duplicitymemes | TDM #17

« « « 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 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:

Prolonged erections
Lactation in both men and women
Size enlargement of breasts or genitals
Copious amounts of ejaculate or sexual fluids
Sudden interest in previously unexplored kinks

While others might find their own reaction to be a little more severe:

Shrinkage of breasts, genitals, or entire being
Inability to cum
Uncontrollable hair growth or hair loss
Temporary loss of one or more senses
Spontaneous weeping

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!!

» » » MAIN NAVIGATION « « «

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Sharkface gives him a narrow look. ]

War ended. Aftermath's fucked.

[ Life goes on. The survivors had to change. ]

Turns out aliens are real.

[ Jim can't help a slight smile at that. ]

Of course aliens are real.

[ Wait... ]

Are you saying that's what's fucked things?

[ Well. That's an interesting thing to say. Sharkface eyes the man up and down, assessing him in a new light. The whole multiple worlds thing has been explained to him and he's eavesdropped on enough conversations to know that his time swings toward the future compared to most others. But patterns tend to break, given enough time. ]

They had planet killers.

[ His voice is very flat. ]

We didn't.

[ Not much else to tell, is there? ]

Okay.

[ Because that part, Jim kind of gets. Or definitely gets, because maybe he stopped the Narada from blowing up Earth, but he still saw it blow up Vulcan, he still knows the kind of damage it caused. ]

That part always sucks.

Look, do you want to get a drink or something?

[ In case those people had friends, and because Jim suddenly feels like he needs another drink. ]

[ He gives the man a narrow look. ]

If you're buying.

[ He has no money. But fuck, he could use a drink. ]

[ Jim smiles, like he's won something. ]

I'm buying. Come on.

[ He'll start walking. He's going to need a job, sooner rather than later, but it's worth it. ]

[ Sharkface works his jaw, but follows after a moment. He pulls his hood up, hiding the worst of his scars.

Why the fuck not? ]

[ Jim doesn't take them far, because he hasn't been able to explore that much and because this doesn't seem like a situation where they need to go to the best possible bar.

Just a bar. ]

What's your drink of choice?

[ Sharkface follows, clocking his corners the whole time. Making sure no one's following them, or moving like they're going to pull a weapon. ]

Tequila, if they have it.

[ Jim gives him a moment to check out the bar, and pick where they're going to sit if he likes, returning with a tequila for the man and a whiskey for himself. ]

Here you are. I'm Jim, by the way. You have a name you're willing to share?

[ Back to the wall, and positioned where he can get a full view of the room, Sharkface settles as much as he's going to. He clicks his teeth. ]

Ephemera.

[ A lie. But he cannot use the name he goes by in his head, not around these people. It would make him look insane, and he cannot afford that now. And it was his name, once. Strange and too-memorable, but his own. ]

Nice to meet you.

[ He's going to drink a good sip off his whiskey. ]

So, planet killers? How did those work?

[ He knocks the tequila back. The burn feels good, a distraction from the rest of this shit. ]

Two kinds. First is ancient shit the Forerunners left scattered across the galaxy. Not even the Covenant knows how it works, not completely. But you don't need to. It's enough to turn the key. And they were good at finding them.

[ Like on Chorus. He pushes that thought away. Drinks again. ]

Second. Orbital plasma bombardment. We call it glassing, 'cause after a few hours, that's really all that's left.

Here's a third.

[ Jim lifts his glass in an ironic sort of toast and then takes a sip. ]

Injecting a powerful substance into the core of a planet, facilitating its transformation into a black hole.

[ Sharkface tips his head back. That sits between them for a long moment. ]

Yeah, that would do it.

[ Probably wouldn't take long, either. ]

That would do it.

[ Jim nods at that, and then drains the entire rest of his whiskey. He sets the glass down with a bit of a bang. ]

Another drink?

[ Sharkface downs the last of his glass and slides it over. It's answer enough. ]

[ Jim returns with another one for both of them. ]

Is that the only kind of aliens your people met?

[ Sharkface clicks his teeth, nodding in vague thanks, and takes the fresh drink. Knocks it back. ]

Yeah. At least until after the war ended. The Covenant was a joint or die sort of deal.

[ Dry. ] Sounds like a great bunch.

How'd the war end? If you don't mind saying.

[ A shrug. ]

Infighting. And some super soldiers got involved, it was a whole thing. There's a truce now.

[ Kirk doesn't know enough to have strong feelings about super soldiers yet. ]

Do you expect it to hold?

The truce? No. But the Covenant's gone. Too many new players, too many games. They're about as likely to rip each other apart as they are to turn on us.

[ He snorts, knocking his drink back. ]

Small fucking favors.

Sounds like a lot to deal with.

Don't think this place counts as a vacation though.

[ He snorts. ]

Least there's alcohol.

(no subject)

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