duplicitymemes | TDM #16

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«tdm

TDM #16

« « « TEST DRIVE MEME » » »

« « « 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:

Naked Submissives have been bound and posed with their bodies arched in visually pleasing positions. They are surrounded with candles burning around them and guests are invited to drip the hot wax across their bodies to add to the artwork that is their naked skin.
Zap your lover or the volunteers with an electrical wand and discover the way it can make the skin tingle and muscles tense in just the right place at just the right moment.
The image of cum dripping from a well used Submissive is considering something to appreciate visually so stations have been set up with glory holes and kneeling participants to have their faces and buttocks painted over the course of the day.
A variety of whips, canes and paddles have been set out next to padded benches for Submissives to bend themselves over. The marks they leave are something to be proud of.
No art display in Duplicity is complete without an ode to bondage, one room will be entirely devoted to participants being suspended from the ceiling, held in positions that will test their stamina and flexibility and leave the most gorgeous bruises.

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!!

» » » MAIN NAVIGATION « « «

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Chris very much enjoyed ice skating, but he'd had quite a bit going on recently, both put on himself and thrown onto him. He'd finally vowed to make it to skate today, though, he expected the chilly wind his face and rush of speed would be just what he needed to clear his mind a bit.

He'd just gotten his boots on and had taken a moment to ensure his various bracelets were firmly secured before stepping out onto the ice.

And then a mountain was dropped on him and all the air punched from his chest as something insanely solid barreled into him with Chris' initial reaction being a graceless yelp instead of the flash of necrotic magic his usual panicked reaction had become. Thankfully. Once they seemed to stop sliding a moment and directions reasserted themselves, he blinked up at the sky dumbly before the words and movement fully registered and he started to pry himself up. "No...no been hit by worse, I think, I'll be fine." Plus, he was the healer, so if he wasn't fine, he'd manage it.

He finally got enough of himself righted to sit up and see his 'assailant' properly, his eyes catching on horns first, then red hair, then those bright green eyes and he felt his own paler set widen. He's hit his head, he's lost his mind, he's seeing things -this is a city trick, it's close to that time, after all- it can't be- "Amnos?"

"Chris!" Amnos' shout is loud enough that it echoes across the rink and he immediately gathers his friend into a tight hug, unthinking of any actual injury he may have caused. He's just so relieved to find just one familiar face here in Duplicity that everything else melts away for just a moment.

And then reality and common sense set in again and Amnos fusses over Chris for a moment. "Shit, I should have been watching where I was going. Let's get you off the ice and sitting down."

Sliding to his feet while using the wall for purchase, it doesn't take much for Amnos to lift Chris to his feet as well and make their way to the little door in the edge of the rink. He sits Chris down and then plunks himself down next to him, the bench creaking under his weight. "I can't believe you're here. I thought I was the only one."

He could almost cry for how relieved he is to hear that voice and be crushed in one of Amnos' hugs, which he returns as tightly as he can manage. He's quiet while they stand and get off the ice so he can compose himself enough to not be embarrassing once they've settled on the bench. He smiles to himself for the creak in the bench. The little things were what were killing him in small measures: the feeling of Amnos' hugs, the smell of him in that moment, the sound of his voice, the crinkle of his eyes as he smiles.

A bunch of little details he hadn't thought of or realized he was missing for how long it had been. "No, not nearly, but we're all the number I've found who even know the name Faerun. Couple others here from places similar, but different planes all the same. I didn't know you'd arrived, can't have been too long ago, right?"

And no mark on his throat, thank the gods for that. Surely he'd manage less trouble that way.

"Less than a week," he confirms, getting a good look at Chris finally for the first time since colliding. He's a familiar sight, a very welcome one, but also off and it's very apparent why. For all he's usually decently tactful, Amnos isn't sure how to brooch the subject and so he waits at least until Chris is finished sharing information. No one else from Faerun... that's a relief, actually, knowing for certain Silver isn't here. He absolutely couldn't abide that.

But Chris... they'd undone the magic on Chris, and Amnos isn't certain what that means for his friend's experience here. He wants to ask desperately and being a creature of emotion, he's not really one to hold back. "Chris, you're... Did they do something to you? Are you alright? Be honest with me."

And he clearly doesn't mean their crash on the ice.

