TDM: ROUND 3

[strangerpeople]

15 STRANGERS ROUND 3 TEST DRIVE There are 15 strangers in this place. Someone knows why. And its clear the odds are stacked against you. 1. ARRIVAL Oh god, you're inside a Base. Why are you here? What happened to your powers? Your memories? Who else has been so unlucky as to be brought in with you? What are you wearing? What are these strange rules? And...why do you feel like the person who wrote them is going to like yelling at you? 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. Or if you want to try and see if you can break out of your new domicile. Or, hey, go ahead and blow things up - there's no rule against property damage aside from the camerabots, after all... 3. HOME So now you live in a Base of some kind. Whee. Maybe living here forever won't be so bad, since there are things to do with your free time. Unless you're looking for a way out, but surely, you wouldn't do that, right? 4. MINIGAME The Commander has decided to do...erm, 'games'. Those who win the games will get prizes, the Commander has promised. This Test Drive Meme's minigame: a laundry folding contest! The most items folded in one hour wins! Work alone, or in teams - either way, you get the feeling there's an ulterior motive to the Commander making you do this while they watch and laugh... 5. MOTIVE The Commander has (somewhat too gleefully) announced the motive for the week. Clearly someone out there really wants to give you a reason to kill someone else. 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 Commander wasn't kidding when they said there would be a trial if someone was murdered. So now you're here, looking to condemn the responsible killer. If you do, they die. If you don't, well, you'll end up killing an innocent person, as the Commander has announced what would happen if the majority votes incorrectly. Whatever happens, you have to figure out what happened. Can you? 8. SCAPEGOAT Oh dear...the Commander has just announced that the person everyone just voted for...was actually completely innocent! Not only that, but they've revealed who the real culprit was! Maybe you're that innocent person, trying to say your goodbyes or beg for your life. Maybe you're one of the ones who voted for the innocent person, trying to cope with the horrible act you've just committed. Or maybe you're the true culprit, who now has to not only deal with an innocent dying for your actions, but also the fact that you can now be killed without repercussion!... 9. WILDCARD Anything not mentioned above. Go wild!

Comments

Minigame

[losergod]

[ C just chuckles at the sad bedsheet ghost. He'd somehow managed to deftly fold all his laundry with space suit gloves on. That's... some real skill. ]

You're aware bedsheets go on beds, are you not, Mister Morris?

[ He could help you, but you might have to bribe him. ]

Re: Minigame

[backuphero]

[The "ghost" turns towards C's voice, and... ineffectually flails at him, managing to get one of his arms unwrapped in the process.]

I'm aware, all right, I don't even know how I did this! Come on, help me out, please?

[losergod]

[ He chuckles. ]

What a sad state of affairs. Can you truly not help yourself?

[ He's passive. He doesn't do helping people. But... maybe he'll consider it. Maaaaybe. ]

[backuphero]

[There's a heavy enough sigh in answer that the fabric over Jonathan's face actually puffs out a bit. He reaches up and pulls it down, sending his hair into even more of a mess than usual.]

I can try, yeah, you're right. Got my legs wrapped up pretty well, though... you don't think we're going to get punished if these aren't all folded perfectly, do you?

[losergod]

...

[ Boy the smile on his face right now is creepy. Probably a good thing Jonathan can't see it. ]

I certainly hope not, otherwise I'll never be able to leave this awful vessel. If the punishment is as severe as one would hope, at least. I can't see why it wouldn't be.

[backuphero]

[Oh now that's just unnerving.]

"As one would hope?" I thought the idea was to not give the crazy in chief reasons to do things to us.

[losergod]

This story isn't really my problem. After all, I shouldn't be here in the first place.

[ He shrugs absently. ]

I don't think any of you can even figure out who has the leading role amongst yourselves.

[backuphero]

So... you think this is all just some kind of theater?

[He's continuing to struggle against the sheet, and manages to get his other arm free. It's probably symbolic, somehow, the narration says as though talking directly to an unseen camera.]

[losergod]

[ He laughs a little bit. ]

... Theater is an apt metaphor. That works, too. Life is really just always waiting for the audience's reaction. You can't exactly do much against it. A bit like your sheet there, you're struggling in vain.

[backuphero]

I think you've got it backwards, honestly...

[He's struggling all right, but he's got both his arms free, and he's unwinding the sheet from around his torso now. How he managed to do all this by flailing in frustrated panic, even he couldn't tell you.]

