Duplicity Game Mods (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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duplicitymemes2020-05-12 10:04 pm
duplicitymods) wrote in duplicitymemes2020-05-12 10:04 pm
Entry tags:
TDM #12
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It's discouraging to think how many people are shocked by honesty and how few by deceit. Yet, solace is found in the lies we tell each other, comforted by the peace of knowing that we're not alone in our depravity, and once on this path, sin itself becomes the lesser of two evils masked in a cloud of normalcy. This is how Duplicity has functioned since the beginning. The divide of power and social standing is overt in that Dominants influence the decisions made both publicly and privately while Submissives cater to the rules presented to them. It is the way of Duplicity to assign random designations at birth with no leeway in altering what has been given. Climate in the Up is far stricter than that of the Down; violating outlined personas for a Dominant or Submissive while in full view of others is punished by degree of infraction. In the Down, many tend to turn a blind eye to these sorts of offenses. To counteract the discovery of the Deceit Gene – a natural "negative" response to all stimuli – the L.I.E.S. program was founded. The program had been designed to introduce new subjects to the current environment and test for the Deceit Gene through immersion in Duplicity's standing society. Sexual impulses and encounters increase the chances of detecting the gene within these individuals. Participants are typically released from L.I.E.S. after a year; however, results have remained unsatisfactory and testing still continues. ... and you’re here! Finally! Welcome to Duplicity. After choosing a door and stepping through to the other side, the first thing that greets you are the enthusiastic faces of people in medical scrubs and pristine lab coats. Their enthusiasm translates to eagerness as they strip you of your clothes to perform a thorough examination—you will be healed, bathed, and given a paper gown to wear until your items can be processed and delivered to your residence later in the evening. You are also given a device that accesses the network as well as the time and location of orientation. If you enter Duplicity into the Up, congratulations! You’re a Dominant, which means you are immediately picked up by a limo after processing and taken to your highrise. Here, it is two Dominants per floor with separate apartments. If you enter Duplicity into the Down, congratulations! You’re a Submissive, which means you are directed towards public transportation with the address of the motel you’ll be living in. Here, it is two Submissives per room with a shared common space for all rooms. Enjoy your free time until orientation! Participation is mandatory by all new and old arrivals. The weather is a windy 69 degrees. |
 It's time for the monthly Duplicity train tour. Seats are in pairs and randomly assigned to Dominants and Submissives alike. Traveling from Fiddler's Square, the train journeys through various parts of the Up, showcasing society and examples of lifestyle. Along the way, frequent stops are made; a variety of passengers can be seen exiting and entering the doors. A Dominant with a kneeling Submissive takes a seat near the front of the train at one stop. A small group of Submissives board and sit closer to the LIERS at another, all seemingly content in their roles. As the tour continues through the Up, the train passes close to the Market and White Wall Bridge and zips by North Park before heading into the Down and bypassing Red Wall Bridge and South Park. The train makes a "final" stop at Riddler's Square, where inhabitants of the Down are instructed to return to their temporary housing. Those who live in the Up are permitted to stay on the train and revisit the same locations while returning. CAUTION On the second day that new arrivals have been in the city, the train will derail due to a malfunction in the computer systems. Anyone on board at the time, Noon, could be injured, stuck, or killed. Emergency services will light up asking for immediate assistance. |
 Two of Duplicity’s largest film production companies are out to recruit new, exciting talent. With the warring success of Subliminal, Sublingual, Sublime and You Scratch My Back, I Claw Yours, they have the influence and the funds to go big. They have reached out to the LIEs program for help with the idea that inclusion in local culture will make incoming LIErs more compliant, not to mention bring fresh blood into the industry. Orientation is just a little different this month. Welcome to the casting couch, LIErs and those unlucky graduates of the program mistakenly sent notice of mandatory attendance, or else… Not everyone has what it takes to be a star. Both Domination Station Films and Studio Hott are in need of plenty of extras to fill in the background of their newest productions. After an initial sorting in the lobby of the newly refurbished Orientation center, some newcomers, LIErs, and graduates are hustled into a quick and dirty costume fitting. The costumes aren’t as nice or detailed as those for potential stars and may be safety pinned in awkward places. Makeup is cheap and sometimes gaudy. It gets the job done. You may not have a speaking role. It doesn’t mean