Duplicity Game Mods (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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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!! |
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He's grateful to have been allowed to pay. Fewer things grated on his nerves quite like being useless. Being a Submissive in Duplicity felt similar to being back on the street again. While he is slightly better off here than he had been in his youth, it really isn't by much. Having his rights stripped away from him felt like tumbling back down to square one, so even something as minor as being able to pay for his drink played a part in keeping him from completely losing his mind. He didn't need a dead SIN Guard to his name. Not so quickly, at least.
"Yes. I arrived again yesterday. Miss Diva says it's been several months since I was here last."
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"Yes, that sounds about right. It must be terribly disorienting--and how are you faring in the current conditions of the city?"
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He'd been granted shelter in the form of the public housing in the Down, but in the state it was in, it hardly counted. Spending even one night in his room, wrapped up in a single blanket, had been too many for his liking.
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Claudia gives it a moment of thought. This could perhaps be an opportunity for more than just earning goodwill.
“I hope you don’t think it overstepping of me to offer, but I happen to have a recently vacated second bedroom at my home. You’re welcome to stay there while the cold persists.”
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"What do you want in return?" There is no such thing as a favor without expectations, after all, and Akutagawa knows better than to accept a gift without considering the circumstances around it.
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“I have no current contract, myself. I’d simply ask that you use your time in my home to seriously consider signing with me.” She gives an easy gesture of her hand. “Call it a trial period, if you will.”
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"Very well," he agrees. "My previous Dominant is no longer in the city." He sips his cocoa, body feeling warmer as he does. It's a bad sign, but he'll overlook it for now. He's strong enough to resist the city's games, or so he thinks.
"I suppose it would be better to talk about it early. What do you expect from your contract partners?"
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She has space and money, so she doesn’t mind making her contracts lenient. After all, it benefits her, if not as much as him.
“Quota assistance is optional, though I may ask for assistance in one regard: the matter of my feeding.”
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Of course none of that accounts for his explosive temper. Akutagawa has a short fuse, and while he’s getting better, it’s still easier to trigger than it should be. Most who knew him would probably advise Claudia not to contract him on that basis alone. He doesn’t see himself as a problem, though, so he makes no move to warn her about himself.
“Your terms are reasonable.” Relative freedom in exchange for her ability to feed on him seems like a fair deal. While he may have protested prior to Duplicity, working in Fangtasy has taken away any nervousness he might have held towards it. She wouldn’t kill him if she needed him to feed from regularly. “I agree to the trial period.”
Then, pointedly: “I don’t mind assisting with quota three times a month if required. I have no need for anything beyond that.”
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“Wonderful! Shall we?”
She doesn’t know how nocturnal he is, but as it’s already after sunset, it’s only going to start getting colder. Might as well head home now, especially when business has been slow.
“I feel the same about quota,” she assures him. Of course, there have been exceptions, and the city does love to put them in precarious situations, but all in all she feels no particular urge to seek out sex. “It can be tedious, but there is nothing else to be done about it.”
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The air is getting chillier the closer to night it gets, somehow growing colder than it already had been. Akutagawa can see his breath as they walk, squeezing the cup he's holding to at least warm his hands. The more he drinks, however, the more a strange warmth creeps up on him. He recognizes the feeling easily by now, but he has no intention of inconveniencing Claudia.
He's relieved a little when she speaks of quota. His relationship with sex is complicated. Before Duplicity, he'd avoided it entirely, seeing it as a needless distraction to his job. Now, it's a necessity and something that can no longer be ignored. He doesn't hate sex by any means, but it's strange to suddenly have it at the forefront of everything. When Akutagawa's concern has only ever been strength and killing to show strength, sex is a new aspect of life entirely. He'd gotten more accustomed to it with his previous Dominant, but now, it felt like he's back to square one with everything.
"It's a task to take care of and nothing more," he agrees quietly, finding himself growing more uncomfortable with the topic the more the hot cocoa affects him. Ah, why is it suddenly so hot out here?
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"Not much farther," she assures him after they've been walking several blocks. "My neighborhood is just up ahead." And her neighborhood, clearly, is more than a little upscale. The houses have been getting bigger and nicer as they've gone on.
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Normally, he'd follow her in awkward silence. This time, however, he does at least say, "Thank you for the opportunity."
