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

[ it's complicated, he thinks. if they talk about it. not that he's an expert, but all he's been doing since he'd arrived is try to gather intel on the ins and outs of the place. not so great a task doing it alone. still, he's more trusting in people despite the circumstances of what he'd left back home. it's the system he doesn't trust. ]

Sure. [ and maybe it's old-fashioned but he offers her his arm. in a crowded place like this, it'd be easier to stick close. ] I was told not to trust a lot of what you see, though.

[ especially the food. ]

( call it old fashioned but it's a gesture moiraine's not so familiar with, something she hasn't seen in a very long time. and it makes her think of an old home, of the palace where such kinder offers would have been given.

which means that she pauses before resting her hand very lightly on his arm )

Words I haven't yet heard.

( her voice quietens slightly, keeping it lower for just his ears, matching as well the tone of the topic )

Did they tell you why?

[ hailing from a city with a lot of people crowded together in places like this, it's easy for him to navigate around the clusters that pop up. still, he moves slowly, keeping most of his focus on the woman walking beside him. there's the slightest shake of his head as he keeps pace with her. ]

Not much, if I'm being honest. They want you to make that quota. So I guess they figure it's easier to help people along rather than wait for them to do it themselves. [ which isn't comforting in the slightest because he's certainly one of those people. ] It sounds like a numbers game.

[ not that he knows much about any of that though. ]

Much could be said about that.

( in some situations three wasn't much. though until recently it had been a couple of years for her. it was going to be a strange adjustment period. worse if you thought of more than just sex )

Though if you're not to trust why you see why do you want to see the stalls?

It's been a while since I've seen crowds like this. And – you can't learn anything without taking a little risk.

[ it's accompanied with a smile, like he's teasing her. danger he's never really too worried about. he does slow though, eventually stopping in front of a stall that sells bracelets and other trinkets. ]

My name's Steve, by the way. [ and it's good to be more on the anonymous side of things. ]

( she smiles back, recognising it for what it is. and moiraine agrees. though she runs into danger far too easily )

Moiraine.

( there's a very light tap on his arm, a handshake that isn't there )

Crowds like this are common to big cities, though it's usually smaller villages with peddlers like this.

[ steve nods at the tap, returning the gesture in his own way. ]

There are cities bigger than this where I'm from, but... [ how does he explain? ] Let's just say it's complicated? Too long a story to have outside when it's this cold.

[ it's nice though, the look and feel of life around him again. not people trying to pick up the pieces of their lives and struggling. ]

What's home like for you?

A story I'd like to hear one day.

( if he was interested in telling it. she would at least let him know she was interested -- she liked history, enjoyed knowing the histories of places and how they became what they are today )

Home for me has been the road, my horse and my companion.

( and even though she had other homes they didn't feel it anymore. cairhien and the sun palace hadn't been home since she'd left. and the white tower... it was once home but now it felt very different )

One day, then.

[ because it's certainly not a happy one, and it's still something that he's coming to terms with as well. how long had it taken him to pick up the work sam had done by helping others? how much time did he focus on someone else so he didn't have to think of the things he'd done wrong and how he hadn't tried hard enough to stop them from happening?

steve offers her another smile, this one sympathetic. ]

I know that feeling. Maybe not the horse, but traveling a lot. You get used to being on the move after a while. [ a pause. ] Must not be easy suddenly being here.

I've seen many cities and villages on the road.

( she'd purposely stopped in them considering her quest, that she needed to stop to find someone, to speak to the people there.

and sometimes stopping in a real bed even for a night was necessary )

Though it's been a long time since I've been in one place for a period. That part may not be easy.

It'll take some time.

[ soft agreement because, well, being constantly on the move is a lifestyle in of itself. he glances at some of the people walking by and then back to moiraine. ]

There might be some things to like about this place though. A lot of people could use help too. [ he's not sure if she's been to the down. ]

I doubt that's why I would like this place.

( if there are a lot of people that need help she doubts that it's too kind of a place, though that in itself doesn't sound too different from what she's seen in many places. cairhien's social classes moiraine knew a lot about. and how little help some saw )

But the nature of what they've put us in forces that idea. As many places do.

I meant if you need a reason to help with adjusting.

[ focusing on anything else is easier for a while. not that it's a long-term solution. he gives his arm a slight tug to indicate they should continue walking. ]

I can't really say what else they might try to do. Whoever they are.

( she steps again with him, her attention focused more on him than the stalls around them )

I might.

( she can accept that much and perhaps by helping someone it will help her. this is )

You spoke of big cities you knew. ( she's trying to tread carefully to ask a question without hitting what he wanted to avoid ) What was it called-- where you're from?

[ he'd talk about it if she wanted to hear about it. he'd spent years growing accustomed to the devastation of the world and how to put it back together, so it's not difficult. sort of. the personal details are still raw, but the general ones are fine.

still, at her question, he smiles almost fondly. ]

I'm from Brooklyn. [ pausing, he decides to elaborate just in case. ] It's in New York City. You heard of it?

[ steve isn't going to presume she has because he's met plenty of people not of the planet he's from. it just seems natural these days. ]

Neither place.

( the words themselves sound strange enough, to even have city in the name of somewhere )

I assume then you would know of the places familiar to me.

I don't know. Depends on what's familiar to you.

[ he continues to walk, now in the middle of the stalls and having forgotten exactly why he'd asked her for help. ]

It wouldn't be the first time I've met people from different worlds. The universe is a lot bigger than you think. [ apparently. ]

I've never had cause to consider that before.

( though given the state of her world she wouldn't have thought of it )

The last city I called home was Tar Valon.

Never heard of it.

[ unfortunately? but there are a lot of places he's never heard of or seen that he knows others are from. ]

What's it like there?

Complicated. It's a large city, perhaps larger than here.

( she's quiet for a moment, thinking of the best way to describe it, a slight pull on his arm to sidestep them from a crowd that was coming ahead )

There's a lot of trade, routes to other cities. It's the only city on its island.

Complicated isn't always a bad thing.

[ he follows her lead and avoids the crowd, though he does have to step in a little closer to her so they don't get separated. steve gives her an apologetic smile. ]

I take it you miss it?

I've been travelling for so long. It doesn't feel like home now.

( it had been for six years but then as soon as her training had finished she'd left, returning only periodically. it hadn't been moiraine's initial plan but it was how things had gone )

Home is something else now.

I know what you mean. [ he's had a lot to adjust to over the years. ] I wasn't home for a long time myself. It makes you more aware of things changing, especially when you're not around to see it.

This place isn't great, but it could always be worse.

[ a sort of sad optimism, really. ]

( she laughs softly, though very half-heartedly )

I see this city and... see a place I can't recognise.

( but somehow at the same she understands how he means it could be worse. she's seen worse in all of the places she's visited, seen worse from the blight )

Peddlers come to every town but so much more is strange.

Give it some time. Most of it won't seem that strange after a while.

[ but there are some parts of it that even he isn't going to adjust to very well. he pauses in their walk, turning slightly to rest his other hand atop hers for just a moment. ]

You can reach out to me any time you might need it.

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