Duplicity Game Mods (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
duplicitymods) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
duplicitymemes2022-01-10 07:43 pm
duplicitymods) wrote in duplicitymemes2022-01-10 07:43 pm
Entry tags:
TDM #22
« « « TEST DRIVE MEME » » »
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!! |
no subject
This is heaven. Forget everything else; forget his complete lack of self-worth, and how it should mean he doesn't deserve things like this. Nutrition is an exception to that rule, the one thing in life that is both necessary and a pure joy. Imagine if breathing was as tasty as eating! People would never be able to focus on anything else ever again!!
Meanwhile Atsushi is blissfully unaware of the side effects that food and drink are likely to have here... but even if he knew, he wouldn't have stopped pining over that hot chocolate. And maybe he won't mind it so much..? He'll feel extremely awkward - but then, he usually does.
"Atsushi. Nakajima Atsushi is my name. It's nice to meet you, Diva." He takes another sip, because mmmmmmmmmmm chocolatey. "Did you also... come here from elsewhere?"
He doesn't really know the details of how a lot of things work, here, and he definitely missed some information during orientation because he was too busy internally panicking about being in a probably-maybe different world. But he hopes it's not too weird or confrontational a question? He's curious!
no subject
He's really enjoying the drink, huh? It's pretty cute...mainly because she can relate to how much he's enjoying himself. Food and drink truly were simple but delightful pleasures in life. Her own cocoa is pretty good too. She's already finished half of it, licking chocolate off her lips absentmindedly as she speaks.
"Mhmm, I did. I'm from France, originally. You're from Japan, right?"
At least that's her assumption. His name sounds pretty Japanese as far as she can tell.
no subject
Food for thought. Where really is this place, anyway? With one thing after another happening, and all sorts of new things thrown at him, Atsushi may have gotten some information, but he hasn't considered the details of it, let alone their consequences, as much as he probably should have. As a detective, he really still has a long way to go...
no subject
Why someone would willingly stay in Duplicity may be strange to some, but Diva had made a life for herself in the city, for better or worse.
"How long have you been here for?" Probably not long, she's guessing.
no subject
Honestly, Atsushi hasn't found a lot to complain about yet. His designation is a bit of an inconvenience, but he'd rather it be him than someone else. Moreover: even though there are some weird social constructs happening here, nothing really terrible has happened to him so far! So maybe it really isn't so bad, as Diva's comment suggests.
Still, with all the sexy things happening, and Diva a girl... that feels kind of bad. Since she seems to be doing all right, though, it's probably fine..?
As for how long he's been here: "Hmm, a few hours..?" Yeah, definitely not long. But hopefully long enough to get his clothes back, or he's even more of a snow tiger than he was bound to be. "They told me a lot of things, and then there was the train, and I found my room..."
no subject
Or at least the man she'd come to embrace as her family. There was Saya, her twin, as well that had arrived again not that long ago. What more could she want? Her Chevalier maybe but she could live without them if she had to...she'd already managed to exist from underneath their control for a few years now.
As for the sexy requirements of Duplicity, they were something that didn't bother Diva in the slightest. She had quite the sex drive herself and a hedonistic nature. If it felt good why not indulge in it?
"Ahh, you're really fresh then huh? I've been here for three years now I think."
no subject
Thinking about his own 'family', Atsushi wonders if it's bad that he hasn't put more effort into trying to immediately find a way back home, himself. He has already thought about them fondly, and he certainly worries a bit about some of them. But at the same time, he doesn't think that his presence around them is going to be what makes the difference in helping them. Maybe that's why, so far, it's been pretty easy to find himself here, even if it feels a bit like being thrown in at the deep end.
That said, it also helps that he hadn't yet considered how long he might be stuck here.
"Three years?!" That's so long! But also: she looks so young!? If this is what she looks like now, wouldn't she have been an actual child when she first arrived?! "But you -..." He cuts himself off. Is it bad to talk about this stuff? It's usually bad to ask about a lady's age, but she's definitely not that old yet, and he does want to show sympathy. "Um... I just mean: that... seems like such a big portion of your life so far."
