duplicitymemes | TDM #22

Entry tags:

«tdm

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

"I'll stick with high quality from LIERs owned businesses." Not that he's naming the Midnight Theatre. Not and risk them coming down on Nate for Caleb's behavior. He's being a dick but not risking his partner, dominant and boyfriend for being a dick.

But he smiles when Isaac pushes the box back. He turns towards him, ignoring the man as he offers his hand.

"Hi, I'm Caleb. What can I help with?"

Isaac takes the offered hand and shakes. "Isaac. Isaac Mendez. Not sure you can help, I just thought I'd take a chance to earn a quick fee doing fuck all."

"I'd say welcome to the city but for most it sucks, so... just hi works," he says, grinning widely though at that. He definitely doesn't act like someone that is bothered by being in this city.

"Well, if you're looking to start out with making money, there's LIERs businesses that are always hiring. Least then you're working for one of us and not the assholes that treat us like shit."

"Could be worse." Could be much, much worse. He figured he'd end up in Hell, so if this is Hell, it's a lot better than he expected. Colder, but that's not a plus in his book, necessarily. "Yeah... I'm not really good at regular jobs. Daily schedules and deadlines, it's just not really me."

"Well, trust me, this place gets worse. A lot of the time its worse." The most recent anonymous video on the network proves that, doesn't it?

"Then lucky you're a dominant. They give you money and a place to live for a year. You really don't have to do a lot. Though it helps to find something to keep you busy. Though you might do that just in sex and all. They're good with that too."

"... sounds suspicious to me." Give him money and somewhere to live and that's it? Nope. He doesn't believe it. "I was a comic artist and painter back home. Think there's a market for either of those here?"

"You're literally kidnapped, required to have sex, often drugged and aphro'd, and at any time they can dope you up and throw you into a cell to be brutalized. It is suspicious and vicious."

Pretty much the city, even if he's finding a way to stay with those he loves.

"You could do body art for events. I bet a lot would pay for that."

Isaac considers it. 'Kidnapped' from his death. Have lots of sex. Get free drugs. For most people it's probably hell, but really, he thought he was facing hell and got here, which on the whole he thinks is way better.

He decides not to say that. Caleb clearly feels otherwise.

"I've done body art before, got no problem with doing it again."

"You should check with Scratch. I bet they would be likely to hire someone. Few other places might too," he points out, thinking about it.

"And don't get me wrong. I'm looking into ways to give people options to stay here, but some days you have to wonder."

"Right, Scratch." He may or may not remember that. "Have to wonder what?"

"If it's worth staying here to keep the people you meet here. Or for those that have no where else to go," he points out, having to know a few people having those issues.

"Right now, I'm hoping to stay here, no matter how bad it is."

"Nowhere else to go?" That's got his interest. That suggests others who might be in his position, here or dead.

"Yeah, for whatever reasons," he says with a shrug. "Some are dead back home, or know they're going to die. Others have such horrible lives back home that they'd rather be here. Then there's like me. I just would rather have the life I have here for now."

"Was your life that bad, or just like what, or who you've found here more?" It was a who, almost certainly. He clearly hated a lot of this place and how things happened.

"My life was amazing. I was going to Harvard in prelaw. I came from an old money family. I have pretty much everything I want," he admits. "And I miss my friends. I really do. But here I've found people I don't want to lose."

He shrugs. "Also using magic isn't killing me here, so I'm kind of fond of that."

"Magic, huh." This isn't the first time he's heard 'magic', but he's still not sure on it. "How do you get magic? Does it just... happen one day? Or do you know you have it from when you're little?" He pauses and quickly explains his interest. "I used to write and illustrate comics."

"I was born with it. I came into my powers first when I was thirteen," he says, lifting his hand and a moment later a rock from a nearby planter comes flying to his hand. It begins swirling in the palm of his hand.

"Mostly telekinesis and offensive combat magic. Everyone is a little different."

He grins though at that. "Any titles I might know?"

It should be an innocent display of power.

Isaac goes pale, unhealthy, sickly pale, and feels the cold throb through his scars (should be wounds, they're fresh enough they should be wounds).

"Ti- titles?" The words mean nothing to him. He doesn't want to be here. He wants to be somewhere without himself.

Caleb blinks at that, shifting back as if he's the one that's afraid. Immediately dropping the planter. It cracks, a piece hitting him in the ankle but he isn't paying attention.

"Whoa. Oh God, you're not a witch hunter, are you? Someone warned me once to watch for it but I just got tired of hiding my whole life. Shit."

Isaac is still, almost tranced, watching the planter smash.

Glass in the air, that face reflected in the shards, gaze calculating.

He stretches out his arms, letting a gap appear between gloves and cuffs. Angry, red scars, puckered on his wrists, through and through and new. "Telekinetic."

Caleb stares at the marks, opening his mouth and then closing it. He takes another step back.

"How... why would someone do that? I..." He shakes his head. "Seriously, I would never. I'm just a witch that has lived with my magic killing me until this place where I can use my magic and enjoy myself. That's all. Fuck, what was wrong with whoever did that?"

Isaac drops his arms again, then reaches to absently rub at his elbow crease. "A lot of things were wrong with him. A lot. I think I was number... seven or eight that got the special treatment. Might've been more. I know he killed a lot more than that."

"Are you... do you have magical abilities?" He hates asking it considering he's already scared the guy but he can't help but ask given what he's admitting to.

"Was his name Chase Collins? He tried to kill me for my abilities. I know he killed his birth father and adopted parents. Who knows who else."

Isaac shakes his head. "No. And no." Nice and simple. He has no magic powers, his name wasn't Chase Collins.

He nods at that, making a face. "I'm sorry for whatever you've been through, and for scaring you as well. I hadn't meant to."

And he hates that he did.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject