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

( while nick scrambles to find his key, oliver takes a step back and looks to the door, feeling out the wards around the house. they're--more than he'd expect from nick honestly, given how nick is, but he keeps his mouth shut about them until nick's managed to get the key into the lock and push the door open. )

Who's here with you? There's no way you managed this kind of security on your own.

( a year's not--a huge deal, but it does explain the time discrepancies. nick's older. different. something happened in that year timespan that fucked him up enough to cause him to stumble and stutter his way through a simple question, enough has happened in this city to make him nervous.

which means he has some digging to do. )

Yeah, so that--funny story that was actually uh, a different guy I'm dating. Nate, you should meet him he's cool.

( just casually dropping in the existence of two boyfriends in as many minutes. nick slips inside, holds the door open for oliver, shuts out the winter weather behind them and drops the key on a counter somewhere to be lost again.

there's cats and dogs and dreamlings around the place, but none of them make themselves known just yet. he tips his head towards a hallway branching out of the main area, leading down towards bedrooms. )

Clothes first? I'll get you a drink.

( because naturally even a "sober" nick has alcohol stashed in his bedroom still, just in case. )

( a liquor stash in one's bedroom is essential to making it through rough days. oliver starts towards the hallway, pausing once he reaches one of the walls to press the fingertips of his index, middle, and ring finger against the frame. the tattoo along his fingers lights up a soft blue, before the ink fades to it's usual black. checking the layout of the house, connecting to electronics within the house. totally noninvasive and not snooping at all, clearly this is normal behavior. )

Nate must be pretty good. The wards are heavy. I'm down for a drink.

( he's definitely on oliver's list to track down later. )

( they're very heavy, and heavier specifically at nick's bedroom door, but he hasn't used those ones for months now. still, the magic lingers even if nick ignores it as he leads them into his bedroom. the room itself is nick's usual brand of chaotic, unchanged except for the fact that nick's bed isn't slept in, and seems to be used as a desk for various magical research instead.

(he has an actual desk. the desk is covered in plants.)

the bottle is half-hidden in a drawer somewhere, so nick points at his closet before he starts digging. )

Just take whatever fits, mi casa whatever the fuck, right? ( he probably shouldn't find the subtle snooping endearing but he does — it's been a long time to go without seeing oliver, for nick at least, and the realisation that he's actually here is finally starting to sink in a little. ) Jesus. I can't believe you're actually in my house. Here.

( the bottle of nick's souped up liquor, specifically designed for those with witchy tolerance levels, as promised. )

Hold on, dude.

( he's busy sifting through nick's clothes; they're about the same size where it actually fucking matters, so oliver's searching for something with synthetic fibers in it that's comfortable. he's not borrowing nick's fucking boxers, so he pulls on a pair of looser pants, then pulls off the hoodie he'd shoved on over his head earlier.

takes a tee instead, and a jacket he can throw over it. thank you for the clothes, your contribution to his well-being will be noted. )

Been a long year for you?

( considering nick's reaction to. well. everything. )

( the thing is, he's not drinking right now. but the other thing is, now he has a bottle of liquor in his hand while he waits for oliver to finish with his clothes, and nick doesn't do so well with impulse control at the best of times. he unscrews and replaces the cap a few times in quick succession, fidgeting with the bottle before he ultimately just drops it on the bed. out of hand out of mind, or something like that. )

I mean, it is what it is right?

( he shrugs, casual as he leans against the bed frame. as close as he's getting to casual, anyway. despite all that, he's still managing to smile sort of stupidly, because even if oliver being here is kind of awful, oliver being with him very much isn't. )

No one else has shown up, really, just me, so it's been like-- Long. Yeah.

( he's dressed, slightly less stressed, and in a house he knows well enough now, so oliver's good. he looks to the bed where nick'd dropped the bottle, and makes his way on over. sits down somewhere in the mess of nick's crap he's piled on top of the mattress, and picks up the liquor.

unscrews the cap to tip it over his mouth and down a good amount of it. recaps it after and starts sifting through nick's various crap he's decided clearly belongs on a bed rather than literally anywhere else. )

Now it's just you and me. And your collection of miscellaneous boyfriends. I'll have to find Nate.

Yeah, it is, isn't it.

