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duplicitymemes2021-03-09 06:59 pm
duplicitymods) wrote in duplicitymemes2021-03-09 06:59 pm
Entry tags:
TDM #17
« « « TEST DRIVE MEME » » »
« « « ALL ON DISPLAY
» » » MAIN NAVIGATION « « «
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 clear plastic top and pants along with clear plastic boots 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 wet and rainy. Very, very rainy. |
» » » ALL ABOARD
 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. |
« « « RAIN RAIN GO AWAY
 (cw: aphro, dub-con, violence, marking)Ice and chilly weather have begun to give way to rain instead, with overcast skies and dark clouds a seemingly constant sight. While the overabundance of rain is an annoyance and comes with the usual series of problems, such as leaky ceilings, mold growth, and gutters or storm drains overflowing, this time the rain carries with it another problem altogether. A weather advisory warning is broadcast to every device, as well as on news networks and radio. The rain, at least for a few days, is not ordinary rain. Whether you're in the Up or the Down, when the water hits clothing it eats away at it. The more water it absorbs, the more the material disintegrates until the wearer is left naked. When the rain comes in contact with skin (or is ingested) the effects seem to differ depending on where you are in Duplicity. In the Up, it's relatively harmless and merely has an aphrodisiac effect, leaving individuals feeling hot and bothered, more sociable and touchy feely. Those in the Down, however, are not so lucky. As the rain seeps through the soil from the Up, it ends up laced with toxins, causing a range of less pleasant side effects for anyone unfortunate enough to come into contact with it. Aside from the aphrodisiac, those who get caught in the rain may develop an uncomfortable, itchy rash, leaving them looking rather spotty for a few days. Those who can't resist scratching at themselves will find a newfound pleasure to the relief it brings and start to crave the feeling or sight of similar marks. In worst case scenarios, individuals will become addicted to marking themselves and others, perhaps even to the point of breaking skin. Effects may last for several hours after exposure and will stack with repeated exposures. In all cases, getting off will bring temporary relief but will not alleviate the symptoms entirely. Plastic coverings seem to be unaffected by the rain and, as word spreads, the Natives in Duplicity form a mad rush buying up umbrellas. Unless a character is lucky, they may find themselves unable to purchase - or even borrow - one. Theft of umbrellas becomes widespread in the Down, often escalating to violence, and even the Up isn't safe from thugs trying to steal and resell this suddenly hot commodity. There's another side to all of this, however. Due to the shortage of umbrellas, it isn't uncommon to see Dom/Sub pairs sharing umbrellas together. If anything, it's encouraged as a means to strengthen their bond. Enterprising Subs and Doms alike may even sell their "services" to escort individuals who would otherwise end up soaked. |
« « « SUPPLEMENTAL INCOME
 (cw: substance abuse, altered states, coercion, fluids, physical body changes)A new "holistic" pharma company named SQuIRT is opening up in Duplicity and is paying a pretty penny for people to trial run their new line of supplements. These supplements are supposed to increase a person's vitality and energy levels, but the side effects are what the company is really looking out for. Some of the side effects aren't so bad and could include:
While others might find their own reaction to be a little more severe:
Subjects must take the supplements for at least a week, otherwise they'll receive no compensation for their troubles. All new arrivals will find themselves automatically enrolled in these trials, whether they want to be or not, and expected to report to the clinic. Of course they don't have to take the supplements, but the payout is certainly enticing, especially for those unfortunate enough to be branded Submissives. |
« « « STICKY FINGERS
 (cw: violence)Crime runs rampant in the Down as always but now, with the nastier side effects of the rain creating an ongoing problem, some unsavory types are sneaking their way into the Up where the effects aren't so hazardous. The result is an uptick in crime in places that are usually considered safe. Be careful how you carry yourself - and your valuables. Those who look like easy pickings may find their pockets empty. Cameras in public areas are being vandalized as well, while homes and businesses are seeing a rise in graffiti. Most of the graffiti is merely obscene, but some is outright seditious. Good luck explaining the latter to the authorities if you happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. One of the smaller gangs that has a presence in the Down is taking particular advantage of the rain's disruption to expand their territory into the Up. Known as the Bulldogs, their members are young men and they have a reputation for violent muggings and assaults - mainly targeting Submissives. They loiter in groups near the train and the elevator between the Up and the Down to ambush the alone and unwary. At night, they also prey on those walking home from bars or clubs who may not fully have their wits about them. In addition to beating up their victims for money, some of the Bulldogs are engaging in an informal competition over who can steal the most umbrellas - with bonus points awarded for whatever else they feel like. LIERs are worth double points by default, so watch out! |
« « « 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: Players can choose whether to assign their character as a Dominant or Submissive on this TDM for the Door Pass for March Applications only. For May's Application round, threads started here may be used as samples however they will not be eligible for a Door Pass in May. Characters will need to use a thread from May's TDM, using those Door Pass rules, for an application after the March round. 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! THERE WILL BE NO APPLICATION ROUND IN APRIL Please remember to mark any necessary content, and have a good time!! |
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Another sip, slow and measured. The wine was good. But that was enough of that. London was beyond them, as was Galahad and Tesla and Devi.
