TDM #2

[duplicitymods]

« « « TEST DRIVE MEME » » »

« « « OUT OF CLUTTER FIND SIMPLICITY

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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. 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 highrise. 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. Either way it's raining! Still. Enjoy your free time until orientation! Participation is mandatory by all new arrivals.

» » » LIES TRAVEL IN COMPANY

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The day after stepping through the door and participating in orientation, LIERS are assembled together in the Up for a tour of Duplicity in its entirety. 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.

« « « A. WAIST. OF. LEEWAYS.

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The rain continues to drizzle, but it’s finally slowing enough for the citizens of Duplicity to catch their breath. With the influx of new LIERS, people make quick work of fixing the damages from Tumenalia—a combination of preparation and wanting to welcome more participants to orientation. Typically, travel between the Up and the Down is rather seamless with the use of the elevators, and with the end of the holiday comes a regular schedule for transportation between the two areas of Duplicity. Yet, mysterious powers are at play once again. Or so it seems. Stepping onto the elevators does not deliver its occupants to their desired location; instead, they are ushered into rooms designed to be escaped. There are a variety of themes, but the most popular seem to be Room A, Room B, and Room C. While they follow the usual guidelines for any escape room, there are a few “catches” that might not be noticeable at first. Each clue is only accessible to those of the corresponding designation. Submissives are responsible for unlocking the first and third of the three clues, and even if a Dominant figures out what it is and how to use it, they will not be any closer to escaping unless the Submissive plays a key role in interacting with these clues. Things to note about these rooms: the third clue requires some sort of sexual engagement to be considered “clear” of it. After the allotted time of one (1) hour, if those inside haven’t managed to escape, the Submissives will be removed from the room and the Dominants will remain until they can successfully help the new Submissives escape the room. Each time, the clues will be reset and change; they will never be the same.

» » » THE KEY TO HEARTS

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Meanwhile, in the Down, a local charity organization has sent out notices for a black-tie fundraiser to be held during the evening to raise awareness of homeless Submissive children. Invitations are sent via the devices, and there are even fliers posted all across the Up and the Down. If in attendance of the event, the waitstaff will be taking down the names of all uncontracted Submissives; no other explanation of what it’s for is mentioned throughout the evening. And while donations are completely voluntary, any contributions made helps to further the main endeavor of the cause. However, it seems most people are present to network and find someone that might fill a contract slot. So, eat, drink, and dance until it all winds down and everyone decides to go home. The only “catch”? Dominants draw the name of one Submissive to accompany them back to the Up, and those who are left will be paired up for the sake of no one leaving alone.

« « « MOD & OOC NOTES

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Please read carefully. Dominant and Submissive TDM assignments: All characters whose first name begins with the following ( A, C, E, G, I, K, M, O, Q, S, U, W, and Y ) are Dominants. All characters whose first name begins with the following ( B, D, F, H, J, L, N, P, R, T, V, X, and Z ) are Submissives. Players with characters that are a number use the first letter to spell that number. To use this TDM as a door pass please link this on your app and place whether it is dominant or submissive. For the escape room prompt players can make up the clues they find. They may be extremely sexual or something simple like moving a painting off a wall. Also, any locations throughout Duplicity are available for TDM prompts as well! Please remember to mark any necessary content, and have fun!!

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» » » MAIN NAVIGATION « « «

Comments

Saber Alter | Fate/ | Dominant

[excaliburnt]

» OUT OF CLUTTER

[Of course I'm dominant, Saber thinks; that goes without saying.

Though she's none too happy about her treatment thus far and the lack of answers makes her wary, anything's better than the sorry sight she left behind - facing down the business end of a blade, wielded by the person she'd least suspect. Leaving those troublesome thoughts behind, an easier task than expected with no voices howling in her head and no madness ringing in her ears, she takes to wandering.

Well, first she orders as much greasy, gassy food as she can stuff her face with back at the highrise. Then she takes to wandering, through the gilded streets of... Up? Who named these places, anyway? The entire facility bothers her distinctly - it reeks of lies and falsehoods. Touching her hand to each building, scanning over each sign, observing the laughing couples that pass, it all reflects an idyllic fantasy but whispers of something deeper, something darker. A parasite lurking within a flawless core, waiting to emerge at any given moment.

