal for assistance from the other.
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I've gotten in a few fights with other guys around my age. [Just throwing that out there, so it doesn't sound like he's completely unfamiliar with a brawl. It's just that high school bullies probably have nothing on actual fighters that are planning to win in an arena. It's that thought that pushes Scott just a little more, some honesty entering his voice--]
But... I wouldn't say I'm great at it. [If Blaze and him are going to be fighting for real, he doesn't want to inflate stuff he actually can't do.] I have a better chance with the eye blasts.
[But hm, okay. A backup plan, it's a good idea.] My powers still work in close combat, but you're right, we should have a plan just in case. If you call for help, I can shoot my optic blasts near where you're at and that might scare the foe off.
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and around his age also doesn't lend her much confidence either. this isn't a bar fight or a brawl out on the street, after all. she fully expects to see other trained soldiers fighting seriously once they go inside, and that's what she's preparing herself for. preparing them for, she'd like to hope. ]
I see. Likewise, if you sound distressed, I will ensure your safety.
[ all in all, she's doubtful, but maybe he will surprise her. he was the one who suggested it, so she should have a little faith in him, at least. for now: ]
Are you ready?
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He doesn't want that. Even though he also really doesn't want to fight with his powers, but he literally signed up for this. He could go looking for other ways to increase his points, but this is definitely the most direct path to it. The biggest payout. It almost feels like they have to.
Something in Scott shifts just slightly, the teen becoming just a little more focused. More serious.]
I'm ready. I won't let you down.
[Big words, but he feels like saying it. It feels better than the doubt and he'll need all of that as he finds himself walking to the gate, ready for it to open.]