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theafflicted2022-05-21 07:30 am
afflictionmods) wrote in theafflicted2022-05-21 07:30 am
00 - prologue
PROLOGUE
It doesn't matter where you are or what you're doing – something strange begins to happen. There's a sudden burning sensation that wraps around your right wrist and part of your forearm. If you glance at the affected area, you'll find that it's...glowing. The glow is pale blue, and it's so bright that it hurts to look at. The burn itself isn't so painful that you feel like keeling over just yet, but it does hurt nevertheless.
But before you have time to try to soothe the pain, you start to feel lightheaded, dizzy. Perhaps some of you may attribute this to any injuries you may currently be sustaining. For those who were previously unscathed, however, there's quite possibly no explanation for this other than the sudden appearance of the mysterious burn on your arm.
There is no time to mull it over, though, because it is the last thing that you see before the world suddenly fades to black.
When you regain your senses, your vision is blurry; but when it starts to even out and you survey your surroundings, you find yourself sitting in a rather uncomfortable chair. Looking around you’ll see rows and rows of chairs, all facing the same way towards a desk, a podium, and an empty wall. A projector hangs from the ceiling and the lighting is bright and artificial... For some of you, it might be reminiscent of a college lecture hall. For others, you might have never seen anything like this before.
Your wrist, by the way, feels perfectly fine...though there’s now some kind of strange marking on it. It looks like a scar of some sort, and if you choose to touch it, it doesn’t feel inflamed or damaged in any way...but that doesn’t mean you don’t experience any pain. Perhaps the last thing some of you remember is a hard-fought battle, and the aches from your injuries still linger; some of you might not even remember getting hurt, and yet, your body aches like it has; for the lucky ones who feel fine, well. Pray that it lasts for a little while longer.
Because the moment someone gets hurt – emotionally or physically – there’s a small chance you’ll feel it, too. Where and who and what it’s coming from, though, is on you to figure out.
In front of you on the desk is some kind of device – a tablet, for those of you who are familiar. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be capable of doing much of anything right now, other than take photos and videos with the Camera app. There's also a translating app for those of you who need help reading some of the text around campus, as it is all in English. (Verbally, however, you can understand everyone in your own language. Tablets are also in characters' native languages.) It seems to be incredibly durable and hard to break, but you may want to be careful with it regardless.
Something shifts in your pocket (or...in your socks/shoe/what have you, if pockets aren't a thing) as you move around. Should you reach in and feel for it, you’ll find some kind of card – those who are familiar with modern technology will recognize that this is some kind of card you need to swipe. It has your name and a photo of you on one side, and the back of the card has the word "KEYCARD" on it.
There are also other people here, scattered throughout this mysterious classroom you’re in. In fact, there’re a bunch of you — 29 others, to be exact.
And now... you’re free to do whatever you want. Mostly anything, at least, given that once you step outside and explore, you’ll notice an ominous fog behind the various buildings within view. Still, this is a good time to get your bearings, check on what you have - and don’t have - and talk to the people around you until orientation starts.
( OOC: Welcome to your Intro Log! The partner system is in effect for the Intro Log, meaning that yes, pain share is happening! For some notes regarding the partner system, your character will not know who their partner is upon arrival. It’s entirely possible that they find out now if their partner gets or is already injured, or if they can pick up on their mood. Otherwise, they’ll find out later today...!
Anyone who tries to leave campus grounds will have to enter through the fog, but no matter what, they will mysteriously wind up back onto campus grounds. And for clarification, the keycards are what characters need to gain access to their dorms!
Finally, we will have an NPC Reveal at 6pm EST today! )
no subject
[ She shrugs a little. Years of people trying to brainwash that mindset out of her, but it still hasn't quite stuck. ]
I just loathe the idea of someone else rummaging inside me enough to make another one.
no subject
[ Hm. Well, he won't fight with her regarding that mindset. Someone else will have to. ]
But if someone wants to make another you, you hold some value. The value is worthless to you, but it's worth something to them, even if little.
no subject
[ That answer comes without even a shred of hesitation. She looks dead serious, too. ]
no subject
[ As the metaphysical concept of Self? Yeah. That's absolutely fair. ]
Are you something like an android? You said "rummaging inside", but people can just take a strand of your hair and that's all they'd need from you... if you're human, anyway. Unless that hair is a wig made of someone else's hair. Then I guess the point is moot.
no subject
You could replicate my body that way, sure, but creating a copy of my mind and memories would be a whole different matter, no?
I'm human - in as far as society allows me to be. Have you never heard of medicules?
no subject
[ He can take a guess from context clues instead. ]
Molecules thar accelerate healing or something that can be used to treat something at a molecular level?
