Theatre Paradis is a private, invite-only, Utena-themed murder game. It is plot-zero, flavor-heavy, and CR-focused. It is set in an academy of performing arts built into an underground, inverted tower, and populated by faceless Extras who comprise the student and teacher population. While this game takes inspiration from Revolutionary Girl Utena, this game does not require knowledge of the series, nor will we follow its plot.
Characters will receive an invitation from a mysterious host, the Dramaturge, who introduces themself as a soul trapped in this purgatory, damned to offer to you what they failed to obtain themself: a chance to rewrite your story— in other words, a wish. The catch? You need to kill, and get away with it. But it's not so bad, is it? Should you accept this invitation, you'll get to play the role of a student or teacher (wait, or princess, or prince?), cavorting and gossiping while wiling away your days during the run of this particular show... Why not make someone else pay the price for your chance at a miracle while you're at it?
The game is scheduled to run for 3 weeks, starting on August 16th, and ending on September 7th. Theatre Paradis will be run scapegoat style. There will be no graveyard; dead characters die, but remain in play with certain limitations. This is a purgatory, after all!
As Theatre Paradis is a direct invite-only game, you'll need an invite from one of the moderators: Juliet, Limon Basil, or Fyre. Those invited have 48 hours after reserve slots open to put in their reserve before we offer any remaining slots to additional invitees. At this time, there are no plans to open up the game beyond direct invites.
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🌹 What's the weekly schedule like?
The weekly schedule is as follows:
❥ Weekly Mingle: Monday, 1PM EST ❥ Event: Wednesday, 1PM EST ❥ Body Discovery: Friday, 1PM EST ❥ Investigation: Friday, in time-limited blocks
BLOCK ONE: 1-3PM EDT BLOCK TWO: 10-midnight EDT
On the third week, the final execution will be a mod execution and take place directly after trial's end. The final Sunday will contain the finale, followed by an epilogue.
🌹 What's the overall game schedule?
❥ Reserves and Applications OPEN: August 2nd, 1PM EST ❥ Applications CLOSE: August 14th, 1PM EST ❥ Game START: August 16th, 1PM EST ❥ Game Finale START: September 7th, 1 PM EST
🌹 This seems like a really experienced murder mod tea— hey wait a seco
Hi! It's me!! This is my first time running a MG! Juliet is the head mod for this game, with the far more experienced Fyre and Limon Basil supporting me. This game will be a chill, fun, CR-focused game and will contain some experimental elements. I'm sure I'll make mistakes as I learn the ropes. I kindly ask for your grace as I do my best to make this a fun experience for everyone.
At the end of the game, there will be a screened feedback post everyone can comment to. I would sincerely appreciate any thoughts people have by the end of the game so I can hopefully run even better games in the future!
🌹 What about motives or events?
While there will be an overarching incentive for characters to murder (the chance to "rewrite their story," AKA, a wish), there won't be any tailored motives or motive announcements.
Events won't require rapid, real-time threading. Optional event turn-ins will be two comments of participation proof only (one from you and one from your thread partner), and they will be due on Friday @ 1PM EST.
🌹Is this a ship game?
This is not specifically a ship game, but it is a game that asks characters to act in pairs and become emotionally close with one another through various intimate (bad and good intimate!) actions. As a result, we acknowledge ships may happen due to player interest.
Additionally, characters will take on the title of student or teachers, though they do not need to actually attend or teach classes. Out of consideration for those who may be discomfited by teacher/student relationships, if only in name, we ask that any ships of this nature be warned for in thread headers.
🌹 How will this pair stuff work?
In line with our Utena inspiration, there are a few types of "pairing up" that will occur in this game. Here's the two primary types:
• Weekly épreuves and weekly events will ask characters to team up to carry out activities. These pairs are not set in stone and can change from thread to thread— you get to pick who your character is paired with and how. Think of it like temporarily pairing up for an in-class activity. Your character can partner up with multiple characters multiple times to help various people with their épreuves.
• Secret swapping— God said Adam and Eve, right? Find your prince (or princess) and live happily ever after! :) On your app, you will be asked for a secret that is foundational to your PC, something that has defined their character and/or beliefs, that they do not want anyone to know or would not share easily. Your character's invitation will warn them that there is an "admission price," or, perhaps, a requisite "sacrifice," for this show—the cost to take part in this contest for a wish—and, upon the NPC's introduction, they will be informed that this price was taken from them upon entering the academy: that dear secret. Secrets are swapped in pairs (EG, if Alice has Bob's secret, then Bob also has Alice's secret). Secret swap pairs will be mod-assigned.
