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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!! |
The Siren/"Eddy" | Original | Submissive
[Even in a place like this, he might just stand out. White skin, nearly translucent really, if one looked too long they might imagine they could very well see the young man's pulse in his marked neck. The distinct sense of wet just seemed to cling to him, even though he looked very much clean and dry. Perhaps it was the scent of him, reminiscent of flowing water, salt and sand, or the sheer brilliant shades of black and red on him, in stark contrast to just how goddamn pale he was.
And in spite of all these little visual cues that he might perhaps be a more introverted sort, the young man here was anything but. Sit down? Fuck no, he was going to stagger all over this moving train. Easier to do when it was stopped or in steady motion, but every time the thing hit it's brakes, he'd lurch and have to grab on to something, apparently delighted by this stupid game.
A pole. A seat. A person. The latter of the three would most definitely find themselves with a brand new buddy in short order, no matter what their reaction would be.]
Hey man, what's up? [No, the gender didn't matter either, you're 'man' now. If you're real lucky, maybe you'll get upgraded to 'dude'.]
RAIN RAIN
[For a creature who's every aspect of life almost entirely hinged upon water.... This was hell. Yeah, no, that didn't feel like hyperbole to him, it was hell. At present, he was hunkered down in a bus stop, dark eyes locked on the pouring rain. Every now and again, he'd shift, scratching thoughtlessly and intensely at his neck, his jaw or his arm. Pretty clear really just how long it took for the soggy dumbass to figure out just how bad an idea standing out in this rain was: not much left by way of clothes but pants and boots, though a filmy undershirt still clings to him.
Scratches up and down his arms, scratches up and down his sides, and by the way he's starting to intently eye passerby with umbrellas, there might just be a very, very shitty idea starting to brew in his head.]
Rain Rain 2
[Shitty idea, activate. He isn't leaving the bus stop. He doesn't have to, as far as he's concerned. Instead, the Siren parks himself on that bench in that bus stop, waiting for someone with one of those umbrellas to pass on by.
And then, so sweetly, with a sharp smile a mile wide on his face, he opens his mouth and in a cloying, singsong tone, speaks, each syllable heavily laden with as much mind manipulating magic as he can cram into it.]
Hey there, come over here for a sec, just wanna talk.
WILDCARD
[Honestly he'll be almost anywhere here, if you wanna make your own prompt, go nuts! The Siren is well... a siren, if a really, really weird one, and his powers are here for all those interested in losing their umbrella today.]
All Aboard
Get your hands off of- What the hell are you?
[What began with an irritated snarl became a wide-eyed startle as the Archivist's gazed pierced through the creature's glamour. He backed away immediately, tripping over a Sub sat next to their Dom on the ground of the carriage and ending up on his ass. Jon scuttled backward, quickly reaching for the button that indicated he wanted off at the next stop.]
no subject
But then... He stared, as the man he'd latched onto went from irritation to what looked to be total and complete open fear, tripping over someone and then scuttling like a terrified crab to the door. Oh... Oh that's a very non-standard reaction. For Jon, that white-skinned, tendril-draped, shark toothed face wouldn't change much, save for the way those brilliant points of light in the fairy's black as pitch eyes lit up all the more. Each one a bright blue-white little star, flaring at once before the look of confusion on his face shifted to one of wild, unhinged glee.
Jon would be immediately hounded to the door, webbed and clawed hands grasping at poles and arm rests as he navigated the moving train and any submissives that had chosen to take the floor.]
"Wait! Wait wait wait wait man wait wait don't go, it's cool, it's cool I wanna talk!"
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Jon punched the button to get off repeatedly as he watched the creature's tail whip around. How was he not hitting people with that? He was falling all over people, but- What did this even look like to normal people? More of them would have to freaking out if they could see this thing.]
Stop. We can talk once we're off the train.
[If he could convince this creature to leave, maybe Jon could just... ride away try to find him later to observe and stalk from a safe distance.]
