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duplicitymemes2021-01-10 07:56 pm
duplicitymods) wrote in duplicitymemes2021-01-10 07:56 pm
Entry tags:
TDM #16
« « « TEST DRIVE MEME » » »
» » » MAIN NAVIGATION « « «
« « « ALL ON DISPLAY
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 high rise. 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 rather cold and icy. |
» » » WALKING TOUR
 The cold, icy winter weather has seen to it that there is an unfortunate interruption with the usual city tour for the newest arrivals to Duplicity. Some of the train tracks have a dangerous amount of ice coating them and sections of travel are now unavailable via train. City officials still believe that the tours are important to integrate new LIERs to Duplicity so they have organised personal walking tours held by current LIERs. New arrivals will be paired with their own tour guide; they can take the suggested path or take their barely dressed charge on a more ad-hoc tour. It might be considerate to let them change into something warmer first! Important landmarks and checkpoints like Fiddler’s Square, North Park, The Up and Down Courts, the People Zoo and of course S.L.U.T. need to be marked off on the tours but there have also been fun local stores which have set-ups for free samples and information booklets. What order and how people travel to them is up to them. |
« « « GALLERIA OF SEX
 (CW: exhibitionism, voyeurism, dub/non-con)One of the stops along these new walking tours is a temporary educational art installation that has been set up to display and talk about the rich variety of kinks that are popular in Duplicity. Newcomers are invited to come inside the building, sit on the human furniture to watch and learn or volunteer to participate themselves. Each section has local LIERs and graduated citizens there to help walk those new to the program through the displays, explaining the appeal and draw of each kink. Live demonstrations or performance art are carried out by LIERs who have volunteered, been conscripted or are fulfilling a sentence that would normally land them in the People Zoo. They can and will ask anyone and everyone to step up and be part of the artwork themselves. Some of the displays set up will feature:
We encourage players not to limit themselves in regards to what is on display. There are many more kinks than the ones listed, and Duplicity considers all kinds of sexual acts a form of art. Photo taking is encouraged throughout the exhibition, especially when your own participation is concerned. If you missed the chance to do so, in the moment, you need not worry as the gift shop at the end of the gallery will have many different prints taken over the course of the exhibition available for purchase. Take home a keepsake of your first day in Duplicity. |
« « « ICE TO SEE YOU
 (CW: exhibitionism)Winter does make it harder in Duplicity to enjoy all the pleasures of the flesh that could be on offer in the warmer months. Most who live in the city still need to wrap up with many layers when the weather turns so chilly. But that’s not saying that the city can’t find ways to help keep its residents in the mood. It will first be noticeable to those trying their hand at streaming or posting video footage onto the network. Regardless of a character's state of dress while recording, they will appear completely naked to those watching and no amount of covering up with more articles of material will change that. Others might see it as they set about on their first days getting used to the city’s layout, glancing into a shop window they will notice their own state of undress in their reflection. You might even see it in a particularly shiny bit of ice but no matter where you look, all reflective surfaces will show everyone in their birthday suits, naked as the day they were born. |
« « « BLADES OF GLORY
 (CW: exhibitionism, dubcon, drugging) In a bid to encourage individuals to get out and keep active despite the chilly weather, the city has transformed one of the large tennis courts in the Up into a makeshift outdoor skating rink. In the recreation building attached to the courts-turned-rink the change rooms have been outfitted for people to change into more appropriate clothing. There is also at the front of the building an area to rent skates. Many who get on the ice see no reason to keep apart, as many contracted couples can be seen holding hands or chasing each other as they skate. In the change rooms it isn’t uncommon to see a bit of hanky panky or people getting off at helping others in and out of their skates. There also seems to be a small hot chocolate stand set up inside the building where characters can buy a warm drink to sip on while taking a break from skating. The drink may leave those that consume it feeling especially warm and frisky, with perhaps a bit of extra energy they need to burn off - skating might not cut it. |
« « « MOD & OOC NOTES
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: If your character would rather have a dog for a pet they are Dominant. If they would rather have a cat for a pet they are Submissive. If your character is from a canon that has neither, pick the choice you believe they would prefer more. To Note: Characters can only swap their designation for one of the following reasons: an event occurs that allows it or there are OOC reasons that make it a necessity. Any swap always requires mod approval and each character can only ever switch once. Characters that are being reapped will keep their previous designation but players can choose to use new tdms with different designations for fun! Please remember to mark any necessary content, and have a good time!! |
no subject
And then somehow, his disinterest as they gushed about the wonders of gloryholes, had led to some misunderstanding where the guide had been trying to talk him into the booth on the other side, talking about how good he'd be on his knees. He's all tense shoulders, lips drawn thin. It's not like having a gun drawn him, but it's a different sort of horror all the same. He refuses for the third time, and there's something in the way they look at him that feels like a threat.