The seeming perfection of Camelot was marred by inner demons, after all. None know this better than Artoria Pendragon.]

Do you truly believe in this nonsense?

[And so the fantasy is shattered as Saber asks the person nearest to her a shamelessly direct question. She doesn't look the slightest bit guilty for it, just probingly curious.]

» WAIST OF TIME

[Because that's all this really is in the end, isn't it?

She had only intended to hit up the train and visit the Down for a quick errand - that errand being spying on the lesser folk - when instead she found herself deposited in a cramped room and subjected to an overly enthusiastic voice delivering instructions on how to escape. Wonderful. There's always the "Excalibur everything and hope for the best" solution, but in an unknown world results could prove unpredictable... and she's not feeling quite ill-tempered enough to torch any civilians. At least not yet.

Instead she folds her arms impatiently, dead-eyeing her fellow captive.]

What are you waiting for? Release us at once.

[As if they were the reason she was stuck in a huff.]

» THE KEY TO HEARTS

[Look, she's not completely heartless, okay? And there was some legitimate merit to staking out another locale by attending this black-tie whatever. Somehow she manages to fit right in, donning a surprisingly classy ensemble and mingling with other guests. She's far from the life of the party, but she endures small talk well enough - a king, even a blackened one, never forgets their manners. She's been to enough of these back in the day to know how to behave, to put on certain airs. This too is a lie, but one she's awfully good at.

Gliding to and fro and finally settling in the corner to observe, anyone who can survive her piercing stare will be rewarded with conversation... though it may not be entirely pleasant, or last more than a few minutes. At the end of the night, she draws a ticket as directed, and surveys the room for her escort.]

Come. I assume you know the way, Submissive?

[Two seconds into this thing and she's already mocking her partner. Alas.]

(( OOC: prompt 1 for doms, prompt 2 for subs, prompt 3 either/or depending on when your character enters. open to pretty much anything/wildcard, message me if you've got questions. ))

Key to Hearts

[homomculous]

[It's a simple thing, mingling in the party. Iri doesn't have all that much experience with these sort of things, true, but her cheery personality and ladylike demeanor help a great deal. She threads her way through the crowd without much difficulty, laughing and chatting, and trying to avoid the topic of when she'll contract someone... she has a couple months left and her eyes on one or two options, after all!

But who her eyes eventually fall on is not a candidate. There's no submissive mark on this one, just a very familiar face, bearing, and voice. Eyes widening, she slips through several knots of chatting people until she finds herself within easy speaking distance of the woman.

There's no doubt this time. It's not just a similar face. Something's changed, she can feel it, and it makes her spine tingle something fierce. But she brushes it aside. She won't hesitate now.]

Saber.

[The name leaving her lips makes her smile, and she takes the last few steps to be within arms reach of the woman, eyes bright, hope and joy in her face.]

... My knight, is it really you?

damn my heart already hurts.

[excaliburnt]

[...oh, no.

Not this, anything but this. This, what's unfolding here and now, was the one thing she hoped never to see, never to endure. This is the only person who could make her heart skip, just for a beat. A beat and then forgotten, because it must be, as was everything when she drowned in the dark.

Recovering from the initial shock, Saber stands tall before her former charge - and if not for her ghostly pallor, her golden eyes, the wretched aura she exudes, maybe she could be mistaken for the knight Irisviel seeks. Maybe she could be mistaken for someone who protected her with pride. But no longer.

Still, she tells the truth. She can do nothing else.]

Not anymore.

[Is that what you wanted to hear? She fights off the smirk she can feel coming, then adds:]

Yet Saber I remain. And Saber I will always be.

Well that was the wrong character

[homomculous]

[She looks... washed out. As though something stripped away the color of her skin and beautiful golden hair. And those eyes... Irisviel feels like she should be flinching away from them. But she doesn't move a muscle.

