etrayamemes | TDM 007

Entry tags:

!tdm

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:

You must dance with a partner. This can be an ally, an enemy, or someone you intend on using as a stepping stone to victory. It matters not, as long as you have one hand (or limb) on them at all times.
The longer you last, the better your chances. Endurance is the name of the game, meaning one must pace themselves on the dance floor. While epic twirls and impressive moves will garner more attention, it may also hurt your chances in the long run.
You may sabotage others by throwing them off balance, but keep in mind: everything is televised, and it won't stay secret for long.
The arena adapts to the chaos. Expect sudden obstacles, environmental shifts, and sudden changes in the music's tempo. Gravity may shift, walls may close in, but participants can't let that stop them - they must continue to dance, if they wish to win.

The audience is watching. Who will make the final cut and become Prom King and Queen? Everyone is vying for the titles: it doesn't matter what rank you started at when you joined the Panopticon Prom. Whoever wins becomes a Paragon until their points drop. There aren't many opportunities to sail through the rankings, but this is a sure way to do it. As long as they can keep up.

⏵ 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:

1	You must speak entirely in rhyme.	2	Your body has become unnaturally delicate. The smallest injury hurts like a fatal wound.
3	You must avoid stepping into any sources of light. Doing so causes massive burns to appear on any area of your skin where light has touched.	4	You have been transformed into an animal! You can still think as you had before, but you cannot speak or communicate easily.
5	You have been cursed with supernatural strength, but cannot control it.	6	Time doesn't flow normally for you anymore. Each mistake you make makes you visibly younger, slowly erasing your experiences, skills, or even memories.
7	You can no longer form your own words, but only repeat what others have said to you.	8	You cannot meet another person's gaze.
9	You can no longer turn around, physically or metaphorically. If you try to return where you came from, you'll find that the pathway no longer exists.	10	You are given a specific letter that you must avoid using out loud entirely. "A"? Better hope you know enough words without one.
11	Every time you speak, your words come true - but never in the way you intended. Trying to control this is futile; the monkey's paw curls with every new sentence.	12	Within the casino, you lose the ability to feel anything. No pain, no pleasure, no warmth, and no cold. At first it may feel like a blessing - until you realize you cannot feel hunger, or tell if you're injured.
13	Regardless of if you've drunken anything, you still act inebriated. The effect only gets worse the longer you stay.	14	No one can see you. You are invisible, even if you are still able to reach out and touch or converse with those around you.
15	Any special ability you have is gone. You are reduced down to what an average human being is capable of - regardless of if you are human.	16	Violent impulses become impossible to ignore. You are rage incarnate, and you will be heard.
17	Every time you make a decision - to walk into an area, to start a conversation, anything, a small thread pulls loose from your clothing or your skin. Keep making choices, and you may become entirely undone.	18	You may speak freely, but for every syllable you say, your ability to hear slowly fades. You may want to watch your word count - too many, and you may not be able to hear at all.
19	Perhaps you arrived with a friend, or beside a stranger. It matters not: whoever came in either just before or just after you, you feel a powerful urge to protect them to the point of aggression.	20	Love is in the air - at least it is for you. Every time you meet someone's gaze, you feel the need to try and make them fall in love with you, through whatever means necessary.

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.

⏵ NOTES ⏴

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.

⏵FULL NAVIGATION⏴

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I'm gonna come out and say it, me keeping him from self-destructing never really worked. Mostly the opposite.

(Sometimes, very literally! He probably wouldn't know that bit, anyway, but there's just so much that she could bring up that would probably convince him, but that last part...

Julian, dear Julian.)

He accused me of being on a date with you right now, so maybe you got that part right.

( okay, fine.

that's reasonable. quentin's accusing julian of going on a date with sophie when all he did was take her out of a rough situation because he was two seconds from losing his shit. which. was mostly her fault, but not actually her fault, just the timing was. doesn't matter. )

Want to give him something to really be jealous over?

( he's also pissed at quentin. is this helping the self-destructing thing at all? absolutely not. will it make julian feel a little better? maybe slightly. )

(A. She is trying to be a better person.
B. QUENTIN.
C. He also dated her sister.
D. She is trying to be a better person.
E. God, fuck you, Quentin.)

You have my undivided attention.

This place is all about putting on a show, right? If he's all pissy over a hypothetical date we're not even on, we may as well give him one.

( this is what quentin gets, for being an asshat. )

(He's technically pissy for a bunch of other reasons too, but this one she can definitely do something about.

Never said it was going to be a good something. She's so petty, but most of all, she's so glad Julian is petty too.

It's an art.)

Perfect outfit too, what do you think?

(His shirt is kind of a short dress, but, eh. Nothing she's never worn, hooked fingers bringing her heels back so she can put them on, stand, and do a little spin.

She's into it, but he gets a say, too.)