The last person that Gansey expects to come to his rescue is Noah, but he sure is glad that he does. Adam had mentioned that Ronan and Noah were here, and while that was a good thing, he hadn't quite worked through it enough to think he might run into one of them out wandering the city. He catches that look though, and he is good at speaking in glances, so there's a slight touch of a nod, a flicker of I'm so glad to see you.
He's still all polished veneer- best way he knows to try and get his point across- but Noah at least gives him a believable defense. He tries to draw up a little more of that charm, nodding along to the other boy's words.]
So I really can't stay, fascinating as I'm sure your demonstration is.
[The guide doesn't seem quite convinced. Like his charm and his smile and that careful enunciation don't matter when they put a line down his throat.]
no subject
Yeah, he's late. He- We both have to be at-
[Noah racks his brain for something plausible. Something that might require two submissives.]
Ropes...?
[That was terrible. The instant it's out of his mouth he regrets it.]
no subject
It was grating.
Gansey had let him handle the talking as he seemed to know enough to know what to say, and he's too new to this place to know the right dance.. However, Noah's attempts at lying to get them out of this are unquestionably painful. Maybe he should have known better, but he just tries to shore up Noah's claims, hopes that a little charm, and the ability to smooth over the other boy's words is enough to make it believable.]
Yes, the rope display. I must have lost track of time, but we are expected and I'm sure he'll be disappointed if we're delayed any further.
[However, their guide just looks between the two of them, and then insists on escorting them to the rope display. Since if he really was late and had wandered off on his own, then clearly he couldn't be trusted. They needed someone to ensure they made it to the Dominant in charge.
Gansey winces a little bit internally as he'd been hoping they could just sneak out of this place and find someplace quiet to talk. But he looks at Noah, tries to seem reassuring. Surely there's a way out of this.]
no subject
Then his shoulders slump in defeat as, following an impatient gesture from the guide, he sets off toward the bondage room. God... This is still better than what might have happened to Gansey otherwise, Noah thinks, but that doesn't make it not mortifying.
Though there's not much opportunity for talking on the way over, he manages a quick and quiet question:]
When did you get here-?
[The rope display isn't far. Inside the long gallery, artfully tied submissives dangle from the ceiling and pose on top of small platforms and plinths. Guests move among them, stopping now and then to do sketches or take photos, sometimes boldly reaching out to adjust a sub's positioning. It's a kaleidoscope of bright ropes and bare flesh.]
no subject
But it's still discomforting. He follows along though, trying to act like this doesn't bother him. His gaze flicks over to Noah at the question, trying to be circumspect.]
Just a few hours ago. I met Adam.
[Which is about as much he feels like he can say without attracting the attention of their guide. And then they step into the galley of the rope display, bright colored ropes and a whole lot of bare skin. There's a moment where he stares before there's a flush of heat at the apples of his cheeks, his gaze sliding to find a space that doesn't have naked people in it.
It's not that he's against the idea of sex, exactly- he is a teenage boy- but this place goes all in and it's an awful lot to take all at once.
The guide shoots them both a look, a lift of an eyebrow as if to say well?. They don't seem particularly surprised that there's no Dominant rushing to take ownership of the wayward pair, however.]
no subject
He looks around the space. His own reaction to the nudity, in contrast, isn't much of one at all. It's not shocking to him anymore. It's only after glancing at Gansey that Noah goes a little pink, experiencing the display through fresh eyes.
