phaiinein: unlabelled icons are my own! (delete this)
phaiinein ([personal profile] phaiinein) wrote in [community profile] oddsandends2022-12-22 05:05 pm

110th ♫ | all the things making us sick and tired turn into bubbles and disappear

    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!



fionnuisce: (your name's all it knows)

[personal profile] fionnuisce 2022-12-26 07:02 pm (UTC)(link)
[He really hated when he was contradicted by a sensible point. Worse when it came from the incarnation of everything that made no sense otherwise.]

I'm not... [Waver trailed off, knowing damn well he was powerless in several respects.] ...I don't know, Flat. I just can't stand by and lose anyone else.
friendwich: (9)

[personal profile] friendwich 2022-12-26 07:35 pm (UTC)(link)
[He gives a rueful smile at that, like it was something he expected]

Am I supposed to think that means she worried too?
friendwich: (2)

[personal profile] friendwich 2022-12-26 07:43 pm (UTC)(link)
[And in turn Arven likes Annaliese- she reminds him a little bit of his lil' buddy. That same energy and eagerness to get into any trouble they can to get things done. So when she comes up, even though he knows this might be a Bad Idea, he can't help giving her an ear]

I'm free. This gonna get us killed too?

[He sighs, rubbing the side of his head]
escardos: (pic#13478914)

[personal profile] escardos 2022-12-26 07:53 pm (UTC)(link)
...

[ flat smiles despite himself, looking away. ]

But next week will probably be the same, too. We'll find someone dead, and we'll find their killer...and then they'll end up dead, too. So isn't it the same thing?
fairfortune: (the night comes where)

[personal profile] fairfortune 2022-12-26 08:18 pm (UTC)(link)
Not as far as I've been able to tell. But you do know how these things tend to turn on us.

[ At least she's... not self aware, exactly, but she knows exactly what she's leading him into. Whether or not that's a good thing is entirely up to you to decide, dear reader.

She tilts her head a bit though, and gives him a merry, conspiratorial sort of smile. ]


If you're worried about the danger, though, then there's no need to force yourself to come along.

[ Said with a tone that makes it clear she knows there's no way he'll let himself be left behind. ]
friendwich: (7)

[personal profile] friendwich 2022-12-26 08:25 pm (UTC)(link)
What!? 'Course not, I have your back!

[Called out]
fairfortune: (guards of the northern lights)

[personal profile] fairfortune 2022-12-26 08:57 pm (UTC)(link)
That's what I thought you'd say. [ that's her fellow troublemaker!!! ] Come along, then – it's not far.

[ True to her word, it's just down on the bottom floor – the library that'd been open for them right from the start. After being here for all these weeks you'd think there was nothing else for them to find, but Annaliese leads him all the way to the back of the room where the crustiest, dustiest books are. Where nobody else really bothers to go.

It's dingy and dark enough back here that Annaliese has brought along one of the lanterns because I guess this is retroactively Ars Arcanacore now and she lifts up as they go to shine as much light as she can on the damp, dismal bookshelf right at the back. ]


Now... why don't you tell me if you can see anything?

[ It's hard to spot at first, in the dancing light cast by the lantern – but on the cold, stony floor there's a set of footprints clearly too big and widely-spaced to be Annaliese's making their way right into the bookcase and then... vanishing. ]
fionnuisce: (though it's dark)

[personal profile] fionnuisce 2022-12-26 08:58 pm (UTC)(link)
But we can take steps to at least attempt to prevent that. There's no preventing the consequences of 'and then we hatch a half-baked plan and whatever happens happens'.
escardos: (pic#13478937)

[personal profile] escardos 2022-12-26 09:27 pm (UTC)(link)
Then we go with my first plan!

[ flat grins, exuding overwhelming confidence. ]

We tell people that murder is inefficient. If they really want to murder, then they should explain it to their victim beforehand so they can start a dialogue.
fionnuisce: (may it follow you forever)

[personal profile] fionnuisce 2022-12-26 09:38 pm (UTC)(link)
I was thinking more along the lines of organizing patrols and the like, but I guess those aren't mutually exclusive methods.
escardos: (pic#13507860)

[personal profile] escardos 2022-12-26 09:54 pm (UTC)(link)
Mm?

[ flat tilts his head, thinking. ]

But we only need to patrol one day, right? What if the mastermind has some secret illusion skill that doesn't let us see or what if they put us to sleep? That seems like a very mastermind-y thing to do.
past_it: (pic#16099097)

[personal profile] past_it 2022-12-26 10:15 pm (UTC)(link)
[She deflated. The motion was almost human if it weren't for the way how her shoulders jerked.]

I did not mention the Professor... [But for once she couldn't explain. It was like how when she looked at Sada's memories, she knew what they were, but actually comprehending them was beyond even the most advanced computer.

She gave that hollow smile again.]


