Cupid's Game!!

Despite the poll’s results being mostly in favour of restarting the entire group, after some discussion between the mods, I have officially decided to lay this group to rest. While the group being cancelled is nothing new, we've agreed to not reboot the group at all. I’m terribly sorry for this, but hopefully all the participants and anyone looking forward to apps opening have moved on without expecting much.

I know from experience that a group getting cancelled is a very upsetting event, having put all of the effort into the app and looking forward to the interactions, the story, everything - but I also know that apologizing is only gonna go so far. I am legitimately sorry, and I bit more than I could chew trying to mod while knowing full-well of my faults. Emi and Cas did their best to support me, but it was fully my fault for not relying on them more. I apologize yo both you guys as well for being a bad main mod, but thank you for being understanding about it.

Thank you to everyone for showing so much love for the group!! It really warmed my heart to see so many people apply, and even if it ended on a sour note, I hope that some friendships made during the group’s short runtime will have made the bittersweet experience worth it.

I’m in the kind of situation which is forcing myself to be more responsible than before, so I hope to improve as a person and learn from this. So with everything said and done, thank you again for being so kind, everyone, even if I hecked everything up. Also, this blog will remain up to archive the memories people have made, but it will most likely never become active again. 

I wish everyone the best of luck with their future endeavors, did it involve RPing or not!

Okay so. It’s been 6 months and Cee here has been a total shit and has no made any official announcements about the group. It’s been a real rollercoaster of guilt and being crushed by responsibility and, well, I won’t make excuses - I couldn’t handle the group as well as I hoped with my current education going on, and that is fully a mistake on my part for not organizing things to function without my presence.

I originally didn’t think my studies would be this intense, but they’ve taken everything out of me. And while I had weekends off, obviously, I found myself completely apathetic and tired the whole weekend - the last thing my Mentally Unstable Behind wanted to deal with was responsibility even in the form of group business. Not to say I was sick of the group, not at all! But being forced to choose between an expensive education and a freetime group, you can imagine which I’d go for. It is painful to me, since this was my very first time being a main mod, and my worst fear of not being able to carry the group to its end did sort of come true.

Regardless, that aside, I still don’t want to just let this group vanish into nothingness without at least addressing it and asking everyone’s opinion. I’ve added a link below to a poll for everyone to decide the future of the group. Please note that only people who are part of the group are allowed to vote. Inform a mod after you’ve cast your vote so that we know you’re active.

Click here for poll.

The first option, obviously, refers to us picking off where we left - prior to the second trial, the case of Tegan Remus. Of course, this is not a very ideal choice seeing how even I have forgotten pretty much all of what was supposed to happen, and some participants might not even be active anymore. I cannot be sure, as I haven’t checked yet. This is what this post is for.

The second option would be to start from the start - seeing how we’re only stuck in chapter 2, it’s not unthinkable to simply start over with a fresh plate, with everyone’s minds refreshed and everything beginning anew. A sort of ‘restart game’, if you will. Of course, the problem of some participants being inactive can be an issue here, too.

Third option would be to organize applications again, to start aallll the way from the start. New cast, new characters, new refreshed story.

Alternatively, we can always combine 2 and 3 - those who want to stay in the group will be given the chance, as they were accepted in the first place - but for any players who decide to opt out or who do not respond within the allotted time period, we will have a select amount of spots open and we’ll hold a sort of mini-application period. If someone applied before and didn’t get in, this would be their chance to resend their application for a second chance. 

The last choice is to simply let the group die. While the easiest choice, it is the most unsatisfactory one as well. I started this group with such enthusiasm and it would pain me to abandon everything without even trying to salvage it - but if this is the most popular choice, then there is no use for me to continue dragging the group along.

And finally, I want to deeply apologize for being such an irresponsible mod. I have learned a lot and if I do get a chance to revive the group, I will try my best to make the group succeed this time.

Thank you for your patience.

This wasn’t fair.

  This wasn’t fair, this wasn’t fair. After everything that’s happened, everything that has been happening this was still. Happening. No matter what, this was going to keep. Happening.