He rubs one wrist anxiously, not quite making eye contact with the guide.]
Oh... He must have got tired of waiting.
[The guide hmmms flatly and beckons to a Dominant who seems to be one of several overseeing the room and handling the actual rigging. Not to worry, they can still volunteer. Perhaps their Dominant will collect them later.]
no subject
He's aware enough to realize that they're in trouble, as Noah makes an excuse for their missing Dominant, and the guide seems rather nonplussed. But there's no good ways to try to talk their way out of this, is there? And then they're being told they can still volunteer and handed off to one of the Dominants overseeing the exhibit. And sure, he probably should have seen this coming, but it still makes him wince.
And then the man beckons them over, picking out lengths of colored ropes and then looking back at them with an impatient glance. Well? Clothes off. Which is yes, not as bad as what Noah had saved him from in the first place, and he gets the feeling that being tied up here is more tolerable than where they could end up if they protest too loudly about it. But it still warms his face with humiliation.
He tosses a glance at the other boy as he slides off his sweater, and there's a definite edge of a question there. Is there something they can do here? Or is it better to just play along no matter how much he dislikes it?]
no subject
He keeps his eyes on the floor as he undresses, away from Gansey and the rope guy and the room full of strangers—trying both to give Gansey a smidgen of privacy and to put off the moment where he has to really deal with what's happening. One thing at a time. He tugs off his sweater and then his fingers fumble on the buttons of his dress shirt. It takes him a few tries to get them through the holes. Under the uniform he's as pale as, well, a ghost. Thin in frame, sharp elbows, a surprising hint of definition in his stomach left over from his long-ago days on the swim team.
As he unbuckles his belt, it jingles in a way that reminds him of someone tapping a spoon on a glass before a speech. Clink-clink. Attention please, Noah Czerny has no pants on. He might be in danger of expiring from sheer awkwardness were he not already dead.
By the time his underwear joins the rest of his clothes on the floor, the Dominant with the ropes has picked out several dark blue bundles and is waiting with them in hand. He takes Noah by the shoulders and turns him, repositions him closer to Gansey. Not quite shoving, but firm in a way that discourages resistance. The man gives simple, short instructions and Noah soon finds his arms bound securely behind him, more ropes crisscrossing his torso. Throughout the process he stays very still, moving only when moved, but his gaze keeps flicking to Gansey's face and his attention is drawn somewhat helplessly toward his thoughts.]
no subject
He does Noah the favor of not watching him, keeping his gaze fixed on his hands, on his shirt, fidgeting with the hem a little as he tries to work out the best approach here. He doesn't look up when the other boy's belt jingles, just swallows and peels his shirt off over his head. He's quiet otherwise. He gets down to his boxer-briefs, and that's when he freezes.
He doesn't think he can do this. He's been through sports, swimming, he can handle near-nudity, brief locker room nudity was even some variation of acceptable, no matter how much he disliked it. But completely naked, tied up and put on display for people to look at? It was just more than he could take on his first day.
The Dominant with the ropes rolls his eyes unsympathetically, complaining about how long he's taking. But eventually he tugs Gansey closer, either bored of waiting, or having realized that this whole thing would go a lot smoother if he just left him in his underwear. Gansey is still uncomfortable, but he's managed to retain some sliver of something.
And then their eyes meet, awkwardly, a loop of the rope being moved against his skin as he's nudged and the twisted length is pulled tighter against his skin. He didn't really understand what was happening in anything more than basic terms. Sure, he knew how to tie an anchor hitch or a carrick bend, but this wasn't the same thing.
He fidgets with his hands, considers asking if he should take his watch off, but at this point the simple truth is that anything counts as covering.
He tries not to watch as they tie the other teen with the ropes, but he's less successful in that endeavor. There's something about the colored lengths, and he thinks it was Adam, earlier. Seeing a similar coil in his hands, and it makes this a spark less horrifying if he just manages to not think about the people. Slowly the ropes intertwine, pulling Noah and Gansey together.]
no subject
Another couple lengths of rope are wound one at a time around his thighs and Gansey's, connecting them, bringing them flush. Then it loops around the middle of their torsos in a similar fashion. Noah is as cold as he always is and he tries to suck in his stomach, touch Gansey as little as possible, but it's not... really effective.
