jackabeelounge | THE MURDERGAME MEME

THE MURDERGAME 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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Name: Alfyn Greengrass | Succor Every Minute
Age: 21 | Species: Human | Occupation: Apothecary
Likes: Medicine, getting to know people, drinking contests
Dislikes: Asking for money, failing someone in need
Traits: Big-hearted, chummy, sincere
Trivia: In his youth, Alfyn once spent so long talking with a friend, he forgot to give her his best friend's letter before she departed for the other side of the continent, forever. RIP, Zeph's love life. Next time, deliver your own letters.

A. Setting: Space Station

Egads!

[The shout comes bright and early from the newly-opened area beyond Hatch C. Investigation turns up Alfyn, looking surprised but not horrified--so no body, probably--backing hurriedly out of a door labeled GARDEN.

When he turns and realizes he's not alone, he raises both his large hands and shakes his head.]

Whoa, now! None of us should go in there without gearing up right. [He sighs and puts his fists on his hips, glancing back glumly at the door.] Take my word for it. More than half the plants in there'll kill you if you're not careful.

[And for once in this sci-fi horror show among the stars, your resident apothecary sounds wholly sure of himself.]

B. Downtime: Social Link Go!

[Alfyn's not much use when it comes to investigating the station. He hadn't even heard of electrical power when they first arrived mere weeks ago. So instead of assisting the explorers, he seems to be making himself useful in the kitchen with a mortar and pestle, grinding away at various plant matter.]

...Say. Uh, mind keeping me company with a little conversation?

[He looks up sheepishly, but keeps at his work.]

I was just wondering what it was you miss most about home. Where you come from, I mean. Heh. [Alfyn shakes his head at himself.] Guess I'm more than a mite homesick myself.

C. Murder: Body Discovery

[Ding dong ding dong! A body has been discovered! Ashen, Alfyn pushes his way forward through the paralyzed onlookers, medicinal satchel at his side as always--even though it's far, far too late for one of them.

He looks down, swallows, and steels himself.]

Here, I'll... I'll help. Looks like you'll need an apothecary's eye for this one.

[Poison, after all, shows itself in a variety of horrible signs, each deathly discoloration its own glyph to interpret.]

Edited 2020-09-30 04:14 (UTC)

[ All of this is pretty dang new to Naminé, who's spent a lot of her existence tucked away in various white rooms. It's strange to be able to go where she wants when she wants, even if the space station is extremely... odd. At least she can stargaze whenever she wants. Silver linings, and all that.

She's also used to keeping to herself, to being little more than a ghost, so when Alfyn addresses her, she startles. ]

A little conversation? I don't mind, [ she says, more than a touch cautiously. Honestly, though, she isn't sure where to start.

So... it takes her a little while to decide on-- ] Well... the ice cream, I suppose?

Oho? What's that?

[Were he the type of man to keep score of things, he'd absolutely be chalking himself up some points. Got one of the shy kids to talk to him! All right!]

Not cream from ice, I'll wager. Heheh!

[ Another point for Alfyn: He manages to make her laugh. It's a brief and tiny thing, but, well, it's there. ]

No, not exactly. It's more like... frozen cream you can add flavors to.

Frozen cream...

[He can hardly imagine. He laughs, too, because she did and because it's good to hear laughter, even in--especially in--a place this grim.]

Wowzers, what'll they think of next? I'll have to try it myself sometime if I can. What kinds'a flavors are your favorites?

[ While the resident duck raises her inexplicable duck eyebrows, Lena's gaze is directed well past Alfyn and into the garden itself! Or at least until the door closes. ]

All you can eat buffet? Got it, thanks.

[ And she immediately makes to walk inside, which is kind of exactly what one would expect to happen, given her established personality. These zoomers and their tide pod challenges... ]

Wha--!

[HE'S FROM THE FANTASY 1400s HE'S SO BEYOND EVEN A BOOMER OH GODS

He immediately shifts to block her path with his enormous human lumberjack body, crouching with his arms wide like a football player, even though football is just as foreign to him as Tide pods.]

Hey! Don't even joke! I could probably save you from some of 'em, but it won't be a pretty sight!

Wow, okay, that's a choice.

[ But there is absolutely no physically getting past this, so she crosses her arms and stands her ground, looking mildly annoyed. ]

Look, don't get your breeches all out of line, or whatever. I wasn't going to actually touch anything. Besides, where's the gear going to be if not in the dumb murder garden?

[Oh. Once it registers that Lena's not actually going to c o n s u m e deadly nightshade, Alfyn breathes gustily out and straightens.]

Shucks, I guess you're right about that. Sorry, Lena. Guess we oughta look for a shed of some kind, yeah? Or maybe they'll put the gloves and tools and all right on the wall...

[He rubs the back of his neck and turns towards the door so it hisses open again.]

How'd they even get everything to grow indoors?

THE MURDERGAME MEME

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