Edited (damn fast fingers) 2025-04-11 02:40 (UTC)

( her clothing is nothing he cares about. she's the one who took off with his shirt, which - eh, no big deal. it's not like it was one of his favorites or anything. sophie stands and does a little twirl, and julian does her the favor of pretending like he's interested.

and, well, he does realize how it'd look from an outside point of view. did she just invade his place, steal his crap, and decide it was hers? yes. but that's beside the point. )

You want to go out like that?

(Sir, of course you're not interested. Fashion, Julian!!! Boyfriend fashion!!! The greatest all have done it, but she realizes that explaining that to a man whose skin has never made acquaintances with a facial cleanser is asking too much of him.

Which is why, instead of going on a rant, she just moves her hand up and down. Kinda, Julian, kinda.)

With shorts, and some makeup. But overall, yep.

I don't think I have anything else that'll fit you.

( and he, obviously, does not have any make up. )

You want to go back out?

(... Her room is a mess and she is definitely not ready or willing to let him see it, and he definitely is going to be bored while she dolls up, so, technically, yes, but probably on her own.

Besides, she does think some good might come from the fifteen minutes it's going to take for her to get ready. Julian probably would benefit from the small break, although however much or how, she isn't exactly sure. It's probably a good thing it's a short one. Probably, the keyword for this, it sucks not knowing.

On the other hand, she needs to scream into a pillow for a hot second, no thanks to her lack of tact combined with the fact that she still ought to unpack the outrage she's feeling toward the latest in Quentin vs Sophie, a never-ending issue. Julian's already helping with her pettiness; he's not going to get to hear the reasonings behind it.

So, in the end, she just sighs once her thoughts are collected. Go to her apartment, thankfully it's in the same building, scream into a pillow, get a winged liner, matte red lipstick, some concealer for the redness due to all that sobbing, maybe another scream for good measure, put on shorts, come back, drama.

Okay. She's back.)

Give me fifteen, I'll be back.

Edited 2025-04-12 02:32 (UTC)

( his own apartment is too empty to be messy. basic necessities are around, but there's nothing that could count as clutter or mess. there are no dishes in the sink, no clothes on the floor, just - nothing. and while sophie thinks over her next move, julian stays lounging on the couch, mouth twisted into a scowl. less because of anything that's going on, more because he's still waiting on sophie to, you know, respond to him.

and when she does, he raises his shoulders in an idle shrug. )

I'll be here. Door's unlocked.

( and even if it wasn't, it's not as if sophie can't just unlock the door from the outside regardless. while she's out, he'll also pull himself up to his feet, moving towards the bedroom to change into his leather jacket, red tee, and jeans combo rather than the now very wrinkled suit he'd been wearing for the dance. )

(At least that goes as planned. The screaming, the makeup, the shorts, the boots, the over-the-topness of it all, an effortless look that took considerable effort. 15 minutes, on the dot, she's letting herself in again.

Met with the fact that, just like her, he could be wearing a curtain, and it'd still look ridiculously pleasing. God, they do look good together from the outside.

This is worth spending her hard-worked, carefully crafted points for.)

Looking nice. Let's go?

( fifteen minutes in girl time is usually closer to thirty or higher, but it's not like julian needed to use that time any - it took him, what, five minutes to shove off the suit and shove on something else? sophie comes back around, and julian's - off in the little kitchenette, chugging down a bottle of water up until the door opens and his attention shifts to her.

looks her over for a moment, because he's stupid, but he isn't that big of a dumbass. )

You pull that off better than I did.

( oversized boyfriend shirt aesthetic isn't terrible. water glass back down on the table, julian saunters over towards the door and offers an arm out to sophie. )

How's your score? Good enough for a trip to the Symposium?

I was going to give it back, but with that comment, I might just keep it for myself.

(Maybe. She did enjoy the look.

So, probably not. Probably yes? She hasn't decided yet. Sporting the sweetest smile on her lips, she loops her arm with his, another sets on his shoulder (nice) as she nods once, letting him lead them out of his place.

Naturally, her score is remarkably nice. A little attention of the right reporter at the right time for no apparent reason whatsoever, her looks, more attention and shifted perception, and she's dandy. It's not ridiculously high, but it's comfortable to maintain considering all the five thousand headaches she's had in such short time.)

Good enough that it's my treat. How's yours?

( there's a loose lift of his shoulders at the might keep it comment, because - it's not as if julian gives a shit about a random tee he had sitting around. his jacket he's a little more possessive over, but a plain tee? no biggie, she can keep it if she wants.

they're not in any rush, so julian leads them out the door and walks them through the housing unit. no need to fly, even if it is significantly more fun than walking. )

It's fine. Luminary, which is good enough for the Symposium. Figured as long as I stayed that high, it wouldn't matter much.

( julian's a showboat. he knows how to play to a crowd when he needs to, and he's charming - when he feels like it. this place hasn't been all that difficult on him. )

(It undoubtedly is vastly less fun than flying, but hey, it's a much different rhythm than what she had been experiencing in the past hours. It's unhurried and gives them some much-needed breathing time, which she won't complain about.