you’re any less important, so get comfy on the furniture or in the pool and get busy promoting the Dominant/submissive culture that drives Duplicity’s society. Unsure of how to act? Better listen closely to the director. There are shock collars and bracelets to “encourage” the unwilling, and the camera will keep rolling until the scene is right. Scenes may be sexually explicit or merely instructive, such as proper seating and kneeling, feeding and serving of Dominants, and keeping a respectful distance in walking. Extras fill any and all roles required by the director for that realistic setting feel. If you are a Dominant extra, be sure to claim elevated seating and show a firm hand toward any submissives cast as your partner. If you’re submissive, it’s the ground or floor for you, depending on where the scene is set. Be attentive to your Dominant’s needs. It’s OK to talk, as long as you keep it down. Anything you say will be taken out in post. Craft services has just what it takes to set the mood. Stop by for a drink or snack. Soon enough those pesky inhibitions will be a thing of the past. (Some, but not all, of the food and drink contains mid to high level aphro effects. The film companies are taking no chances. The scene doesn’t call for intimacy? Good luck keeping your hands to yourself. You may be in for a shocking experience. Repeatedly.) |
 You’ve caught the eye of the studio. You’re ushered into a small room to wait your turn. Whether you’re new to the city or not, you find yourself paired with someone for a screen test. Do they want you for Hungry Hearts or It’s in the Pizza? Read your lines convincingly, make some chemistry with your partner, and you could see your name and other things in lights very soon. Don’t worry if the dialog is cheesy. It’s part of the charm. Having trouble getting into your part? There are costumes hanging on a rack. Try one on. You may find the experience transformative, as though you were made for your role, or it was made for you… (Costumes may or may not affect the personality of the wearer. Those that do will make it much easier to get into character and greatly lower inhibitions when it comes to the more demanding scenes.) Be aware that any sexually explicit scenes will only be filmed between a Dom and a sub, or a Dom and multiple subs. If you are a Dom cast in the scene with another Dom, it will be gen only. (We’re assuming you’ve seen a porn or two, or at least a parody. Go crazy on the cheesy dialog and stupid set-ups. It’s just pretend, right?) |
 Some people just aren’t meant for film. If you don’t catch the eye of any of the studio reps, you are recruited to work on set building and painting, helping dress extras or potential stars, or providing that extra stimulation to keep them going between scenes. Individuals who complain too much about the circumstance may find themselves assigned to the more unfortunate jobs. Somebody needs to clean up those sets after they’re finished. (Just put your role in your top level if there’s something specific you have in mind you’d like to play out, like “set building” or “fluffer.” We won’t judge.) |
Please read carefully. On each Test Drive Meme, there will be a section noting character roles; these will vary each TDM. On an IC level, characters will still have gone through the doors but assignments OOCly are still randomized. When applying, there is a section of the application that denotes whether the character chooses "left" or "right". When participating on the TDM, there will be a third option. Players may link either a top level or a thread (five or more comments from their character) from the TDM and title the link as "Door Pass". This means that the player is choosing to take the designation that they were randomly assigned on the TDM, rather than taking the designation of a door. If the player decides to select a door rather than use the pass, then they are trying their luck; they may get the same designation they had on the TDM or the opposite. Once the application is submitted, players can't change their choice. To assign roles to characters for this TDM, use the following guide: There's a table with items on it. Your character selects one. If they chose the jar of pickles or ballpoint pen they are a Submissive and if they chose a clothespin or mini baguette they are a Dominant. Please remember to mark any necessary content, and have fun!! |
Wildcard!
"Hey-" he calls out, not sure where to begin aside from needing to get his attention first.
[HOPEFULLY IT'S OK but from what I know of the canon it seemed like 'Marked by Death' would be a fitting sense for Gerry to get off of Ben.]
All okay!
It's not that he's deaf or rude. But he died in his late teens and spent nearly half his existence (the most recent half) invisible and intangible and thus tends not to think that people might be speaking to him.
They don't respond either, quietly content for the time being that Ben's just curious about his surrounds.
Of course, he's not a big lad and he's just strolling. Catching up is easy.
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by his own writerhis height is mostly leg so it's easy enough for him to quicken his pace a little to catch up, to get half in front of Ben to catch his eye rather than reach out to him because - guess what - he's not the only one who forgets sometimes that he's not intangible."Hey, wait - you- newbie!"