For all his issues with talking frankly about emotional or difficult things, for all his bottling up and hording away of emotions, the ones he feels for his friend's question pass over his face fairly plainly: confusion, consideration, then caution mixed into both as he tries to find the right steps to parse Amnos' meaning.

Did they do something to him? 'They' clearly meant the city, but considering what the city could have done to him, he couldn't figure what it was that had Amnos so serious and concerned.

"Um...I've not been taken advantage of, if that's your case. Been through a number of things, main ones done to me was a time I was trapped in a mirror room with a guy to feed him fruit while wearing little, got manhandled a bit, but it was by a friend so it was fine and at one point they sent these shadow versions of ourselves after us to tell us all the unlovely things about us we're supposed to acknowledge. Fucker looked like Topher...nothing else. Worse happens, I know it, but I've been careful, it's okay."

The rundown Amnos takes with a frown, but quietly. That's not what he meant, though, and he knows from the expressions that crossed Chris' face he's just going to have to ask plainly.

"That's good to know, but I mean you're... Your body doesn't match the rest of you, not like after Faversham."

His confusion grows but in another moment, it's all wiped from his face like cleaning a slate as it's quickly and thoroughly put away.

'Not like after Faversham.' Meaning it had then, somehow.

He's suddenly reminded of Katherine and Alec and Diane and it pushes forward a different thought.

"I don't know Faversham. Last I was with you, we were just bedding down in Ilinivur after arriving. Besides that, been here six months already."

"Six months?" Amnos looks startled at that. "How is that possible? You've been with us the entire time since then. Ra'ah's family, Rhyt's revival, Silver talking to Bahamut, Iliniver's council sending us running all over the region doing their errands. The Bell in the Deep. You were there for all of that."

None of this makes sense but he's trying to wrap his head around it anyway. It's not working very well. He scratches his head. "I don't understand."

Nearly every word of what Amnos lists knocks at him. The lowest of it was Ra'ah's family, he'd had his suspicions since he'd looked into those eyes of his opponent in Bastila and knew deep in himself they were the same eyes he woke to each morning, that one he could level with. Bahamut? The Bell in the Deep? Rhyt? None of that seemed...he felt lightheaded a moment and the bench under him is a boon in that moment as he presses a knuckle to one eye for a breath.

"I-I know it's a lot, but trust me: time doesn't work right here. For whatever reason, no time passes back home while we're here...if I go home, it'll be back to the night we stopped in Ilinivur and I'll live out...all...that. Just as you'll go back to whatever you last remember, likely having forgotten being here at all. It's the blessing and curse of this place."

"Is that how that works?" He raises both eyebrows, surprised, but considers what Chris has said the best he can. Time passed strangely in the Shadowfell too, one day to every three in the other plane. So perhaps it's like that only with a wider gap here. That makes... some kind of sense, at least.

And makes him feel a great deal better about the time he's not actually missing. Being stuck here, unable to talk to Chastity and potentially missing the birth of the twins, unable to get back and play with Callisto and Europa, having missed Charon's first steps already. He's already unfoundedly worried they've forgotten his face. Hearing he won't have missed anything when he does finally get home is an enormous relief. One from which he has to take a deep breath before addressing Chris instead.

"Do you want me to explain any of that or do you want to wait until you can live it." He smiles, a gentle thing for a man so huge, but Chris is family and if he's been here for six months, it's certainly a lot to take in.

He's happy to give Amnos the time he needs to think through that, both for Amnos' sake and for his own to regather and rebury the moment of upheaval the last couple moments have held. Resurrection, another god, another body. He'd dwell on it later...or he'd bury it so deep it would never see the light of day again.

When Amnos smiles to him, Chris smiles back and he already knows his answer. "Leave it...Don't think it'd help any to know what's coming only to have no clue as to when it's coming. Thanks, though." He reached out and put a hand at Amnos' wrist, both for the comfort of familiarity and the comfort of reaffirming his friend is here with him. Which, really, was a huge relief in it's own way, as much as he wished he could turn around and send Amnos away from here.

"I'm sorry to say it, but...I'm really glad to see you." He should have been better at this, at being on his own when he'd been like that for years, but a few years of having his family always within reach had left him comfortable in that, too comfortable to go back to being alone easily. It felt silly and shameful, but it was there all the same. "We should either get back out there or check out of here, though."

"You haven't gotten to skate yet since I bowled you over, so let's skate." He stands back up, turning his wrist in Chris' hand to clasp his friend's wrist in turn and draw him back up to his feet too.

