duplicitymemes | TDM #21

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«tdm

TDM #21

« « « 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 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.

Enjoy your free time until orientation! Participation is mandatory by all new and old arrivals.

Autumn is in full swing and the weather is cool and damp.

» » » ALL ABOARD

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.

« « « THE FIRST TIME IS FREE

(cw: coercion)

With the days growing shorter and the weather chillier, LIEs has decided to partner with a popular hotel chain in Duplicity to showcase its new themed rooms and encourage those who have recently arrived to get warm and cozy (if not hot and heavy) with one another. Rather than taking place on site at one of the hotels, a demo area has been set up in the Orientation building for a limited time, making use of three of its many empty rooms, transforming them for lucky pairs to enjoy.

Of course it's not just new arrivals who are expected to participate—both current and graduated participants may find themselves roped in as well, paired off with fresh new faces or familiar ones. Pairings are randomized, though always a Dominant and a Submissive, and the demo sessions last 1-2 hours.

There are three different themed rooms to try — Azure, Malachite, and Scarlet — each with a distinct color palette. Though they vary in decor and amenities, all three have a queen sized bed, en suite bathroom, minibar (stocked with aphro treats), complimentary aphro mints on the pillow, and a standard array of sex toys to choose from (dildos, vibrators, plugs, cock rings, etc.) Each room will also have its own special atmospheric effect on characters, though how strongly it will influence their desires may vary from person to person.

All those who participate will receive coupons for a discounted stay at the actual hotel chain if they wish to book a room overnight after enjoying the demo rooms. 'Tis the season, after all, to indulge in one's deepest, darkest desires.

« « « AZURE

(cw: aphro, dubcon, potential for various kinks including but not limited to age play, pet play, other types of roleplay, medical kink, bondage, temperature play, electrostimulation, large insertions, and monster dicks)

The Azure Room is decorated in sleek futuristic style with blue lighting and lots of clean lines. The walls and ceiling are mirrored and most furniture, aside from the bed and certain… specialty items, is made of glass. The bathroom is tiled in dark blue and features both a glass-walled shower with multiple adjustable and detachable showerheads and a freestanding bath filled with ice water.

All sorts of toys, kinky implements, costumes, and accessories are available for use—including, of particular note, a large collection of brightly colored silicone dildos with unconventional shapes reflecting alien or monstrous anatomy. Dragon dicks? Of course. Tentacle dildo? You bet. Some of these even have a special base that allows them to be connected to various fucking machines in place of the standard attachments. A padded leather exam chair (blue, naturally) with ankle stirrups and a ceiling-mounted sex swing round out the room's more niche furnishings.

Upon entering, both characters will feel a general willingness to experiment. They may feel especially drawn toward roleplay (of various kinds), pet play, leather/lace/latex clothing fetishes, temperature play (ice or wax), medical kink, or electrostimulation—but really, anything goes. This room is all about broadening one's horizons and it has a little something for everyone.

« « « MALACHITE

(cw: altered mental states, aphro, dubcon, service (sexual or domestic), bondage, human furniture, face-sitting/forced oral, orgasm control/denial, master/servant roleplay, shaving kink)

The Malachite Room is stunningly opulent with ornately carved dark wooden furniture, rich fabrics, and damask wallpaper. There's a crown motif running through many of the designs and nearly everything that isn't wood or metal is some shade of green. The bed is a massive four poster with an emerald green canopy, and directly across from it sits a lavish velvet throne. The bathroom boasts a large sunken tub with an array of soaps, scented bubble baths, and massage oils lined up within easy reach.

A selection of toys are laid out on silver serving trays on the dresser: butt plugs with jeweled bases and glass dildos, the aesthetic ranging from elegant to outright gaudy. Silk scarves are draped across another tray along with neatly-looped bundles of rope. The throne, upon closer inspection, has a semi-circular opening in the seat cushion and a fabric sling below where someone lying beneath it might rest their head.

When a pair enters the room, one will feel an inclination toward service and submission, while the other will feel the desire to be served or simply exert control. They may wish to engage in master/servant or royalty roleplay, body worship, massage, bondage, human furniture kink, shaving/washing/grooming kinks, orgasm control/denial, and other kinks of a similar nature. The role each character feels inclined toward does not have to match their designation, e.g. a Dominant might feel the urge to get on their knees.