It appears I have a tendency to say the wrong thing.
696_9: Annoyed, eyes shut. (nothing doing)

[personal profile] 696_9 2022-12-27 01:32 am (UTC)(link)
So, like, a kind of Heroic Spirit, that's what you figure?
696_9: Idly resting her head on her hand (m-hm yes okay)

[personal profile] 696_9 2022-12-27 01:38 am (UTC)(link)
I hope so, but we're dealing with some weirdo who goes around kidnapping people to some kind of murder house out of a bad parody of reality TV. Do you think they're sensible? Because I don't.
divisors: (invariance)

[personal profile] divisors 2022-12-27 04:52 am (UTC)(link)
Yes, I think that's correct. Like a species...? No. Not quite right.
turingturo: (I think I found my treasure)

[personal profile] turingturo 2022-12-27 08:09 am (UTC)(link)
...Dad...

An odd twitch went through his shoulders, a shock going through his circuits, his expression unable to hide the surprise he felt. Was that an auditory malfunction, or...

Did... Arven...?

This... wasn't like before. Not like in Area Zero, where Arven called him 'Dad' while still coming to grips with the fact he was not his living, breathing father.

Now he knew everything. Now he knew that the being before him was simply an AI copy, and...

And yet...

Even knowing that...

Arven... still?

He could feel something... warm, deep in his chest. That same feeling he remembered when he first saw the picture of Arven and Mastiff on the professor's white board, that carried him through his time there.

Now he... truly understood what that feeling was. It wasn't simply just the echos of the professor anymore, was it?

It... was also just... him. His feelings.

His good arm hesitantly reached out to the young man, gingerly pulling him close to hug him. He couldn't do it fully with one non-functioning arm, but that would be better, if Arven needed to pull away.

"I know you will. I have complete faith in you."

There was a conviction in his voice now, that he had held back before, scared to let show. Because for so long, he felt he didn't have the right to love Arven like a father loved his son. Was told he was just a copy, albeit a perfect one.

So he had spoken for a dead man, trying to assure the young man of the feelings he'd shared with the Professor. But now, he ...

Could say it for himself. Mean it for just himself.

"...I ... I love you, Arven."

Ever since he woke up in that small lab, buried in crystal, he'd always known...

"...I've always loved you."
worthprotecting: (Default)

[personal profile] worthprotecting 2022-12-27 06:10 pm (UTC)(link)
You sure about that? Seems like you could use less tension. Snap like a twig, you will. [This is fine, he'll hug the plush to his chest. This is a grown man. It's fine.]
fionnuisce: (this wish born from our tears)

[personal profile] fionnuisce 2022-12-27 06:25 pm (UTC)(link)
I told you, I'm fine.

[Turning and resigning himself to spin the metaphorical wheel, the Professor put in his own coin--with a rattle the machine dispensed a small plastic capsule.]

Great, another day come and gone without explosives. I'm practically rel...

[He trailed off upon opening said capsule, swiftly closing it again like he was afraid to drop what was inside.]
worthprotecting: (Default)

[personal profile] worthprotecting 2022-12-27 07:08 pm (UTC)(link)
[Steven thinks the Professor should really hug out some of that energy, but, instead, he's going to stand here doing the hugging and shuffle his feet a moment.]

Not what you expected, is it?
fionnuisce: (i'll gather these fallen flowers)

[personal profile] fionnuisce 2022-12-27 07:41 pm (UTC)(link)
It's...something important I was worried I might have lost.
worthprotecting: (Default)

[personal profile] worthprotecting 2022-12-27 07:51 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh! Well...well, then congrats! Mm, best keep it safe in your room, yeah? Or wear it on you, if it's a wearable. Keep it in your pockets, maybe. Make sure it doesn't get lost.
fionnuisce: (may i first just say i'm sorry)

[personal profile] fionnuisce 2022-12-27 07:54 pm (UTC)(link)
...yeah.

[Pocketing the capsule itself, what was in it was raised to clasp around his neck; a thin silver chain holding a small shard of ivory. Which, for those particularly sensitive to supernatural nonsense, might have felt just a little Off.]
worthprotecting: (your game; my crown)

[personal profile] worthprotecting 2022-12-27 08:03 pm (UTC)(link)
[...Hm! Given he does not currently have the ability to turn into a white-clad undying asskicker at the moment, whether Steven can actually sense shit for shit that's supernatural is questionable at best.

Marc is in the same questionable position, but he frowns a little more than his usual baseline frown in the colorful and somewhat distorted reflection off the front of the vending machine. 'I don't like it. We should keep an eye on him.' If nothing else, he doesn't like how the Professor is reacting in a kind of sketch way.

Steven gives a little huff and quietly chastises him (aloud).]


Hush, it's just a necklace. [And then louder, actually addressing their companion:] It's gorgeous. Someone get that for you?
fionnuisce: (nobody seems to know my name)

[personal profile] fionnuisce 2022-12-27 08:25 pm (UTC)(link)
Not exactly. [His free hand took to fidgeting with the chain idly, with all the unconscious practice of an old habit.] It's an old catalyst for magecraft that I wanted to hold on to.

Is there...something bothering you?
friendwich: (6)

[personal profile] friendwich 2022-12-27 08:27 pm (UTC)(link)
[if it was anyone else he'd be worried she was leading him here to a dark corner to do a pokemurder on him. But with her it doesn't occur to him, so he goes to peer at the case.]

Wait... are those footprints?

[Adult man footprints at that....]

...it's a passage, I bet!

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