No surprise they share the same rank. In a situation where her powers were actually working, this date could as well move them to Paragon, but alas.)

I'm assuming Etraya is super different, isn't it? I got there, ran some stores for supplies and outfits, and came here, so I didn't have a lotta time to take everything in.

It's not this crowded, or this loud. And it lacks the whole, show off or die element.

( well. there's still the show off or your world dies one, but that's slightly different. she'll get it. and walking? walking is good. walking is low effort yet time consuming; it'll take them a while to get places, but it also means that they can take that time to just - cope with everything else. quietly. )

When half the population seems to be those weirdo bots, guess that makes sense. It's going to be a really, really weird time for the telepaths, I can tell you that.

(Their entire experience in life is being stuck in an overcrowded room, no matter where they go. Murmurs, whispers, worries, celebrations, secrets, all at once, from every side. Thousands, millions. It's busy for her, imagine for the ones with longer ranges.)

I did see the school, though.

Mm.

( he hadn't thought too much about that, but that's because - well. noisy heads aren't really something julian has to be concerned about. he supposes it would be nice, wouldn't it, to not have all that noise when one is accustomed to it.

once they're out of the building, he leans in a little closer, lips twisting into a pleasant smile.

for the show. )

School's alright. Jay and I have been taking care of it.

(No, Julian, it's horrible!! Like being in a room with everyone doing tests, you hear them, but it's the silence is uncomfortable.

Naturally, she catches that smile, knows the drill, and she tiptoes to press her lips to his cheek right at the moment she sees someone holding a camera their way.

You know. For the show.)

You're living in it?

( pda for the show of it is fine. this, julian's plenty comfortable with. she leans in, and the grin playing at the corners of his lips grows wider, intentionally not looking towards the camera. as if he doesn't notice it. as if it doesn't matter any. )

Yeah. It's that or the apartment building, and that's crowded enough. There's a few other places around that'd work for living in, but they've mostly got other people in them.

(Ah, the complication of feelings that she feels right now. There's no doubt she could ask to move in, and she sees no reason why that would ever be denied. Being around familiar people and things would help, certainly, with the loneliness she's not going to escape anytime soon — but, also?

Last time she was there? Kaput. Is she still buried there? Ugh, that is bound to give her a billion weird feelings. Is it better than being alone? Probably.

But, ugh. Okay, not thinking about that right now. Instead, give Julian the most endearing smile she can muster, ignoring the flash she can see with her peripheral vision. The show proceeds.)

Just you and Jay in that whole place, though?

Jean's around, too, but she's been keeping mostly to herself.

( a loose lift of his shoulders, because - she is there somewhere, but she's been keeping to the teacher's side of the institute, leaving jay and julian to their own devices. which, good. as she should be. julian had enough to worry about with bird boy. )

We'll need to figure out where the hell to put you, Quire, Foley, and Grey. ( just off the top of his head. ) Jay's been taking up Brian's half of my old room. I'm betting he'll probably want to move to Foley's room.

( so he's not alone alone but he also doesn't have julian keller in his space constantly. jay's fine with him, usually, but his tolerance for julian is minimal, and josh is significantly less likely to get up in someone's face about anything. )

With all the telekinetics we have, remodeling should be a breeze.

(So she doesn't have to ask for it, so that's great. It'll just be a little awkward for the first few days, she can do this, she knows she can— is this list just men? And Jean? Is she stuck with breathing testosterone 24/7? Unexpectedly, her death and the weirdness that it will unquestionably bring become the second top concern she has.

Also, Julian and Quentin? Ah, the upcoming headache she feels for things that haven't even happened yet. However, in more important news that Julian might not be aware, someone is lacking from that list.)

Add one more. There's a teen angst version of Scott Summers from a different universe, who just got his powers like, two days ago, so I think he should be around us.

(Pet project, if you will, but that's her business.)

Good luck to you guys, I don't think you want someone who's glitching half the time and whose TK is underdeveloped to be handling construction.

Seriously?

( it's not a seriously against summers, just one against apparently having to raise him up from the very beginning. don't they have enough summers' problems with the one they have back home? why are they adding another one of them into this?

julian prefers the littler laura over tiny scott summers. probably mostly because she isn't a murder machine for. . . reasons he hasn't figured out yet, that's a later julian problem. but you know. that. )

You're fine. There's no better time to learn than now, is there?

The alternative is to leave him to wander unsupervised, and then it'll just catch up to us later— It'll be fine, that one I can deal with.

(Trust, it's fine. She thinks, or at least, she's highly confident that it can be.

Also, goddamnit, Julian. She just didn't wanna play construction, but she can't undig the hole she dug herself into, so she just nods in concealed resignation.)

Great point. I can mostly lift a few items, stop bullets, the usual, but I haven't tried anything more than that, anyway.

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