« « « SCARLET

(cw: altered mental states, aphro, dubcon, sadomasochism, bondage, caging/confinement, humiliation)

The Scarlet Room is, well, vibrantly scarlet, with mood lighting to match. The style is closer to a dungeon than a hotel room, though still a luxurious one—all red leather upholstery and gleaming stainless steel. The bed sits inside a floor-to-ceiling circular metal cage with a door that latches from the outside. The bathroom has no door, leaving it in full view of the rest of the room at all times. In addition to the basic amenities, it also features a heart-shaped jacuzzi.

A padded table with attached restraints and a smaller cage underneath, a spanking bench, and an x-frame bondage cross make up most of the other furniture. One wall is dedicated to a rack of toys and equipment, such as stainless steel dildos and plugs, sounding rods, anal hooks, spreader bars, rope, cuffs, chastity devices, clothespins and nipple clamps, gags, hoods, blindfolds, paddles, whips, floggers, crops, and canes. There is also a small selection of knives and tools for branding.

When a pair enters this room, one will feel an inclination toward dishing out punishment and the other will feel a desire to be punished. These sadomasochistic urges can take many forms, such as impact play, knife play and/or blood play, branding, nipple/breast torture, genital torture, bondage, caging/confinement, and humiliation. The role each character feels inclined toward does not have to match their designation, e.g. a Submissive might wish to take a Dominant over their knee and spank them.

« « « SEXPRESSO

(cw: aphro/drugs)

In a bid to boost local businesses, as well as make contracts, LIEs has partnered with the coffee chain Peek-A-Brew to help play matchmaker this time around. Along with the usual goodie bag, each character will be handed a small slip of paper after Orientation with a date and time, location, and three fun facts about a mystery partner they're to meet for a coffee date. These "facts" may or may not actually be true — they're simply meant to spark conversation. For the duration of the 1-2 hours the pairs are expected to spend getting to know one another, they will receive unlimited free coffee and tea and a discount on any other menu items. Naturally, all goods are spiked to make the consumers more agreeable, more truthful, and perhaps a bit more handsy than normal. Though the meetings are not mandatory, touching the paper brings on an inexplicable sense of curiosity about meeting their partner and discovering who they really are.

« « « 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 prefers tea, they are a Submissive. If your character prefers coffee, they are a Dominant.

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!

Test Drive threads can be used as activity proofs for characters currently in-game.

Please remember to mark any necessary content, and have fun!!

» » » MAIN NAVIGATION « « «

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

i. —ALL ABOARD!

[ The trouble is not so much that he's suddenly landed himself in worse circumstances from what he's just come from -- John Irving may be a lot of things, but not even he's foolish enough to think for even a moment that winding up in some kind of bizarre, urbanized Sodom and Gomorrah is worse than being stranded in the Arctic with quickly dwindling supplies and even more quickly dying men, all the while being hunted by a creature deadlier than any animal and more cunning than any man that takes the bone-chilling shape of a bear that clearly never was a bear at all -- and in no way would he ever suggest such a thing: upon his arrival in Duplicity he was fed and healed and bathed (yes, properly bathed), all luxuries of which Irving will never in his life take for granted again. His first thought had even been to wonder if the Terror had perhaps been captured by pirates, or possibly another country's Admiralty, and how even that might be considered a blessing if it frees them at last from that endless frozen tomb-- the tattoo now striping down his neck to his chest could certainly seem to support either theory.

Still quite frightening, yes, but without any information, weapons, or knowledge as to where the rest of his crew is, Irving does nothing rash; it's only after the orientation does he begin to understand how deeply, deeply wrong this all is. The trouble has nothing to do with "worse," the trouble is being able to wrap his brain around it. The bear-beast had never even given any of them a choice or the chance to whenever it would bowl them down with all the force of some unspeakable Antideluvean apex-predator, and that now feels almost more of a kindness, in its way, than being abandoned to this great and Godless unknown.