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"Here we are." She fishes her keys from her pocket as they make it up the front steps. "Please, make yourself as comfortable as you like; I never use the kitchen but keep it loosely stocked for guests. Ah, but let me show you to your room to start."
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"I'll be responsible for stocking the kitchen," he says. She has no reason to eat, so there's no reason for her to trouble herself. "Though I shouldn't assume... Will I be able to retain my employment at Fangtasy?" It's a strange job for him considering the only skill he'd ever been trained in had been assassination, but he had grown accustomed to it over time. He'd certainly been well-liked when he'd been a server; it seems his chilly personality went over well with vampire fans.
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Claudia continues to escort him as she speaks, making her way upstairs and turning to the right. Two doors down she turns the knob to show him his bedroom. It's clean with nice furniture and sparse decor; clearly, she tries to keep it in a state devoid of any particular personality. "This would be your room. There's an attached restroom just there," she points toward one door, "and of course if you chose to stay you can decorate or rearrange anything to suit your own tastes."
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He's careful not to spill his cocoa as they head upstairs and to his new room. Peeking in, he finds it satisfactory. Decor is hardly something that he cares about. If he does move in, the room will remain as sparse and lacking personality as it currently is. A place to live is just a place to rest at night. He doesn't need to make it a 'home'. "Thank you," he repeats, though by now there's a slight flush to his cheeks, obvious against his stark white skin. "Sorry. I seem to be feeling a little under the weather. Do you mind if I rest?"
It's a lie, of course. The cocoa hasn't made him ill at all, but he doesn't want to inconvenience Claudia with what it has made him feel.
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"No, of course, please rest as you need." But she leans in, as if inspecting the flush on his cheeks. "Are you sure you're all right? I understand that many of the food and drink in Duplicity is at risk of having been tampered with." An experience of hers that's been secondhand, of course.
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"Forgive me, Miss Claudia. I should have been more careful." The irritation in his voice is simply irritation at himself for being so foolish. He'd known better than to trust the city, but he'd been so cold.
How pathetic of him.
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So, why don't they try this out? Might as well get a head start on these things. Maybe it'll solidify his decision to contract with her further, if he knows just the sort of woman he'd be living with.
"Nonsense," she coos, being so bold as to reach out and cup his flushed cheek with her cool hand. "Better to be like this than frostbitten, wouldn't you say?"
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"I..." He likes to think that he isn't flustered often, but it's obvious in this moment that he is. "... suppose so. Nonetheless, I don't intend to inconvenience you." The shame he feels for being careless only intensifies at the thought that she might be with him out of pity for his situation. He is not so weak that he cannot take care of himself.
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If he doesn't? Well, she won't be offended. But as it stands, she wants to learn more about all the things that make him tick.
"What do you like?"
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He's more like a deer-in-headlights at the moment, dark, lightless eyes wide. It's clear that he's not used to people coming onto him. Normally, people fear him far too much for that. He prefers it that way, keeping people at a distance, making sure no one gets too close to him. Even fellow members of the mafia have trouble connecting with Akutagawa. He's an emotionless beast meant only for killing.
Now, he's so far out of his element it's almost funny. He starts to smack her hand away and insist he can handle himself, but he stops just short, grabbing her wrist instead. It's barely a touch of skin on skin at all, but it's enough to light a fire inside of him.
He's not oblivious to what he likes, but it's far from what he wants to like. Losing control, being humiliated, all the horrible things from his past are what excite him the most, but Akutagawa is far too prideful to admit it, so instead of answering her question, he yanks her forward into a kiss. It's awkward, much more violent than passionate, but he doesn't know anything else.
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So although she doesn't particularly appreciate being grabbed in any form of the word, Claudia lets it go, settling instead into the abrupt aggression of the kiss she's offered with. She meets the violence head on, and as her body collides into his she places her palms into his shoulders and shoves him to propel him back into the closest wall. In an instant she's back on him, grabbing his face and crashing their teeth together for a second time, doing nothing to discourage the frightening nature of their meeting.
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The whirlwind of it all is exciting, and if his blood hadn't been pumping before, it certainly would be now. When he returns the kiss, it's hungry, starving. More than sex, he wants to destroy her. It reminds him of being with One, his previous Dominant. She'd understood him better than most. Claudia may not understand him on the same level, but she certainly knows how to make things interesting.
He tries, then, to flip them, so it's her pressed up against the wall and him on the outside, not daring to break the kiss in the process.
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