( nick is far less tidy about the way he drops down on the bed, sweeping a few things onto the floor and sitting on a few others without much concern for the loose sheets of paper and books getting knocked about. he's more interested in stretching over to flop out on his stomach, rest his cheek on oliver's knee.

the boyfriends thing is good. it's about as safe a topic as he can get — heavily edited, at least — and--look. maybe he wants to gush a little to someone invested enough in nick's general wellbeing to care. )

Do you want me to tell you about them?

( he can flop all he wants. oliver makes some space for him, and picks up a nearby book to start sifting through the pages of it. just to figure out what the fuck nick was doing with all this crap to begin with. at the very least, there's not a layer of dust settling among them. so cluttered as it is, it could be worse. )

Go for it. ( not like he won't find out about them one way or another soon anyway. nick's phone is somewhere around here. he'll go snooping when the mood hits right. )

I signed a contract with Kyle, he's the one that owns this house. He's a doctor, so fucking sweet, stupid hot, look. Don't scroll, there's nudes.

( he fishes his device out of his pocket as he's talking, hands it over open on a picture of kyle shirtless in the bed as he issues his warning. the focus point of the snap is the other man's abs, but the stupid fond look on his face is still clearly visible. )

Also, like, a vampire. That's probably important information. Someone turned him here.

( thanks for the warning. he take the phone, but doesn't. scroll. there's been enough naked bodies visible throughout the city, on his goddamn walk over here, much as he'd like to go snooping through nick's crap now isn't really the time. )

He is stupid hot. ( obviously a very important observation to make. ) Your standard blood-sucking, can't take sunlight vamp, or?

( it's important to establish just what nick's boyfriend's capable of. he doesn't look pale, or sparkly, and his eyes look normalish. that's a good start at least. )

Pretty much. He can eat garlic, he's got a charmed ring so he can go out in the sun. Ethical blood sources only.

( which is nick, a lot of the time, but you wouldn't know it to look at him. any evidence of teeth marks has long since been healed away. he just tips his head up, a slightly wry smile on his face as he looks at oliver's face upside down. )

He puts up with more of my shit than he should have. He's--like, the real deal, you know?

And not like, a creepy middle-aged guy you picked up off the street. Right.

( nick doesn't have a high threshold to cross here. not that. oliver means to discourage whatever nick's relationship is with this guy. honestly, if he's in one piece, not being legitimately drained enough to almost kill him often, and doesn't look visibly exhausted or hurt by whatever, nick's probably fine. he's too sappy for it to be a shit relationship. probably. oliver moves fingers down to thread them through nick's hair; consolation, for the potentially asshole remark he might have made. pending on how nick chooses to take it. )

I'll find him later.

He's not middle aged, he's like thirty.

( which is not a great point to make, considering the other members of the "nick's relationships" club, but he says it all the same. he might or might not have picked him up in a club — though that's not a street — so he keeps mum there, just snags the phone back so he can do some more careful navigation.

he really should delete a lot of these, if for no other reason than the propensity for leaked images on this city, but he's--sentimental, or something like that. )

Nate. He's a witch, he was basically the first person I met when I got here, gave me a job straight away. I don't know, we just clicked. We didn't start dating until a couple of months ago though.

( he shows another picture, nauseatingly sweet, of the two of them in the theatre and nick half in nate's lap, pressing a kiss on his cheek. )

He's-- I don't even know. Amazing, basically. He does So much for people, even strangers, and his friends, the people he loves? He's never let me down. I felt like....I don't know, as close as I can get to being with you guys, when I was with him.

( thirty is basically the same thing as middle aged, but there's no point in pointing that out outloud either, is there? when nick starts scrolling through the phone again, oliver just threads fingers through nick's hair, brushing it back and out of his face. gently. doesn't look at the phone screen, even if it's not like he'd need to if he really wanted to see whatever embarrassing nudes nick's trying not to leak.

but he looks up when nick offers the phone up again, glances at nate's face for a moment before turning his attention back to the very important task of--braiding nick's hair against the side of his head. nothing that wouldn't come out easy. he's bored. deal with it. )

What kind of job? ( important questions first. ) How'd his circles run back where he's from?

He has his place, the Midnight Theatre. They do like, performances or some shit on the other side, and a shop where I work. We make potions, charms, that kind of thing, it's fun.

