duplicitymemes | TDM #22

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TDM #22

« « « 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.

Winter is here and snow flurries are common in the Up while the slush collects in the Down.

» » » 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.

« « « WINTER WONDERLAND

As a particularly heavy snowstorm blows across the city, Duplicity finds itself blanketed in white. The morning after the storm, many citizens seem to be in a particularly mischievous mood and snowballs are a common sight flying through the air. A projectile meant for someone else may hit you square in the face if you're not careful — and then it's on. Joining these impromptu snow battles is encouraged, no matter a person's designation, and even Submissives teaming up to pelt unsuspecting Dominants with snowballs is generally taken in the spirit of good fun. Not everyone is throwing snow, of course — some are rolling much larger balls and shaping them into lewd snow figures.

Those feeling chilled after playing in the snow may experience the urge to warm up with someone else, skin to skin. Whether they're a stranger or a familiar face, holding hands, kissing, or getting down and dirty with the nearest willing partner is invigorating. It might even be the only way to really feel warm again.

« « « DUBIOUS DELIVERIES

(cw: aphro, humiliation kink)

Want to make some quick cash? After exiting the train in the Down, there seems to be a questionable character hanging about the station. Dressed in a trenchcoat and looking more like a flasher than the businessman he claims to be, this shady recruiter offers easy money in exchange for a simple delivery. Just take a package and drop it off at the address on the label. Really, that's it! Stop asking questions.

Should characters decide to open the package themselves instead, they'll discover one of the following: glitter — so much glitter, lube (appears normal, but actually contains hot pepper and will cause more than a mild tingling sensation if used anywhere sensitive), a package of flavored condoms mysteriously labeled "every flavor" (none of them taste good), candy or perfume containing an aphrodisiac that, in addition to the usual libido-boosting effect, will also cause an intense craving for humiliation.

It seems to be one of those services that allows one to send anonymous prank gifts, and they're hiding behind LIERs as couriers. There's no return address or company information on or inside the package, except for a card marked Encoded Sin Corp — which does not seem to be a real company if the name is searched.

Whether characters end up delivering the package — maybe even to a fellow LIER — or get into some trouble along the way, someone is getting a nasty surprise.

« « « SURPRISES FOR SALE

(cw: aphro, dubcon, excessive fluids, exhibitionism, public use)

A small winter market has been set up along one of the major streets in the Up with stalls selling a variety of goods ranging from knitted hats and scarves, soaps, scented lotions, candles, jewelry, artwork and assorted crafts to hand-dyed bondage rope and kinky leather accessories. Food and drink stands are plentiful as well. Strings of lights crisscross the street between the roofs of the shops, providing a cheerful glow, and there are tables set up in the street itself for people to sit and chat while having a snack — if they can stand the cold.

Some of the most popular treats being sold are hot chocolate, eggnog, marshmallow snowmen, and sugar cookies decorated like snowflakes. Of course, their popularity may have something to do with the effects they produce when consumed.

• The hot chocolate simply gets one all hot and bothered.
• The eggnog may cause heavy production of sexual fluids, a desire to be filled or covered with someone else's cream, or all of the above.
• The marshmallow snowmen will make those who eat them want to invite others to use them as they please, desiring nothing more than to be molded into the perfect fucktoy.
• The sugar cookies seem to induce all sorts of different cravings — after all, no two snowflakes are alike!

These effects tend to last at least an hour and may, in some cases, last up to a full day.

One of the jewelry shops sells an unusual selection of compass pendants and bracelets. The compass arrows spin round and round lazily while the pieces are on display. Once worn, however, that changes. The arrow will settle on a direction, but instead of pointing north it will lead directly to another person. Perhaps you should speak to them? You may even begin to feel magnetically drawn to them yourself… In the event that two people have compasses that point them at each other, the attraction will be even stronger — nearly impossible to deny.

There is another shop which sells intricately designed pocket watches and small clocks. When these timepieces are stared at for an extended length of time or picked up and handled, characters will feel a brief but strong connection to their past and experience a vivid flashback to some moment that was, in whatever way, meaningful for them. After reliving the memory, they will feel compelled to speak about it to whoever is nearby.

« « « 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 likes it hot, they are a Dominant. If your character prefers the cold, they are a Submissive.

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

[ Kazu is just out wandering, having only recently swapped his own gown for the hand me downs subs are given. The strange zipping going on during the snowball fight he's approaching is just weird enough that his instinct is to avoid it, but before he can turn down a sidestreet there's a naked guy standing in front of him. In a snowstorm. The stranger gets a look up and down and a quirked eyebrow at his priorities. ]

...no.

[ But Barry can have the one he is wearing. It's not all that warm, but it's at least enough to cover himself with. Kazu holds it out at arm's length, not coming any closer to the weird naked guy. ]

[Barry gives him a grateful smile, plucking it from him and wrapping himself in it.] Ah, thanks. That's much better, I was freezing. I promise I'll give it back to you as soon as I get my clothes.

[ Well, at least his dick is mostly covered now... Kazu continues to boggle at the stranger's disposition, the casual way he says he was freezing while still standing there mostly naked. ]

Are you lost?

[It's a little embarrassing, sure, but again, not the weirdest situation he's ever been in. Or the first time he's wound up naked in public.]

Kind of. I mean, I'm new, if that's not totally obvious. This is all unfamiliar territory to me. What about you?

Oh, it's obvious.

