92nd ♫ | the quietness, profoundly consuming silence

[mytarget]

The Murder Game Meme



You know the script. You wake up in a place you've never seen before, with a whole bunch of complete strangers and there's a mysterious voice or a mascot or what have you ready to let you know how things are going to work around here.

The rules are simple: You're trapped here, with no hope of release or rescue. You've been provided with all the basic necessities you need to live comfortably, and all you have to do is settle down and live out the rest of your days here in peace. But if you can't do that -- if you're really so desperate to escape that you'll do anything -- then there's one teeny tiny thing you have to do first.

All you have to do is kill somebody.

But it's not quite that simple. Every death will be followed by a period of investigation, followed by a trial in which the survivors will attempt to solve the mystery and out the culprit. If the survivors guess correctly and out the culprit, the killer is executed and life goes on. But if the survivors guess wrong, then the culprit is free as a bird and everyone else is executed.

Even with the promise of freedom, can you really bring yourself to kill so many other people?

tl;dr: it's a murdergame meme. TIME TO HAVE A BIG OL' MURDERGAME BLAST.


Settings

1. High School A classic! Doesn't matter if you're too old or too young to be in high school -- you've been enrolled and the only way for you to graduate is to kill a fellow student. But hey, the faculties are nice!
2. Tropical Island Weren't you just hankering for a nice tropical vacation? No? Too bad! You're going to have a nice sunny vacation at the beach and if you don't like it, just kill someone and go home. Simple!
3. Prison It doesn't matter if you don't remember committing any crime; you've been tried and found guilty of something or other and now you can go ahead and rot away in jail. If you ever want to see the sunlight again, better put that criminal mind to good use and get rid of your inmates.
4. Mall A huge mall stuffed full of stores, places to eat and all the regular amenities like deadbolted doors and the threat of death. It's like Black Friday but even worse because you can't leave and all the rest of the shoppers might actually kill you for real this time.
5. City Holy shit, you've got the run of a whole city this time around! Maybe with all this room to keep out of each other's way, you'll be able to make sure no one starts killing people. But probably not.
6. Cruise Boat YOU'RE ON A BOAT, MOTHERFUCKER. The accommodation is all five star, even if there's no one around to act as wait staff. The only snag is that you still have this whole murder thing hanging over your head – but on the plus side, they have those little drinks with the umbrellas in, so...
7. Space Station THE FINAL FRONTIER... Maybe you're familiar with space stations like this or maybe all this future tech is fascinating to you. Not like it matters either way, of course, because you won't be getting out of here unless you lay down a murder on someone.
8. Wildcard! None of the above scratch your murder itch? Go wild and come up with your own setting!



Downtime

1. Excuse Me, Who Are You? You've just woken up in this weird place and you have no idea what's going on. But hey -- maybe this stranger's more informed than you. Or maybe you can put your heads together and investigate what's going on.
2. Social Link Go! Well, if you're going to be stuck in here for however long, you might as well get to know the people stuck in here with you. You've got plenty of rooms to explore together and there's enough to do to keep you occupied. How do you plan on passing time without killing each other?
3. Vending Machine Woes Somewhere in this place there's a mysterious vending machine that spits out all manner of bizarre items and occasionally dispenses items that belong to you and the other people trapped here. You've got a fat stack of tokens and nothing to lose.
4. The Corners of My Mind So as it turns out, your lovely hosts have been fiddling with your memories. Maybe you're just discovering this now or maybe you've had a particularly upsetting memory regain you're dealing with.
4. Wildcard! GO WILD AND BE FREE (or as free as you can be here, anyways)



PUTTING THE MURDER IN MURDER GAME

1. Motive Your mysterious overseer has decided there's not nearly enough murder going on and so they've ~helpfully~ given you a little push to do the deed. Maybe one of your loved ones is in danger, maybe they're offering more money than you could ever dream of or they're threatening to reveal your deepest darkest secrets. Whatever is it, would you kill for it?
2. Murder WELL APPARENTLY, YES. Are you a killer or are you being killed? Either way, someone's not walking away from this alive.
3. Body Discovery Rise and shine, murdergame! It's a brand new day and someone's dead. Better get investigating!
4. Trial You know how this one goes. Line up all your evidence and sniff out the killer -- or sit there and sweat and hope no one works out you're the murderer. Will they go down with a confession or put up a fight?
5. Afterparty You've survived another trial, but more of your friends have died. Even without the executions, trials are a stressful enough affair. It's time to destress and lick your wounds and support each other.
6. Mastermind It's the end. It's time to uncover all the mysteries behind this murder game -- and find out just who trapped you here. Are they really an unconnected party, or is the mastermind someone among you...?
7. Freedom Just as it says -- you're finally free, but at what cost? Have those you love been returned to you, or are you still reduced to just those who made it to the end? Are you on your own, or is anyone here to help you? And more importantly, how the hell are you going to get home?
8. Wildcard YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO


OPTIONAL FUN

Lots of murdergames have in-universe public profiles for other characters to get the skinny on yours. If you'd like to fill one out to post with your toplevel, peep at the code below!

<center><b>Name:</b> NAME | <b>TITLE (Super High School Level, Ultimate, Champion, etc)</b> <b>Age:</b> AGE | <b>Species:</b> SPECIES | <b>Occupation:</b> OCCUPATION <b>Likes:</b> LIKES <b>Dislikes:</b> DISLIKES <b>Traits:</b> A HANDFUL OF NOTABLE TRAITS <b>Trivia:</b> A PIECE OF TRIVIA</ul>

Comments

Saigusa Haruka | Little Busters!

[mopocalypse]

Name: Saigusa Haruka | Super High School Level Repair Girl | Discredited | Champion of Left Field | The Bad Egg
Age: 16 | Species: Human | Occupation: Juvenile delinquent
Likes: Eggs, oranges, dirty jokes, making life interesting
Dislikes: Mints, rules, gods, being ignored
Traits: Moody, off-the-wall, excitable
Trivia: Haruka is left-handed!

[Bouncy, random, and prone to mood swings, Haruka is a loud presence from the start of the game. She attaches to people when they pay attention to her, accepts praise proudly like she can't believe it, and makes a habit of cooking for everyone (though all her recipes involve eggs). Losing close CR hits her hard, and motives about her family or past almost just as much...]

Space station motive day

[champyon]

[While Light has no familiarity with space stations as such, at least the star-studded darkness outside, the expanse of nothingness and distant worlds, feels more like home to him than to many of the other prisoners. He finds the view out the window calming, and he--no less than any of them--could use some calm after the "little push" their captor gave them today.

Rewriting the events of the past... who wouldn't be tempted. Grim-faced, he sighs, then notices another's reflection in the unbreakable glass. He turns towards one of the young souls he finds both exasperating and painfully compelling, a precious patch of brightness to protect.]

Haruka.

[He floats over to her and notes with a pang how similar her name sounds to "Alk."]

Are you all right?

[mopocalypse]

[Haruka jumps a little upon being approached. She takes in a breath and turns to Light, forcing a smile.]

It's fine, it's fine! I'm just me, the same smiling Haruchin as usual. Nothing's wrong, right?

[champyon]

[No one's ever accused Light of being the most emotionally astute little furball in the multiverse, but he's not blind. He stares at Haruka for a moment, "..." written all over his fluffy face, and then he lets a tired exhalation escape.]

Nothing beyond our continued captivity and the increasingly worrisome attempts to incite cold-blooded murder among us, no. I suppose our situation could be worse.

[mopocalypse]

[A bitter, forced laugh.] It's not like anyone would go for that, right? Who knows, they could change your past to something worse! You could say that you wanted a promotion in your job that you missed, but then in changing that, they also make the company go under while you're the president! Or if you say you want to get away from someone, maybe you do but then they mysteriously die and everybody thinks you did it! Or...

[She holds her head and shakes it.]

I dunno. I'm usually better at this.

[champyon]

You needn't push yourself.

[He drifts closer, arms (forelegs?) crossed, so he can hover beside her and stare once more out into the far reaches of space.]

To be shaken by our captor's words today--if it is weakness, it's one shared by many of us, I think. Even I...

[He lowers his chin, ears drooping, then shakes his head.]

No one lives without regrets. I can't fault you for finding it difficult to make light of the idea of correcting them.

[mopocalypse]

Would it help?

[Haruka tenses up and looks out as if there's something out there.]

If I said I'm scared, or thinking about it, would that change anything? If I asked for help, would anyone be able to do anything? We're all helpless in here. We're stuck. And even if we weren't, that's how life is. Somebody always has to suffer. That's why it wouldn't do anything.