He feels so helplessly confused there's a look on his face like he might burst into tears at any moment, start sobbing right where he stands like a lost child or have a psychotic break the moment he sits down, but Irving somehow manages to both board the train and find a seat without major incident. Irving's been well-trained in staying collected when in crisis, when faced with The Unknown, and no matter what he's really feeling often even manages to succeed in his efforts; he's seen far too many men fall mad with hysteria when faced with the unfathomable, and he refuses to be one of them.

It's less a calm, though, and more a sort of walking catatonia, like some part of his brain has shut down completely, his body constricted as close in his seat as possible and eyes deer-in-headlights wide as they take in everything around him. Staring too, probably, at least until he accidentally makes eye contact with someone and quickly averts his gaze out the window. ]

ii. —THE FIRST TIME IS FREE

[ Irving, like many career sailors, is certainly no stranger to brothels and the like, though he usually strives for restraint over indulgence-- tries to, but more often than not he succeeds, having spent enough time at sea by now he's developed systems for helping to avoid temptation.

And at first that's all he believes this to be, a temptation, probably the most obvious sort to choose for a young mariner like himself who's barely even seen a woman in years. He is, after all, like all men, only flesh and blood and will, and that is exactly what places like this do: they tempt. Irving was expecting something like this, devious attempts and incentives to seduce him and his fellow prisoners into assimilation. As soon as someone begins to approach him Irving holds out a hand and opens his mouth in preparation to decline, eager to set an example for the others around him that they, too, need not simply give in to becoming slaves to their baser desires simply because they're there, but before he can so much as get a syllable out he's hauled rather bodily into the hotel. ]

Now wait a moment, I'm not one of the--

[ But then he remembers with dawning horror what he'd heard during orientation, that in fact those of them (himself most definitely included) marked with stripes are the ones here who get bought and sold and treated like chattel, like-- ]

I'm no whore, l-let me-- let me go! UNHAND ME!

[ Irving's voice raises to a shrill, panicked pitch that is entirely undignified, fighting against the strong grip yanking him toward an empty room or perhaps a partner-less (well, not anymore!) Dominant. Literally dragged, kicking and screaming. ]

⸻

▋ AZURE.

[ Wouldn't you know it, though: after that entire embarrassing scene he'd just made before, once Irving is actually inside the room he feels... almost calm, his panic and doubts shoved aside in favor of a strong and sudden yearning and curiosity that seem to fill him completely. He gapes in awe at the furniture, all the glass and the mirrors, a shower so beautiful it takes every shred of restraint he has left not to strip right there and jump in.

But, no-- not yet, at least, not until he's done looking around. ]

Is this...?! [ Wide-eyed, he laughs, and gingerly lifts one of the enormous tentacle-like dildos, before turning to his partner with a bewildered and delighted grin: ] Do you think it's real?

iii. —SEXPRESSO

[ Irving shows up early, for no particular reason other than he's a Naval Officer, and therefore often prone to over-meticulousness, and because his nerves simply can't handle being caught off-guard again by any more of Duplicity's awful surprises.

Not today, at least. He's not so sure his heart can handle it.

Sitting there tensely at his small table, his hands periodically fidgeting restlessly while he waits for -- well, he doesn't know who he's waiting for, which only further compounds his discomfort -- Irving risks taking a small sip of the coffee he's been brought, and then immediately regrets it. It's still alarmingly hot, enough that he burns his tongue rather painfully, but also not so much he can't get a sense of the actual flavor, too. He doesn't care for the taste of it, bitter even for coffee, so as it begins to cool down he wraps both palms around it in weak imitation of a person that's both comfortable being here and enjoying what he's been served, though every now and then he still absentmindedly lifts the cup to his lips again and is then either forced to surreptitiously spit the coffee back into it or choke down another small mouthful. Staring longingly at the tea menu, he's sorely tempted but still too polite to simply speak up and request another drink, and in fact overcompensates with a beaming smile when the barista happens to look over his way, forcing himself to swallow down more coffee until he feels he's no longer being watched (which seems to take ages).

Having now downed about a third of the cup, though, Irving's oddly enough slowly starting to feel slightly better for it, more at ease. Could it be that perhaps they've put a bit of booze in? That would be nice, even if he can't taste it at all.