[ He's dumb, but. Yeah. ]
no subject
It is commonly believed to not be able to penetrate the brain's barrier, but that is factually untrue. Medicules, which carry the software WatchMe, infiltrate your whole body and turn every part of you into data.
That's why, if you wanted to make a perfect replica of me and my whole personality, I'd assume you accessed the WatchMe data inside of me.
no subject
Hm. I see. I can see why people would want that to stick around, but of course, things like that could always be used for unintended purposes. That sort of power is not something humans should have.
no subject
Right? You pointed that out so easily, but you wouldn't believe how hard it is to make people in my society understand as much. Every day, they allow an unknown mechanism to prescribe them treatments that they just apply. It would be beyond easy to break into the servers and alter the chemical formula of whatever is being sent into people's system en masse and wipe out a whole medical conclave, if not worse!
Accepting WatchMe into our bodies means signing over our selves to the digital collective, putting blind faith in the kindheartedness of others... But that is the kind of world it is, that is what we are brought up to do.
I'd rather accept pain and disease than live a perfect life as a hollowed out glass doll.
no subject
[ That said. ]
Is it really a choice though? For the regular person to accept WatchMe. Different people have different priorities, such as a sick person compared with a healthy person. A sick person can't afford to worry about autonomy, because they lost it ever since they became ill.
no subject
You're not taking the thought far enough. I once asked a friend of mine if she knew what 'disease' means - all she could come up with is "it's when you get older a bit faster". There is no such thing as a 'sick person' in our society - every ailment is cured the moment it appears, it cannot fester long enough to even become notable.
Accepting WatchMe into your body is not a matter of necessity, so much as social obligation. Besides, you can use our medicine without being hooked up to the server. They do it for children as WatchMe cannot handle the constant growth of an adolescent body.
no subject
[ Supposed as in the point Miach bought up earlier about injecting chemicals into anyone at any moment's notice. And he has to note "from that standpoint", because from what he knows of Miach so far, he thinks she wouldn't mind being ostracized, or she already is. Being left alone in peace might even be good for her. Those are all just guesses from him, anyway. ]
It sounds like it's been around for a while, since that's all your friend seems to know about diseases.
[ Or they're sheltered. There are so many factors he doesn't know. ]
no subject
It's just that mankind had an extreme reaction to a cataclysmic event in the recent past and is now rushing to the opposite extreme of that destruction. You could argue that it's because it hasn't been that long, even. Many of those in charge are the same people who still viscerally remember the terror from back then and would do anything to prevent a repeat.
no subject
I think I can see why the older generations would strongly want WatchMe if they had a choice. Then they would pass that desire down to their children and future generations. It's ultimately solving the weaknesses of the average human body, so the offer looks attractive, especially going through something so traumatic. When some people hit that point in their life, they get desperate. Giving away their internal data would probably mean nothing to them as long as they can continue living at the moment.
[ Thats why it doesn't come to Hien's surprise that she opposes it, seeing as she hasn't experienced it firsthand. If anything, he thinks she hates the thing a lot. ]
Your perspective is valid too. I just suppose those traumatized adults hold the power, so they'll do whatever they can to prevent it again.
cw: suicide mention
[ With the topic of conversation veering so far into personal territory, Miach can't stay seated on the floor anymore. She gets to her feet and starts pacing the row instead. ]
A world that kills you with kindness. Losing all adaptability, all sense of self, all manner of expression.... Child suicides have been rising for years and years. And can you blame them?
no subject
care. ]
How exactly do they lose adaptability, sense of self, and manners of expression when people are healthy?
[ He's not on the other side of the argument, but he wants her to elaborate. ]
no subject
[ Welcome back to the world of the upright, Hien. ]
no subject
Your world is just full of one way extremes, huh?
[ Despite what Miach said about the healthy people, Hien can agree on it being the majority, and the people who are more prone to follow do exactly just that. And then there's Miach, who'd rather be sick. He doesn't doubt that she's the only one who thinks that way in there either.
Humans are really fragile. ]
Ironic that them being kind would actually upset some people.
[ Like her, for instance. At least, that's what it seems like from her body language and the information she conveys. ]
no subject
[ Did you order a package of real #Edge, because Miach has all of it. But now that the conversation is running into a direction she feels might become annoying, the call of the unfamiliar outside world finally grows louder.
On her next round of pacing the leaves the bench row and hops up the stairs towards the exit. ]
I never asked anybody to care about me in the first place.
[ ... and she's out the door. ]
no subject
He wishes he could be as unrelenting edgy as she is.
And that nobody asks for anything they don't like, but they get it anyway. Also that it's up to themselves to learn how to deal with that. Alas. But it's time for him to explore the surroundings too. Bye, Miach... ]