Characters will find the primary memory associated with this secret is now a ravenous void: they know some important knowledge and memory has been taken from them, and this space feels bone-chillingly empty; they feel a painful ache to make themselves independent and whole again. This may affect the character's behavior at the player's discretion. However, they will find that, awkwardly lodged in place of the missing core of their self, the cornerstone of their beliefs, is someone else's memory— the details anonymized (names and faces blanked out). Characters may feel an intrinsic desire to hold onto this foreign memory, if only to lessen the ache of what they've lost. Likewise is a perhaps unwelcome desire to know who has their secret, and whose secret is now a part of them, as this is now the only other person, for better or worse, who now shares their lived experience, and can describe to them (honestly or dishonestly) what they're missing.
PCs can utilize the paired activities that take place over the course of the game to probe for who has their missing "heart," or secret. PCs may not recall the exact details of what they've lost, but they can utilize the context clues of what happened before and after that memory or gap in knowledge to suss it out and confirm them with one another (in other words, you will not need mods to confirm a pair for you). Remember, though: this should be a secret your character probably doesn't want to make a public spectacle of in trying to find out who has it.
Characters who never discover who has their secret will still be able to return home at the end of the game, but will permanently lose all memory of that secret once they leave. However, don't fret— if you can't figure out who has your character's secret by the end of the game and you truly want it back, there will be a hail Mary opportunity in the finale. Characters may discover who has their secret at any time, but will not be able to return their secrets to one another until the finale regardless.
Characters who recognize one other as holding each other's secrets may find themselves overtaken by codependent impulse to not retake their secret, and instead tighten their mutual leash one way or another. These characters may find they have heightened feelings toward the other, though these feelings may accent their hate just as much as it may accent affection. This may make paired characters irrational and obsessive; avoidant and terrified; or a total mess with one another. Their feelings may not be symmetrical, either (one may not be able to tolerate the sight of the other, but the other may not be able help needing to be in their presence). These feelings may fade—or intensify—once the secrets are returned, at player discretion. The world is your oyster (or your egg, perhaps).
🌹 Can my character try to remove their ring once the game starts?
Let the mods know if your character tries! This attempt must occur during a thread, rather than off-screen or handwaved.
🌹 What exactly is this place? How does this "faceless Extras" stuff work, anyway?
Theatre Paradis takes place in the Méliès Conservatoire of Performing Arts that hosts its students and staff in dormitories. It has been built into an inverted, underground tower with no way out. It is a theatre-focused school that blends the melodramatic, macabre, and fairytale in the style of féerie plays. This academy contains a high school and college; in other words, students graduate directly from the school's high school division into the school's collegiate division, and they share the same tower-campus. Adults, also Extras, exist on campus solely as teachers.
Extras will react as if your character were an integrated part of the world. Teacher PCs will be thanked for their lessons (even if they've never taught anything), Extras may assign a PC detention and then act as if they actually attended detention (depending on their trope), and so on.
Extras don't appear to realize they're apparently trapped, though conversing with or listening to Extras makes it clear to any Troupe member, AKA PCs, that they've been here a very, very long time. Just by interacting with them, it's unclear if Extras are truly people or if they're simply constructs.
🌹 Can we kill Extras?
Yep! Just let the mods know (via Discord ticket, not DM) that you intend to do so and give us the details. Mods will not RP this out, so feel free to play this as you please once we've cleared the details with you.
🌹 What's the overall vibe and tech level? Is there long-distance communication?
The architecture is a surreal, MC Escher-art deco fusion of cathedral architecture; it seems as if this tower and all the buildings within it was once part of a church; or, perhaps, the concept of a church. Each "room" within the tower is massive and has a convincing, but notably fake, skybox, that changes with the time of day and weather.
Everything else operates as a time capsule of the 90's. 90's flip phones exist, and some teachers and students appear to use them (or, at least, act like they get signal).
The flip phone characters get in their letter powers up on arrival, and will not lose battery unless that character dies. This grant characters access to a text-only network. While these flip phones lack signal and cannot call or instant message, they give PCs access to the school's extremely primitive forum. Characters can set their usernames (setting it as a cuss or "indecent" word returns an error), and they can either select their icon from a variety of stock images of nature and fairy tales, or take a low-res photo with their phone. This forum has no direct messaging function and is populated by Extras. Characters are free to post topics within the forum for discussion with other PCs (and Extras, who will at least read the posts, if not comment directly).