It wasn’t a surprise. Honestly, it was more surprising that it took so long. He had bet it would have happened a long time ago, maybe a day after the thinly disguised dropped. Even the method didn’t particularly surprise him, he’d be a liar if he said he didn’t think that this type of murder wouldn’t happen immediately (and that he’d kept his hair products under lock and key because of such).

Good thing he was a liar.

“This isn’t happening.” Coming out was probably a mistake. Doing this all was a big mistake, he shouldn’t have run out- but he heard Bland, he heard Bland scream and it set something off in him he’d never even thought he was capable of, that he quickly pushed down with a cough, when he skid to a stop in the garden.

This wasn’t. Fair.

Life wasn’t fair though, wasn’t it? He had been forgetting that, people were destined for certain things, built for certain things- Tegan was a good person, a strong person who said what he thought he was big and strong and handsome which basically insured he would die. It was inevitable really.

(Oh he knew that.)

Tegan was someone too good to live in these games; in the movies and real life, because they were the same, here more than anywhere else.

That left one question though: When it comes to the dumb sex object, was he the one killed off at the start, or the one that got through to the end? Well, he’s made it this far.

(Dumb sex object til the end then.)

“Ew. Ew, lik, super ew ew ew.” Covering his mouth, he fanned himself, face tinting green. “Oh my god, like, this is so not hot! Like, someone couldn’t, like, ew, ew, makeup department! Fix this!” Stumbling back, he let his heart race as he forced his brain to shut down cell by cell.

Every thought. Shut up.

Shaking, he dropped to his knees in front of the body- this is not that big a deal Fiyero, calm do- of course this is this is awful this- this isn’t real Fiyero la de da stand up you didn’t notice this okay. Within the blink of an eye his expression changed from sickness to a blank curiosity, one of a show dog, one lacking in the intelligence department, an almost sheen scraped over top. “Like, wow, they got, like, a perfect replica. Not touching because, like, ew, but, like, whoa…”

Standing again, he tapped his lips as he cocked his head to the side. “This, like, I wonder why they chose such like a totes gross death. Eh, whatever, like, I’m sure the show has something planned.” Scrunching his nose, he began fanning himself again with an almost bored look. “But like...ew. Okay, like, not playing this one, nope.”

Nope nope nope nope- stop.

With that, he turned around, and began to walk back to his room, pausing mid step when he realized his posture was slumped, just slightly. The smallest hint of tiredness, anger, maybe something else.

He quickly fixed that. And smiled. Because this didn’t matter.

It’s not like this was real anyway.

It wasn’t. It was just another twitter fight. And he survived another purge. And more importantly (more? When did it become more?) so did Bland.

God damn it, he had only been asleep for five minutes- or maybe it was a few hours- it was all the same, he didn't want to be woken up, not like this. Someone was screaming- Bland? Oh god, what had happened?

He got to his feet, barely able to move as he grabbed a hoodie to wear- his minecraft shirt was damp from him drooling on it. Nasty. He sighed shakily, before opening his door, and following the others to... a body-.. Tegan's body.

He hadn't spoken much to Tegan, but he had always considered him rather sweet. This.. wasn't fair-.. it wasn't right.. injustice had been delivered. He could barely breathe with the scent that coated the air- he nearly got sick looking at the cruel scene in front of him. But.. no tears came.

He wanted them to. He may have felt like a baby, but.. it felt better than.. whatever this was. Grief sat deep in his chest. He pushed up his glasses.

"..Rest in peace, Remus-san."

Bland knew what had happened before everyone. It didn’t make it any easier. By the time he returned to see the body again. His face was tear stained and his body shaking.

“Y-You weren’t supposed to die. I was going to show you pictures of Vaduz. ”

Bland felt the wave of sickness rising and he quickly turned away.  No,he didn’t need to faint again.  He opened the cupid file and gasped. 

