applenet | COUNTDOWN: PUTTING THE M IN MORALITY 3.0

Entry tags:

COUNTDOWN: PUTTING THE M IN MORALITY 3.0

Did someone contact you during your dreams? Perhaps you were lucky and a few images of your past lives were revealed to you. Then maybe when your phone begins to act strange, you aren't as surprised. Maybe there's a feeling that you've seen this before... could it be a case of deja-vu?

You could all say it started with a strange icon that popped up on your phone that day. September 9th, 2017, a mysterious icon begins your decent into a different world.

Did you press it right away out of curiosity? Did you press it accidentally trying to dismiss it? Or did you wait long enough for it to cover your entire screen, forcing you to interact with it? Either way, congratulations! You've got...a Terms of Service popping up in front of you?

Terms and Conditions ("Terms")
Last updated: September 9th, 2017

Please read these Terms and Conditions ("Terms", "Terms and Conditions") carefully before using the http:/www.applenet.net website (the "Service") operated by AppleNET ("us", "we", "our", "horse", "goat", "sheep", "apple", "shapple" "etc.").

Your access to and use of the Service is predicated on your acceptance of and compliance with these Terms.

By accessing or using the Service you agree to be bound by these Terms and agree to be part of The Team. If you disagree with any part of the terms then that's too bad. You already agreed to them by reading this far. Don't worry, you're not alone in this! In fact, you've probably had a little bit of a warning, right? Your friends warned you in dreams? Hopefully they did cause otherwise, SURPRISE!

AppleNET has no control over and assumes no responsibility for content posted or user privacy. You further acknowledge and agree that AppleNET and its affiliates shall not be responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with use of or reliance on any such content, goods, death, night shifts, or services available on or through any such web sites or services.

Governing Law
These Terms shall be governed and construed in accordance the laws, by which we mean with little regard to its conflict with any laws. Are you still even reading this? I bet no one really reads this. PS for all apple pie needs, please contact Luci at Luci@applenet.com

Changes
We reserve the right, at our sole discretion, to modify or replace these Terms at any time. If a revision is material we will try to provide at least 0 days notice prior to any new terms taking effect. What constitutes a material change will be solely determined at our discretion.

By continuing to access or use our Service after those revisions become effective, you agree to be bound by the revised terms. You don't have much choice cause it's time to start fighting back! You can do it! Or at least it will be interesting to see...

Contact Us
If you have any questions about these Terms, please contact us.

You quickly notice there is no contact number or address. Uhh---

DO YOU AGREE TO THESE TERMS?
Yes | Hell Yes | Man I Can'T Wait to See What this is About! | APPLES!
It really seems like you don't have much choice. After pressing one of the four buttons (one of them trailing off to the side of the screen), a new screen greets you.

21 DAYS REMAIN BEFORE FULLY AWAKENING

Hey! Welcome to your new half life. Something like that. I'm Luci! You don't know who I am, but I know who you are. Freaky huh? But that's okay, cause you got a few of your friends coming in too. Anyway, answer these questions, we're gonna have a fun time talking about them, I'm not being all fancy this time, got it? Don't worry if the answer sounds 'bad'. After all, you're gonna be working with the rest of us! What's the worst that could happen?

I mean, bad things could happen. But that's why there's other people to help you! CHECK IT OUT GUYS I DID A FRIENDSHIP THING. PS - If you see something from a guy called "Guts", he can be really mean sometimes, so be careful!!!

Are they... acting like they’ve just hired you for a new job? (And really being impolite too. Who is this Guts guy?)

The first (and only) question for today is:

Would you kill a man/woman?

1) Yes! That sounds fun.

2) Yes, but only because they killed someone I loved.

3) Yes, but only out of self-defence.

4) This question is confusing me because I am unable to reach a proper conclusion.

5) No! That's so wrong!

6) No, but mostly because no one should know about my dark secrets.

7) No, I'm too pure.

8) No, but I'd pay someone else to do it. Guilt free, AND smart!

