notasstrange | Round 2 Test Drive Meme

15 STRANGERS ROUND 2
TEST DRIVE
There are 15 strangers in this place. Someone knows why. And its clear the odds are stacked against you.

1. ARRIVAL
You're here, in the Mall. Wherever the Mall might be, right? And what happened to your powers? Your memories? Who else has been so unlucky as to be brought in with you? Also, why are the rules littered with emojis!?

2. POWER
You have been, er, "blessed" with a power. Its not a power you want or care for, but its yours now. You might want to try an control it, lest you hurt someone else. That is...unless you want to. Just don't blow up any public property while you're at it!

3. HOME
So now you live in a mall! All right! Modern conveniences galore! And hey, there's a cat cafe and a bar! Maybe living here forever won't be so bad. Unless you're looking for a way out, but surely, you wouldn't do that, right?

4. MINIGAME
The Life Coach has decided to do 'games'. Those who win the games will get prizes, the Life Coach has promised. The Test Drive Meme's minigame: a costume contest! The best costume made in five hours wins! Work alone, or in teams - the Life Coach is ok with either~!

5. MOTIVE
The Life Coach has announced the motive for the week. Clearly someone really wants to give you a reason to kill someone. How will you react? Will you stand against such an insult and help others to fight the temptation? Or perhaps, you yourself are tempted...?

6. DEATH
One of your own has died - no, been killed. The Inquisition has started. The body lies before you, and now you must discern the truth from the clues before you. But can you when you mourn? Or, perhaps you don't mourn the dead. Perhaps you're only playing along because you know more than you let on.

7. TRIAL
Well, it looks like the Life Coach wasn't kidding when they said there would be a trial. So now you're here, looking to condemn the responsible killer. If you do, they die. If you don't, you die. Whatever happens, you have to figure out what happened. Can you?

8. WILDCARD
Anything not mentioned above. Go wild!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[And he happens to encounter a similarly unusually calm teenager. Calm but definitely displeased, particularly since his profile lists him as Minamino 'Kurama' Shuuichi. There's an almost eerie maturity to him as he shakes his head.]

None at all, unfortunately. In fact, the last thing I remember, I was with friends who would not take any such kidnapping attempt lightly.

That's...quite disconcerting. Would it be appropriate to assume that the friends in question would also be capable of effectively countering the said attempt, under ordinary circumstances?

Ordinary circumstances and a number of less ordinary ones, yes. I won't say I'm not concerned by it myself. I must admit, I'm almost hoping for memory alteration or teleportation. As disturbing as that would be, I still find it preferable to the prospect of my friends having been...removed from the picture.

[His tone is thoughtful but almost casual as he brings up the possibility, however obliquely, of their deaths. The glitter of anger in his eyes for a moment shows the tone for the lie it is.]

The former is a distinct possibility.

[He pulls the phone that's replaced his own out of his pocket and opens up his profile, to where it calls him a student, detective, and Phantom Thief.]

There's what appears to be a large error on my profile. I don't see how I could be honestly mistaken for a member of the group I oppose, so either they're deliberately lying in an effort to confuse me...or there's a gap in my memory during which I, for some reason, change my stance and join them.

That is curious... What would our abductors have to gain from this? Forgetting our capture robs us of any insight to their methods, but any loss beyond that...

A side effect?

[Kurama takes out his own phone, bringing up the profiles. He shakes his head a little at his own; student, spirit detective, demon thief.]

I also wonder where they get their information. If they are toying with our memories, however, their source could well be our own minds.

[That's...a disconcerting thought, and it leaves him quiet for a moment. The profile does list 'Masayoshi Shido' as one of his dislikes...a fact he's never actually told anyone. There's not many ways they could have found out about his true feelings regarding that man...particularly since he doesn't have a Shadow to spill his secrets to anyone who could find it.]

Another pair of distinct possibilities...although I'm not certain how the latter might be possible. Given we don't know their motivations, it's also possible they're taking some sick amusement in tampering with our memories and leaving us just enough clues to realize something is missing. It would, after all, take quite the twisted individual to come up with the idea of sealing fifteen seemingly random people in a building and forcing them to kill one another for any chance at escape.

A valid point. Though I would hesitate to assume either that we are as random as we seem, or that anything our 'Life Coach' tells us is the truth.

And no doubt the odds are rigged against us even if we play their game.

[It's not like it's the first time Kurama has been forced into a 'kill or be killed' situation against his will. Spoiler; he doesn't appreciate it.]

Thus, seemingly. The profiles don't suggest any common thread, but with the evidence of missing memories...it's quite possible we simply can't recall what might have marked us for capture.

The odds certainly are stacked against us. Any participant would have to escape detection, with a highly limited suspect pool. It wouldn't be precisely a standard locked room crime, but much of the difficulty of investigating a crime that lacks witnesses is in the fact that there's simply no way to narrow down the culprit if they succeed at not leaving behind any distinctive evidence. A mere thirteen suspects is well within the number a single person could consider means, method, and opportunity for. And the number would become even smaller with alibis.

True. Depending on the method used, it might be possible to find ways to regain those missing memories, however.

Mm, which is why an intelligent culprit would leave one or two pieces of well-hidden distinctive evidence pointing to someone else unlikely to have an alibi.

There certainly is a possibility someone might be framed...but even so, it's taking a much larger risk than if a culprit could simply disappear. Any evidence that couldn't also be seen as pointing at the scapegoat would reveal the lie. It's something to be wary of if anyone does attempt escape through that method, though.

Hopefully no one will, though I must admit faith in humanity is not my defining characteristic. I've seen far too much of black, white, and grey alike to be anything but a realist.

One thing worries me... There are those who value their freedom highly enough to kill for it, but in an environment such as this, where most needs and wants can be met, the majority would not be inclined to go so far.

If murder is what our hosts desire of this, just what else are they planning?

They may be anticipating a Lord of the Flies scenario; a lack of structure leading to disputes escalating to violence and death. It's not necessarily improbable, considering I only recognize one of the people on these profiles...I assume it's similar for everyone else. We also need to consider the responsibilities people may have left behind. Someone who was the sole provider for a loved one, for instance, may kill for the sake of returning to the person who was relying on them.

Of course, if nobody proves to have sufficient motivation on their own, I wouldn't be surprised if they begin limiting access to luxuries or even basic necessities. If there's not enough food to go around, for example, you could eventually expect all but the most sacrificially selfless of individuals to be willing to kill to ensure they get a next meal.

Perhaps, but these are hardly a pack of grade-schoolers. [Yes, of course he's read it.] The issue of responsibilities left behind is a far more significant concern than lack of structure, I think.

That's quite a legitimate possibility. Though given there does, as you said, seem to be some twisted amusement of their own involved in this, I wonder if that wouldn't be too straightforward for them.

[Kurama tugs out his copy of the list of rules, flicking it in Akechi's direction pointedly. His expression shifts to one of almost pained reflection.] This alone, I think, indicates something very askew at work. Emojis, colored ink, valley-girl speak... And the mood whiplash of the entire thing is truly astounding.

[Why do you make him set eyes on that thing again? He pinches the bridge of his nose with a pained expression.]

Yes, I honestly have to wonder about the age of this alleged 'Life Coach'. This seems more like the work of a teenage girl than a hardened criminal. Either it's an attempt at convincing us to underestimate our situation, or we've been left in the care of a truly deranged individual.

Round 2 Test Drive Meme

Arrival

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