🌹 What's this about tropes?
On your app, you will be asked to list your character's "trope" in one sentence or less, such as "kind-hearted thug" or "honor student who is rumored to run a cult." This will go on your character's profile. All Extras will address the Troupe member (PC) as if they were this trope. Role does not have to match character history or personality. No matter what a character does, Extras will only see them and react to them through the lens of their trope, and nothing else.
For example, a character with the "honor student" trope will always be treated more favorably by the Extras than the a character with the "kind-hearted thug" trope, and more Extras will side with the honor student over the thug should the two enter an altercation (though this "kind-hearted thug" may have a few admirers of their own!), but the honor student may hear gossip about their alleged cult ties as they go through the halls.
A character's trope is only flavor, and only affects how they are spoken about by the Extras... but, boy, will the Extras be talking about you all quite a bit!
🌹 What's this about uniforms and costume changes?
When characters enter the school premises, they will find themselves dressed in a uniform in accordance to their division (high school, college, or teacher). Their canon clothes (and minor accessories) will be neatly folded on their beds in their dorms. Characters will find one personal item (depowered if magical) on their bed with their clothes; any other non-minor possession is missing! Student and teacher Extras will react to and view PCs as enrolled within a certain division based on their (mental) age. These ages are the following:
• Ages 15-18: High school (Prince uniform / Princess Uniform) • Ages 19-22: College (Prince uniform / Princess uniform) • Ages 23+: Teacher (Player's choice of work-appropriate attire, whether that be slacks or suits or miniskirts)
When a character enters a new area, they'll find their clothes automatically changed— it's a scene change, so your costume changes with it! Costume changes are appropriate for location: entering school grounds changes your PC into their uniform; entering a gym area will change them into gym clothes; entering their dorms changes them into lounge wear, and so on. Costume variations (added bows, custom colors, sleeve/pant/skirt length alterations, etc), especially for uniforms, are perfectly acceptable for PCs.
Uniforms are sexed by prince or princess, but you may have your PC be poofed into either uniform based on your preference, and they may be poofed into either uniform at different times, should you prefer.
Mods will not run this aspect when writing Extras, but for player reference: extras may be supportive of a feminine character in princewear and masculine character in princesswear, but will, uncomfortably and subtly, slip in remarks that they'd look even better dressing for their "role" (feminine princess, and masculine prince). Teachers may occasionally scold students and fellow staff for "not acting in accordance with expectation." Extra perception of "feminine" and "masculine" need not necessarily be linked to your character's sex (unless you wish it to be), but can instead be linked to PC appearance, behavior, or demeanor.
Costume changes stop at the end of curfew, and resume once trial ends.
🌹 What's this about scene changes and scene resets?
Once any Troupe member (PC) leaves an area, the "scene" is considered over: any damage they do or changes they've made to the area, AKA the backdrop, will reset by the time another PC arrives. The main characters are no longer on stage, so it seems that this purgatory gets everything nice and tidy for the next scene.
If a PC persists in an area, then changes made to that location will persist until that PC leaves the location.
Scene resets stop at the end of curfew, and resume once trial ends.
🌹 What types of characters can I app?
Given the setting only accommodates high school at the youngest, characters can be no younger than 15. They must also fit general murder game requirements, such as having the capacity to handle matters inherent to murder games (violence, gore, etc). Characters should be able to interact reasonably with a human-sized setting; unusual nonhumanoids or very large or small characters may need to be humanized or resized to some extent (feel free to ask questions and discuss with us!). We reserve the right to veto characters who do not feel appropriate to the setting.
Characters come as-is. If they are dead at their canon point, they are returned to life with a moderate amount of healing done (at your discretion) so they can function and participate in the game. Characters who somehow do not possess a corporeal body in their canon but are otherwise alive will be granted corporeal form upon entering the game.
🌹 Is there a franchise cap?
The overall franchise and cast cap is 3, depending on which one is hit first. For example, if you were to app 3 characters from Digimon Tamers, that would fill up both the Digimon franchise cap and the Tamers cast cap, so Digimon would become a capped canon and other Digimon seasons would not be able to be apped from. Moderator characters do not count towards the cap. OCs and CRAUs are not allowed.