What would that even do to a person? Not that he thinks sex is bad at all, but, compared to his home world, the public attitude regarding it is definitely very different here.
no subject
A big portion of her life? Not in the grand scheme of things. His reply gets a shrug out of her as she takes a swig of her cocoa, taking a step forward to come closer to where Atsushi stood.
"I'm a hundred and seventy six years old. I know I don't look it, but it's true."
Had he not noticed the fangs in her mouth? Maybe he hadn't. Some people missed such details, or maybe he hadn't wanted to point them out?
"It's the longest I've ever been away from my Chevalier though. I like the freedom."
no subject
A hundred and seventy six years old?!?!?
"You -..." He coughs a bit, but quickly recovers from his would-be near-death experience. Quick, Atsushi - save the situation! He manages a smile. "... look very good for your age."
He had, in fact, noticed the fangs - but he can grow those too, if he wants! That certainly doesn't make him almost two centuries old. (Somewhere in the back of his mind, he can just hear Dazai joking about him being into older women.) It would be rude to draw attention to something like that, anyway. Even if the fangs are not a bad look, they are something unusual, and he doesn't know how she feels about them. He doesn't want to risk upsetting her! And so, as long as he doesn't have a reason to, he feels it's better not to ask.
Perhaps the most telling thing in all this is that Atsushi never once thinks that Diva might be lying about her age. He absolutely assumes she's telling the truth, and will continue to do so unless and until she gives him a good reason to do otherwise. It's not that he blindly trusts everyone by definition, but... assuming that someone's lying is an offense in itself, and he wouldn't dare to.
A Chevalier..? "Is that like... a guardian?"
no subject
"Hehe, right? I don't age. I'll look this way forever."
Which, depending on one's tastes, may be a good or bad thing. Diva doesn't seem to be too bothered by her eternal youth however. As for what Chevalier were...
"Oh, a Chevalier is a knight in French. They protect me and keep me safe, so yes! Like a guardian."
no subject
"That's amazing..." That she won't age, he means. He says it unthinkingly, but having said it, he starting feeling it, a bit more than he probably should. Everything is so warm and fuzzy right now! "That is: you look -... I mean..." Argh, he can't just call her beautiful, right?! That would be rude. Or at least weird? Maybe both...
As to the Chevaliers protecting her: "That sounds like a good thing, though!" He's not sure why she'd enjoy being away from people like that... but then, he's not about to pry, either. "Well, there's something to be said for freedom as well."
no subject
Which may be ironic, if not quite sad, considering her position in Duplicity's society. It's the truth though.
"I haven't been allowed to do a lot of things on my own and I spent a long, long time locked away. Here though? I can do a lot of stuff by myself. Things I never thought I could do."
no subject
"... If you don't want to talk about it, please say so, but..." Argh, he knows he shouldn't ask, but he's curious, and his defenses are down a bit because of how the hot chocolate is making him feel. "What do you mean, locked away?"
no subject
"When I was born my twin and I were separated at birth. I was locked away in a tower and isolated as an experiment. I was treated like I was a monster because of what I am. My sister though was raised as if she was human. I was kept chained in that tower for fifty years."
no subject
no subject
Ironically Diva hadn't been born a monster, but she sure had been shaped into one due to the neglect and torture she'd endured.
no subject
"It's true, humans can be cruel. But I think... that's what makes it so important to be kind, instead." Cruelty would be easy, but that doesn't make it right. "Everyone has the choice to help instead of hurt. If more people did that... life would be a lot nicer for a lot of people."
That could have been an absurdly hopeful statement, but instead it's a depressing observation that things aren't yet like that.
no subject
"It's hard to be kind when you're treated terribly. You're a lot nicer than I am, Atsushi."
no subject
He's not sure he always succeeds, either. Mostly, he does! But he does think he needs to be proactively helping more people - especially now that he's here. He can no longer rely on the Armed Detective Agency... He'll have to do it all himself.