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etrayamemes2025-05-30 09:20 am
etrayamods) wrote in etrayamemes2025-05-30 09:20 am
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TDM 008
content warnings for this TDM include: gambling references, mild horror themes and suggestive content  ⏵ arrival⏴ Arrival does not happen as Aurora usually plans for it. Newcomers generally find themselves waking up within the hospital, are given a brief overview of their situation, and sent on their way. Now? They wake up immersed in a game within The Gold Saucer. But it doesn't quite feel like a game: whether it's snowy mountains, riding a chocobo as you listened to the wind quickly pass by your ears, or in the middle of a battle with a beast, it feels utterly real. It's only after the game concludes - either by winning or losing - that you find yourself back in the main game area. A bot, dressed as personnel in this lavish playground, approaches each arrival with an earpiece allowing them to communicate with those in their same situation. It also serves to inform them of their goal: collect enough gold saucer points (or GP) by playing the games to acquire a card fashioned to their own likeness from the game counter. Then, they must trade it for someone else's. Seems simple enough, right? Hopefully the cards aren't too expensive...  ⏵ the gold saucer ⏴ The Gold Saucer is an ode to the very idea of fun. It’s huge, labyrinthine, colorful, and lively. Everywhere you look, there’s something to do. At the same time, it’s also impossible to tell what time it is. There are no windows to the outside, there are no clocks. This place is beyond such a thing. There are games everywhere you look, ranging from the pseudo-gambling to sports to pixelated video games in cabinets. Yet no matter which boxing game, pinball machine, or skeeball machine you look at, the same creatures and themes arrive. Cactuars, chocobos, the fiercest Behemoth, the cuddliest Moogle… For those from the realms of Final Fantasy, this will feel natural- homey even. Everyone else will simply understand that there is a fairly strong central theme here about magic, machines, and monsters. It’s hard to tell how long you spend here, and it seems to sit outside of the very concept of time. Still, there are many restaurants, lounges, and vending machines. There are shops and costume rentals. There are even little pharmacies with headache remedies if the partying gets out of hand. And when you grow tired, there is a hotel- though it is made up like a haunted house, you can count on getting some semi-restful sleep.  ⏵ playtime ⏴ At first, stepping through to play any of these games may make participants wonder if they have been teleported somewhere else entirely. But on closer inspection, all the skies above are merely well-constructed interiors with painted ceilings. After all, it always seems to be daytime during these games. Snowboarding - Race to the bottom of the mountain, but avoid obstacles and complete as many tricks as possible! Chocobo Racing- Race on Chocobo-back around a treacherous outdoors race track which can either be taking place in a desert, a swampy forest, or upon an island beach. Work in tandem with your rented bird and against your competition by throwing hazards in their way or utilizing buffs garnered on the track. Different colored birds will yield different advantages. Yellow - Good All Rounder Red - Fast, but hard to steer Blue - Slower, but very easy to steer. Much easier to pick up items from them. Green- Resilient against traps and sabotage Colosseum Battle- Face off against the fiercest beasts around. Pair up with friends or rivals to Collaborate or Compete to do the most damage and deliver the final blow. These battles are synced to the comparative power of the one entering the competition. We wouldn’t want anyone to get hurt unnecessarily, after all. And indeed, no one will get seriously, gruesomely, or permanently injured in these battles. Those without fighting capabilities can rent weapons outfitted Materia to assist them in their trial. These will allow anyone to cast spells, though not guarantee any better wielding of weapons. There are a hundred rounds, starting with fairly simple Spriggans, ranging all the way up to blood-thirsty Behemoths to challenge even the most battle-hardened hero. Leap of Faith- Players are presented with an obstacle course that stretches a hundred feet into the air upon floating platforms and islands. Both are held aloft by magical crystals. Powers are entirely nerfed, though falling and hitting the ground is strangely painless. Those who collect the most silver and gold statuettes of cactuars placed at random throughout the course will be awarded proportionate GP; though there is a bonus for those that reach the very top first. Triple Triad- Everywhere you look, people are playing this game on little 3 by 3 boards, or any surface with enough space. You will be given a loaner deck to play with. Are you clever enough to defeat your fellows. Fashion Report- Theobold, familiar to some, stands by himself in a little booth with a dressing room and an incredibly expansive walk-in closet. He is a robot of distinguished fashion and strong opinions on those fashions. Do you dare subject yourself to his scrutiny? Come prepare in his wondrous closets to make the best outfit for the chance to win a prize. Please submit your fashion here! There are Arcade Machines and activities galore. If you can think of it, it’s probably there- Just with that Final Fantasy pastiche on it, of course.  ⏵ the beehive lounge ⏴ There are other places to eat at the Gold Saucer, but the vending machines and cafés all pale in comparison to the dinners at the Beehive. For all the rave reviews, there is a dress code at the Beehive, and this is literal. If you step inside and are not currently wearing a dress, you will be ushered into a sideroom and appropriately made over. However, this is only for those trying to go in through the normal doors. Around the side there happens to be an employee entrance, manned by a bot. He will only allow those in who seem like they intend to work— and therefore must be wearing at least one piece of the Bunnysuit Collection to trick the guard. Once you are made over or have snuck in, you are free to relax inside with drinks, dine on a fine meal, watch the dancers, or participate yourself if you feel brave enough. Why would anyone ever dance here? Well, that’s simple. It pays really well. So if you’re sick of games, or terrible at them— you can always come dance for a shift. Though, don't get any unseemly ideas about freeing yourself of your clothing, this isn't that kind of establishment!  ⏵ haunted house ⏴ When you grow too weary or drunk from a day of games, you may be directed to somewhere a little quieter to sleep. Up the elevator, and through the doors reveals a modest walk through some woods until a quaint, victorian hotel appears. It is always nighttime here, and the stars and moon twinkle above. The receptionist, a bot in a rather bedraggled-looking chocobo mascot costume checks you in and shows you to your room. You can sleep here, especially if you can tolerate the hokey haunted decorations strung up around the place. Though sometimes, late at night, there will come a vigorous thumping on the door to startle sleeping patrons awake- Only for the culprit to vanish and be impossible to locate.  ⏵ ticket counter ⏴ The prize counter is manned by a bot and has a sign posted overhead. Most prizes will be handed over inside an appropriately sized wrapped box, as the contents are a mystery.
This TDM may be treated as a mini-Mission. Time will not pass inside of it in relation to the world outside - meaning, this can be happening at any time between late May into early July! This Gold Saucer is a bit of a mix between that of FF7's and FF14's, but it also has some things that neither have as well. Any inaccuracies are entirely intentional, aimed to make this rest within a space of uncanny valley for those who are familiar. While otherwise being a bit of a chaotic fantastical funhouse for everyone else! If there is something unlisted, chances are it will exist if it is in either of the other versions of the Gold Saucer. 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 to our mod queries comment! |
no subject
Maybe all of my morbol exposure is taking its toll.
[Clive practices walking up and down in front of the vanities until he feels confident enough to walk without looking at his feet the whole time.
While watching the boys, he starts mimicking some of their moves, starting with sways of his hips.]
What would Isabelle think if she could see us now, eh?
no subject
[He watches him practice his walk until he’s no longer staring T his own feet. ]
That you should retire from swordsmanship and I should be retired completely. Maybe if she’s feeling generous she’ll still let me sweep the stairs for bread crusts and a bowl of milk.
[Cid joins him, watching the bots from their hidden spot backstage. Cid starts taking mental notes, counting the steps, and starts moving his feet in time. He always looks pretty serious, but especially now as he lets his knack for observation take over and do the work. ]
no subject
[Clive joins Cid to watch the bots move, still practicing his gentle sway. He was surprised at how much it helped him understand how his center of gravity works in these shoes.]
Don't worry, I would take pity on you and let you sleep at the end of my bed after work.
[Clive begins tapping out the rhythm of the dancers on his thigh, watching with an intensity that would make some people uncomfortable. They were quite the pair, these two. You would think they were trying to learn a life-saving art.
Clive supposes that, in a way, they are.]
no subject
…I imagine she’d give me a bed of my own.
[Cid is going to just move straight by all of those implications. ]
[Cid slowly starts getting more into the dance. Catching on. Increasing the number of accurately performed moves.]
no subject
[Clive is, admittedly, only partially aware of how his phrasing may sound. He is also genuinely curious as to what Cid would do in any similar scenario.]