"Truth be told, I'm glad to see you too. Not a lot of familiar things here, let alone faces. Even the clothes are strange. Seeing you is a gift, whether we should be here or not." He slips a little into the vague Moonsea accent he's slowly picked up in three years living in Melvaunt, just a little dip into the brogue that makes him feel warm inside whenever it happens, as it does often with speaking to Chris with his thick accent. He'd once accused Amnos of teasing him, so he'd had to explain how his tongue liked to match the speech he heard often. How it was starting to match Chris.

He still likes so much that it does that he's never tried to stop.

"Come on, we can talk more on the ice. You can tell me how it's been for you. I see that mark. You're a submissive, right?" Which is worrisome, but someone must be providing for him or something. He looks fed and hearty.

He stands and the slip into matching his accent used to fluster him a bit, but now it's just endearing and welcome, both for the lack of hearing even a bit of his home-accent here and for it just being an Amnos thing.

He grins wide and bright as they head back out onto the ice to find a stride that's comfortable together before he answers the unspoken question. "Yeah, I am. Been contracted to a catperson named Festival for more'n half of it. He's a good person, reminded me of the rest of you and not just cause his home's similar with some of the names turned about. You'll like him. Wasn't too keen on contracting when I got here cause...well, not hard to guess. He didn't want to either for not wanting to hold another's freedom, but jail's not too pretty in either case so we tried it." If Amnos had been here when Chris had arrived or even in the months he'd waited to sign, Chris likely wouldn't have contracted with Festival at all.

Which reminded him. "You'll have to sign with one too, you know."

"I do like him. He was assigned to show me around, actually. Gave me the inside information on what to expect." Amnos glides on the ice next to Chris, his tail acting as a sort of rudder for balance. He looks at the sky as they go, sighing a vague laugh.

"I know. Just going to wait for the right one to come along," he winks. "Someone who piques my interest. Besides, I've got time. Three entire months."

He knows that's not a lot of time, but considering he's been here three days he's going to allow himself a week to be upset privately before he does what he has to do. It's indulgent, maybe, and sort of useless... Seeing Chris sort of loosens his resolve for spending his time worthlessly like that. He should get his shit together.

"Do you know anyone who needs a Dominant?"

That's almost a comfort, really, that someone Chris knew was a good person was sent to help Amnos and not someone like Stoker or Valenti. Of course, if it had been Stoker, it might not have lasted more than a few racist moments before they either walked from each other or Stoker ended up smeared on the pavement. No, better someone good who'd be real about it all.

Amnos needed that, just like he likely needed to stew in the nature of this place, what it's going to ask of him, the stuff with the contracts, all of it. Chris also knew his friend wasn't going to make that one easy, so he'd wait for now and pretend to let it go. Instead, he took a moment to legitimately go through the people he knew -really- knew. Jacob had just signed and even though Chris would bet money that Amnos would be a good influence, Chris didn't know if he trusted the man enough on Amnos' behalf. Katherine would be perfect, but she was happy with the shape-changer man. Hellboy might be a good option? Although, his time was running short and Amnos deserved a chance to breathe first. Hawke was permanently contracted, Caleb had just signed...everyone else he either didn't know well enough or they were dominants.

He shakes his head. "No one available unless they decide not to re-sign at the end of it. Met a few recently, but I don't know 'em well enough to suggest them. Just keep an eye and ear out, people make calls for contracts sometimes and anyone you come across I'll keep an eye for them as well." Better they work together on a match than taking an entirely blind chance.

"Then I'll keep my eyes peeled. Like I said, I've got time. And the Sending devices they gave us seem to be pretty good for things like that. Like a postings board, only not on an actual board." It's a bit boggling, but very useful.

"I was thinking of using it to post some of my crafting once I can get my hands on tools again. They didn't seem to come with me." He's a bit more grumpy about that one. True, he's grateful to have his most useful items with him, and his wedding ring stayed on his finger thankfully, but missing the tools of his trade and especially his maker's mark is a terrible inconvenience if he wants to start getting things set up for himself and make some money while he's here. "Jewelry is always something people are after and here doesn't seem any different. I could even make trinkets for leather gear and such."

That aspect of the city doesn't seem to bother Amnos in the slightest. The forced nature of it, absolutely, but the general openness with sexuality? Honestly it's kind of refreshing. Especially with needing to be fairly quiet about it near to Silver lest his poor virgin ears go numb.