[ Kazu's lips curl up slightly, though, softening the words. ]

I am also new. The rooms they've put us in are back this way.

[ He thumbs over his shoulder the way he came from, silently offering to show the stranger the way. ]

[Barry huffs at that, but he'll allow it. The admission that he's also new gets a warm smile, though, and he nods.]

Thanks. I got a little distracted by the fun snowball fights. I'm Barry, by the way, what's your name?

[ That's very distractable, Barry. Kazu looks both amused and bewildered as he heads back almost in his own footsteps, guiding the way. It's a subtle thing but he tries to stay in front of Barry, blocking him from both the snowy wind and potential frozen projectiles. ]

Me? I'm Kazu.

[ He pronounces it very deliberately 'ka-zuh' and gives Barry an expectant look over his shoulder, wanting him to parrot it back. If the guy's gonna be another one to call him 'kazoo' he wants to nip that in the bud right away. ]

[If smiles are distractable, prepare to be distracted a lot!! Barry doesn't mind the subtle protection (he does notice it), but it's not actually necessary. He nods though, repeating it back to him perfectly.]

Kazu, got it. Can I ask where you're from?

[Look, he has friends who are aliens. Strange names are not a problem.]

[ He's not distracted, just kind of amazed that Barry could be derailed from getting clothing in a snowstorm by something potentially fun. Clothing is a priority when it's below freezing out, sir. ]

Shinjuku, Japan. Yourself?

[Oh well yes okay, Barry is also easily distracted a lot. Especially by fun things.]

Central City, USA. I haven't been to Japan before, but I was attacked by samurai robots once.

[ ... well what are the odds of that? ]

Wasn't me.

[ That probably needs some measure of explanation, though, doesn't it? ]

Ah, I am a samurai robot. Sort of.

Woah, really? You're a very humanlike robot. Are you AI? [Barry is fascinated, please tell him more.]

And no, I know it wasn't you. These were created by one of my enemies. Definitely less human.

Alright, I guess I should have said I can be a samurai robot. I am not one right now, but back home I was one of only a handful of people whose minds are compatible with technology to upload ourselves into machines.

[ It's not like talking about the program matters here... or at all, for him, probably. ]

A teammate customized our holons -- I fought as a 40 foot robot with a sword.

That's amazing. Cisco and Chester would be so jealous, they're engineers. What does it require for your brain to be robot-compatible? Or is that an insensitive question?

[Barry has already decided this guy is gonna be in the bff club.]

Neuroplasticity, according to the scientist who developed it. There are tons of requirements and tests besides that but the part emphasized most is the capability to adapt and change.

[ The truth is, Kazu only ever understood about half of Dr Weller's explanations... but Barry doesn't need to know that. Kazu's not beyond puffing up slightly to impress someone who thinks he's cool. ]

Ohhh. That totally makes sense. I wonder if speedster brains would work or we would throw off the tests. Not that I need a giant robot, but it would sure be an experience.

[This is all a very distracting discussion, but when they finally reach what seems to be his place, he dashes inside for a moment, then comes back out with the STAR Labs sweater and jeans he was wearing before he showed up. Not quite as warm as a jacket, but good enough for now.]

Here, I'm a little warmer now, you can have this back. [He hands him the jacket he borrowed.]

It's strange, at first. You have to learn how to experience the world all over again.

[ Kazu is about to ask what exactly a speedster brain is when Barry vanishes. And then zooms right back, dressed and holding out the jacket. Kazu takes it with a curious look. ]

...and that answers my next question. Are you augmented somehow?

[Barry grins.] You could say that. I'm what we call a meta-human where I'm from. I was exposed to dark matter, and now I have a lot of really cool abilities. I sort of had to learn how to experience the world all over again too.

'We'? This kind of thing happens a lot where you're from?

[ If there's a name for people like Barry, it must be fairly common... to Kazu it sounds like the plot of a superhero movie, though, not something that would ever actually work that way. Like how being bitten by a radioactive spider would probably just kill you in real life. ]

Well, the initial dark matter exposure was from a particle accelerator explosion, so yeah, a lot of people were affected. There were other incidents too. And there are metas on other Earths. I know some aliens too.

[He gives him a sheepish look.] This is probably a lot to take in, huh?

[ Kazu quirks an eyebrow. Lots of people with powers from 'incidents', other earths, aliens... yeah, that's a lot. But he's a dead part-time robot solider in another universe entirely, so why not pile on the weirdness? ]

We should probably get used to taking in unusual sounding things, no?

Probably, yeah. Hey do you...want to come in? We could both be a little warmer inside, at least.

[Might as well actually make use of his room while they're there, right?]

[ ...well, Barry seems nice enough. And Kazu can't deny that he's got more questions. ]

Alright.

[ He follows Barry in, giving the place a cursory glance even though he doesn't expect it to be any different from his own room. ]

[Barry lets him in, actually taking a moment to look around curiously, since he really only dashed in before. There's not much there at all, but at least there's a bed and a small kitchen space. He opts for stool seating, since it's the most casual.]

Guess you're my first house guest. It's going to be weird adjusting to this after having my own loft.

[ That earns Barry another quirked eyebrow, as Kazu can't relate at all. He's never lived alone, and hasn't even had a room since joining the military. Cammie's hub upgrade was the closest thing he'd gotten to his own space in years and it was virtual. ]

A loft all to yourself?

winter wonderland

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