As you go to pick out an option... or try to exit out of it... you witness an all-too brief memory of a life you think isn't yours. A flash that makes you think you were hallucinating... or maybe something you've seen before in your mind. Your head hurts, your heartbeat increases dramatically, and you can barely see anything ahead of you...

Wait, did you already pick something? You don't remember touching the screen, but something's already been highlighted and pressed for you. Staring at the 'saving' prompt, you will later find out it was a deeper memory from your heart. It might terrify you, what you've picked.

After that, the program displays nothing else for a few seconds before a chatroom (appleNET chat v.301.02) boots up, with a username already attached to your account and a little icon, either a sword or a ship steering wheel, next to it. More worryingly, your answer is the first thing posted from your name. Not even a hi or hello.

Well good thing no one has any idea who you are... right?

But don't worry... this time you're not quite alone.

[OOC: The memory should only last for a few seconds, but it would be something significant that would surprise them. It could even be related to this question!

All mentions of their profession or other clues that might reveal who they are will be changed to [INFORMATION LOCKED]. However, due to the dream memories, their usernames will be a combination of the demon you chose for their Persona and their REAL name (not their AU one).

FOR PLAYERS ALREADY IN THE GAME: Your character now has their REAL name and their demon name. Additionally, NOTHING GETS CENSORED WHEN YOUR CHARACTER SPEAKS.

For the new players, have fun!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Remind me to care when you can throw more than blocks of red text at me.

[Speaking of, however...]

South side Warwick.

[The district name is then followed by a street, neither one censored by the app.

Warwick is a place Kit has seldom ever gone except on business, its inhabitants tending a bit too much into the lifestyle of the rich and snobby for his liking. In truth, he has no connection to the area whatsoever and zero inclination to go there. And the app seems to know this.]

[whether it's Vincent's intelligence or his strange affinity for picking up on Kit's thought processes is hard to say - but regardless of the answer, he seems to understand what he's trying to do almost immediately.]

so its only places we might actually go
typical
it still hasnt gotten out of our heads

[Not only places they might go, but places associated with them. For example, while Kit wouldn't test the theory, he was nevertheless certain that an attempt to list specific areas in Skyes would be censored despite his reluctance to return 'home' on any given day.

Probably, the theory belonging to the person he was speaking with was also correct: addresses wouldn't be the only thing subject to censorship.

Thankfully, that was something that he could safely test.]

Avocado. Blowfish. Cashier. Duplicate. Embolism. Fife. Glacier. [INFORMATION LOCKED]

[...hair was the word it chose to blacklist?

His own was rather long, he supposed, and a distinctive shade of red. A defining feature, some might say, and an easy way to identify him. In fact, it was easily the only word among that list that could do so.]

That confirms it.

useful

[so, locations and even nouns associated strongly with them...most people would be content to have uncovered such knowledge and moved their conversations around the impediment, but Vincent only feels a strong urge to somehow circumvent the restrictions.

it's almost purely spite, given his professed lack of interest in engaging seriously with this network. but pettiness is a far more powerful motivator in him than usual incentives.]

hell pit

[...well, it seemed it wasn't quite as clever a censor as it wanted people to believe. all he had to do was get a bit abstract about things.

none of this, of course, has been conveyed to his conversation partner. sorry, Kit.]

[Two words of their like might have seemed incidental in a longer list like Kit's own, but by themselves they appeared quite wittingly chosen. Was it reaching to assume there was an ulterior meaning behind their combination?

Hell pit...

It wasn't a curse or turn of phrase people used when confronted by a less than ideal situation, so then...a place perhaps? In Eddan, the only district that vaguely resembled such a description was Hagu, its penchant for catering to the less reputable no secret.

But was that a specific reference to someplace within the district itself or a meeting place? Even Kit couldn't tell. Not without a little field investigating...]

First Mars.

[Based on planetary hours, that indicated Tuesday as opposed to Wednesday...and provided two of four potential meeting times: seven in the morning, or two-thirty in the afternoon. Of the two times, the earliest was the first and thus the time when Kit would make it a point to be in Hagu.]