 Anaphylactic shock. Tegan had an allergy. Someone had taken advantage of that. He could of been saved with an Epipen or anything that could of helped. And the killer just,allowed it to happen. They had a chance to save him and they,just didn’t.  He hadn’t even known Tegan had an allergy. Could someone had used their question to discover that?

There was a chance of it being a mistake like with Katsurou accidentally killing their attacker. Oh gosh but to have to vote for someone who made a mistake again would be terrible. It was almost a better to think of it having been an honest to goodness murder. 

Panic flooded through her as she heard Bland shouting. She quickly finished putting on her jacket, stumbling down the hallway as she threw her shoes on. It wasn't Bland, but it could have been any one of her friends, dead in the garden. A place which she had always considered safe. Foolish. Nobody here was safe.

When she saw Tegan's body, red and filthy, she gasped. Sayuri was no stranger to either of these things. They were natural, human. But the combination, leaving such an ugly corpse, was horrifying.

"...Is it too much to hope that this is an accident?"

Ai burst out of her room at the scream, fingers running through her hair to comb it.

Princesses must look presentable at all times, moreso in times of crisis.

And when she saw the body...

"...oh, dear."

"...He was a good man...This is too cruel."

It may have sounded odd for a yakuza to speak like this, but this was just how she was. Yes. Ai took a breath through her nose, a hand going to her chest. Right. She had a job to do.

It would not be pleasant. It would end with another death. But it had to be done.

She must help see to that.

Whatever you might be feeling over Tegan’s unfortunate demise, there are a few unspoken facts that should be obvious by now. There has been a murder, and there will be a trial held for it.

...Oh boy. 

Dai stands still, staring at the body with blank eyes. “...T...Tegan....” He seems too shaken to react properly.

Suki stares at Tegan's body with a rather grim expression. Compared to her reaction to the first body to have been discovered, this one was...calmer in comparison.

She leaned over to Dai, taking his hands in hers and whispering quiet, soothing words to him. She then turned to all of you.

"...You all know what to do. Good luck."

Name: Tegan Remus Died in: Garden Died at: 1:00 am Died by: Anaphylactic shock Overview: Tegan is slumped against a tree, his eyes unseeing. Dry vomit cakes his mouth and stains his sweater as the putrid scent from the drying puddle beside him permeates the area. His skin in an angry red colour even in death… 

For some unexplainable reason, there seems to pass a fairly long time until anything happens. Maybe because almost literally nobody actually partook in the motive. Maybe it’s because the main mod disappeared for a few weeks. Maybe it might be because of genuine in-character reasons-- but whatever the reason is... it doesn’t change the fact that one morning, the nightmare started all over again.

Bland yawned as he made his way out of the elevator. It was much to early to be up right now. Well, okay, it was only 7 am but still. He honestly was only up at this hour because he wanted to do things before breakfast. Since he had time he might as well check out the garden though. As he walked into the garden, he looked down at his soda to make sure the cap was screwed on tight. And then he looked back up-oh no.

Anyone nearby could've heard him scream with how loud it was. Managing to somehow not faint he ran as fast as he could back down to the rooms. Not even caring that he fell down a couple times as he started pounding on all the doors.

“EVERYONE WAKE UP! [WAKE UP!] {UP! UP!} SOMETHING IS WRONG! IN THE GARDEN! SOMEONE’S DEAD IN THE GARDEN!” He yelled over and over. There went anyone’s chances of sleeping in, or avoiding another trial.

And as people begrudgingly woke up and dragged themselves to the garden... Ah yes. This... was most likely not the kind of feeling anyone missed.

“Ding dong bang boooong~ A body has been discovered~!”

Tegan has played that game before - twenty-one questions. Either to get to know a person or to see if he could guess what or who something was...But - as always it seems when it comes to this game - Tegan slowly realizes that he is out of his depth.

Despite his silence, Tegan's expression probably speaks volumes. He'd be...lying if there weren't things he wished he had answers to. Everyone does after all, and everyone has different reasons for asking different questions. 

And...every one has a right to ask those questions but...why this? Why would this be a motive? Was it meant to be as simple as it seemed?

