Killing Me Softly

Killing Me Softly is a Black Box chamber larp presented by the Ikebana larp team at the Black Box Days in October 2019. Set in Stockholm, September 1973, at Norrmalmstorg square and Kreditbanken, the entire country of Sweden finds itself glued to their televisions, witnessing the unfolding events of a botched bank robbery for the first time. While authorities outside discuss ruthless and skilled criminals, inside the bank vault, hostages and robbers form uneasy alliances in a fight for survival. Diverse identities condense into a confined space; forced to bare themselves to survive, they create strange and unpredictable bonds, giving rise to a new phenomenon that would later be termed the Stockholm syndrome. When the outside world is hostile, the only refuge left is to look each other in the eyes; regardless of your fear, the unseen threat remains the worst. This larp offers players an experience that explores trauma management and the resulting defense mechanisms through the lived experiences of characters involved in the 1973 Kreditbanken robbery in Stockholm. Loosely inspired by real events, the experience touches on delicate themes and is characterized by the physical and later emotional closeness of the players, compelled to act in a confined and hostile environment. This proximity intensifies in a crescendo of sensory stimuli that will naturally lead players to forge unexpected bonds towards a self-generated final climax. The alternation of different lighting and projected suggestions on the room's walls guide participants through the various emotional stages typical of Stockholm syndrome, accompanying them until the end of their experience. The introspective exploration of self and others intertwines with the primal need to escape, which serves as the driving force of KMS: when the I transforms into We, the distance between victim and perpetrator collapses, and the enemy inevitably becomes external. Among the various runnings of the event, the experience at the Italian Larp Festival 2019 stands out, where KMS won the award for best mechanics among the festival's debut larp offerings.