[so it seems that his conversation partner had picked up on what he'd been trying to do. not only that, but he'd given him a piece of information to decode himself. Vincent has to turn it over several times in his mind before he understands what's being said, digging deep into pools of knowledge that he hasn't had cause to tap into for quite some time.

when he figures it out at last, he has to laugh. whoever this person was, they had balls. no one with half an ounce of common sense would try and set up a meeting with a total stranger in the worst district in the city.]

inverted justice

[this one would be a bit more challenging for Kit to suss out if he didn't know the underground clubs of the area, particularly those that catered to a more...niche audience. he's referring to the tarot arcana and its reversed interpretation in a reading - things that were out of a person's hand, unjust punishment, the system working against you.

if he did a little research of his own, perhaps he might realize there was a nasty little club called Karmic Backlash in Hagu. it's one of the many places that Vincent played at, and a fitting locale for this sort of meeting. he'd be waiting at the appointed time outside the building.]

Green light.

[Quite simply put, "It's settled, then."

Of course, Kit hadn't yet puzzled out the clue's location, but with two days until they would meet, he had all the time he needed. By Monday in the early evening he'd learned of the club in question, a chance encounter with an old and very satisfied client proving to be quite informative. He was warned that it was a popular hangout for a few of the people he had known before he'd started his own gang. Typical petty miscreants, mostly...but there were a few who would be out for blood if they saw him hanging around.

It made the following morning when he arrived outside Karmic Backlash all the more exciting, although the probability of unsavory sorts catching him there at that hour was unlikely.

But not as unlikely as running into him there...

Kit's surprise was expertly masked as he approached, both hands concealed inside of his jacket pockets, his gait that of someone who might simply be passing by the area.]

[for Vincent's part, there wasn't much excitement in their meeting place. he played here fairly regularly, and while he was certain there were a fair number of people in the area he wasn't popular with, it wasn't enough to keep him from feeling completely safe. everyone knew that Hagu was practically comatose until eight at night, anyway.

he leans against the club wall while he waits, music blaring from his headphones as he nurses a large cup of coffee. it's habit more than necessity today - the anticipation of learning this not-so-stranger's identity more than made up for the mundane setting.

and there's a definite lurch in his stomach when Vincent glances up casually to see that guy again. the odds that he'd just happen to be strolling by at exactly the same time as the arranged meeting are astronomical, but he refuses to accept the alternative. his lungs can only take breathing in so much noxious gas.

so instead of calling out to him Vincent remains exactly where he is, dragging another sip of coffee out. his pace makes it possible (if unlikely) that he'll just keep walking unless stopped. maybe he'll get lucky.]

[Kit was much too observant to continue walking, easily detecting in Vincent even the most minute traces of surprise at his appearance.

He wished that it didn't make sense, but the explanation was as simple as it was glaring. The other boy was expecting someone, and he'd shown signs of alarm because that someone was not whom he expected to arrive.

Needless to say, Kit felt similarly. Each time they found one another he'd wondered if it was by some otherworldly design, but now he knew. That boy was Hiei. Even if he could draw no physical comparison to him (which was strange, to be sure) their frigid dispositions and penchant for fighting were nearly identical.

It was that knowledge, and perhaps a sense of nagging responsibility, that convinced Kit to approach Vincent after all.]

Good morning, Hiei.

[the look he receives for not playing nicely with Vincent's preferred sequence of events is far chillier than anything the weather could currently dish out. he stares at him darkly from over the rim of his coffee cup, the writhing sounds of torment blaring from his headphones showing no sign of lowering in volume anytime soon.

there was still a chance that this was just an unfortunate meeting, but as soon as Kit greets him he knows. despite continuing to fight against the association, he can feel his chest twinge in acknowledgement of that name.

god damn it. as if things weren't troublesome enough.]

...you're looking for someone else.

[The other boy's arctic glare was met with one lacking any temperature at all. A blind man would have been able to tell that Kit had struck a nerve by using that name, but perhaps it wasn't the right one? How, then, should he break the lock on Vincent's defenses?