Just accepting that you can't do anything against "life" is too much like not bothering to do anything at all, for me. Why not keep trying? Worst that can happen is you're right, and you end up not being able to change anything. But if you're wrong, you do, and -

[And sometimes you manage to tug on the not-metaphorical-at-all bedsheet just hard enough to yank your own right foot out from under you, and go down flailing, and end up flat on your back laughing at yourself.]

...I think I just wrecked my own point there, but I'm not takin' it back.

[losergod]

[ Staaaaaaaaaaaring. ]

That look like it hurt.

[ A statement. He might be vaguely concerned, maybe. ]

I'm only an Observer, as God. My role is not an active one. People like you place too much importance on "doing", and then you end up in situations like this: a mess. And I like a neat and organized world.

[backuphero]

[Just to avoid a repeat of that stunt, Jonathan's staying down here on the floor to untangle himself the rest of the way. He pauses for a moment, trying to untangle that last bit, and then very visibly decides not to engage. There's no way he heard that right, surely.]

I've had worse, trust me. Ever seen anybody misjudge a jump and go through a banister? I haven't, but only because I did it.

[losergod]

I don't know, I could think of much worse things than you have probably experienced.

[ And it's true. He definitely could. There's a lot he doesn't say to these people. ]

But if you spent your time jumping into banisters, you must be rather rambunctious. Or foolhardy. I can't really decide which.

[backuphero]

I get called both, you don't have to pick one!

[It's easy to make fun of yourself when you're wiggling around on the floor trying to unwrap a sheet from your legs.

And finally, Jonathan manages to free himself.]

Ha! Okay, seriously, I know you're busy coming up with horrible things the jerk in charge can do and all, but can you help me get this dumb thing folded up?

[losergod]

[ Standing over him, peering. Hands behind his back. ]

No. Fold it yourself. You've been on the floor, you AND it are probably filthy.

[backuphero]

[He just goes limp, looking up at C, pleading... but that kind of thing literally never works, so after only a moment he sighs, and sits up, and begins gathering the sheet up into a messy ball.]

I'm pretty sure this place is sealed up so tight we're never going to see dirt again, but... it is my mess. Thanks for the company, at least? You could've just left me here and not said anything, but you stayed....

[losergod]

[ C is quiet for a minute, staring at him. ]

If you're really that worried, I could tell you what to do.

[ It's. An offer. ]

God doesn't dirty his hands like that. But telling you should be fine.

[backuphero]

[Again with the weird "God" thing. It's not that he's worried by it, more confused, but it's something that Jonathan is well able to just push out of his mind.]

I'd appreciate it. Never could figure these things out, even normal-sized ones.

[He's now holding the balled sheet at arms' length, sitting crosslegged. One would think from the look he's giving it that he was holding an irritable snake that needed feeding, not a bedsheet.]

[losergod]

Well, first of all, you're holding it the wrong way. Spread it out flat again and then fold it in half.

[ C is very weird, it's okay to find him strange. He's made no secret about himself, at least. ]

[backuphero]

Okay, this is going to take up some space...

[He does as instructed, and once he's staring at a half-folded sheet, he looks over at C again.]

And from here it's just folding smaller rectangles?

[losergod]

Yes, just try to be neat about it.

[ You know, unless he missed it and it's a fitted sheet. That's a different beast. ]

[backuphero]

[Unfortunately, it is. Jonathan did put the elastic on the inside of the first fold, though, and made sure the corners matched. Maybe this won't fall apart...?]

Seems simple put that way, but I didn't think of putting it down to fold it, somehow.

[losergod]

It's all right. Oftentimes the most simple things elude us.

[ He sounds oddly reassuring when he says that. ]

The bad news is that I've noticed this is a fitted sheet, and I've lost faith it won't simply unfold. We may have to refold it the proper way. ... I suppose we'll see.

[backuphero]

Well, either way, we'll find out if the "boss" cares when this stuff gets collected.

[He does fold the sheet the rest of the way, and carefully deposits it with the rest of the basket he'd been given, and pointedly dusts off his hands after doing so.]

I know we're supposed to keep going, but after that, I think I'm done. Seriously, thanks again.

[losergod]

I suppose I would be a poor God if I let my people struggle. Even if you may not exactly be "my people", per se... well, you get my point.

[ He just shrugs. ]