( that's the cliff's notes version anyway, the theatre is just about the best thing to happen though, and it's clear in the way nick talks about it. he's happier still at the fussing though, the light touch and the fingers through his hair. nick tips his head into the touch, relaxes comfortably and lets his eyes slip closed for a moment. )

His family's kind of like mine. Mine before they stopped caring anyway, super rich, super overbearing. He's not from our world, his magic feels--different, but it's the closest to ours. I think they use warlock, but it's not like a species thing, just a title. Not like Ragnor.

( fingers brush nick's hair one way, then--push it back the other, messing the very small braid he'd started up but it's fine. nick's hair's too short for that anyway. it's just keeping his hands busy, finding shit to keep him entertained that isn't starting to sort through nick's chaotic mess of shit. )

So Ragnor's a warlock, but it's a species thing then. What does that mean?

( he'll come back to nate later. )

Different worlds, it's fucking confusing.

( nick has a year of experience under his belt and it still gives him a headache to think about for too long. worlds, timelines, it's the sort of thing best left to the kinds of people that understand it. nick's much more content to snag oliver's wrist for a moment, just to still his movements for long enough that he can twist his head and duck a kiss into the palm of his hand. )

He's like...functionally immortal. His father is like, a demon. But he's a good guy. He doesn't want anyone to know it, but he is. He's been looking out for me since I got here.

( weird. he'll have to find ragnor, too, figure out what the fuck his deal is. maybe if oliver can pull from him, even if it's ill-advised. a halfling's probably easier, right? not that he imagines he'd need it here.

there's a burn on the edge of his palm, going into his wrist. it's a little more recent, mark about three inches long. oliver slides his fingers over nick's cheek when he starts macking on him again, hums soft under his breath. thoughtfully. )

You know if you want to make out, all you have to do is ask, right?

( it's more of a joke than anything else. but. )

Obviously I want to make out, I missed you.

( nick's fond little smile turns into something more of a beam as he tilts his head back up again, waggles his eyebrows a few times. not a joke, though he does slide in another comment, because he's on a role.

even if it probably--suits him well, to not elaborate on this point quite as much. )

There's Logan too, then that's everyone. You won't like him, he can be kind of a dick. But I do. You know if you just lean down we can basically do a Spider-Man kiss?

( well since he mentioned it. the hand nick's holding onto slips out of his grip, but only so oliver can drop it down onto the mattress and/or whatever miscellaneous papers get in his way. uses it to hold his weight up, as he leans over nick for a shoddy upside down, spider-man-ish kiss. )

That the only reason I won't like him? 'cause he's kind of a dick?

( or does he need to go start shit. )

He's...prickly. I think you'll find him annoying. It's fine though.

( he sort of shrugs, distracted. looking awfully pleased, the way he always does when people indulge these silly whims of his. never mind that involves some contorting on oliver's part and can't be that comfortable.

nick just smiles sweet and indulgent as he winds an arm around the back of his shoulders, looped around his neck to keep oliver close while he kisses him again. )

You had so much nice shit to say about your three other boyfriends, but this one's just a dick?

( suspicious, nicholas. but he opts to keep on indulging him instead of bothering him for answers. he's got plenty of time to dig into crap later, right? and nick'll probably let something spill eventually. the angle isn't comfortable on his ribcage but he can deal with it. oliver tips head so he can press into the kiss better, nips at nick's upper lip softly. )

I've got plenty nice shit to say about him, I'm just prioritising.

( the tragic thing is nick doesn't get very many opportunities to wax poetic about all the reasons he likes logan--loves. there's a lot of them too, ranging from the filthy to the downright sweet, but it's complicated with most other people.

it's probably going to be complicated here too, but nick wants to live in a world where it isn't a little longer. his head tilts to make it easier to open up, kiss him deeper. his hand finds oliver's cheek, cups his face with a tender kind of touch at odds with what he's about to mumble into the kiss. )

I think I should make you come three times before you leave. So you can spend the rest of the month figuring out who you want to fuck, no pressure.

( so altruistic )

I could always just come back here, y'know. No need to go for all three at once.

( but there's a smile playing at the corners of his lips, pressing another kiss to the corner of nick's lips before he's reaching a hand up to dislodge nick's own. not to get rid of him, just. spider-man kissing is not comfortable, and ribs hurt from this awkward as fuck angle. )

But I'd be a real shit friend if I discouraged you from reaching your goals. Clear off some space? Your bed's a mess. ( he could just shove shit over himself but he'll make nick do it. or he could just. well. lean in closer again, to murmur soft in his ear: )

Or do you want to go out to the couch? Where your clutter hasn't taken over everything.

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