She lowers her hand, settling it across her. "It is strange that you think I should care very much what happens to me, after all, you already took the things I care for most in my life - you think I care here now especially?" She gestures out, over the window that sends the world spinning past them. "Even if they did punish me for it, I could take my own life before they found out - and I would be glad to do so. After all, everyone I care for is already dead, no thanks to you." Another mouthful, deep, humming around the thought.
"No, the real problem I have found since I have arrived, is that what they call LIARs apparently, do not die. They have no blackwater, it seems, yet a way to bring people back from the dead. So we would be left at a rather different stalemate."
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Alastair could, bitterly, own that much.
"I think you care enough not to waste your time humiliating yourself," he responds, still calm. "Especially given, as you say, there is no death here."
Trapped in an eternal battle? He's had more than enough of that life. He won't presume as much of her, given all the other suffering and loss she has gone through. But it is not so farfetched to consider them on more equal ground, in the grand scheme of things. He knows what should come next here -- but he is not quite prepared to give it just yet.
"It does not much matter anyway." He's already as good as dead in Whitechapel, after all. He has to assume she knows as much, given how she spoke of Nikola.
no subject
Is she savouring the fact that for the first time in her life, an Englishman's word was worth less than hers?
"I can, of course, make your life a nightmare. It is tempting. But I do not care too. Unlike your kind, I do not savour the screaming and the suffering of the defenceless wishing for death." Could her opinion of him be any lower? No, probably not. But he knew what he caused. She would not present it softer for his sake. "So I will offer you an impasse. Take my contract."
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"Which kind is that you are referring to, I wonder?" he offers dryly. It is largely a rhetorical question, but it because especially so when she follows up with her proposal. Take her contract? Clearly, she was more off her bird than he thought. He even manages to scoff.
"Take your contract? You're mad."
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"Oh, they have said that many times before." She presses her fingers to her lips, the picture of a delicate lady. "Think of it this way, Lucan. I will never leave you be. Never. I will never let you know peace. You do not deserve it, for what you have done. So you can settle for my scratching your way into your life. Telling every single person, what you have done, the suffering you have caused to innocent people. Exhausting. But you are dead, and I have lived for much, much less in the last thirty years or so. It would give me no small amount of pleasure to do so, I assure you."
A waiter walks by, offering refreshments, and without breaking from watching him, she lifts her glass to be refilled, and with it, takes more wine.
"Or we can both find better uses of our time. If I have your contract, I know where you are, what you are doing, and who you are doing it with. I have responsibility for you, it will assure my concerns of your habits so I will not have to chase after everything you do." She shrugs, drinking another mouthful. "Since one of us hasn't lied to everyone around them for centuries, I think you could at least trust my word that I would be peaceful in it."
no subject
"You do not know the first thing about me, woman. Do not presume to speak as if you do," he replies, still dry as the desert. "Even if there were truth to your words, these people know nothing of you, and nothing of me. What makes you so certain you will be taken at your word?"
He remains perfectly still and stoic, save for the annoyed pinch in his brows that makes his forehead look large. She had said it herself, after all -- he had spent many years lying to a great number of people. Not even his own sister had known what he was.
