( MINGLE - WEEK 2 )

[abhoth]

SURVIVORS: 40 The sun is shining, the air conditioner units hum as they always do, and a gentle morning breeze blows against the windows. The scent of pine cones and evergreen follow you wherever you go in the motel, save for the parking lot and outdoor pool. It seems like someone was very generous with the detergent while moping the floors. The two grandfather clocks (one on each floor) will ring with each passing hour, indicating the time of day without fail. With this knowledge — they'll note the motel will continue to be surrounded by fog until 8:00 AM on the dot. It is at that hour that the fog will begin to recede. Not enough to reveal the whole city, but enough to allow residents to explore some of the buildings surrounding the motel. And speaking of the motel, it seems like the Storage room has unlocked itself overnight. How quaint. Welcome to Week 2's mingle, everyone! As of this week, we are now accepting murder proposals. If you're interested in having your character murder someone this week, please send in your proposal before Tuesday, 9:00 PM EST. We'll be contacting you on plurk over the week to finalize the details, or ask for rescheduling if necessary. As always, feel free to PM us or send us a PP over plurk if you have any questions! ( quick navigation ) ic rulebook | locations | statuses | room assignments private conversations | ic profiles | graveyard | full navigation

Comments

[godly]

That I should have done better in the last trial.

[And that, at least, is not a lie. He should have, and the regret lingers, but for different reasons than most might believe.]

Things would have ended up differently then.

[perceptions]

[Her face twists into a grimace, chills running up her body. Right - he was the one to execute Hana after all. That can't be an easy task to do for most anyone.]

I think we all have that on our minds. [She says, clasping her hands together.] Did you see the message in the lounge this morning?

[godly]

[He nods a bit solemnly.]

I did. "Mother told me she was the spy. She had to die." Complete with strange symbol.

I have thoughts about it, but what do you think it means?

[perceptions]

[Mira crosses her arms, more than willing to deviate from a gloomy subject like the voices in everyone's heads.]

Well... a couple things come to mind. My curiosity, aside from the "mother", is more in the second sentence. "She had to die." If I could talk to the person who wrote that, I would ask them why. I mean, if Hana had to die... why not kill her themselves?

[Whether it was the Ghost or not, the fact that she had to die is the most puzzling thing. Why not just do it with their own hands?]

[godly]

Too much risk, wouldn't you think? Logically, the Ghost has the most hands-off approach than any of the roles we saw -- or at least, based solely on what we know thus far.

I wonder... [He pauses.] Well, if she had to die, I wonder if it was because they were being commanded to do it.

[perceptions]

True, it is risky to do it themselves. However, the ghost could have just flipped their victims. In that scenario, the ghost would possess Jason and use him to kill Hana. Wouldn't that be way simpler than making us go through a trial where we vote for her death?

[And why Hana, of all people? That seems to be less clear.]

If the command theory is true, then "mother" is implied to be the one to have issued the order. There's no role by that name though... unless they meant their literal mother. [She chuckles.] Wonder if our ghost is some sort of Casper.

[godly]

From our perspective, yes, it would be. But we don't know the details; we only know that for some reason, Hana "had" to die. And if the Ghost purposefully framed her, instead of outright killing her via Jason, it implies there's perhaps a set of rules that we're unaware of.

[Still vague, though, and therefore just as frustrating.]

Then "mother" isn't a role. It's a person, or a group of people. Maybe even more ambiguous than that, a voice in their heads brought on by insanity.

[Or... literally, like she mentioned, but Light isn't sure.]

[perceptions]

Seems like a lot of things are like that. [Her hands go to her shoulders, as she muses on the "rules" that Light mentioned.] This game... it feels like we're playing it without an instruction manual. You wouldn't normally play something unless you know what the rules are, because you'll just flounder and possibly lose in the end. They give us an outline, but leave the rest to be figured out by experience.

[And the first trial was definitely an experience of sorts. The game feels imbalanced, purposefully so, against the players. Even Zero wasn't so unjust.]

What makes you think "Mother" is a voice of insanity? Does it have something to do with Lovecraft? [She smiles a little.] I only know of him through pop culture, but I never actually read any of that Cthulu nonsense.

[godly]

[At least they'd agree about that much.]

Skewed towards our failure. Despite any outward appearances of this being a "fair" game, it's anything but. I have a feeling it'll take a trial or two to concretely figure out some rules. How many people will be dead by then?

Admittedly... a theory based on insanity would definitely fit the theme. If we get out of this alive, you should read some of his work. You'll have a whole new appreciation for it.

[perceptions]

I don't know if I would appreciate reading a book when I'm already living it. [She snorts.] Maybe the people killing here are driven to that insanity then? Would they really be guilty in that case?

[godly]

Do you think Craftly would care if the murderers are insane or otherwise? There's nothing in the rules that state that it matters, so I can only assume that's not a big concern for whoever's pulling the strings.

[perceptions]

No, I don't think so. It'd just be a little... worthless. If we're going to condemn someone, it should be something we do understanding that someone will die because of us. We need that in order to grasp the true weight of the decision we make.

I mean, there's a reason why "insanity" is a reason for murder. Those people don't often get killed because they aren't in their right mind.