[h3][color=#c0364c]T H E[/color]  [color=#ed556d][i]S T A R T[/i] . . .[/color][/h3]
[color=#efefef]Today is a normal day as any other: you wake up, eat breakfast, then go about your business as you usually do. Maybe you go to work, hoping for the 9 hours to pass quickly so you can relax. Maybe you're spending a day with family. Maybe you decide to head off campus and go exploring the city. Whatever your plans, there's nothing out of the ordinary worth your comment, and so you carry on as you normally do.

It isn't until the evening that you notice something is different about today. Making your way to the front door, your eyes fall on the sleek black briefcase leaning against the adjacent wall. It's accompanied by an envelope with your name written in lilting cursive, and you immediately notice there is no return address. Even more strange is that you're the only one on your street/hallway to have received such a package.

After a moment of indecision, the nagging curiosity in the back of your mind leads you to grab the case and haul it inside your home. Placing it on the kitchen counter, you first focus your attention on the letter addressed to you: 

[hider=Open Your Letter]
[i]Dear [Your Name],

Congratulations! You have been chosen as the receiver of an all expenses paid trip to Wolfe Island! Located on Flathead Lake in the beautiful Montana, this estate has been passed down from generation to generation, and as part of the Wolfe family's annual tradition, a select few have been chosen to stay at the luxury home for one month.

Within the briefcase you will find your flight ticket and information, a room key, and 5,000 USD in cash. Please do not lose any of these as we do not send replacements. We hope that you will use the money to buy wardrobe and any items you might need for the trip. Be advised that there will be many events hosted in the grand ballroom, therefore we suggest purchasing formal wear along with outdoor-appropriate garments such as swimsuits and athletic wear. As we are located in the middle of a lake, there will be plenty of opportunity to wander the grounds and participate in a variety of activities. 

Finally, do not be late for your flight. It is not a private jet, and it will leave whether you are on it or not. We hope you will accept our offer, as we very much look forward to meeting with you.

Sincerely,

Heather Vandertulip
Secretary of Wolfe Estate[/i]
[/hider]
Unable to help yourself, you anxiously open the briefcase and read the flight information hiding inside, letting you know that you have one week to prepare your belongings. You hurriedly skip past the key and the ticket until your eyes fall on what was really tugging at your interest: a thick manila envelope with a sticker lazily placed across the flap to hold it shut. Are there really 5,000 dollars inside? You pick it up and peek inside, and sure enough there are stacks of hundreds enclosed in rubber bands.

And then your eyes wander to a folded piece of paper that you now realize you had missed. Spreading out the page in front of you, you're more than a little freaked out at the printed image on it. It's you, but caught in the act of your deepest secret. Maybe it's the the date you had with your coworker that your spouse doesn't know about. Perhaps it caught you at the shady park a few blocks down, where you had discreetly met with a dealer to fuel your addiction. Whatever it was, you're suddenly aware that someone has been watching you.

Replacing the contents back in the briefcase, your heart thuds in the quiet of your home, but the question hovers in the silence around you: do you accept?[/color]

[h3][color=#c0364c]T H E[/color]  [color=#ed556d][i]E X P L A N A T I O N[/i][/color][/h3]
[color=#efefef]Hey everyone! I'm Chai, but feel free to call me whatever you like: Tea, Bianca, or even [code]that bitch[/code] if you really wanted to. I'm going to be your GM for this extremely gentle and fluffy roleplay ride. I'm possibly looking for a Co-GM, so hit me with that sweet PM if you're interested.

In short, [i]The Island[/i] is a dark, murder mystery RP with elements of being a psychological thriller. Think of it like... a roleplay version of Clue (the board game). It heavily relies on character (and therefore player) choices, with the game evolving as the characters navigate through the situation presented to them. For example, if your character is relaxing with a nice hot bowl of instant Ramen, I might present a disturbing noise outside the back window. Your character has the choice of checking it out or not; it might be something or it might be nothing, but that is for you to find out.

During the roleplay, I'll be sending discreet PM's behind the scenes that contain information necessary to the advancement of the roleplay. It may or may not be presented to all players or even in the IC, so each of you are able to do what you want with it. Keep it a secret or share it with select others; the beauty of such a secretive nature is that it keeps you guys guessing, and it adds to the general mysterious atmosphere. OoOOoOoO, spooky.

I will write the NPC's and general environment that the players interact with. There will be death as the story progresses. Your goal as writers is to figure out who the killer is while your characters are also overcoming the psychological and sometimes physical challenges presented to them by their host. The point of the game is that everyone has secrets to hide; that's why they were chosen. They are all suspicious, and they trust no one. Their weaknesses and downfalls can and will be exploited and used against them.

Once the game reaches a certain point, you can message me at any time to guess who the killer is. It can be any of the NPC's or it can even be one of you; guess correctly and the killer dies, the game ends, and your characters are free to go on with their lives. Guess incorrectly, and your character might die as a result. Yes, I am warning you now that your character might be killed off, so make that decision carefully.[/color]

[h3][color=#c0364c]T H E[/color]  [color=#ed556d][i]R U L E S[/i][/color][/h3]
[color=#efefef]1. I am not here to be the GM that is the end-all and be-all of the roleplay. If you want to suggest something or debate your viewpoint on something, I'm more than willing to listen.

