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duplicitymemes2022-01-10 07:43 pm
duplicitymods) wrote in duplicitymemes2022-01-10 07:43 pm
Entry tags:
TDM #22
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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. ... 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. |
 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. |
 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. |
 (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. |
 (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. |
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!! |
Re: network
oh always the bad news first
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good news? most LIERs are real generous to new arrivals. I'm happy to bring a bottle of whatever you like over, company optional.
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that is about what I suspected
I will certainly not say no to a bottle of something or company, I can at least promise that I will be in a far more agreeable mood than when I asked this
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well, the appearance of a familiar face does wonders
[ There is far more to it than just a familiar face, but it's half an explanation. Val also sends his apartment number, this time. ]
> action
it sure does. let me see what we've got in the cupboard and I'll be right over.
[ Since they're actually in the same building, it's only a few minutes before there's a knock at Val's door. On the other side stands a man just a bit taller than him with bright eyes and a friendly smile. He's rather aggressively average, the kind of person who'd blend into a crowd and you probably wouldn't glance twice at, but he does fill out his sweater well. And more importantly, he's got a bottle in one hand and a small box tied with bakery string in the other. ]
Somebody here needed a welcome wagon?
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[ True to his word Val very much does not look like someone who's still wishing to drown all his sorrows and frustrations in a bottle. Drake wouldn't know the difference, but there's even more colour in his face than there probably has been since before even getting to this city. He greets Drake with a crooked smile. ]
Unless this is quite the coincidence, you're at the right place. I'm Val. My partner's not long headed out.
[ Val steps aside to clear the doorway to welcome him in. ]
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Makes you one of the lucky ones. I guess we should kinda be celebrating instead of drowning sorrows?
[ They're still stuck here like everyone else, of course, but it's no small thing. Drake's had to take the cards he was dealt and it's hard not to wonder how things might have been different.
He steps inside and swaps the bottle to his other hand so he can extend it to shake. ]
I'm Drake.
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[ Val gives the hand a firm shake. ]
Yes, it does; very lucky. [ the way he says it, there is some real weight behind it; being stuck here is no easy thing, but he is keenly aware how lucky he is to have Kazu back ] Celebrating is definitely more appropriate. Earlier I was in quite the different frame of mind.
[ He closes the door behind Drake and gestures vaguely towards the main living spaces. ]
Nice to meet you, Drake, circumstances aside. How long have you been here?
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Ten months. Ish. Not that long compared to some people.
[ He opens the cupboard with the glasses in it first try and pulls two down, then goes for plates. ]
Is this your first world hop?
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[ Val follows after him, leaning with his arms on the back of a chair as he watches him navigate with ease. Ten months not being 'that long' is certainly enough to raise a brow as Val wonders exactly how long others have been stuck here, but the question is what really seems to strike him. ]
First? This can happen more than once?
[ He supposes that makes an unfortunate amount of sense, if it can happen once then why not another time, but. ]
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[ Back to the couch with them! Drake nudges the bottle towards Val for him to break the seal and pour for himself, instead untying the string on the box. ]
Any first impressions?
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[ There's a light huff of dry laughter. He takes the bottle, breaks the seal and pours. ]
I suppose it would help with that. Even once has been disorienting enough.
[ There's no edge to it, but it may be a hint at how considering bright sides is not exactly Val's speciality, even when he's in a good mood. ]
I cannot say I'm a fan, this place seems to be the type to rather take the fun out of things that I would otherwise enjoy. But I will give whatever drags us here some credit for letting me see my partner again.
[ Well, no bright sides except that one, that is. He doesn't default to divulging a lot of personal details with strangers, but having Kazu back is rather at the forefront of his thoughts about being here. ]
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...and the way Val phrases that last bit tugs on a familiar heartstring. Drake is quiet while he pours his own drink, picking up the glass and swirling it while he considers if this is a conversational path he should take or not. They literally just met, but it's so similar. ]
Can I ask how long it's been?
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[ Val seems to sit and consider for a moment, himself, deciding what he's willing to say and what he isn't. He takes a sip from his glass, fingers drumming against the back of the couch where his other arm's propped. ]
Only a few days, but let's just say it was going to be forever.