At last the Dominant finishes tying them. He tugs at the ropes in a few places then, satisfied with the arrangement, leaves them. On display.]
...Sorry. Uhh. Hi.
[What a reunion this is.]
no subject
But this was somehow more intricate than he'd imagined. There's all these looped knots that seem mostly for flair, or to draw extra attention to the skin beneath. He pays attention half out of curiosity and half as an attempt to focus on something other than the fact that he's in his underwear in a venue that feels far more public than the boy's changing room at school.
Noah's skin is cold to the touch, so his breath catches a little when they're pulled flush. The ropes don't really allow either of them enough space to avoid touching each other, despite their best efforts. Noah's naked, Gansey's in his underwear, and they're artfully tied together and left on display. He tries not to think about it, but that of course only makes it worse.
At least he manages not to squirm.]
Hey. I'm pretty sure the other option was worse.
[There's a wry touch of humor to his voice, even if the thought of what they'd wanted him to do at the beginning isn't really amusing at all. But he's trying to make this easier for the other boy. This is definitely not what he'd had in mind for their first meeting.]
no subject
Yeah... [He looks down and away.] You have to be careful here on your own.
[Especially as a submissive without a contract. Gansey has no standing here. No one cares who he is.]
You saw Adam? Did he explain anything?
no subject
Yeah, I'm figuring that out. Maybe a bit slowly, I guess.
[A vague acknowledgement of the fact of how little time this place gives for adjustment. That Gansey's a little bit more lost than he chooses to admit to, but he murmurs a slight agreement at the question. If nothing else it's easier to talk about Adam than just about anything else going on right now.]
A little bit, yeah. This place is a mess. [They'd gone over an assortment of different things, and there had been a few different aspects of the city that he'd explained. None of which are the things that Gansey points out. Instead there's a touch of a laugh and his best attempt at a shake of his head.] Adam's older than I am.
[It was this strange, impossible thing that felt wrong in a way that he couldn't articulate. Adam was in college and he was still in Aglionby, it was more than just a handful of months, it was- pieces of life he didn't have yet.]
no subject
Me too. [Wait.] Well, not actually, but you know what I mean. Older than... he was back home.
[It's better all around not to get too specific on when that was for him. He doesn't know how much Gansey knows at this point. Good thing he's used to keeping secrets.]
So is Ronan.
no subject
So talking is actually a good thing, in that it gives him something to focus on that isn't their current predicament. A different set of pieces that he can work with. He smiles a little as Noah corrects himself; just a thin touch of warmth to his voice, but it's still something.]
Yeah, I get it. Here they'll both turn twenty before I'm eighteen. It feels.. strange.
[Like space that isn't supposed to be there.]
no subject
The difference is Gansey will eventually turn eighteen.
He makes a soft, thoughtful noise.]
They're still them.
[In some ways, it's also a comfort to get a glimpse beyond the last known point on his personal timeline. Seeing that Ronan and Adam are all right, at least in the immediate future, makes him feel better about things.]
You'll fit back together.
no subject
[It's hard to know exactly how to explain it. It doesn't hurt really; it's just strange more than anything. A disconnect he doesn't quite know how to explain, hasn't worked out how to fix.]
And you're right. It's just that I've never really had to before.
[He'd fought with Ronan and Adam both almost more than he could count. But that wasn't the same thing. Even figuring out how to manage the boy that he'd been left with after Niall's murder hadn't been like this. Not that it's worse- but distance has never really been something he's felt before. Ronan-and-Gansey like their names were the same word, Adam and Gansey who could fit whole conversations into moments of eye contact over a crowded room, or a murmured breath.
He's never considered them his things in that way Adam sometimes claimed, but more part of the same whole. And now it's figuring out how the new pieces fit, if they could still press together in the same places. He'd never thought it would be a question.]
Different might be good in some ways, it's just working it out.
[He tries to end he musings with a smile, if nothing else.]