And the smile, though it trembles, doesn't fade. "Not anymore" is it? Yes, something's undeniably different. Something she feels like she should understand completely, but it's beyond her. Maybe she just doesn't want to comprehend. Could anyone blame her for that?

Not so long ago she met a woman, one still a part of her life here, with Saber's face, but nothing else similar. She confuse the two for just long enough to make her heart squirm. This is so much worse.]

I know. You were summoned again, right? It's not... it could never be the same, once you had a new Master. I don't know what happened to you after that, but... Saber I'm so glad to see you.

[She's not crying. She's not- oh. Damn.]

even kairi can't take grimdark of this magnitude

[excaliburnt]

[Blunt as blunt could be:]

I chose this fate of my own free will, with my own two hands.

[She always wondered if an artificial being could understand such a concept - if Irisviel was simply defective from the start, or if deep down they all harbored some desire for rebellion. She can't speak against it. She can't disrespect it.

But she can turn away.]

...wipe those cheeks clean. You bring shame upon yourself, Irisviel.

[Though she wouldn't be wrong to detect softness in the syllables of her name.]

It's like Riku in II only worse.

[homomculous]

Don't be an idiot.

[Very few people would have the temerity to speak to this version of Saber like that, but Iri could never be afraid of her knight. Her voice sharpens, her eyes narrow, her fists clench as she retorts, making no effort to move her hands to her face.]

The person I was closest to besides my child and husband stands before me, telling me she's no longer the woman I once knew, and you tell me not to mourn? I ought to slap you, Artoria Pendragon!

[And... okay that was her maternal side coming out. A little weird for it to show up around Saber, warped or not, but it's something at least.]

» The Key to Hearts

[anti_altruisms]

[ Archer would recognize her anywhere. The kind of person who effortlessly draws the gaze of others, he's actually been watching her for quite some time. Though initially, upon seeing the blond hair and petite, yet elegant figure, his heart skipped a beat, it quickly turns cold. Her demeanor is too cold, even for the King of Knights he once knew, and then of course, there's the color of her eyes, the inky black of her dress that reminds him too much of the tainted armor he'd last seen her in.

There is no point, he eventually decides, in avoiding her or pretending she does not exist. What is, is, and cannot be undone.

So he walks up to her. He's never liked formal wear much, but he manages it just fine. ]

I have to admit, I'm surprised.

[ If she looks, she'll note the dark line on his throat marking him as a Submissive. ]

That dress is quite flattering on you.

[excaliburnt]

[She does, indeed, look. Casts a lingering glance, and he wouldn't be wrong to call it appreciative.]

Is that all you wished to say, Archer?

[Bullshitting around might be a class skill for Archer's ilk, but nothing can hide from a Saber's superior instincts. She can practically sense his disappointment, and he wouldn't be wrong to spy some vindictiveness in her smile. This is me, this has always been me. Just say it, Archer. Start an argument. Incite a war.

She's waiting.]

[anti_altruisms]

[ Maybe just a few weeks ago, he might have. Coming out of Tumenalia, however, there really isn't that much he can say to her. Is he disappointed? Perhaps. But what would he say to a Saber who wasn't tainted by the Grail? Would he do anything besides exchange pleasantries? He knows himself well enough to know the answer to that question.

She may mean to goad him, but he simply shrugs. ]

What would you have me say, Saber? Should I scold you like a child when I know you are anything but?

[ No. He isn't going to do that. He doesn't have the right. ]

I simply thought I would acknowledge you, rather than pretend otherwise.

[excaliburnt]

If anyone deserves a scolding, it's you.

[And they both might agree on that one.]

Have you been enjoying yourself, Archer? The role of Submissive must be positively liberating for a masochist of your caliber.

[anti_altruisms]

[ Archer just waves a hand at that. ]

It's nothing really new, truthfully.

[ A Servant is a tool, a weapon, bound to serve at the pleasure of a Master. Taking that into consideration, his position hasn't change all that much. ]

I would only say the city keeps its own surprises and that it isn't wise to take anything for granted.