🌹 Can I app a malleable protagonist?
If a protagonist has dialogue outside of answer options, has a consistent personality (or, at least, a consistent personality within the route you are apping from), has just as many lines as other appable characters from their canon, and the protagonist just happens to have answer options, then the protagonist is appable.
If the protagonist's characterization comes primarily or solely from dialogue options, generic pantomiming, or implication, or the protagonist has fewer lines (outside of dialogue options) than would normally qualify a character as appable, then the protagonist is not appable.
🌹 Is there any form of AC/Activity Expectations?
As murder games work best when everyone is engaged, we expect everyone to be active! However, we won't be enforcing any strict activity criteria beyond voting in trial. If you need to miss a trial for any reason, please contact us ahead of time.
As there is no traditional AC, there will also be no AC bonus system.
🌹 What about powers?
Character powers will be off for the duration of the game. If your character has a special need beyond normal food/sustenance or other unusual conditions such as biological conditions, accommodations will be handled on a case by case basis. If you have any specific character concerns, feel free to ask here on the FAQ or detail them in your app.
🌹 How do murders work?
Every week at least one murder will occur, which means that at least three murders will occur over the course of the game. We're running on a murder proposal system, where any player is free to sign up their character to murder before the weekly deadline; all you'll need is a basic proposal and potential victims. If your proposal is accepted, we'll contact you to work out the details along with your victim. In the event we receive no murder proposals for the week, we'll select killer/victim based on the OOC preference given during applications.
🌹 What about investigations?
Investigations will start on Fridays @ 1 PM EST, and will start with an announcement of who is dead. This announcement will not give any details, it'll be up to characters to investigate and find out the where and how!
Area investigations will occur in during two investigation blocks, during which mods will respond and give out clues to the murder. There are no caps to the # of characters who can investigate in a given block and character can swap out as needed (ex: if you can only make an hour of the block that's fine!) Because we are experimenting with this time block method, we are going to keep an eye on the amount of evidence per case to make sure it's possible to find all evidence within these time blocks.
While we will ensure that all core evidence is found (marked via "All Core Evidence Found" mod comment per location), details may be missable depending on how investigation plays out.
Physical evidence, including bodies, will be able to be looked at again during trial for clarification and/or further details. Bodies and physical evidence will be automatically transported to the trial. Characters may take photographs of the crime scene to take into trial as physical evidence.
We'll always ensure that there is enough evidence to solve a case, but as this is a scape game, there's always the possibility that a culprit could get away with murder!
🌹 Anything to keep in mind about trials?
Trials will take place on Saturdays to allow characters to debate and decide who to vote for. Voting may take place at any time during trial and votes may be updated OOCly at any time before trial end. Please remember that voting is your AC check-in for the game and plan accordingly! Characters will be voting for one (1) culprit, and a scapegoat vote (voting for an innocent party) is possible. Incidentally, characters will not be told if there is more than one killer in the case of multiple victims, nor will they be able to vote more than once.
🌹 What about executions?
Every Sunday after trial, an execution will be held for the voted character, regardless of whether they are guilty. For the first two weeks, other player characters will carry out the execution. OOCly players will be able to submit their characters to be the executioner immediately after trial ends, and will be notified within the hour if they're selected. As this selection is entirely OOC, you're free to sign up for execution even if your character wouldn't volunteer ICly.
Once the executioner has been selected, we'll make an announcement in discord and create a group chat to plot out the execution. As the execution is threaded, the executioner will need to be present Sunday afternoon to complete the thread.
Executions will follow a particular format, and have a short, post-execution activity each week. Stay tuned!
On the final week, execution will occur directly after trial. It will be a truncated, mod-run execution, so the finale can occur on Sunday.
🌹 Will there be a graveyard?
Nope! Dead characters remain in play, but stand to lose quite a bit! Watch this space.
🌹 What's the lowdown on Private Conversations (PCs)?
Private Conversations allow characters to conduct business, plot and plan, share information, and so forth in private without the risk of being seen or overheard by other parties. For further details, please see the PCs page.
🌹 Is there anything else I should know?
As this is a game among friends, we're aiming for a chill vibe, along with trying out new and different things to see what shenanigans result. We trust you, so please don't try to break the game!
🌹 Wait, I have more questions!
Drop it here and we'll be happy to answer!
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