"You think me a savage beast, incapable of controlling what I might bite, despite the knowledge that tells you the very opposite. There is not a soul in this city that would believe you."
Unless they too already had preconceived notions of lycans. That is not so hard for him to believe -- but the idea of just rolling over for a new master, particularly one who intends to make his life miserable, does not particularly appeal.
no subject
There she leans in, slow, measured, just as even. "It is not a beast I fear. I have learned to put them down." Pretend all you want. Pretend in your daylight hours that you were doing it for some idea of good. That you sent those soldiers and you did not know what they would do because you were not there. Poor, poor Lucan. Knight of the Order. So much power. So many people trusting your word." There is such mockery in her words. She understands, what pain it must be to lie to those around you like that. To hear them hate the very thing that you are, day in, day out.
And maybe as a young woman? It might have been different and was that not the irony. They all made their choices. "But they did it and you sent them. For six days, my city burned, and I know your calculation for what it is. That was formation, battle, direction. Do you know? I did not even know what a Lycan was. Until the bodies started to climb upon themselves. Then the children clung to my skirts as they told me of things with teeth the size of their arms. They begged me to save them. I remember. I will always remember. I do not hate you for being a terrifying creature, clawed and fanged, for surely the Goddess Kali is as fearsome. I know to never trust you, as one who had the strength to send a foreign nation to die because you thought we were little more than food for your kind. When we had done nothing but be subjects of the Empire whether we liked it or not."
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But really, the conversation is a distraction. The wheels have begun to turn in his head. Of course, he could deny her, find another contract of convenience. If Lakshmi did dare to contract with him, then his actions (whatever they might be) would have consequences for her. Sure, it would give her license to punish him in humiliating ways -- but first, she would have to suffer those consequences. That would be its own reward for her smugness over this whole thing.
There was still the matter of the quota -- but he did not need to handle that with her. Frankly, he was not sure how to handle that at all just yet.
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"You were saying? A minute with how they expect us to dress and people will have questions Lucan. So many questions. How does a once Queen find her body ripped apart in such ways?"
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Despite that small concession, it is clear that he is not convinced that this is in his best interests. Finally, he looks away from her entirely to look back out at the train.
"All you are inviting me to do is to allow you to make my life a living hell legally," he finally says. "Why should I give you the satisfaction?"
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"Because it will not torture if you agree to this. I intend to start a business of my own. With it, I can provide you with a house, an income, freedom to move between the Up and the Down at your own leisure. Comfortable living, comfortable freedoms. All I request is a daily update of where and when you are. Since of the two of us, I am the one who actually understands what it is to provide for people?"
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"You will put it in writing," he says, simply. "All of it. You will also include a clause that cedes me control of what monetary assets I earn with my own hands. And I will allow you to track me."
Track. That's not really the right word. There is another word that he does not use, for the bitter taste it leaves upon his tongue. Not even in death would he escape the yoke of masters.
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With another swallow, she leans back in her seat once more, and turns to catch another member of the staff like the Queen she once had been. Calling her down with a soft smile that glimmers gently.
"I need another glass, we are celebrating the start of a contract if you please?"
It does the trick, and the woman coos and nods then reach over to bring the glass and the whole bottle in celebration for them. "In the meantime, pick whatever collar you wish. I will cover the bill of it, have it sent to me. Just make sure it has gold in some form. Saffron and gold are the colours of my house."
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"Yes," he responds dryly. "We Englishmen love our paper. Of course."
It is very clear that his patriotism is somewhat lacking, nor does he bother to put on a façade for the waitress as she returns with the wine. For this, he'd almost rather be dead.
"Does it matter? I will not be wearing it anymore than absolutely necessary."
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"All those centuries spent around pompous lords and you learned nothing of pageantry? Yes, of course, it matters. You represent me, just like your uniform represents the Order. But if it matters to you so little, shall I pick it for you then?"
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But that is part of the game here -- he can see that much just from a brief glance up and down the train. A sigh passes through his nostrils in response to her follow-up question.
"No need to concern yourself. I will handle it."