You are, as you have repeatedly told me, an old man. That couldn’t be good for your joints.
[Clive follows Cid’s lead. He has always been good at learning and following instructions and this is no different. As the night goes on, Clive’s confidence in his ability to perform grows. He gets the steps down and is even doing a good job of mimicking the sensual movements of the bots.]
no subject
Is there something you’re trying to tell me, lad?
no subject
That I would rather you sleep next to me than on the floor?
no subject
…Nevermind. Fine, you’re right. A night on the floor is worse.
[Cid starts dancing again, peeking out at whoever is out in the audience. There’s few people he would want to see this. Ideally no-one, but there’s a couple women he sleeps with that might treat it good-naturedly. ]
You dodged my question about Jill, you know.
no subject
He almost staggers when Cid circles back to Jill and sighs. The tips of his ears turn the slightest shade of pink while he continues to move, doing his damndest not to think about her smile, her exhasperate sigh, her stalwart stare, the way her eyelashes flutter gently against her skin as she leaned in.]
No, we haven't shacked up.
[Something that he had been adamantly ignoring since their time alone in the medical wing twinges in his chest. He rotates into a new set of dance moves that faces him in a different direction than Cid.]
We're friends, Cid. And right now, that is all that we are.
[He tries desperately not to sound sad or bitter about it. The result is a tone that is a little too neutral. There was enough surrounding them and the idea of dragging Jill any further into any of this made him feel sick to his stomach. He knows she is capable. He needs her. But it hurts, the idea of continuing to pull her towards such a vast danger.
He also can't see himself doing any of this without her. The fear of not having her with him now and what that might mean gnaws at him.]
Do you know what happens in our home worlds when we get pulled into this one?
no subject
Hard to say. But being that our worlds are in danger and our keeper is able to reconstitute us from ashes, I don’t doubt their ability to fix it.
[Cid’s brow creases as he continues to dance, mirroring Clive. Clive was from far ahead of him. And Barnabas, too. ]
I can tell you the last thing I remember is taking something through the stomach. Must have been lights out, since you’ve got lightning in your fist now.
[And the other stuff.]
no subject
[Clive sighs. He is determined to say this next bit without blushing. He is mostly successful, ears turning a bit pink.]
It's not because I'm not interested in her. So no, you're not wrong.
[Clive stops dancing, back still to Cid. Is he ready for this conversation? Probably not. It's not one he ever thought he would have. He holds his hand up, letting the purple energy crackle around his hand.]
You gave it to me.
[Clive closes his fist, extinguishing the magic. He turns around, eyes glassy but gaze resolute. He needed to do this. For Cid, for himself. He closes the distance between them and raises his hand, but stops as it hovers just past his own hip.
No, he can’t just hover. Not this time. Clive puts his hand on the soft slope where Cid's neck and shoulder meet. This felt different from when he put his hand on the other man's shoulder in the club proper. There was nothing separating his hand from Cid's, from feeling the warm skin of the living, breathing man in front of him. Somehow, this felt more real. Like Cid wasn't going to disappear in front of his very eyes. Clive resists the urge to put his forehead against Cid's and instead opts for sincere eye contact, his pain and his hope writ clear.]
You died, Cid. [In my arms.]
[Clive swallows down whatever tears threatened to fall. Later. He could shed those tears later. Not now. Not here.]
You died saving me.
[Clive closes his eyes for a moment. When he opens them, there is something more resolute there, but no less sad.]
Saving your - our dream.
no subject
I was always going to die. You know that, right? But I’m here now, though, seeing as the universe figured I wasn’t finished.
[He’s starting to feel all his drinks on his half-empty stomach. He reaches up, hand on Clive’s jaw before giving his scar a sharp pinch. That’s right, Clive. No one likes to see the show girls cry. Which is why he wasn’t about to ask about Mid, even though it gnawed at him.]
Well. Our dream’s been put on the back burner for another, similar dream. And we’ve got to dance for it.
Ready?
no subject
His smile quickly shifts from melancholy to warm. He knows he will cherish this moment, sad though it started. Clive playfully swats Cid's hand away when he pinches, laughing.]
Yeah, yeah.
[Clive's smile quirks into a smirk.]
Let's give them a show, yeah?