COUNTDOWN : MORTALITY 2.0

[cordibus]

The city has been at an uneasy peace the past few weeks.

It was too early to tell if this was going to continue. However people were still being warned to keep obeying the lockdown after sunset. Many businesses opened dormitories have opened more houses for those employees stuck working late. Only police, hospital and firemen units continue to operate at night for emergencies until furthur notice. The city seems to have returnd to normal.

And that's about when you come in. It's a strange time to be Awakened, but, lucky you, you're not alone.

You could all say it started with a strange icon that popped up on your phone that day. June 17th, 2017.


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: June 17th, 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", "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!

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 of law provisions. Are you still even reading this?

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 determined at our sole 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.

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!
It really seems like you don't have much choice. After pressing one of the three buttons (one of them trailing off to the side of the screen), a new screen greets you.

21 DAYS REMAIN BEFORE AWAKENING

Welcome, welcome!! It's me, the guy you have no idea who it is. That's okay, cause you got a few of your friends coming in too. Anyway, bla bla bla, answer these questions, I'm not being all fancy this time, got it? Don't worry if the answer sounds 'bad'. After all, you're already hired!

Hey other guys that are already here, feel free to do this again if you're up to it. But what's the point? It's just going to make you answer honestly, you can't troll it (that's my job.) Just grab some popcorn and watch the insanity unfold.

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

The first (and only) question for today is:

You find yourself in a neighboring city where you find out that the guards have captured an individual who stole some apples from a king's apple orchards. For the sake of this morality lesson, let us say that the penalty in this city is death, and a very painful one because the king's into sadomasochism, I guess. This individual is a childhood friend. Also I guess its in the past since Kings don't have that power anymore. Hey, have you guys heard of something called the King's Game? Wait no, that can come later. Anyway, knowing all of this, what do you do? Please pick one of the following:

1) I stand up for them and propose to be their lawyer so that they get a fair trial. Do lawyers exist in the past? I guess you get to wear a wig!

2) I stand up for them and propose to be their lawyer so that they get a fair trial. I have no idea what being a lawyer could even be, but that way I can figure out a way to save them and give myself more time.

3) I stand up for them and propose to hire a lawyer so that they get a fair trial. Someone else can get a wig.

4) I let the city decide, as the law rules above everything else.

5) They shouldn't have let themselves be caught. It's their own fault and I just let it happen.

6) They bullied you as a kid despite being a friend and you're just happen to see them getting their just desserts. It's pretty great actually.

7) Society is unfair. I'm are already preparing to bust my friend out of the jail so they can escape. Probably with one of those catapults.

8) I visit jail that night and give them items so that they can escape but no one can pin it on me. The rest is up to them.

9) I show up that night in jail to kill them to save them from the future suffering from the death penalty.

10) I use my vast amounts of fortune / skills to put the blame on an innocent so that they can get out. Hey that other guy is a stranger, so it’s not my problem!

11) What do you mean I showed up in that city? I can barely find my way around this one. GPS didn't exist back then either.

12) I propose to exchange my life for theirs, then I try to bust myself out. Take that, corrupted justice system!

13) I go back home and wait for the town caller to tell me the news of their demise. This shit's gonna be good.

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. 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 would 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 related to this question!

All mentions of their own name, profession or other clues that might reveal who they are would be changed to [INFORMATION LOCKED]. The only name they can refer to themselves by is their username, which is the name of the demon you chose for their Persona. 'Family members might be able to find each other via their writing habits, but for now that's the limit.

FOR PLAYERS ALREADY IN THE GAME: Your character is back to using only their demon name, and everything gets censored again. New posts started by your character also have the same effect and block out nearly everything. Don't worry, soon Luci will show you how to bend the rules a bit...

For the new players, welcome to the game, and have fun!]

Comments

☸ Orias

[failedhandjob]

12) I propose to exchange my life for theirs, then I try to bust myself out. Take that, corrupted justice system!

[it takes Emily more than a few moments to realize that she's even posted something, because all she can hear, all she can see is -

"Reimi threw me out the window!"

someone's adrenaline and terror rushes through her like a violent gust of wind; by the time she can focus on her phone screen in any meaningful capacity it feels as if an entire day's been lost rather than maybe ten minutes at most. she types a secondary response even as her fingers continue to shake - right now a conversation to distract herself until the experience fades into forgetfulness sounds like exactly what she needs.]

oh, did that post? sorry, i wasn't really paying attention to where my hands were. (^^ゞ

this is one of those roleplaying apps, right? i think one of the kids i sit for must have downloaded this without my noticing. guess that's what i get for leaving my phone out.

