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

[crouching_sin]

Well, this is a game, isn't it? But that game isn't all that hard.

[Git gud, scrub.]

Why would someone make it too obvious? If they were smart enough to get away with it, I would think they would make things subtle enough that no one would notice.

[losergod]

In my unprofessional opinion... that's probably what they wanted. The evidence was simply just too tidy. If it were me--if I were going to kill, given my... penchant for neatness, I would want it to look helter-skelter first. But having it backwards like that, how does it make any sense?

[ Honestly, he's not sure he's even got anything. But the evidence bothers him. Greatly. ]

Wouldn't you do the thing that comes to your first instinct? Even if it were premeditated, I feel like it's a lot of effort to go through. A lot of things could go wrong. It's easier to do the opposite than to gamble on being exactly like you. You know, then, at that point, that people might pin the crime on you. Yes, it was very unsubtle, but perhaps that was on purpose.

[crouching_sin]

It depends on how well they planned. There are a number of quite intelligent people here. And the way you're speaking... how do I know that it wasn't you, C? That you're not just trying to cover things up?

[losergod]

I have to return to my heavenly host. I've been rather blatant about this; I've no reason to kill someone else. If anything, someone else killing me would simply get me there faster.

[ He says this without much concern, like you would discuss the weather. ]

Besides, if I had framed someone, do you really think I would be pointing my own mistakes out?

[crouching_sin]

Tch. Heavenly host... do you really think something with the power to keep us here would let you return there even if you were killed? Please. You're more naive than I thought.

[losergod]

There's absolutely no reason I shouldn't be able to return back to--

[ He pauses. Where was he supposed to go back to? ... Oh. Oh no. ]

... Wherever it is I'm supposed to be.

[crouching_sin]

You don't even know? My, my. Seems you're having trouble.

[losergod]

[ ... This is really a problem. He thinks about those kids.

"Loser God."

They didn't believe in him. Maybe he's--

No. No, that's no true. He knows what he is. ]

... I'm fine. Besides, you've probably noticed by now that all of us seem to be missing parts of our memories. It appears I was not exempt to this. If I was in a mortal vessel, it would have been relatively easy for them to do that.

[crouching_sin]

And I'm not supposed to be missing any memories at all - that's the whole point. But to forget something that important... I have to wonder just how much getting back a memory like that would be worth to you. Enough to do the Commander's bidding?

[losergod]

I remember enough.

[ It's said somewhat shakily though, as though he might not be entirely certain if he's really sure. The kids really did a number to him in the House's school, and he's just not sure if he's simply got a Defective Soul Cube like they say, or if he really IS the God of some world.

He remembers dying. That memory is vivid in his mind. But if everything can be called into question, how can he be sure of anything?

It was bad enough to think about his life before he died. Not being remembered was, well. Already an issue he had. He takes an unsteady breath. ]

My Soul Cube is not Defective. I've been socializing just fine here.

[ He says it quietly, though, perhaps almost to reassure himself. ]

[crouching_sin]

Hm. I wonder about that. I really do. Socialization does not indicate a complete soul. I know plenty of people with strange and fragmented ones that socialized just fine.

[Kazuya... he's not entirely him. He's got part of Abel in him. Like repairing a chip in wood with another piece of wood... it's not quite the same.]

cw for suicide mention

[losergod]

[ He is not okay. He can feel the panic attack coming on--a symptom he recognizes, and all he can do is make himself breathe through it. Focus. Breathe. He's. Fine. Count to ten. Inhale. Exhale. ]

... Even if that were the case, I've already accepted that it might be that way. If anything, it's just more reason I need to leave. If this vessel is defective, I need to leave it immediately.

[ He sucks in a breath, again, trying to steady his shaking hands. ]

But...

[ ... But he can't bring himself to do it, himself. The human body's desire to live is something to be admired, he supposes. His stupid, stupid will to hang on even though it doesn't help him one bit. ]

[crouching_sin]

Is it the vessel that's defective? Or is it just you?

[Because really, it could be either. And he's glad they've moved topic, because this is honestly fun. Much more fun than darting around trying to not get killed.]

In any case, that only makes you more suspicious, if you have that strong of a desire to leave.

[losergod]

[ Those words honestly sting. It's just like school, and he hates it. The laughter, the getting his face smashed into food. ]

... But as I've already said, I've no reason to harm anyone else here. This is a distraction from the actual issue.

[crouching_sin]

Getting back home isn't a reason? Hm. I thought that was the whole point, wasn't it?

[losergod]

...

[ He just sighs. ]

I'm not exactly eager to go back if I think it would put me back where I suspect it might, still in this body. If I killed someone and remained intact, I would simply end up facing the Trial.

[crouching_sin]

The Trial? From the sounds of it you don't mean this one.

[losergod]

... No.

[ He glances aside. ]

It's a much more unpleasant experience than the trials here. You only experience it once, either way. Ever.

[crouching_sin]

And what sort of thing is it?

[losergod]

... In the House, when you turn 15, you're expected to attend the Trial. It's mandatory. All the students in the school are gathered and vote based on Socialization Points. The student who is the most defective, who will not amount to anything, who Socialized the least, will be... taken in and have their Soul Cube removed to be... reformatted.

[ And do you know what happens when you reformat a hard drive, Naoya? Take a wild guess. ]

[crouching_sin]

So you're wiped. And presumably made to be reborn. Quite a harsh system. And is there some sort of point to this?

[losergod]

... Presumably, wiping out those they deem as "ineffective" to the system. It's disgusting.

[ He just. Stares at his hands. He is very obviously defective. Someone proclaiming to be God so brashly never stood much chance. ]

... A number of students choose to die rather than face the Trial. I cannot say that I blame them. Miss Wiltshire and I found a lot of them when we were searching for a way out from the situation.

[crouching_sin]

And who is 'they'?

[losergod]

... The teachers. The people behind the Trial... presumably the government. I don't really know that much about it, if I'm being honest.

[ ... Perhaps he's a poor God, but it's true--he doesn't. He is not omnipotent. ]

[crouching_sin]

And here I thought you were a God. It seems you're not even a demon.