Tugging on his bangs, Tegan slowly disperses along with the others as he continues to mull over the situation they're now in. What could he even ask....

oh....

Someone was going to die.

That was already obvious, from the first trial- from the Standford prison experiment's precedent proved prophoric, same as- no, no, not heading there yet. Who was he kidding? He couldn't stop brain, not here, not now.

it was fact. Trap enough people in a small enough space and the strong prey on the weak; dangle a shiny set of keys and they’ll rip each other to shreds. And, the one in the back, far away, trips and cuts one in the front- and they stand out. Get hunted down and slaughtered.

Humans were savage creatures- when one went down to their basic, basic characteristics. The hierarchy of needs for them is the same for near anything else in the animal kingdom. A human was no kinder than a bear.

Psychology, the one thing in the world he understands. It was the science of understanding the human brain, it’s quirks, it’s personalities, how to tell one apart from another, and what it taught him was simple.

Never. Trust. People.

Because the human brain is, for lack of a better term, fucked up. In every way shape and form. People, people are horrible. It takes the slightest slip to turn Saint to Serial Killer. The lightest dash of daring, add adrenaline and you get a murder from thin air.

Secrets were made of thick air. The spark was going to burst, and soon.

A part of him was curious if anyone was asking about him. They probably wouldn’t, not after he spilled his life story like an idiot in front of everyone. In this case, it helped. Sure, he had his secrets left, but no one knew to ask them.

At least, he hoped.

Nothing offensive, though, right, he had nothing that could spark someone to kill him? Right?

Right?

This was probably not good.

Stay calm, Fiyero, stay calm. Brain was turning on and there was nothing he could do about it this time. This time it needed to be on.

One question...how...how was he supposed to narrow everything about the situation into a single question? What to ask? There was so many to try, every part of Who What Where was still blank to him. He could organize this, create a group-wide effort, maybe, they could get out, but nope- no telling answers.

Wait, telling?

Could he risk...no, no, not him...okay, well, that gave him idea- he’ll try that.

Okay, moving on from there, questions. What was the most important question at the moment? Where they were was high on the list, but, what would that gain him? Knowing they were in some mountain wasn’t going to help him get out.

Any ways out? Good. But still, if the answer was no, he wasted a question.

They were all flashing in his head, one by one, who organized the first game you were in, what is the endgame to all of this, where are you located in the castle, when did you start planning this, why chose a killing game over every other format for this so called 'experiment'.

And, of course, one question that he was most leaning towards meant he would make him the worst person in the world for asking.

Was this time for morality? His eyes darted side to side quick, as his stance steadied slightly, feet planted firmly on the ground. So many of the thoughts he had been repressing rushed in at once- this times the ones he did, rightfully so. Thoughts of strengths and weaknesses, oschedule and blackmail- hey, maybe he got something from his mother after all.

He was getting out. No matter what it took. He was surviving til the end.

Question was: Is it better to kill and try to get away with it, or just wait it out until it inevitably ends?

After all Dai said, he really...he really was a selfish brat, wasn’t he? His survival was god, here, his survival was all. He had goals, people he wanted to bring along but…

Did he even believe himself here? Which part was he lying to himself about? Being willing to do anything to get out, or the anxiety that went along with it.

This was all scarily familiar to him. All of it. He had been in ‘killing games’ before hasn’t he- they’re called twitter brawls. Funny and interesting to the audience but to the people inside...it’s a witch hunt. You dig at a person, poke, prod until the other blows, then take what they said, sew it together, stitch here, edit here, post your response and strip them down to bones. By the end, the person is a shell, their career usually over if done right, or catapulted if they handled it well. He’d been on both ends of the digital death matches. And he learned how to play rather well.

You had to be cruel, but not in a visible way- you have to look in the right when you’re in the wrong, you’re the good guy, they’re the bad, you’re dumb enough you must mean well, they’re a slick and slimy snake. That’s how those work, and in the end, you’re a hero, they’re dead- socially.

That was how this was going to have to work, wasn’t it? Question was, will he be the hero, the villain, or one of the hunters.