He'd been saving it, waiting to see if the other boy would offer it before he was ever asked again, but after so many encounters he knew now it wasn't likely to happen. Probably, Vincent was waiting to see how many more times Kit would ask before he gave up altogether. But that, too, wasn't going to happen.

There wasn't a need, not when he'd already acquired what 'Hiei' thought he'd been withholding for so long.]

Would you prefer Vincent?

[amazingly, it's that name which elicits a visible response from Vincent. he starts forward off the wall, looking like he was halfway to swinging a punch at the other boy before thinking better of it. he slumps back into place almost immediately, self-restrain functioning properly for once, but his stare could shatter diamonds right now.

when had he gotten his hands on that..? the answer didn't particularly matter, really, not when there were so many possibilities, but it still rankled him. he hated to be one-upped by anyone, but it stung especially hard coming from this pretentious douchebag.]

It's the only name I've got.

[even for him, it was pointless to continue withholding his real name now that it had been somehow uncovered. despite his statement being patently untrue on several levels, that's all he's going to give Kit.]

[Although he smiled at Vincent's reaction, Kit was nevertheless grateful that he had chosen not to take a swing at him for daring to be so bold. It had been worth the risk to use that name, stolen the night of their first meeting while the smaller teen had slept. Though, of course, if Vincent had lashed out at him for his audacity, Kit certainly wouldn't have blamed him.

Nor could he have stopped him. He retained his reflexes, but his hands were still healing after their previous altercation. In fact, much of him was still healing after that encounter, making his decision to meet anyone, particularly his assailant, in Hagu of all places a monumentally hazardous one.

For Kit, of course, that only promised greater accolades, such as Vincent's reluctant deference.]

I should have known it would be you.

I don't know what you're talking about.

[Kit wasn't the only one who was still suffering from the aftermath of their cataclysmic battle, although his former opponent seemed to be treating his injuries with much less care. the finger-shaped bruises encircling his neck sat openly for all to see, like some sort of hideous necklace. it wouldn't have been pleasant to lash out now, but he'd been prepared for the consequences had he gone through with it.

even so, he's still managed to find some way to be difficult. just because Vincent had been forced into submitting to the other boy's superior knowledge didn't mean he had to continue that pattern for the rest of their conversation. given the two options, he'd rather simply pretend that 'Kurama' didn't exist even in his visions.]

[Had Vincent's body language not already exposed the truth, and had he forgotten all about the headaches and visions they'd both shared, the night at the Leviathan Habitat spent discussing demons and talismans, Kit might have believed he had the wrong person.

But he knew better. All signs pointed to the boy before him being the same one he'd been speaking with on that app, the same one 'Kurama' seemed willing to fight alongside and for.]

I would appreciate it if you would refrain from lying to me about this at least.

[Just this.

Vincent could keep his secrets, all Kit wanted in return was a modicum of respect regarding this matter. He'd come too far, and they'd been through too much to simply snub the existence of Eddan's curse.

Withdrawing gloved hands from his pockets, he carefully undid the top buttons of his jacket and pulled out from an inside poket a familiar notebook. Opening to the back page where Vincent's drawing of the Ouroboros around the three teardrop symbol still remained, he turned it around so the other boy could see. His temples protested the gesture, but Kit ignored the incessant throb.]

You were right about this symbol.

Tch.

[he spits the sound out sourly, turning his head away to watch the nonexistent morning traffic on the street before them. it wasn't the strange magic a large portion of the city seemed to have fallen under that he wanted to dismiss - just Kit and his apparently unbreakable connection to the person invading his thoughts.

but that just didn't seem to be in the cards, no matter how hard he strove for it. his curiosity pulls him back in almost immediately when his companion pulls out a notebook that he knows fairly well at this point. there's no question as to what he must want to show him, but his eyebrows still raise slightly as he leans in to look at his own handiwork again.

eternity. rebirth. the end of all things when left unchecked.]

Of course I was. I don't go around spouting bullshit.

[as if he could possibly have truly known the connection it would prove to be. but this is as much as he's willing to give Kit right now, so the other boy might as well just make do.]

