duplicitymemes | TDM #16

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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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Coming here was a mistake. It's not like Aoba couldn't have guessed that to start with, but, with no way to avoid all the kinky things, wasn't it better to subject himself to some exposure therapy? (And, all right, maybe he also felt just a sliver of curiosity about how some these kinks really happened.) It was a museum, of sorts; surely it couldn't be that graphic?

... Or Aoba could be wrong. It wouldn't be the first time.

The more active expositions, Aoba hastily paces by; the human furniture, he flinches away from like he's expecting it to bite (which seems unlikely on many levels, but that doesn't stop his reaction). Finally finding himself in a more quiet part of the gallery, he breathes a sigh of relief - and, when he takes a better look around, finds himself entranced in spite of himself. The elaborate bondage displays are explicit, yes, but some of them are relatively covered up with all that rope, and honestly? It's beautiful! How does it even work, though? How do the ropes run, to make such shapes..?

Tilting his head, Aoba stares in a manner he would definitely be ashamed of, if he was a little more aware of it himself. As it is, though, he's a little too distracted - and then his eyes inadvertently focus on a figure on the far side of the bondage display in the center of the room. Even seeing that familiar face, it doesn't really register at first, the sight undeniable, but too unexpected to even be surprised about.

Then the surprise belatedly hits after all, and the bondage display is all but forgotten. "Noiz..?" It really is him! Drawing a shocked breath, Aoba runs over as if Noiz is an illusion that will fade if he takes too long. He doesn't even trip over any ropes stretching against the floor, he's so focused. "Noiz! What are you doing here?!"

"Aoba?" He turns toward the older man when he spots him running up, his head tilting to look him over as his brows raise in surprise. He'd already accepted that he'd ended up here alone somehow, but if Aoba was here then maybe they'd ended up here because they'd agreed to meet up? No, that was stupid.

"Am I not allowed to be here or something? Not like you claimed the whole city." It was hard to fight the urge to snip at him, but he does glance back toward the wall of roped Submissives and flogs. Of course Aoba would end up finding him here of all places. "... I just walked through a door and ended up here. Same for you?"

Might as well try to get on the same page.

Stupid. Of course, Aoba had been stupid to be excited about seeing a familiar face when that familiar face was a rude guy like Noiz. Then again, if Aoba hadn't been genuinely excited to see Noiz, he wouldn't have been offended by the attitude, either. It's entirely his own fault, and it's that as much as Noiz' snipping that has Aoba make a frustrated little noise that he immediately swallows, even if his annoyance is still written all over his face. He doesn't say anything, though. Not only was it his own fault for expecting any different, but this isn't the time or the place to try to get Noiz to behave somewhat.

Deep breaths, Aoba... Okay, he's good.

"... I don't really know how I got here. We were gonna go to Platinum Jail, and I had trouble sleeping... suddenly I was here, with all these doctors poking at me!" He definitely thought he had to be dreaming, at first. "Oh - but then there were two doors, and they told me to pick one."

"Yeah. Same thing here." It was difficult to see, but there was a clear line on the center of Noiz's neck, trailing down past his collar and tie. The mark of a Submissive, apparently. He still felt that designation was wrong, but he wasn't going to argue with it from what he'd heard so far...

But he does take note of Aoba's complete lack of a line since his throat was much more visible.

"They marked you as a Dominant?" Really? He actually chuckles. "Maybe they just flip everything for everyone."

Between Aoba's excitement (and all the other emotions that followed) and Noiz' already-extensive collection of body modifications, that ever-so-important line is but a small blip at the far reaches of Aoba's radar until the topic of dominants and submissives comes up, and he belatedly takes note of it. It really requires that reminder of the system for Aoba to think of it at all, and he hates himself for that a little. Wouldn't it be the first and last thing on his mind, had he been unlucky enough to be designated a submissive?

He really does want to feel sorry for Noiz, but... Noiz doesn't make that easy for him.

"... What's that supposed to mean?"

"I mean back when you were Sly Blue I could see why, but you've 'gave that all up' now." But the other guy he'd met said that he'd been completely marked wrong too... with his preference of submissiveness but being marked as a Dominant regardless of personal preference.

It does make Noiz's brows knit together as he thinks about it. Aoba partially confirming his thoughts on the matter... and then it being called the 'L.I.E.S' program...

"Maybe it's always the opposite of what you'd think you should be put as."

"I told you -..." Aoba forces himself to swallow the rest of that sentence. He doesn't especially want to have this argument again, especially here and now. And especially... now that he knows at least a little bit more about himself.

