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

[nmc0204]

Mm. There's that. And...

[ She's trying to sound casual and unbothered by it but even as she speaks, she feels pinpricks of warmth start to bloom high on her face – the most obvious telltale of her real thoughts, whatever she's trying to playact at feeling. How annoying. ]

I don't think it would have been hard to figure out that it was mine. I mean, my name was in it. But if anyone else had gotten it... I don't think they would've understood how bad it was. They might just have handed it over or told me without thinking twice about it. But you... understood. About Mr. Ida and all the rest of it.

[ She's tracing lines across the floor now, focusing her gaze there rather than anyone else. ]

I appreciated it.

[ Which is as close to an outright 'thank you' as she might be ready to go. ]

[nma8076]

[Just like that, existing in the terrible here and now softens a bit. What he did for her wasn't much, but it was something. He did try.

A hint of a smile plays over Shu's face. It's not very like his usual ones and, still, entirely genuine. He smooths down his hair and lets his shoulders fall.]

Heh. Well. You're welcome, anytime.

[He needs it. He needs to help. Nothing else in his life has ever meant anything, really.]

Thanks, Senpai.

[nmc0204]

[ After a day like today, a trial like today's, Ryoko doesn't really have a lot to smile about. But when she glances back at him and sees the way some of the tired upset has left him and that smile on her face, she finds her expression warming into a rueful little smile in turn. ]

Thank me when we both make it out of here alive. [ Her tone is dry, but she's going for something light. As light as it gets at these little gatherings. ] Or at least when I've done a little more towards making that happen.

[nma8076]

[If Shinonome can go for light at a time like this, our buoyant boy Shu is more than willing to rise to the occasion himself. His smile, while still small and wan, widens fractionally.]

Oh yeah? Planning a daring rescue on us, are you?

[Kyaaa, senpa~i! You make a boy's kokoro dokidoki!]

[nmc0204]

Oh, of course. Any moment now, I plan to summon my Sentinel and break us all out of here. Our host might be strong but I think even she'd have some trouble dealing with a giant robot.

[ She delivers that all in perfect, serious deadpan – serious enough that you might believe her if it wasn't for the wry, barely-there smile on her face. After a moment, though, her brow furrows. ]

Then again, we have no idea where we are right now, so maybe breaking out with a Sentinel wouldn't be such a good idea. We could be at the bottom of the ocean for all we know.

[nma8076]

[Despite everything--or perhaps because of everything--this is just enough to get him to laugh a little.]

No problem if we make sure everyone can swim, right?

[He tilts his head, still smiling at her, wondering how it is she can make him feel better like this. How it is she'd even want to.]

[nmc0204]

[ A hard breath through her nose that could be – almost – mistaken for a laugh. ]

Sure. No problem at all.

I'll have to leave that part to you, though. I'm not exactly a strong enough swimmer to be teaching anyone.

[nma8076]

What, by myself? Who's gonna listen to a first-year?

[In case anyone needed the casual reminder that Shu Amiguchi is a fifteen-year-old INFANT.]

How about I just start with you, and then the both of us can open swimming lessons together? Bet it'd make the girls-- [He stops, blindsided once again by the reality they lost two more girls today, but lifts his chin and rallies--as much as he can.] --more comfortable. You know, having someone on their side to look out for them.

[nmc0204]

Assuming this isn't an excuse to see what sort of swimsuit I wear, [ gottem ] do you really think they'd be any more likely to listen to me?

[ Says Ryoko from her advanced age of sixteen.

Then again... given how high risk everything is around here, even something as simple as getting a little better at swimming might not be a bad idea. And it's something to pass the time with, at least. ]

... Maybe once my bandages are off, I'll think about it.

[nma8076]

For real?

[That really, truly, seriously seems to cheer him up some. Girl in swimsuit, even if it's just the idea of it. Teenage boys. You gotta love 'em.

Or maybe it's just that Shinonome's being nice to him, entertaining his ideas, speaking to and answering him like he's really there and not some annoying, transient event to get through that stokes some of that brightness back up in his face. Her kindness tastes fizzy on his tongue, like a swig of soda.]

Heheh, finally! Something to look forward to around here. Now there's some motivation to get through this.

[nmc0204]

[ Her eyebrows raise a little, but she doesn't look displeased at least. ]

Really? If that's all it takes to cheer you up, I would've told you sooner.