[ Which could, in theory, mean a few things, but some are far more obvious than others. ]
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I know what that's like.
[ He's looking Val straight in the eyes while that settles, the absolute shittiest of things to be able to relate to. It's a toss up how the relative stranger will react to that, probably by either opening up or brushing it off, but Drake actually means it. Since it's such a niche experience to share, he's hoping it'll be the first. ]
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[ Val doesn't shy away from the direct eye contact, instead he seems to look back with a certain amount of scrutiny as he takes that in. What a shitty thing to share an understanding of, indeed. After a moment, Val lets out something between a sigh and humourless laugh. ]
You too, hm?
The world can be an awfully cruel place. [ he idly swirls his glass ] For us, it was a risk we signed up for, but that hardly makes it better.
But he's here now.
[ Not that that makes the initial loss better, either. Even in a much better frame of mind than he was before he saw Kazu again, buried beneath the surface he's a little bit antsy just at Kazu being out of the apartment. He can't really afford to let that linger long term or push its way out of the background, though, that would be unsustainable. ]
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[ He smiles softly, finally looking away to flick the box open and reveal some bakery treats for Val to pick from. ]
Gotta say, though, I'm amazed you let him out of your sight already. I was... uh. Let's go with overprotective? That sounds better than 'so clingy I'm lucky he put up with it.'
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[ That gets what is much closer to an actual laugh out of Val, as he sits up a bit to have a look at what's on offer. ]
Ah, well, I cannot say that it wasn't tempting to try and keep him here, or that I'm not worried about him. I have to keep reminding myself he can handle himself just fine. I guess I'm trying to keep ahead of myself.
[ Kazu needs him to be as stable as possible as much as he needs himself to be as stable as possible, right now. ]
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[ There's crime like in any city, obviously, but it's not at war or infested by monsters. Big step up there. ]
What's your world like?
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[ Val picks something out of the box and sits back again, before answering with that far too casual tone of someone who has long since accepted how shitty things are. ]
We're at war. Officially speaking, it has only been war for four years, but in practice... [ he gestures vaguely ] I would say it's been more like two decades.
[ People can call it the state of things before New York a cold war all they like, but for Val the war has been hot ever since the Union took over his homeland. ]
We're up against unbeatable odds and our only hope are mechas that look like something out of the animations beloved by teenagers. Still, it is rather fantastic technology.
[ Mixed signals on the Holons there, Val. He's not actually intending to sound like he thinks the Holons are ridiculous, because Cammie's designs are beautiful and he truly loves them, but the comparison isn't unwarranted either. ]
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Giant robots, right? There's nothing like that where I'm originally from, the tech must be pretty advanced. Are you guys pilots?
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In a way. It would be more accurate to say that we are, or become, the robots. Which is strictly speaking highly classified but...
[ He gestures around them, it's not like it matters here. Hell, it hasn't really mattered at home for a long time now. It's not like the Union doesn't know what they are. ]
It's new technology, the digitisation of a human mind. There are only the six of us that can even use it and only five of us who do.
[ Well. Four, now, he supposes. ]
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[ He doesn't miss the part that there are only five in action, and if Val's partner is dead that means they're down to four... but he'd definitely rather talk about the whole being a giant robot thing than how if Val goes home he's probably done for. ]
What's it like? I've actually got a good friend who was put in a robot as a mad science thing, but this sounds completely different.
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It's... hard to describe. [ he makes a low hum like noise as he thinks about how to actually put it in words ] When you are uploaded, you really are your Holon; full control, full sensation. It doesn't feel artificial.
[ The trade-off being that it means all the pain feels real, too, but Val finds that he's become desensitised to a lot of it over time. ]
It's like being yourself only four storeys tall, unnaturally strong and able to do and survive all sorts of things you could never do in your normal body. You can even edit your mind's code, if you choose, but we mostly stick to minor alterations to suit a fight.
And there's a sort of... intrinsic connection between other minds that are uploaded with you. A network.
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