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oddsandends2024-12-24 05:45 pm
phaiinein) wrote in oddsandends2024-12-24 05:45 pm
122nd ♫ | phosphor burned a silent mayday, my hand slipped with a dirty splash
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!
no subject
He felt the same, sometimes. ]
These trials are— [ a frustrated sigh ] Hard. Yes. I can’t see anyone feeling great walking away from that complete nightmare.
[ he tips his head back; his eyes are far away. ]
Who would. What a depraved idea for an experiment.
cw: emeto mention
If that's what it really is. It doesn't seem very scientific to me.
[The words are more of an absent murmur than anything. It's not as though Aqua gives a crap about the empirical validity of this exercise. No, his mind's stuck on the trial, still replaying the things he said, the way he lost his cool.
'You don't get to say that! You don't get to justify yourself! A woman, an innocent woman, is dead because you killed her! What about her daughter? What about her, her own life and dreams? Don't act like it wasn't for your own selfishness! Grow the hell up!'
He hadn't been able to meet Ai's gaze for a while after that--partly because he'd had to run to the bathroom as soon as the trial was over to thoroughly empty his stomach. Even after that, though, her attempts to smile and be gentle with him were nearly too much to bear. It was just that even the idea of being apart from her in that moment was worse.
He laces his fingers loosely together, feeling like they aren't even his.]
...How are you holding up?
no subject
A lot of times, though, he looks like he really wants to speak up. Today’s trial was one of those days, though he doesn’t expect Aqua to remember his reaction. ]
Fine, [ he says, and surprises himself by meaning it. ] I’m fine. Morbid as it might be to say, I’ve seen worse.
[ done worse. ]
I’d rather not be here. I can’t imagine anyone would. But I’ll be fine. All I care about, as ever, is bringing these to a close as quickly and bloodlessly as possible. I can hardly afford to fall apart.
no subject
His eyes flicker up to Kvothe, then away. He doesn't disbelieve him. He can't, at this point. But he should do better. He's an adult.]
None of us can.
[He exhales.]
Sorry for making a scene yesterday. I already don't do well with personalities like his, and finding out he was the one who did that to Dr. Lalonde... But still, I shouldn't have lost it like that.
no subject
[ watching him with something approaching confusion. ]
I hardly think anyone could be blamed for "losing it" in circumstances like this.
no subject
[Just because he also has trouble with personalities like Kvothe's doesn't mean he can't be the grown-up here and apologize.]
It's not like you're the only one who wants to avoid bloodshed. I want to get as many of us out of here alive as possible--as soon as possible. Maintaining some kind of general goodwill is important for that.
[Group dynamics among the survivors are paramount, and Aqua has more than his own skin on the line. He has to be more reliable than he was at this last trial.]
no subject
If you’re looking to be admonished, I can certainly do that. [ there’s a heaviness to his voice that bears a striking resemblance to disapproval. ] But I’m reluctant to do it for something I’d love to have said myself.
[ Grow up, indeed. ]
no subject
No, thanks. I'd rather not be told off by someone barely older than me, so we can skip it.
[Nestling his chin in his palm, Aqua closes his eyes completely.]
That said, I don't like taking the spotlight like that. I hope there isn't a next time, but if there is-- [And he does, unfortunately, have a strong sense that there will be.] --feel free to do all the yelling you want. You're too quiet in these trials, anyway.