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

[phaiinein]

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

Waver Velvet | Fate/ [servantswap AU]

[fionnuisce]

Name: Lord El-Melloi II | Super High School Level Ambition, Star-Crossed, The Professor
Age: 29 | Species: Mage | Occupation: Lord of Modern Magecraft Theory
Likes: Teaching, studying, roses
Dislikes: Failure, losing, himself
Traits: Reckless, sentimental, secretive
Trivia: Made an honorary Knight of Fianna at nineteen.

[general information/impressions in his journal! expect him to be the chief catherder that's constantly on his last nerve, checking in with the wallflowers/absent members at afterparties, and highly likely to be a sarcastic shithead at the mastermind given the chance. Can and will threaten to whack people with his cane if necessary.]

[and yeah, someone will have to pry his real name out of him with a crowbar]

gacha

[youthfulwhatever]

[ You know, they're stuck in a hellish murderschool and everything and people are dying, but sometimes there's peaceful days here! Sometimes things are nice and calm and – oh, never mind, there's Rika popping out of the little side room where all the vending machines are crammed in. ]

Hey, Professor guy! [ Here she comes to ruin his day!!! She pads over and stops in front of him, jamming her hands into those massive jacket pockets and giving him a butter-wouldn't-melt kind of smile. ] Couldn't do me a solid, could ya? Have you got any of those vending machine tokens on you?

[fionnuisce]

[No matter what world he was in or how much time passed, Waver would never understand how he was a magnet for overbearing teenagers.]

It's possible that I do. Why?

[youthfulwhatever]

[ Almost before the words are even out of his mouth: ] Great!

[ Rika presses her hands together and takes a presumptuous (threatening!!!) step forward. ]

Could you spot me one? I dropped my last coin and it went rolling under the machine and I couldn't get it back – pleeeeease? I'll pay you back next time they dish 'em out!

[ important to note: not only is this far from the first time she's pulled this horsepiss (even if not at Waver directly) she has also totally failed to pay anyone back as of yet. ]

[fionnuisce]

[child he teaches a girl who shoots fire from her eye you will not intimidate him]

You can't get a broom handle from the supply closet? A coathanger from your room? Anything whatsoever that could reach it?

[youthfulwhatever]

And what, go crawling around on the floor feeling around under there? No thanks!

[ She jams her hands back into her pockets and flaps the jacket a bit. ]

Can you imagine how dirty this'd get? This thing is dry clean only and I didn't see any dry cleaning when we turned this place over.

[fionnuisce]

[deadpan:]

So take the jacket off first.

[youthfulwhatever]

I'd wreck my pants! And I can't wash those in the tub. Demin shrinks if you don't wash it properly, duh!

[ she's got an answer for everything, huh ]

[fionnuisce]

Sounds like you're well and proper out of luck, then.

[gonepostal]

[There's almost a routine to it now: the trial ends and Su Fei knows who is most likely to seek her out and who will feel more comfortable talking to Waver instead. More than once, a crutch has lifted up to meet a risen cane with a snarky comment ready to go to defuse at least some of the tension, even if they all know the cane is (probably) coming down slowly. They take turns forcing structure back upon this strange collection of people finding themselves ever more used to violence. Su Fei heard Lord on day one and made her distaste of the nobility clear, but she has found understanding with her fellow cat-herder.

Still, this trial leaves all of them exhausted. They all do, but this time, the survivors barely manage to put together an afterparty, or anything resembling one. Su Fei had delivered her findings from examining the corpse at the trial with her usual steadiness, but something like worry had creaaed even her brow. No one deserves any of this, but some days are harder than others.

But eventually, once all the absentees and wallflowers are fully accounted for, Waver will hear the familiar click-step sound of Su Fei's approach.]

You eaten yet?

[fionnuisce]

Afraid I've rather lost my appetite.