And as for his mystery date: the "fact sheet" they'll be given, whether any of it is actually true or not, reads as follows:
JOHN IRVING...
——has thus far in his life only ever fucked in the missionary position.
——often wonders if he'd been happier being a choirboy rather than a Royal Navy officer. If you get him drunk enough he might even sing for you!
——does not, despite his faith, consider himself as the "marrying kind."
Yep, some booze would be pretty ideal right now. ]

⚓️ —wildcard

[ Or hit me with something else! Feel free to PM or hmu on plurk or discord ( kafkaesque#9039 ) if you'd like to discuss anything further. Wouldn't actually be able to app until around March at the earliest, but all the more reason to start voicetesting now, right?? Exactly...

Open to both m/f and m/m but just note that the latter will be more complicated, Irving is a fairly devout (and occasionally preachy, though usually when he's angry rather than by default) Christian man and can be fairly rife with repression and internalized homophobia. Canon-point (for now) is mid-episode 7 while mutiny's still building up at Terror Camp, after the new lieutenant promotion but before ( SPOILERS ). ]

[ These little coffee meetings he keeps getting called to have been a mixed bag so far. He's met gorgeous women, self-righteous pricks, a mustache twin, and potential friends. He'll pick up another invitation, because why not? The worst that could happen is they want to pick a fight with him, and he can handle himself just fine.

Of course, when he gets his card, he groans, because hasn't he had enough of dopey Navy men trying to puff their chests out for the time being? Good God. Only missionary position? What is he, a priest, too? He's ready to gag by the time he actually gets in the door and sees the man, full uniform and everything, but he extends a hand regardless. Unlikely allies can sometimes be the best kind. ]

You must be my date. Jack Rackham.

[ 1. Deserted the Navy after slitting the throat of an inkeeper and talked his way onto a pirate crew instead.
2. Has been involved in three stabbings in the month he's been here.
3. His favorite fruit is pineapple.

A charming portrait, with varying degrees of accuracy. ]

I would ask you kindly to call this anything but a date, Mr. Rackham, sir. [ There's a beat as he clears his throat, before he adds: ] Please.

[ That being said, Irving does feel significantly less tense and uneasy as he had before -- thanks to the spiked coffee, of course, although he doesn't know that yet (well, he does suspect there may be alcohol in it, which he's quite all right with if true. Nothing like a nip of something strong to help steady one's nerves) -- his voice soft and demeanor wary but polite, if still a little aloof; warranted, if anything written on the profile he was given about this man is actually true.

He stands as Jack approaches the table so he can shake the man's hand. ]

Lieutenant John Irving of the English Royal Navy. Please, [ gesturing to the empty chair at the table with him ] I'd be most obliged if you'd join me.

[ Things John Irving would normally never say to an alleged deserter, pirate, and murderer, but the coffee has him feeling quite good at the moment, all his thoughts and words coming to him both clearly and easily in a way they most certainly haven't been since he turned up here.

Irving sits again, clasping his fingers together on the table and looking at Jack with a gaze that likely appears more intense than it is due to his large eyes and pale irises. ]

You're a pirate. [ Is that a question or a statement? Well, fine: ] Are you not?

You must be new. [ That's a comfort, actually, knowing he's not the fresh meat anymore. He squeezes harder than he needs to when they shake hands, his smile fake and smarmy. ] Word of advise, on the house. Lighten up, or you're going to find this terribly difficult.

[ Easy for him to say, as a Dominant, of course. He's not quite thrilled to be here either, but at least he's got that going for him.

He thanks the waitress who comes by for a coffee for him as well, and lets Irving wait a second for an answer, while he lifts the mug to his lips for a sip. ]

I am. If a man can be considered a sailor at all, trapped on this island without a ship. Without the wind and the brine and the black sailing above his head. [ It's only been a month and he's getting antsy about it. God help him. ] You seem more relaxed about it than the other Navy men around here. Why is that?

lt. john irving | 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓻𝓸𝓻 | submissive

sexpresso;

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ii. —THE FIRST TIME IS FREE

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all aboard.

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sexpresso;

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