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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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he's not the type to waste his breath. ]
You aren't a clown, but an artificial esper.
[ he makes sure not to question it. remove the clown bit but leaving him with nothing might end up deconstructing him. adding what he is should let him retain what he naturally is.
the term makes sense to him, as well as the outcome of what medical research can create which can be individuals with psychic abilities. he doesn't linger on that part of the conversation as they don't need to go into fine details, but he finds his eyes look at the other a little longer than he should before turning away from him.
now the question is will it work? the hedgehog raises a brow as he looks at the other with interest. since the other is playing the role of the guinea pig then he should be able to offer more words. ]
Well?
[ ... ]
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He shifts his weight from foot to foot to test the squeakiness of his shoes, and hey! No squeaking! That's one big step forward.]
Hm.
[He pulls his phone out again, using the camera to check his hair. After a minute or two the red disappears, and the blue is starting to fade. That's a huge relief, though he keeps that feeling to himself.]
That worked. [Back into his pocket goes his phone.] 'Artificial esper' is pretty specific, normally we just use 'esper' on its own. I wasn't sure if that would have been enough, though.
[So there are still some unknowns with this power, which isn't great.]
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The specifics handled the job.
[ every thing that the hedgehog says will come true, that's the problem he's having so it's best to leave no gaps for a mistake. he likes a controlled situation by his own efforts, it's why he at that time spoke as close to the truth as he did. ]
There's a lack of information on how far this ability goes and what constructs it follows by being yours or mine.
[ artificial esper sounds like what shadow thinks it means, as long as they think the same then there should be no real issues.
but he won't say that aloud. ]
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At any rate, he puts his phone away again.]
You're right, but this gives us a bit more data to work with. [And in his opinion, any amount of data is good to have.] That's better than nothing.
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[ whatever comes true will only be a nuisance to him, but since he finds everything annoying, maybe nothing will come from that comment.
as for the other questions he has... ]
Is this common?
[ he gestures to their surroundings. ] Going to places like this.
[ not his cup of tea, but he doesn't stay in one place as he moves back over to the table to make sure nothing has changed from what he said. ]
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It's starting to become common, but this place in particular was picked because there was a request for us to see what a universe that can't be saved looks like.
[Kind of funny that there are apparently newbies who are being dropped into this as their first mission.]
The other universe we've been to was similar to Etraya, run by Aurora's sister. We've also been sent to a train that travelled through universes.
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[ "you all" because there's nothing shadow wants. learning about this universe and why it's in decay does what for them... unless that's why they need to gain the flash drive to turn things around here.
he walks forward thinking over why they're here, if their world cannot be saved then what's the point of changing anything? a faint taste of hope or something worse, he doesn't know what this is supposed to mean for the natives of this world. ]
What could be the point of anything here, unless...
[ information for their own world to prevent it from following this one? isn't the story that aurora is going to choose someone's world and prevent it from being lost as well... shadow wasn't really paying attention because he doesn't really care, the person he desires doesn't even exist on that world.
but that is the world she loves. ]
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We don't know. Aurora is only able to give us minimal information, so we're all fucking blind about what we can get out of this mission.
[In between having to perform for points and all the cameras in their face all the time Accelerator kind of feels like this is a crapshoot. He's hoping someone else gets something out of it.]
If there's any information to be gained from being here, though, then this damn mission is worthwhile.
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[ why does that sound like sometimes these missions have nothing, that they've been to places where they've come out empty handed. even the source barely has anything to even give them so what's the point, are they filling her data banks with what they learn.
sounds like something could go awry that way. ]
There's been places where you've obtained nothing?
[ is he hearing him right. ]
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One time we brought back an eldritch fear monster. [His tone is dry. He's joking! But not really, because they actually did that and it was an actual nightmare. More seriously:]
But other than that, the mission objectives are always vague and it's hard to tell whether we're doing what Echo wants. We're never punished, and we're rewarded sometimes with points we can spend on shit, but it isn't clear how we accumulate them.
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[ now with that said, let's hope that the monkey's paw doesn't curl, but it is a lot to think about.
some of this is... pointless, even now with that presented to him, what's the point of the flash drive within a dying world other than to have information? the hedgehog stops, groaning in some irritation. ]
A load of bullshit.
[ anyone could think so with all the critical information that they're lacking, but that also opens up the the route of... they won't know what happens if they don't try. ]
Has anything you've done on these missions made a difference?
[ it's information at the end of the day. positive or negative, doesn't seem to matter. ]
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[He hasn't seen much come out of the missions, aside from Im'mari following them back to Etraya, and that doesn't count. Whether Echo is even keeping track of them is unclear.
Accelerator is calm as he explains. There's no point in getting worked up over any of this, especially someone in his situation.]
I can't speak for most people, but I don't have the luxury of choosing to sit out of missions while we figure out if the universe saving thing is true or not. I'm responsible for a lot of kids back home. [So he's erring on the side of caution in order to make sure they stay safe.]
i had like 398489498030984 tabs up and didnt post.... dont look @ me
[ kids, he doesn't look like or talk like a father aside from the white hair, but maybe they're children he's adopted. that one sounds about right. shadow remains quiet, thinking his words over. if he ever joins these missions, it's on the premise of protecting his world.
shadow doesn't particularly care for the one back home aside from a promise, but... that's nothing he needs to think about now. ]
Has she explained the process of how to save worlds?
[ since aurora can't even save this dying one. ]
I do that a lot
Aurora doesn't have that information, and Echo hasn't told her. [It's not Aurora's fault, in other words. In some ways, she's even more limited than the rest of them.] None of us can talk to Echo, so we're basically stuck.
im glad you understand i was like whoops
[ answers seem smaller and smaller when it comes to aurora and this "echo" person. with a click of his tongue, the hedgehog only notes that it's not like the other wants to be without answers, that's simply how things go here. ]
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[He cannot overstate what little information they have on Echo.]
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Do you believe that?
[ not a waste of time, shadow doesn't waste his time... but the question is how much information does this other person really believe. ]
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[Mostly because... they basically have no way to investigate Echo.]
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...
[ there is one question that comes to mind. ]
How much of a connection does Aurora have to our worlds?
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Aurora's more of an administrative assistant. Echo's the one who can move people between universes.
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[ that's information, not enough, but something he'll look into. ]
How annoying.
[ not because he can't reach "echo", but because without the emerald, crossing universes and dimensions are an ability outside his control.
maybe there's something that can be done with it and echo but nothing comes that easy. ]
I'll talk to her myself then.
[ if he manages to return to that world called etraya. ]