Maybe ignorance isn't bliss, but he sure did get a lot of things unloaded on him. And to find himself here right after? There just hasn't been time to even think about everything, let alone process it!

"Well, I'm glad no poor submissive ended up depending on your good care." He feels a little bad for saying it, but not enough to take it back. He's a teensy bit justified anyway, right? Maybe?! ... Yeah, no, he still feels bad. He shakes his head, trying to leave the topic behind them.

"... Seriously though, are you okay?" Aoba may not be an expert on submissive life in this place, but he knows it can't be good. (Let's face it, though, he's still underestimating it.) "You get enough to eat and stuff, right?" ... Why is that even the thing he thinks to ask about?!

In light of their current situation, Noiz is willing to let the subject drop. He starts to walk again, but with the lazy wave of his hand before it returns back to his pocket is an obvious invitation for Aoba to follow.

That, and he replies to his question. "Just got here so I can't say. Been told I need to contract someone so I can get a job and get out of the Down. I ditched my tour guide and ended up here." Unfortunately, he was sure that the tour guide would find him again. He was a little too good at tracking people. He would have been a great private eye if he hadn't been such a useless pervert.

"Think they said I could work at a whorehouse, though." He had absolutely no interest in that. Even if he could easily take even more than some of these 'art pieces' that were hanging around. Not that he's sharing that tidbit with Aoba at the moment.

Aoba does indeed follow, without so much as thinking about it, thus basically confirming everything Noiz suggested about him. He does rush to catch up, for what it's worth, and before long they're walking together equally.

... Actually, is that even okay? Belatedly, Aoba wonders about that, considering their different statuses. But it's not like he could lead Noiz around on a leash (much as the guy deserves it sometimes!), and a furtive look around reveals no judging looks. He breathes a quiet sigh of relief. Well... it's not like those submissive tattoos are all that obvious from a distance, are they?

"A whore-...!" Aoba cuts himself off there.... in spite of having said the 'bad' part already. "That would be terrible!" Or so he assumes?? It's not like he has experience, but being used for sex that way, especially by multitudes of strangers, seems pretty terrible to him. But what are the alternatives?

"..."

Yeah, he's thinking about it. He can't not think about it, but at the same time, he feels a little bad for doing even that much. Somehow, it feels like taking advantage of his position in the system at Noiz' expense, even though he would really only be doing it for Noiz.

Unintentionally, he slows his steps, falling behind a bit. Rather than catching up again, he stops walking altogether. "Do you want -... That's not it." Of course Noiz wouldn't want it. And he shouldn't! Who would ever want to legally belong to another person, even if only on paper. Taking a breath, Aoba tries again. "If you need a contract, I can give you one."

It's a serious offer, but he's so Extremely Serious™ about it that it almost circles back into seeming silly.

Honestly, Aoba would be much worse off if he was seen walking around with a Dominant more often. At least that's what Noiz had gathered from what he'd overheard at orientation for the Dominants... though he'd also come to the conclusion that both sides had their benefits and difficulties. While Dominants got to live in provided, much nicer housing, they had strict rules of what was considered proper 'behavior'. As for Submissives... they were incredibly limited on what they could do for living spaces and money, but when it came to sexual rules it was a bit more freeing.

His brow quirks a bit at Aoba's reaction to the sex shop comment, but what he follows up with causes Noiz to raise his brows in surprise. "You're seriously offering me that? You get that you'd be responsible for me, right? So if I did something, you'd be the one getting into trouble?"

"I know."

Well, maybe he hadn't thought of it in such detail before, but it makes sense that he'd be responsible for Noiz' actions. And, honestly... that doesn't exactly reassure him. His interactions with Noiz so far have been cold at best, and outright hostile at worst. Having to rely on Noiz not to cause trouble for him is like expecting a newly acquired puppy not to chew up your slippers and piddle in the corner.

Feeling a little sweaty, Aoba's hands clench into fists and then relax again. There's no point in hesitating now, though, is there? Even if he's taking a risk (and he only half understands how bad the consequences could be, really), he just can't handle the alternative.

"But I don't want you to have to work at a whorehouse. Not -... Not if I can do something about it."

"You barely know me," he points out this time, but his own head cocks to the side in thought.

If he took him up on the offer they'd be 'contracted'. He'd be Aoba's property. While it would be easier to keep an eye on him that way, the whole situation rubbed Noiz the wrong way. The additional stipulations that came with it as well as some of the other aspects... If Aoba got punished instead for something Noiz did, the blond wasn't sure how he felt about it now. Had they ended up here a couple of days ago when he'd been searching for him just to beat his face during a game of Rhyme that would have been different.