[ Not that it should really matter to her whether Amiguchi's in good cheer or not – sure, maybe it makes things better for the group as a whole if they're all motivated and they've got good morale, but that's it. Even so, it makes her heart feel just a little lighter to see that familiar boyish grin on Amiguchi's face. After all– ]

Being so gloomy doesn't really suit you, somehow.

[nma8076]

…Huh.

[That’s the sort of thing he usually finds himself saying to girls. When he’s rewarded with a smile after offering a juice box on a bad day, or for lending his umbrella in a sudden shower—watching a girl’s face transform from upset into sweet brightness never fails to pick him up. It’s never about him, it’s about the attention he gives them, but that never stops him from offering it. He just—it really brightens the whole world, a cute girl’s smile. If all he has to do to bring it out is notice someone…

Well. He’s just never experienced it from this side, and now it feels like Senpai’s giving him that kind of notice. Feeling just a bit bashful, he ruffles his hair and keeps smiling.]

That so? Didn’t realize I was bringing down the mood. Sorry about that.

[nmc0204]

I don't know if I'd go that far. I think it'd be pretty hard to bring the mood down any more than it already is.

[ They'll all pick themselves up by the end of the night, if not sooner – that's how it always goes, after all. It's just the process of licking their wounds that drags things out.

Standing here with Amiguchi though, Ryoko thinks she'll be able to manage. ]

You just seem more like yourself when you're on good spirits, that's all.

[nma8076]

[Oh, girl, u don't kno what Pandora's Box you're opening here.]

So you like my usual self, huh, Senpai?

[Grin, grin, grin.]

[nmc0204]

[ oh she really kinda did that to herself, huh ]

Let's not get too carried away. But if you really must know, yes, I prefer it to seeing you down in the dumps.

[ Coming from Ryoko, that's a pretty glowing compliment... ]

[nma8076]

[Maybe he knows that, because her words broaden rather than discourage his smile until it takes over his whole face.]

Heh, then you're on the right track, 'cause that's exactly the kind of thing it cheers me up to hear. I'm easy, you know?

[nmc0204]

[ It's almost a little embarrassing, just how earnest he is at every turn. Ryoko doesn't think she'll ever be able to match him – nor would she want to – but it makes talking to him... easier, she supposes. She never has to guess at his intentions and she imagines it might be easy if she ever had to.

In its own way, that's reassuring. Not that she'd ever tell Amiguchi, of course. That's our Ryoko! ]

Really? I think you could afford to raise your standards a little more than that.

[nma8076]

Higher than a cute girl telling me she likes me the way I am? You're kidding, right? No guy could ask for more than that.

[He's joking AND he means it. Get you a man who can do both.]

[nmc0204]

[ Ryoko opens her mouth to give some manner of retort only to find that all of her usual barbs have dried up on her tongue. She considers herself immune to Amiguchi's usual brand of sweet-talking but for some reason, tonight of all nights, she finds she's not quite able to brush it off as easily as she normally does. It takes her a second longer than she'd have liked to recover. ]

You have an answer for everything, don't you?

[ As Ryoko so clearly does not. If the tint of colour high in her cheeks happens to look at all like a blush, then you're seeing things. ]

[nma8076]

[That's his Shinonome-senpai, exasperated as usual with his airy nonsense. Man, he loves that about her. She doesn't get caught on his looks or reputation. Instead, she tells him what she really thinks. Doki doki.]

Nah, only what's obvious. Who doesn't want Senpai to notice them?

[nmc0204]

[ Ryoko stares him down for a moment then she shakes her head and breathes out hard through her nose, something between a sigh and a begrudging laugh. ]

Even in a place like this? [ Then she shrugs. ] I suppose I should be looking out for my kouhai when things are so dangerous.

[ She says it as a joke, but the words make something thunk into place somewhere in the bottom of her heart. Amiguchi... probably needs someone to look out for him here just as much as the rest of them do, doesn't he?

He puts on that breezy smile so easily, that sometimes Ryoko forgets.

She looks at him for a long moment, the impressions of a wry smile just barely colouring her expression before her face shows an emotion more complicated and a little harder to read. ]

I... [ She really doesn't know how she wants to say it. But she wants to make sure Amiguchi knows– ] I will be looking out for you, you know. So... don't try and take everything on by yourself. It's a recipe for disaster.