2. Drama is not tolerated in this space. If you have a problem with another player or even myself, please please [i]please[/i] reach out to me. It's been my experience that most things can be solved through open communication, and I'm always willing to talk things through.

3. I'm looking for about 4-6 players for this game, with only 1 character per player. Characters must be adults (18+) because there will be violence, substance abuse, etc.

4. While this is in the advanced section, I don't care how long your posts are. 300 words mean the same thing to me as 3,000 words as long as the post is well-written and enjoyable to read.

5. Some of my posts will be direction (2nd person present), and some will be NPC's (3rd person past). Please also write in 3rd person past.

6. I am extremely lenient and understanding about posting schedule. Try to post about every week or so, but it's fine if you take a little longer to post; just let us all know in the OOC. I'll only move the story forward when everyone is comfortable with moving forward.

7. Some of you probably won't like this, but I think some light auto-hitting is okay if the intent is to cause shock and [i][b]NOT[/b][/i] something that will permanently change a character. In the real world, if I decide to slap my friend, s/he probably won't see it coming and have time to react. Do, however, use common sense with this; don't use it to shoot someone or break their arm.

8. I am not here to babysit you and make sure you are nice people. I trust we can all be adults and treat each other with kindness and empathy, though if you're being a dick, that also means you're getting the boot.[/color]

[h3][color=#c0364c]R O L E P L A Y[/color]  [color=#ed556d][i]A P P L I C A T I O N[/i][/color][/h3]
[color=#efefef]There are no traditional posted character sheets for this roleplay. They will be submitted to me via PM with the necessary information. The reason for this is that I don't want other players to see your character—that would take away from the the secretive nature—and, truthfully, I would like to assess player writing style to create the best and most cohesive cast.

So with that being said, here is what I need from you. Shoot me a PM with: 

1. Your character's [b]name[/b], [b]age[/b], and [b]faceclaim[/b]. Real life photos only, please.

2. Include [b]whether or not you are willing to act in secret as the killer[/b]. 

3. Create a post describing [b]how your character reacted to the package[/b], [b]what they packed[/b], and most importantly, [b]whatever their vice/secret is[/b]. Expand on that bit of information, as it will allow me to create the characters' challenges throughout the game.

This will act as the character sheet submission, and I will create a cast based on those that I think will work well in the game.

Keep in mind that this game is meant for the average person, therefore I suggest creating a character that is grounded in the "normal" world, rather than multi-millionaires, politicians, or otherwise obscenely rich, high profile individuals. I highly encourage you to get creative with your character and what their vice is. Characters can be from anywhere within the United States and from any background. They do not have to be citizens per se, but as least based in America. Real life is diverse; real people come from many different ethnic, cultural and financial backgrounds.

Here are some starter questions that might help fuel your character creation: 

[list]
[*]What's their occupation? Are they a doctor, an artist, a mechanic? 
[*]Does their occupation tie into their secret? i.e. A financial advisor that swindles his clients, or a psychologist that aims to hurt her patients?
[*]Are they younger or older? An older character might have had more time to establish a more intense secret.
[*]Think about general "bad" behavior, then try to expand on it. Drugs. What about drugs? Do they take drugs? What kind of drug? Do they make drugs and sell them? Who are they selling drugs to?
[*]I'm totally okay with gore and darker vices/secrets, so maybe think about incorporating those elements in your character's history. I just ask that you stay away from murder, otherwise we'd all be murderers, wouldn't we?
[/list]

Lastly, have lots of fun! Please post interest below, as well as any questions or concerns you might have. And again, if you're interested in Co-GM'ing, feel free to send me a PM.[/color]

[center][hr][color=#000000]—⊱[/color][color=#2e2c2c]__[/color][color=#a59a9b]𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞[/color][color=#2e2c2c]__[/color][color=#C0364C]𝚍[/color][color=#B53549]𝚘[/color][color=#AB3447]𝚠[/color][color=#A03345]𝚗[/color][color=#2e2c2c]_____________________[/color]
[i][color=#8B3240]𝚍[/color][color=#81313E]𝚘[/color][color=#77303B]𝚠[/color][color=#6C3039]𝚗[/color][/i]
[color=#2e2c2c]_____________________[/color][i][color=#572E35]𝚍[/color][color=#4D2E32]𝚘[/color][color=#422D30]𝚠[/color][color=#382C2E]𝚗[/color][/i][color=#2e2c2c]__[/color][color=#a59a9b][i]𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚕𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚕.[/i][/color]

[color=#ed556d]𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞[/color][color=#2e2c2c]__[/color][color=#000000][[/color] [color=#898283]ᴅ ᴀ ɴ ᴄ ɪ ɴ ɢ[/color] [color=#000000]][/color][color=#2e2c2c]__[/color][color=#ed556d]𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎[/color][color=#2e2c2c]__[/color][color=#000000][[/color] [color=#898283]ᴅ ᴇ ᴠ ɪ ʟ[/color] [color=#000000]][/color]
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