His question would decide that, wouldn’t it? He could go after someone, push them to a wall, get their darkest secrets, and let whatever he finds trickle to the public, let them do the work for him- one down, another one closer to getting out.

He could be a hunter. Save his question until someone else plays Wikileaks, he gets something to back it up, and let whoever’s angry about it to the rest.

Or...well. He could be a ‘good’ person, couldn’t he? Use his question to find out something to benefit them all, but make his likelihood of getting out much, much lower.

But then he would have to deal with it backfiring on him, someone getting at what he’s doing, him accidently telling someone and getting them both executed, and with the other two- well, you can only play the innocent card so many times.

Yeah, and one person, in particular, knows he might not be able to hold it as long as he wanted.

So, those were his options. All came rushing to him as he checked around to see who was coming, who was going. Hopefully, no one looked to him, because this time, he didn’t talk. He didn’t justify it with a stupid statement- no one would buy it, this time, not with thought clearly etched onto his features. So instead, he slipped quietly away. At least he was at the edge of the fray already, and the first to leave, making his way back to his room in a matter of minutes.

Not a good time to be alone in public.

This ‘gift’ looked innocent enough. This question sounded like a Utopian idea, something finally good- but he saw this for what it was. This was going to be a motive for a murder, someone was going to die, because someone is going to find out something they didn’t want to know. He just hoped to god it didn’t involve him.

But if it does, well...Tegan knows. Bland, Yoshii, to a lesser extent, they know. He had a feeling Akki saw it in him. Question was, would the threat outweigh the benefit of offing him early in the game? Survival theory and game theory all blended into one deliciously vicious concoction of life and death.

Lying flat on the bed, he pressed his palms hard into his eyes, pain shooting through his sockets, vision flashing white in frustration. When he pulled away, there was a sticky trial of mascara and liner, concealer hiding non-existent wrinkles.

So everyone,including Dai and Suki,were going to get one question answered by boss. Without being able to tell anyone the answer. 

Was there a different way to escape? Where was the weakest point in the castle? Within seconds thousands of questions crashed into Bland’s mind. Were they chosen before or after Boss knew? Where their families looking for them?  Almost too many for him to be able to push away as Dai and Suki told them to stay safe. Just where in the world were they? Was his grandmother okay?  He shook his head trying to get the ideas out of there. 

How many more of them would die? Why couldn’t Katsurou have lived? Why create a killing game when they’d had live through one? 

Bland knew he wasn’t going to go to boss,he’d insulted them and they had let Katsurou die. How had no one found them yet? What happened to the person who’d driven them up? They didn’t give a fuck about any of the other students,not even their own friends.  Bland wasn’t going to be in a room alone with them. 

Why? 

Ai stood there silently, head tilted slightly to one side. She didn't say anything for some time, instead thinking and pursing her lips.

And when she finally did speak...

"I do appreciate the offer, but I will decline for the time being. I Have nothing to ask yet."

Yet? So she is saving it for later?

Sayuri stood there, bouncing in place as Boss explained their stipulations. This was fine. She could work around this. In fact, Sayuri had been dying to ask questions and finally getting a chance for even a single answer was extremely exciting. But now began the difficult task of narrowing it from a thousand questions to a single one. A single one this mysterious, cruel being deemed worth answering. So she couldn't actually do it yet. She needed time to think.

The singer made her way to the courtyard, seating herself on one of the benches. Not in a normal way of course. She placed herself upside down, hair skirting the ground. Blood rushing to your head was supposed to help you think. Of course, if you don't have blood, the process isn't as effective. And then Sayuri got just, a bit off balance and

Dai looks very... concerned. But he does takes a deep breath and nod at the students.

“...Um... be very careful, okay? I know that Boss has a lot of information you might not expect them to have, but... As they said, some answers are worse to bear than the questions...”

"There's a reason secrets are secrets, but hey, I can't blame ya'll for curiosity. Just don't get mad at what the answers would be."

Dai nods at Suki’s words before he smiles at the students apologetically. “...Um... Please stay safe, everyone...”