[nma8076]

[Shu blinks. The longer she stared at him, the odder he felt. He would have something just to ease them back into the flow of conversation, but the way Shinonome-senpai was looking at him, the thought just starting to form on the tip of her tongue—it would’ve been like breaking a spell. Like interrupting something rare, and delicate.

Shinonome rarely looks at anyone. It’s like there’s this haze about her, around her, an almost visible headache condensing around her like a cloud of hurt and broken memory. She clings to her one mission despite it, and anything that disturbs that equilibrium is an annoyance at best—dangerous to her at worst. And she’s looking at Shu.

And he realizes with a swallow that what feels odd, what feels unfamiliar, is that he’s not used to being seen. He drops his eyes, releasing the sensation in a chuckle, and runs his fingers through his hair.]

Taking it all on myself…? Heh, that’s not what it seems like I’m doing, is it? After that whole speech I gave you…

[Under Shinonome’s full, open-eyed attention, Shu feels suddenly all wrong-footed. Awkward. And—young, and blundering, and on fire with need. The need for someone to give a shit about him. About Shu, not his money or his popularity or the adventure promised in his smile. He shakes his head and tries another laugh, lifting his face.]

I’m all right, you know? No need to add me to your list of worries.

[It’s still there in his eyes, the answer to her question: yes. Yes, he needs someone to look, perhaps not even after him, but at him, and to see him for what he is.

He’s needed that for a while.]

[nmc0204]

[ It feels strange to be the one to have knocked Amiguchi off balance for once. She waits to see if any of his usual airy confidence will spring back and when it doesn't, she feels a strange sense of guilt and relief. If Amiguchi's coping by putting on that face for everyone else, then it's the smart thing to do to just... let him cope, however he needs to do it. Ryoko shouldn't interrupt that.

But Ryoko doesn't want that. She doesn't even know why. She just knows that she gets a hot, angry ball of feelings in her throat when she thinks of it. Maybe it's just because he knows so many of her secrets now, but...

She doesn't like the idea of Amiguchi keeping a part of himself from her. ]

It's too late in the day for you to say that. Of course I'm going to be worrying about you in a place like this, whatever you try and say. So just... rely on me a little. Tell me what you're thinking and feeling. We need to be able to do that if we're going to watch out for each other.

[nma8076]

[There it is again. Shinonome-senpai uses Shu’s own words against him, and she isn’t just noticing him. She’s remembering him. She’s holding onto a moment that became an impression, something important between them, and how can he parry that?

Shu looks down, finds the empty soda can still in his hands, and rubs the pad of his thumb along the bottom rim. Eventually, he exhales.]

…I’m thinking that I failed them. Sonozaki-san and Shinjo-san. Not just ‘cause we couldn’t save them, but… I didn’t even see that something was wrong.

[He looks up, smile gone, solemn and honest.]

At school—man, this is gonna sound stupid, but listen. [His gaze drops once again to the soda can.] At school, I’m supposed to be this playboy, you know? Even the profiles here say it. I’m supposed to notice everything when it comes to girls. But I didn’t. I was… I was more worried about you.

[He stops playing with the can, finally, and just holds it motionless between his hands.]

And I don’t regret that. My priorities wouldn’t change. It’s just that… I could’ve been paying more attention.

[nmc0204]

[ Ryoko doesn't say anything at first. She just listens with that quiet, thoughtful expression on her face. It's a little tempting to jump in with some platitude like "it's not your fault" or "don't blame yourself", but she knows it won't help. Feelings have nothing to do with the cold logical facts of any situation, especially not like this, where emotions run exhaustingly high on what feels like a daily basis.

No wonder he seems so worn down. ]

I... [ Again, the words come slow, the care taken in choosing them evident. ] I understand what you mean. When it comes to Shinjo-san and Sonozaki-san. It felt like a shock in the courtroom to see her talking like that but... now I'm wondering if we'd talked more, or maybe if I'd gotten to know her even a little... there might have been a way to see this coming. And stop it.

[ She's spent so much of their time here floating morosely from day to day, mistrusting the others, refusing to share what little she remembers for fear it could used against her. Weaponized.

Now, for the first time, she's starting to wonder if that was a mistake. ]

But... that isn't a burden any one person should be taking on themselves. Even you, Amiguchi.