☸ Astaroth

[kokuyoyo]

Also wrong.

☸ Orias

[failedhandjob]

about what, it being for roleplaying? i just kind of assumed with how funny it all was...

[kokuyoyo]

Do you remember picking your answer?

[failedhandjob]

no. but i was pretty distracted, so it's not really that weird.

['distracted' is sure one way of putting it...]

[blackdogdown]

Glasya-Labolas: 5: I don't know what that even is but no.

☸ Orias

[failedhandjob]

[now, she's perfectly willing to accept that she's wrong, but even so-]

If you don't know what it is how can you be so sure?

⚔ GLASYA-LABOLAS

[blackdogdown]

5: Fuck off. I'm googling it.

[Oh jesus.]

5: no

☸ Orias

[failedhandjob]

well, now that you're sure...

[she'd almost feel sorry for him, but. you know. really should have done that before shooting off his mouth.]

so what is it, then?

⚔ Marchosias

[touketsu]

9: I have a lot of games on my phone, but none of them are RPGs.

9: Whatever this is, it's something different.

9: Maybe it's like Umegle?

☸ Orias

[failedhandjob]

i really hope not! you have no idea how many times i've had to block sites like that with those kids.

[she doesn't care how mature you think you are, shorties, she's not letting you on a site where people are naked like 2/3 of the time. if they put that shit on her phone she's going to be delivering nuclear wedgies.]

oh, you know, it might be one of those movie promotions. i've heard that companies sometimes do stuff like this to get people excited.

⚔ Marchosias

[touketsu]

9: I don't know if I wish it was like that or not...

9: But I don't think it's promotional.

[Because it sounds a little too tryhard if you ask him. Forcing advertisements on people by hacking phones and other devices? And that doesn't even begin to explain that weird mental glitch, although...maybe that's just from having skipped breakfast that morning? And yet...]

9: Some of the others were saying this has happened before.

☸ Orias

[failedhandjob]

[looks like someone hasn't heard about the time Burger King hacked Google Home devices...]

really? i mean, i guess it'd have to for there to already be people using this app...

still, it's kind of weird. i wonder if it was exactly the same for them?

[she wonders if they were just as frightened.]

⚔ Marchosias

[draculabackwards]

IL: Sadly, no, that's not what this is.

☸ Orias

[failedhandjob]

yeah, that's what it's starting to look like...

it really does look an awful lot like one if you don't know any better, though!

⚔ Marchosias

[draculabackwards]

IL: I suppose, if you consider it from that angle. We can only wish that's what this was.

☸ Orias

[failedhandjob]

so, can you say what it actually is..? it seems kind of elaborate just for a chatroom.

[but those same censors that make it so odd are more than likely going to hamstring him. still, it's worth asking.]

⚔ Andromalius

[rooftopempress]

[Don't mind Delilah she's just trawling the answers waiting for her reaponses]

rly? daaaaaaamn you p gutsy

also prolly not given havent been around kids in like forever?

☸ Orias

[failedhandjob]

hm? [oh, the question.] well, they're my friend, aren't they? and if it's back in the day i might even know how to get out of prison, haha.

i mean, that's not the only way someone could've gotten this app. but i figure that's probably what happened to me.

⚔ Andromalius

[rooftopempress]

srsly? how you know that?

yea im just reaching. trying to find out why we got this app and all

☸ Eligor

[kouteipenguin]

10: Nothing so conveniently explained. There's nothing I know of that can remove this app from your phone, either.

☸ Orias

[failedhandjob]

no? i hope it doesn't take up too much data, then, my phone's not that new!

[SHE NEEDS THIS FOR SCHOOL GUYS COME ON]

☸ Eligor

[kouteipenguin]

10: No, it would be a very small amount, if it's any at all.

⚔ Marchosias

[catchthishand]

29: yeah no
29: we arent that lucky
29: its [INFORMATION LOCKED]
29: oh come on thats locked to??

☸ Orias

[failedhandjob]

[man, another one! Emily had sort of made the comment in jest earlier but there really did seem to be a million Marchosiases on this thing.]

wow, they even censor what the chat's actually for? that seems a little over the top.