"What are you expecting from me for this?" Nothing came for free.

"But I do know you. And I know about the situation you're in..."

Which is the same as many others here, apparently, and Aoba has no illusion about saving anyone from the big bad whatever who's running the show here, especially when he's just been tossed in at the deep end when he can barely doggy-paddle. But Noiz is someone he knows - someone from his own world - and, even apart from Aoba wanting to help in some small way if he can... there's also the very sad fact that, in a way, Noiz is all he has from his old life. Considering how (and how short) they know each other, that's not much of a recommendation, and Aoba is hardly looking to hang out with the guy on a regular basis, but he'd still like to at least check in on him from time to time!

As for his counter-demand: "That you try not to get me in trouble!" That would be nice!! But also, this is Noiz, and while Aoba can be a little naive, he's not stupid (... usually), so his would-be Angry Teacher Voice™ makes way for something more like Tired and Long-Suffering Mom Friend. "If you're going to do illegal things, at least try not to get caught."

Noiz gives a shrug of his shoulders in response, head turning away to glare at one of the poor Submissives that was strapped down to some strange wooden contraption. Thighs openly spread to anyone who walked by.

To get fully put on display like that... he'd hate it. He couldn't understand how someone was so open to being displayed like that. Even if the cuts and bruises were appealing, there was too much vulnerability in it. It was the same with being labelled a 'Submissive' in general.

"... You didn't answer my question." He turns back to Aoba again, eyes narrowing just slightly. "What are you expecting in return for this?"

"I did answer it!"

What, has Noiz suddenly developed a hearing problem?! ... Actually, if he just got distracted by all the shocking sights, it's actually not so weird to assume he missed some of what Aoba was saying. (Except that Aoba is the one who would be like that, if he didn't have Noiz' situation on his mind.)

"Try not to get me in trouble. Though, considering the things you get up to, I know that's asking a lot."

He's only halfway being sarcastic, really.

"That doesn't get you anything," he snaps back, though his tone is still even.

To put himself out there just for something unreliable like that or for something sympathetic like keeping him from some unsavory job that didn't suit him. Noiz couldn't understand the appeal of that at all.

"I'm not going to just let you do something like this just to pity me."

"I beg to differ," Aoba replies, his tone deliberately full of exaggerated politeness. "I know the kind of trouble you could get me into. Again."

Admittedly, he has a lot worse to fear here than being dragged into Rhyme, or even having his room broken into... but Aoba isn't really picturing worse - and those things were bad enough, anyway!

"I'm not doing this to pity you. If anything, I'm doing this to avoid pitying you!" Admire his flawless logic. "If you were really forced to work in a whorehouse, then -..."

Just picturing it is enough to knock him right out of his casual, would-be mocking attitude. He can't even bring himself to make eye contact, though looking away from Noiz only lands his gaze on one of the expositions, bringing yet another pang as that grim image of Noiz' future suddenly seems far too realistic.

"... then I really would feel bad."

Eyes narrow as he considers the best way to move forward. While Aoba denied offering this out of pity, it still rang in Noiz's ears as that was exactly what he was doing. He could deny it all he wanted, but at the end of the day Noiz had already made up his mind about it.

"Just because you don't want to feel bad isn't a reason. I'm not going to do it just so I can owe you later." People didn't do things out of the 'kindness of their heart'. There was always some underhanded or unspoken reason behind it. While he didn't necessarily think that Aoba ~~was smart enough to~~ would push some extremely unwelcome thing upon him, he didn't want to accept anything without being able to give something in return.

But without a Dominant he couldn't even get a job---couldn't get anything to be even the playing field. That was also something to consider. "I'll think on it."

"What 'owing later'?!" Aoba asks, but it's a rhetorical question, really. He's explained his side of things. If Noiz is still not accepting what he's saying, then... maybe he has some other reasons to refuse Aoba's offer. Sure, to Aoba it seems better to have a contract with someone you know at least a little (tiny) bit, but maybe Noiz doesn't feel the same? Even Aoba can imagine it would be kind of awkward, if those Dom/sub dynamics somehow accidentally came into it after all, for legal reasons if nothing else. Maybe a contract with someone he knows from before is just sort of embarrassing, to Noiz.

Not that Aoba can imagine it being more embarrassing than working in a whorehouse... but, again, that's just his view of things, and Noiz may well be different! If so, good for him, really.

"Fine." Aoba can't quite shake his worries about Noiz not signing a contract - or signing one with someone who turns out to be terrible - but this is not Aoba's choice to make. "Just... let me know."

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TDM #16

Galleria

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