∎ ETRAYA MODS ∎ (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
etrayamods) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
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. |
ok owl city
really, she's focusing her attention more on her challenge partner. ]
What I mean to say, is that I have met Shadow, who shares your likeness as well as your name.
[ she's not so eloquent as to dance around the subject. he's asked what it was, and she will provide. ]
I believe that you have as well?
[ the room itself seems rather plain, and though she glances around to see if there's anything else that stands out—or has changed, she seems to be particularly interested in that platform. ]
no subject
nothing in the room has really changed, but the moon plush that's on the floor still remains lonely that she had taken the sun with her. ]
They share nothing I have.
[ he looks to blaze upon his response, correcting her as though she's confused.
but maria would say different, she would admit that they share her love and happiness, that she'd be there for both of them and care... ]
no subject
first of all: ]
Come pick up this moon. I'd like to know what's up there as well, come with me.
[ there's one plush for each of them—almost fitting, too. ]
In that case, why don't you tell me what he does have?
no subject
as the hedgehog moves over, he grabs the moon from off the floor not really caring about the child's toy. it's heavy. dropping it on the floor to see if what's inside will shatter, instead the impact pushes up against what must be inside causing the light in the room to disappear.
by the steps that stop only half-way, she'll see there's a starry path that connects to the steps and leads in a pretty zig zag pattern, and platforms that go up and down which can take her to the second platform. the worst part, is that within the darkness... they are unable to move, as though something is stopping their legs from moving.
they're stuck to the floor.
shadow groans from the way this room works to the question asked. ]
Are you not attentive or are you just stupid? His movements were as sloppy as yours.
no subject
...
[ neither the answer the gives not the effects of his plush please her, and to that point, she doesn't toy with her own sun immediately. instead she turns to look shadow in the eyes. sternly at first, and then more exasperated—unimpressed and simply even tired. as if she's dealing with a poorly disciplined child. ]
I know that you are capable of behaving better than that.
[ if he truly thought her to be so sloppy as he claims, she's sure that the emerald he stole from her would not have been returned to her possession; he should know fully well what the reason for her mistakes were by now. even if he is only making a point of his criticism of the other shadow, blaze is not one to stand by and be mocked or looked down upon herself for the sake of that opinion. particularly not when she is the one who controls whether or not your feet can leave the ground.
apologize right now young man. ]
no subject
[ no one ever likes what he says, but it's the truth. how should he behave, that's another weight on his shoulder. even maria said certain thing he's done isn't like him, but maybe he's tired of people looking at him with standards. shadow closes his eyes to try and subside his irritation as he looks to the side. ]
Don't think much of me, don't think of me at all.
[ it's better that way, then she won't have to want for him to be better. with the room black as night save for the paths that glitter above them, shadow squints and his mind wonders if there's a connection.
his eyes looks at the sun plush in her hand and with an irritated sigh, he closes his eyes as if he's prepared for what's to come.
since she's the one with the sun plush in her arms. ]
no subject
blaze continues to stare at him for a long moment in silence, only shaking her head with a sigh as she turns her attention back in front of her. she has no doubts that there is more she's yet to learn about shadow—she won't claim to know him so closely as to scold him for what he's saying, but as she gazes down at the sun that rests in her hand... ]
Regardless of my thoughts, do not insult me again, or you will learn of them.
[ it's one thing if she's earned it, but this isn't something she has a high degree of tolerance for. and despite it all, she does hold shadow in high regard as things are now. she only hopes that for all his brusqueness, he can maintain that respect that she has for him. ]
Now, let's continue, shall we?
[ she'll give the sun a squeeze, lighting up the room once more. ]
no subject
Hmph.
[ looks like someone can't handle the truth, the princess at her young age was basically uncoordinated as the other.
this could be how shadow sees things though, as someone who had to make precise movements to ensure nothing goes wrong around him. he feels that it's within his right to point out what it is that he noticed.
she did ask. ]
Keep it moving.
[ and they can in fact move when the sun is out. there is a ticking noise coming from plush moon, seems that one is on a timer before it can be used again. ]
no subject
for now blaze's ears flick as the moon begins to tick, sparing one last glance to it in shadow's hand, but that only seems to emphasize its importance as a clue in this puzzle. ]
Let's follow the path that it showed us. Once we reach the end of what we saw, we can investigate and press it again.
[ see where it leads next, or has something else to tell them. she hopes that timer isn't too long, truthfully, but so long as it isn't they can follow its guidance. blaze is already making her way up its path on the steps, and once they reach the top, she'll jump along the platforms—or else use her flames to propel her to any that might be out of reach. ]
no subject
when she finally steps on a platform then jumps off, she'll notice they don't stay as long as they do. as if disappearing out of thin air, so flying might be her best bet if it wasn't for an invisible screen that will push her back once she gets too close.
shadow on the other hand is standing in mid-air on a platform that he first saw her walk on. his eyes do stay on blaze before looking down at the "invisible ground". ]
They accounted for us flying.
[ because isn't it weird that they could just fly and go up, but when the night time hit, they were stuck to the ground?
maybe it has something to do with that. ]
no subject
[ blaze is cut off by an abrupt BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP. it emits from the walls surrounding them, flashing red with each beep until a sophisticated and calm voice announces through the speakers:
'Time is up. Please return to the front desk to collect your prizes!'
the timer was still going? it's not as if blaze gets the chance to say that though, or even to make her way to the exit herself; one of the walls opens up and on the far side, the platforms and stairs of the room unfolding underneath their feet as a strong air current pulls them towards the open wall.
—and back to the front desk. ]
no subject
Hmph, what a waste of time.
[ don't try and say he was slow at the first game, isn't it supposed to reset every new room or something? also, it was stupid, this entire thing was just a waste of time. ]
I don't have time for games. I'm leaving.
[ he's already turning away from the front desk to leave, not caring which way blaze goes.
...ding, ding, ding! they've went up about 20 points! ]