[It wasn't the notebook that Kit studied after he'd held it out, but Vincent. The other boy's response was telling and further proof that he was whom Kit thought: not just any partner, but his. He could sense through Kurama's memories how much they had endured together and how incensed he'd been at the other boy's soul being held hostage. He could sense it even now, between Vincent and himself, in the way they were continuously drawn to one another and how, no matter the amount of blood shed or barbs delivered, they seemed to thrive in each other's presence.

That was how they'd put together that symbol, after all.

After a moment more, Kit closed the book and tucked it away again. Then, he positioned himself next to Vincent against the wall of the club, his gaze trained upon the mostly vacant street before them. Foot traffic would pick up soon, as well as other varieties. Businesses would be opening, even if the real activity wouldn't start in the district until much later after the sun had gone down.

It was quiet for now, almost nice. Like the eye of a storm. He wouldn't be a bit surprised if that was how Kurama always felt around Hiei...]

Did you have a dream, too?

[to be perfectly honest, Vincent couldn't imagine being so closely entwined with the person at his side as he was now. while he might not admit it, Hiei's esteem for his partner was palpable even through the scant number of visions he'd been forced to experience; it wouldn't surprise him if there was nothing the 'other' self wouldn't have trusted to Kurama.

surely someone like that wouldn't be nearly as insufferable as Kit. how could he be? it wasn't as if they made much of a team now, or seemed to draw a strange air of tranquility down upon themselves whenever they were in each other's presence.

...no, he just couldn't accept it.

but they'd made impressive progress every time they'd put their heads together to untangle these conundrums - both in managing to meet here and at the aquarium - and Vincent's curiosity was piqued enough that he was willing to put his stubborn uneasiness to the side for the moment and be slightly more cooperative. the sooner they got this over with the sooner Kit would leave, after all.]

...Keiko.

[he knows, in the strange way he always seemed able to grasp Kit's thoughts, that the other teen must be referring to the vision they'd suffered upon accessing the app for the first time. it's the reason for his reticent response, rather than usual peevishness - he wants to see if the name will trigger anything in his companion, the way it had for him.]

[The frustration Kit felt at being unable to recall anything about that name was clear in the way he frowned and shook his head. Whatever memories he'd had, they hadn't centered around anyone named Keiko, though there was certainly a strange familiarity to the name, as if he was meant to know it, and perhaps even would with time, but for now that particular bit of information remained sealed away from him.

He wondered why. If Vincent and he knew each other in another life and were as close as his memories would have had him believe, why was it the things they recalled did not seem to align?]

No, I'm afraid not.

[But that didn't mean he couldn't recall any names at all.]

Yusuke.

[Someone else Kurama had been close to. Someone who had been willing to sacrifice part of his own life to see that Kurama's mother didn't lose her son.]

[it was doubly strange to Vincent, who had been able to stitch together his memory with the one that had flashed through his addled brain towards the end of their fight - one that had most certainly contained Kurama. what had happened between those two moments to render the hostage's name meaningless to him now?

he's about to voice his thoughts aloud when Kit speaks again. it's a single word, short and quick, but the weight of its impact may as well have rendered it a wrecking ball. his body slides but does not fall down the building they're leaning against, catching itself in time as his skull rings with memory.

that boy. that boy. that smug-faced delinquent human who'd pushed him to the brink of desperation at a time he should have held the upper hand. Urameshi.]

...that idiot.

[the words are hissed out between gritted teeth, almost unconsciously. the venom in them, however, is completely unmistakable.]

Edited 2017-09-14 04:14 (UTC)

[Kit hesitated a moment before he joined his companion in sitting, not sliding down the wall but arranging himself neatly on the cement, legs outstretched before him and ankles crossed.

His memories were scattered. Connecting the dots was a lot like putting together a puzzle in the dark. He was feeling his way blindly along, not sure what pieces fit where or what might lie in between, only that the picture that awaited unveiling was vast beyond imagining. He had a beginning. Perhaps not the beginning, but one of many considering the course his life had taken.