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Clearly, aware enough of his surroundings to be kind of careful. Where it mattered.
Stop, he said. Talk once we're off the train, he said. Jon would find the over eager creature freezing in place, barely a foot away from the other man. His grip on the pole was iron, the light in those endless eyes overbright and fixed. Not a pupil to be seen, the eyes themselves seemed almost not like actual eyes at all. Windows rather, to a yawning void. He grinned, flashing serrated, sharklike teeth.]
Yeah, yeah man sure. I can wait. [Barely. Judging by the way he shifted his weight, unable to hold still, 'I can wait' sounded like it came with a pretty low time limit.]
Hey, hey what's your name, man? Where're you from? [Waiting! He's waiting! Waiting to talk about really important stuff, he's waiting see.]
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But those eyes. Jon couldn't look away. Something in them drew him in. There were fathoms there like he only saw in the nightmares, falling into the Ceaseless Watcher's embrace before beginning the next cycle. They were beautiful, captivating-
And he was starting to lean toward Eddy unconsciously. Jon shook himself out of his stupor and pressed himself back as far as he could go, which was only another inch or so as he was against some plating for a set of seats just behind the door now.]
The Archivist. London. And you?
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Jon pulled away, and the noise the creature made was almost heartbroken. It wasn't a snarl that crossed his face, but a look of wordless pleading as he hauled himself upright again.]
Man I gotta visit London... S'been all like... New York City East coast shit, right? There's so much shit there, so much stuff hiding under the streets, like I could spend ages- Fuck, my name.
[As it had taken the question a moment to sink into his brain properly. The smile had come back, eager, bright, sharp.]
Yeah so like New York City right now, man! Like... like the past uh... fuck how far ago was 1990... Like that long. My name's- [That noise... was not a standard name. No human tongue could pronounce that, no human throat could make that sound. The distant rumble of a massive creature, leagues beneath the sea, the sound of glacial ice pinging and cracking in a rapid staccato at the end.]
... Uh... But like the last guy called me Eddy.
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The speaker sounded with the next stop just as the creature was offering its name and that sound rumbling through the Archivist, stealing his breath and- Vast. Definitely associated with the Vast. Jon would probably need to keep Eddy well away from Jamie.]
I've been to America. It's very... big.
You should get off here, Eddy. [He gestured to the side, indicating the door as it slid open.]
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He looked towards the door as it slid open, and damn well almost walked straight through it... But stopped short, never quite letting go of the pole. That intense focus wouldn't let him just leave, no, it was almost like watching two stray wires arc off each other, as 'listen' changed quickly to 'question'.]
... You're coming, right? You said we could talk. [He hadn't forgotten that one, oh no, no sir.] Look, look I can make it worth it, okay? Like, I got shit I can show you. You... You look like you might be interested in 'em. It's good shit, I swear, I promise.
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Yes. But you need to move so I can get out.
[Maybe he could step out, then right back in again if he could get the creature to go first.]
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And he had his phone out too, rapidly unlocking it to open up the gallery. Just... no acknowledgement of what he sounded like he was offering. He knew what he was asking, if anyone else took it another way, that sounded like a 'them' problem.]
No good fuckin' pictures of the spawn in here fuckin'- Okay I got a good one to show, m'right behind you, kay?
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God damn it.]
Right.
[Jon steps out onto the mostly deserted platform and walks swiftly to the middle of it to give himself the most room to maneuver. He can run from here, if he needs to.]
What are you trying to show me?
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He's out and right behind Jon, the tail just barely clearing the doors before they snapped shut.]
Yeah okay, check it-
[The phone is thrust forward, refusing to actually put the thing into Jon's hands properly. The other man would just have to look and not touch, he wouldn't be letting anyone hold this damn thing. Not that the image on the screen would be any more difficult to make out for that though.
At first blush, it might seem incomprehensible. The night sky, perhaps? A hundred thousand blue white lights in every direction... But no, the flash had gone off, and was reflected in some of those little points, as well as having caught the face of an ancient, murky looking stone pillar. The greenish hue of it suggested somewhere underwater, the utter pitch black around it somewhere deep.