The Key to Hearts

[why_so_therius]

[Therius bristles, being addressed in such a manner. He is the greatest Knight in the Empire! And to be addressed in the manner that she did is nothing short of the highest insult. So her piercing stare is met back with one of stubborn pride and dignity, his back straight as he looks at this girl.]

You will address me as Sir Therius.

[Like hell will he be referred to only as "submissive."]

[excaliburnt]

I will address you however I see fit.

[This is already off to a great start.]

He is stubborn, but she is free to step on him

[why_so_therius]

I think not.

[And as if to prove his point, he dares to turn his back on her as he starts to take his leave.]

roger that

[excaliburnt]

[Cool story, bro.

With practiced ease inherent to a born bully, Alter slinks forward and winds a spiked heel around Sir Blahblahblahwhocares's foot to trip him up.]

Waist of Time

[hikarichan]

[Hikari likes wandering around. Drifting from place to place, not coming home until late at night. It's a habit she picked up in London. She didn't like her dormmates, her parents weren't around, and she didn't know the country. Wandering unfamiliar streets felt so freeing.

So she'd been trying to practice the same habit here. As a way of relieving the stress of showing up in an unfamiliar place, being told she was a Submissive. She isn't blind to the innuendo there, and she doesn't like it.

... Only now she's here. Maybe this is karmic payback for that time she locked Karen in a toolshed. To be fair, the room is far nicer than that shed. Then again, Karen hadn't been expected to do anything humiliating to get out.]

Yes. You caught me. I want to be stuck in here. [Hikari rolls her eyes, tries to remember what the clue was. Something to do with a painting of the night sky in here. Touching the stars in a certain order. Hikari turns to it, on the far wall, takes it in. It's a nice enough painting, if a little generic.

'The submissive has the star map.' Hikari pauses, unclips her hairclip, and holds it up to the painting, but none of the stars on it resemble her hairclip.]

... I'd be getting us out of here if I knew what they meant.

[excaliburnt]

You were presuming it was somehow hidden within your hair?

[Smarmity smarmity smarm.]

Think harder, then. What else could be meant by a map?

[hikarichan]

I was presuming that we have to press something on the painting. The stars. See how they're raised? We probably have to press certain ones down.

[She indicates them, with her fingers.]

But I don't have stars on me. Or scars, or birthmarks. So it has to be something I'm wearing, or have on me. [But she's only wearing her uniform - there's no buttons or pins on it, and it's just a simple grey and white thing, no designs. Her tights are black, no stars or anything. So the only thing left is -

She pauses, shoulders suddenly going straight, stiffening.]

... If you turn around for all of three minutes, I think I can solve this.

[excaliburnt]

[And she probably could, but unfortunately for Hikari Saber happens to be an expert at reading body language - blame it on her instincts - as well as a predator who's ever on the hunt, so she can smell fear when it rears its ugly head. Maybe a little of something else too.]

Mm...

[Hmm...]

No, I don't think that I will. Proceed.

Out of Clutter

[gilgamess]

[ -- to think that she would be here, too. with so many of their kind already within this world, as though it were another Grail War summoning, it is perhaps unsurprising. only it is not the golden-haired Noble Maiden, still brimming with hidden sorrows over defeated dreams, but her dark counterpart, who bathed in the condemnation thereof. is this woman a lost soul, or is she a soul who has simply accepted the inevitable truth of the world? Gilgamesh himself would have said, and did say, that this was the inevitable outcome for her. still, to have seen her on the knife's edge of resisting such a fate had been exquisite, for as long as it lasted.

of course, only he is fit to take the entirety of the world's curses without losing some part of himself. Arturia never had a chance to keep all of her beliefs, all of her ideals. she is a ghost in more than appearance now, but perhaps for all that, she has learned some truth at last. ]

Should you not be asking yourself that, Saber? [ wandering into each other on the streets -- how nostalgic. Gilgamesh, of course, smiles to see his dear Saber, even in her altered condition. though it is not friendly in the least. ] Certainly, in that condition of yours, you should have no difficulty accepting the uglier truths of the world for what they are. Or less difficulty than before, perhaps.