He'd seen his rebirth into a human body, had recalled his mother's miracle, Kurama and Hiei's partnership with Yusuke and another boy, events at a tournament, and a game with rules Hiei had broken. It felt like he'd only just begun to scrape the surface of all that truly lied buried beneath, and the harder he tried to force it, the more it simply would not come.]

He is, isn't he. A true fool...

[And a true friend.

Unlike Vincent, Kit's voice was soft and almost fond. How could he speak venomously of someone who had trusted a thief like him and risked so much?]

It won't be your stomach next time, I can promise that.

[is it really such a surprise that someone as belligerent and unconcerned with authority could have come into conflict with even a teen kindhearted enough to give his life for a stranger? it shouldn't be, nor should the words Vincent mutters darkly as he slowly comes back from the reminiscence.

they aren't his feelings, but he's always been so attuned to irritation that he finds himself absorbing them without even the thought of a fight. if such a boy existed here in Eddan, he doesn't doubt that he'd snap his neck on sight. meddling fool.

Vincent takes a deep drought of his coffee to settle himself back down once more; it manages to take the edge off everything but his scowl, a compromise he's willing to accept.]

[His stomach?

At first, Kit thought Vincent had meant the way he'd struck him a few days ago at the park, but given the current topic of conversation, he highly doubted that. Then...something else had happened between them that he hadn't yet recalled. That was the only other explanation.

That knowledge was grating to say the least...in particular because of the scar he had on his stomach. In the dream where he'd met Reimi he had noticed that the explosions he'd suffered at the hands of Karasu all aligned with various scars he had gained throughout this life. Did that mean that the one on his abdomen was somehow from Hiei, too? Even despite how he remembered having actually received it?

His hands folded over his midriff, green eyes solemn.]

I wonder if I will leave you with a choice.

[he exhales deeply, the sound as irate as it is fond.]

I doubt it.

[Vincent didn't need to embrace his past identity to be certain of that. the other boy had already proved himself to be outrageously hard-headed to the point of distraction, and there was no reasons to suspect that this theoretical scenario would be any different.]

But that's no reason to give up.

[maybe this time he'd simply slice clean through him in order to reach the real target. both Kit and Kurama like had proven themselves to be suspiciously durable when it came to physical harm.]

[Kit's frown softened, transforming slowly into a smile that mirrored the fondness Vincent's voice only hinted at.]

I would invite you to try, but I must return to Green Valley soon. Some of us have places to be where bleeding out would be a terrible inconvenience.

[He shouldn't have to nod at his own uniform to provide a clue as to the meaning of his words, Vincent was sharp enough to connect the dots on his own. And while he did so, Kit was free to continue contemplating their strange relationship. How could two people who seemed so close also be so volatile?

The answer, he supposed, was much simpler than the question might have implied. Kurama was a demon. Hiei was a demon, too. Their entire existence was turbulent in nature, wrought with savagery and bloodshed. It would be much more surprising if they'd ever managed to form any lasting bonds without conflict to pave the way.

If nothing else, it explained the reason for his and Vincent's ability to completely and repeatedly devastate one another and still enjoy moments like this, of seeming peace and pleasantness. Perhaps it was even because of that brutality that these glimpses of calm in between were so satisfyingly ripe.]

You'll forgive me if I postpone our fight for another day, I hope?

Kurama ☸ Eligor

Hiei ⚔ Andras

Kurama ☸ Eligor

Hiei ⚔ Andras

Kurama ☸ Eligor

Hiei ⚔ Andras

Kurama ☸ Eligor (🍎 ➡ 🎬)

you're getting way too into this aesthetics stuff

there is no such thing as "too into" aesthetic stuff excuse you

there is and you've crossed that line a while ago

sorry not sorry

you will be later

nope never what are regrets i have none

you're literally made of them

Ahem. I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.

it's not as satisfying now, is it

No... (；⌣̀_⌣́)

there there. maybe you'll win out next time.

(งಠ_ಠ)ง

FIGHT HARD JOEY

FIGHTS THE WORLD

GO GET 'EM

no subject

no subject

no subject