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It does make Ben startle and look around, then to Gerard. His hands bury deeper in his pockets, splaying over his stomach. "What? Yes, I knew you meant me, what?"
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He already wasn't sure what to say, and now he really doesn't know. This part is always the worst of it, really. 'Hi you don't know me but have you recently been in contact with the things that our fears are? Haha, that's just a joke because I already know the answer is yes I just need to know if YOU know that'.
It's not part of any speech class, that's for sure.
So it comes out like it always does, messy and indelicate.
"You're marked. Death, I think. I wanted to make sure you knew."
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Because this is the life of the Umbrella Academy.
"Are you a medium? My brother's a medium, we kept each other company after I died. I don't know why I'm not dead anymore."
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Still, this is his first time seeing someone else who was dead - who was aware he was dead, from after the fact.
"Me neither. I mean -" stop, start again, pertinent information. "I'm not a medium. But I did die about four years ago. Whatever pulls people here, sometimes it catches up the dead too, I think. Like how the fishing net catches things other than fish."
It would explain why Ben feels like he's been touched by Death.
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Having spent his entire life on a strictly controlled diet except the occasional reward, and then being dead, food is a big thing for Ben.
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"First thing I did was bully a cigarette off someone," Gerard admits, taking out his pack and holding it out in offering to Ben, because pay it forward and all. He was a loner before he died, so it was rare for him to touch people even then. How starved he felt for it when he first began to get skin contact again threw him for a loop.
"It's good though. Real good. Y'get used to being dead, then- it's like I'd forgotten what I was missing."
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"I ate an orange. A fresh orange. Peeled it and broke up the segments and ate it and it was amazing." It makes his mouth water just to remember, the sharp sweetness, the way the acid makes the back the jaw tighten...
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"Guy I met here made me strawberry crepes with fresh strawberries. I don't think I ever had anything that delicious even when I was alive, but after so long with nothing? Damn. How do you feel about coffee? Found a great place for it, it's in the shady part of town but it's the best I've ever had."
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Five always wanted coffee because it was banned. Klaus always wanted whatever had the most sugar, with extra sugar.
"Shady's okay. My brother Klaus was a drug addict. Is a drug addict. I spent a lot of time in shady places with him.
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"He the medium you were attached to?" he asks as they walk, shoving his hands in his pocket without a cigarette to occupy them.
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Ben knows he's genetically Korean descent. That's about it.
"Klaus is medium. The press called him Séance. He's recently learned how to manifest ghosts into the real world, briefly. Well, manifest me."
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"And what can you do? I'm assuming 'being dead but sticking around' isn't what made you a superhero," Gerard says, raising an eyebrow with the question.
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"I'm Number Six. Our sister, Seven, she didn't have powers. She was the disappointment to him. And in a way... we lived to those numbers, even though they weren't meant to be a ranking, we all knew Luther was the favorite. Diego could never quite beat him."
That was a complete non-answer, he knows, but it's easier to talk about them and build up to the Horror.
"We all had three names, I guess. Our number, our code name and eventually our civilian name. So I'm Number Six, I'm Ben, and I'm the Horror."
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"You don't look very horrible to me," Gerard says, even knowing full well there's probably a reason for it. Hell, he dresses like he does to hide his own horror burned onto his skin.
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Do I have to?
The way they'd look, seeing this little boy in a domino mask and school uniform, who would ask them to surrender and sigh when they laughed. And then open his blazer.
"Someone said they were an eldritch horror and the name stuck."
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"It doesn't hurt you to have it, though? Or use it?"
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Most people, if they didn't already know of him, were freaked out, not raising eyebrows.
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"Got it in one, top of the class."
He hates those fucking books. He'd probably hate Sir Hargreeves too.
"There was this one in particular, you could - bind a part of a person's soul to it, after they died. I knew it wasn't a good thing, but I didn't expect how painful it really was, dying but being forced to stay. Four years of that, then someone decent got ahold of the book. Tore my page out and burned it, set me free. There's nothing I wouldn't do for him."
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"That... is definitely horrifying and far worse than my experience with being dead." Death had been... peaceful. Klaus aside. Nothing about Klaus was ever peaceful. "That's really good, that someone did that for you."
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He'll ask everyone inside it if they have any last requests before he burns it all to ash, including the fucking binding, so it can't ever be used again.
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