[The distaste, fortunately, had been mutual; though he kept a thousand secrets, the professor's own low opinions of the aristocracy were not one of them. And while he was far more bark than he was bite, the temptation to swing for the fences had been written clearly across his face more than once; a short temper took that much more work to keep in check.]

[With the current miserable state of things as well handled as he thought possible, he'd retreated to sit by himself with a single cup of coffee, sunglasses perched on his head and cane leaning against the table.]

Thank you for your efforts today. I'm...not really all that great with blood.

[gonepostal]

Mm. It is what it is.

[It isn't the first time she's been thanked for her lack of squeamishness; at this rate, it won't be the last. She will be just as dismissive every time. It has to get done, one way or another; she doesn't like to take any pride in it.

Su Fei does what she can to keep herself from staying up on one foot for too long as a rule, but when she pulls back the chair opposite him and takes a seat (without asking, thanks), she doesn't make herself comfortable, like she intends to stay, sat sideways with her hand still on her crutches instead of leaning them against something.]

Starvation's probably the stupidest way to go around here. You should try to eat something.

[fionnuisce]

I will. I don't exactly plan to waste away to nothing, certainly.

[He shrugged, sitting exactly the same way he always did; rigidly straight, weaker right leg crossed over the left. Whether he hated his title or not, the demeanor was too deeply ingrained to truly disappear even when it was unnecessary.]

What about you?

[gonepostal]

[Hmmmmmmm. Considering. Considering real hard.]

I'll give dinner a go when you do.

[Using her own health as a bargaining chip to make sure he does, in fact, eat something that's not coffee??? Yes.]

[fionnuisce]

...That's a real fucking cheap shot, I hope you realize.

[He sighed in exasperation, too tired to be more than mildly irritated about it.]

[gonepostal]

Sure, but is it a shot that's going to miss?

[looking OH SO SMUG as she leans back, free arm over the back of the chair.]

[fionnuisce]

[just deadpan staring at her for a minute]

...Yeah, probably not.

afterparty

[escardos]

[ well, another trial has ended and someone else has been executed for their failed attempt at a perfect crime. in other words— it’s time for a party! people look downtrodden and tired, but hey! there’s food and they’re alive, so what’s not to celebrate?

and while this may not be his professor, flat still gravitates towards him, munching on pizza like someone wasn’t just killed an hour ago, nor that he had been the suspect for a good chunk of the trial. ]

Hey, Professor! Did you try the pizza?

[fionnuisce]

[Second Magic was (as usual) a logistical nightmare. And while he didn't believe in true universal constants...well, if anyone would be one,]

You know, call me crazy, but I'm really not all that hungry right now.

[escardos]

I don’t think you’re crazy, sir. Everyone seems kind of upset, too.

[ he munches on his pizza, thinking about it. ]

But I’m not sure why, it’s not like it’s that different from the week before. Or the week before that.

[fionnuisce]

[deep breaths, waver]

People tend to get upset when brutal and sudden murders occur regardless of frequency, Escardos. Doubly so in a situation as unprecedented as this one.

[escardos]

Well… um… I see…

[ flat smiles wrily, brows knit together as he tries to understand. he’s trying very hard, actually. ]

But think about it, sir! Perhaps we can still find a way to bring them back— like if we build robot bodies or if we find the seven dragon balls. Then there wouldn’t be a need to be upset.

[fionnuisce]

I am neither part of Spiritual Evocation nor am I a necromancer. We have no way of knowing if something like that is possible, much less remotely feasible. They're afraid and upset, with pretty damn good reason to be.

[escardos]

Right, of course they are.

[ which is, perhaps, where the biggest difference between flat and the others lay in. they’re scared and upset, and flat is neither of those things. at most, he’s annoyed that the forces that be would do something so inefficient as to urge for murder. they have all the power in the world to bring them together in this way, and they want murder? what a waste!

but following that train of thought brings flat to a different question, tilting his head. ]

Are you also scared, sir?

[fionnuisce]

What--me? No, of course not.

[You know, like a liar.]