Ah, only it pains me to see you like this. [ his smile lapses, and he looks somber. ] After all, it was for me to drown you in those curses, King of Knights.

get outta here goldie!!!

[excaliburnt]

[Oh. Look what the Grail dragged in.

Several thoughts run through Saber's mind at once, most of them oriented towards murder and all in increasingly painful ways, but since she's unwilling to drag the entire city into their inevitable dispute she just quietly simmers instead. Even in death, I can't escape you.

He's not really worth the effort, anyway. Tempted to leave yet aware he'll just follow like a dog on a golden leash, Saber decides to humor him.]

Indeed, 'twas a shame. To pluck my lesser half's petals one by one, to watch her face contort in agony as the shadows consumed all that was noble, upstanding, and whole... to violate every inch and make it mine, and absolutely revel in every second of each and every debauched crime...

[Saber smiles in such a way that would shatter any lingering image of the past. Too slick, too sharp.]

That was an indulgence reserved for me alone. Pitiful for the pooch that missed his chance, hm?

NEVER >:)

[gilgamess]

[ He, of course, is not intimidated by her in the least. Then again, Gilgamesh never was. The original Arturia had been an opponent worthy of the use of his treasure, but whether that remains true of this dark copy remains to be seen. Though he does not think she will draw her holy sword (was it still that, indeed?) against him -- not yet. Perhaps when the moment is right.

But, wow, Saber, that is some serious self-hatred. Gilgamesh laughs under his breath at those words, so like an echo of his own. ]

How you underestimate me, Saber. I, who remember many existences, and many Grail Wars, and was granted the power of foresight, know that you are but one summoning. That other "you," I shall encounter again eventually. [ he encountered her not long before being summoned here, in fact. ] And when I do, she shall be mine, to be dyed in my colors during our nuptial love.

Moreover, what you fail to realize is that with each of those words you say, you reveal that I have already defeated you, for "her" ideology, now your ideology, was what I already long knew to be true.

But are you truly capable of being a tyrant like me, Saber? Hm, I rather suspect some discrepancy still lurks in your breast. No matter. We shall soon see about that.

[excaliburnt]

[Take it easy there Gilderoy, you're embarrassing yourself.]

Your desperation burns beyond any of the horrors visited upon me, you drooling dog.

[Ouch... that's one of those multi-tiered burns. Apparently the object of his affections has taken a class in the fine art of the diss, and she doesn't seem too impressed by yet another tiresome iteration of his self-aggrandizing speeches. Dismissing him with a fluid turn of her heel, it's hard not to hear the mockery and the maliciousness in her tone.]

Perhaps they should find a leash for you. Seeing you dragged through the streets by your scrawny neck would at least bring me some amusement.

[She's turned her back, but she's no fool. If he insists on following, whatever, she's not going anywhere anytime soon. Other than somewhere to ease her incoming migraine.]

out of clutter 2 for 1 yuetsu deal

[godbless]

[shamelessly direct is fine. the madness of corruption is even better.

saber—it must be her. and yet the look of her is different, smothered in whatever tainted the black mud that seeped into his heart years ago, and everything about her, he thinks, is interesting. he has to talk to her more. a fallen king... if only the saber in his grail wars would have known this was possible.]

You're going to have to be more precise, Saber. [yes, he's aware of her name. kirei smiles easily, though it's not all that reassuring and doesn't meet his eyes.]

Do you mean the city itself? The societal system put in place? What they are doing with all of us?

https://i.imgur.com/I1tGpaP.jpg

[excaliburnt]

[How much loathsome dreg can one city contain before it bursts at the seams? Saber can feel her eyes rolling into the back of her head upon Kirei's approach, but as with a certain companion of his there's really no stopping him once he's got his eyes set on something. Or someone.

Though, as with that certain companion, she's still considering the idea of abrupt and abject slaughter. Because nothing quite says rejoicing like cardiac arrest.]

I'll leave that sort of laborious "precision" to you, priest.

[And he will labor on. And on. And on. Nuisance.]

As for their aims... it's obvious, isn't it? If you've failed to figure that out by now, there really isn't any hope left for you.