That image would begin to properly coalesce the longer one looked. A seething, oily, pitch black mass, creeping along the walls, floor and ceiling of an ancient, sunken room. Flesh, all of it, it's ropy, vein-like tendrils long sunken into the stone. Hints of parts could be seen here and there, the glimmer of chitin, the gleam of teeth, a sheen of yellowed bone spurs in otherwise boneless living meat, and the lights...
A hundred thousand, blue-white eyes, each and every one locked upon the camera. Eyes upon the floor, eyes upon the ceiling, eyes in the walls, resting like flower buds at the ends of tendrils, sunken deep into the thickest part of the mass and dangling before its own multitudinous yawning maws.]
I went back down to get it... They were the first one, y'know? My first- I had to get a picture of them too.
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His lips parted slightly, pupils dilating as he drank in the horrific sight, barely registering Eddy's words.]
What?
[He couldn't look away, gaze fixed, hungry and wanting to see more of it, to pull himself through the screen to gaze upon that shifting, impossible nightmare of a thing.]
What is it? You have more? Show me.
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Never a reaction he could understand so well.]
Yeah, yeah man I got tons. Here, here, lemme just... [A bit awkward, positioning the phone so that he never turned it away from Jon, while reaching around to flick to the next picture, and then the next one, and the one after that. Each one a nightmare, bright green fishlike creatures, their bulging yellow eyes glaring balefully upwards at the camera, iridescent jelly like masses of roiling fluid flesh who's fanged mouths seemed to be dissolving right as they opened. A blurry, glowing mass with the barest indication of leathery wings that seemed oddly akin to that of a wasp, emaciated and hunched over obsidian creatures who's face seemed like nothing but a gaping, sucking hole.]
I got... I had a book, some of 'em don't take pictures well, y'know? Maps to 'em too and... Shit man I have so much, I've been at this for so long, man.
You... You feel like 'em, you know? Not exactly totally there man, but like, in the same neighborhood, you get it?
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His breathing had grown ragged by the time the pictures slowed down, and he was shivering slightly. His eyes had a faint, sickly green sheen to them, and again, he could barely process words, too mesmerized by what he was seeing.]
Yes... What did it- How did you survive all of this? You shouldn't be alive.
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Man, it'd fry a human in an instant, yeah... But I'm not a human. Like, you already know that.
[Judging by the outright panic Jon had displayed on the train. But, the phone was all of a sudden yanked back, the screen going black as the Siren went to pocket the device.]
Shit though, I forgot about lunch aw man I'm starving.
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[Jon's voice was small as he gasped. No. No, he wanted that. Give that back!
Without even thinking about it, the Archivist reached for Eddy's pocket, trying to take the phone back. He wanted that. He needed that. The pleasure that had been coursing through him had turned to ice, cracking and cutting, the sharp ends digging into his flesh, demanding more.]
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Hey, c'mon! S'mine, you can't have 'em! [That ponderously large, eel like tail swung at his legs, stopping short of actually making any contact with the other man. A warning at most.]
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But Martin and Peter wouldn't like that. The change was barely the length of a blink, and then he was just Jon Sims again. Needy and desperate for that phone, but aware of that tail and the teeth and the claws. He watched Eddy, frustrated, before taking a step back and dropping his eyes to the ground.]
Fine. What would you trade for some of those pictures?
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But then Jon stepped away, and his shoulders dropped, as if disappointed. Still though, the offer was made, and he really, genuinely was very, very hungry...]
... Lunch? [He could just about focus on one thing at a time, yeah.] Get me something to eat and I'll trade you what I got, I can send 'em. I need my phone though, man, you can't have that.
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What do you eat?
[Is it human flesh? Jon expects it's human flesh.]
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Shit do they got Bell Beefers here?
[Never mind that Taco Bell stopped selling those in the mid-nineties.]
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