[champyon]

I...

[His face falters and his ears start to droop, but then something in her words gives him pause.]

Hold on. What do you mean, "Somebody always has to suffer"?

[mopocalypse]

Isn't that how things are? For all of us to live, someone has to get executed. Or like how if someone's rich, that means a bunch of other people have to be poor. Happiness is like that, too. There's only so much to go around. Everyone has their place, and some of them are better than others.

[champyon]

Hmm. Is that something you were taught to believe?

[mopocalypse]

It's just the kind of thing you see anywhere, isn't it?

[She sighs and stares off into space.]

I'm bored. Maybe we should talk about something else. It'll be fine, right?

[champyon]

...Yes. I think so.

[Though his instincts as a warrior scream at him to pursue this line of thought and beat it like a rug until all the darkness falls out like dust, he's learned--or is learning, at least--better.]

But I want to be clear. When I say it will be fine, I am not trying to comfort you with empty platitudes. I am well aware of our plight. It... may not even be fine right now, in our immediate future.

[Light fills his tiny lungs with a deep breath.]

But the kind of thing I have seen in my travels is that... you will meet people determined to prove you wrong, Haruka. And that may not be such a bad thing.

[His tail flicks.]

So. What would you like to talk about instead? Admittedly, I am not much of a storyteller, but I have journeyed to worlds even stranger than this one. Perhaps you'd find one of them interesting.

[mopocalypse]

[She winces a little, not turning back to look at him yet. Still, there's a flash of something else on her face before she rubs her eyes and pushes a smile forward.]

What all other worlds did you go to? Were any of them fun?

some absolute nonsense in a murderschool

[draconite]

Hiyah!

[ That's all the warning Haruka gets before there's a humongous clattering from inside the room the weird regain vending machine occupies. Should she dare peek her head in, she'll find Bryn just... punching the crap out of it. It's not quite 'ORAORAORAORAORAORA' just yet, but it's close. ]

Wretched machinery...!

[mopocalypse]

[Haruka runs into the room, stumbles to a stop, and freezes, staring at Bryn attacking the machine. She can't think of anything to say for a while.]

...uhh... did it give you underwear or something?

[draconite]

Far from it! The stubborn thing hasn't given me anything at all! And if I'm not mistaken, the best way to reason with machines like this is with your fists!

[ She's still pummelling the machine the whole time... ]

[mopocalypse]

I think if you break it, nobody's gonna be able to get anything. [She approaches carefully.] What, did your coin get stuck?

[draconite]

[ Bryn just blinks at her. ]

What coin?

[ SHE DIDN'T EVEN PUT ANYTHING IN ]

[mopocalypse]

Those things we get. I think I have some, give me a second.

[Haruka starts rooting around in her pockets and pulling things out. Handful of nuts and bolts, pocket lint, bag of marbles, napkin stolen from the lunchroom and covered in writing, salt packet... until she digs out a machine coin and holds it up.]

There! The machine takes them. Here, try it out! Maybe you'll get something good.

[draconite]

I see...! So the machine takes these as payment...

[ She grabs the coin without so much as a thank you and turns back to the machine. ]

And... what do I do with the coin...?

[mopocalypse]

Put it in the slot and turn the knob! [She points and jiggles the knob just to make sure Bryn gets it.] And then see what's in the capsule.

[draconite]

I see... well, then I'll go ahead and try it!

[ She pops the coin into the slot and turns the knob as per Haruka's instructions and out comes a capsule. It's... not very big, huh? ]

All that ceramony for something so small? How disappointing...

[ She hasn't even opened it yet... ]

[mopocalypse]

It's not that much ceremony, is it? Open it, open it! I wanna see!

[Just. Standing back in case it's, like, a bed or something.]

[draconite]

I'm certain it can't be that interesting if it comes in such a small hyaugh!

[ AS IT TURNS OUT, IT WAS AN ACTUAL, LITERAL, QUEEN SIZED BED??? HOW DID IT EVEN FIT ]

[mopocalypse]

Whoa!

[Even standing back, Haruka gets knocked over and tumbles on the ground. She springs up quickly and stares for a second before running over and trying to find Bryn under the bed.]

Did the bed eat you or something?!