"That's a good idea. You've got a good trade to put to use. Let's do a lap or two here and then I'll take you shopping for new ones. Can't promise what we'll find, but we'll look. If you want, I'll be happy to enchant some for you with a few useful things."

Useful things was about all he had prepared these days other than healing and his Inflict Wounds. There wasn't much call for other offensive things, especially when he had a dagger in his boot and a scythe on his back most days.

"I should show you the Arena too. You'll like it. It's like Bastila, but only at nights and sort of secret, but not."

"I'll pay you back once I get established." He has no issue taking help offered, but there's pride in being able to support himself on his own work, so through that pride, he'll reimburse Chris. "Enchantments aren't a bad idea, though. I've always done well on my craftsmanship alone, but that could also set my work apart. Unless there's a large number of magic item vendors or something."

He's not sure, he hasn't really looked. He muses on that for a moment, then Chris mentions an arena like Bastila and he lights up like the sun. He needs a place to channel his frustration and in the ring sounds like the perfect place. "That's fantastic! What sort of events? What's the entry?"

He doesn't fight Amnos on the subject of repayment, he knows better by now. Thinking on it, he supposes there's a couple other places that sell magic'd items, but they were different. One, they didn't have Chris' spells -though there was likely overlap in function- while he worked for Nate, he didn't charm things for Nate or anyone except as gifts. Two, neither the Midnight Theatre nor Venia had Stonehewer wares. The name might not mean anything to Duplicity now, but Chris had little doubt Amnos would fix that in time, that was just who he was.

Amnos lighting up for the mention of the Arena doesn't surprise him either. Maybe he should have mentioned that first. "Mostly hand-to-hand, a lot like the sort of fights I did. Every few months, there's 'specialty fights' which are more..." He pauses to try and find the best words but gives up. It's Amnos, he's not delicate about this sort of thing. "Most of the fights are expected to end in sex, usually victor gets the spoils kind of thing. Didn't participate in the first one I saw, did in the next. Hasn't been another yet. Not much for entry fee in the regular Arena, you're a dominant so you can just show up and participate. Manager's a decent guy, you'd like him and I work as in-house for them, so I'll make sure you're set up whenever you need to let off some steam."

"Perfect. Seems like a good way to blow off multiple kinds of steam, then." Sex after a fight is probably the only kind of sex he hasn't had in a very long time. Chastity is up for most things, but a knock down drag out sort of thing isn't much her style and it's difficult for Amnos to want to hit the other parent of his children anyway, even if it's recreational.

"Definitely let me know the next time there's a fight of any kind. I'd love to get a good grapple in. Anyone who might give me a run for my money?" He raises an eyebrow, knowing with his experience and sheer weight, he's often in a class by himself. That's why he hadn't been able to participate in arena sport as a younger man, and that sticks with him still. Bastila had been incredibly freeing and he'd already been planning on taking his family to see him in the competitions when everything was finally settled. Which will be an indefinable amount of time longer, now, but will happen eventually. It has to.

"Oh...it's definitely good for that." He shoots Amnos a smirk, brow quirked a bit. He couldn't remember his friend ever showing an interest in that, but he also wasn't sure he was particularly surprised. "Trust me, there's a few who'd likely be willing to scratch that particular itch, specialty nights or not."

Which...did have him thinking about one person in particular he knew frequented the Arena. "Guy you're gonna want to look for is Hellboy. Seems to be a kind of demon-born, though I've not asked him. Tall, kind, hits like a rock to the fuckin face and that's from experience. You'd like him, I think. Might want to find The Iron Bull too, not demon-born from the looks but his horns match his name and he's taller than even you so you can't mistake him. Either'd give you a run for it."

Of course Chris didn't remember him showing interest. When they'd first met, Amnos had checked himself for Silver's sake. After that, he'd gotten married. Amnos may be horny (hah) after battle, but he's still monogamous in general.

The descriptions of his potential competitors sound intriguing, especially the potential tiefling. Maybe not for the sex part after - he does prefer being able to manhandle his partners, generally - but maybe he shouldn't be picky here in a sex-based culture. And the fight will probably be satisfying in its own right anyway. "Sounds good. I haven't had a good showy fight since Bastila, and I don't think I've ever fought a person bigger than I am, unless you count that giant. Should be fun."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

TDM #16

Blades of glory

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