duplicitymemes | TDM #24

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TDM #24

« « « 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 LIEs 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 LIEs 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 high-rise. 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 for all new and past arrivals.

Skies are clear and the weather is warm.

» » » 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.

« « « REACTION MECHANISM

(cw: sensory deprivation, coercion, dub-con/non-con)

One of the workshops at this month's Orientation pairs Dominants with Submissives for an exercise in blind chemistry. Literally — they'll all be blindfolded before meeting their partner and the blindfolds must stay on! They will be encouraged to explore with their other senses, such as touch and taste. Kissing is the bare minimum of what's expected, though no one will stop them should they want to take things further…

Each pair will get around 10-15 minutes together (unless they really hit things off) before switching to a new partner.

Some participants may also be tapped for a secondary exercise in which Submissives remain blindfolded, while Dominants are not. Dominants may do as they wish with them and may choose whether to keep their partner or swap blindfolded Subs back and forth with other Dominants.

« « « COMPANY PICNIC

(cw: aphrodisiacs, drugs, altered mental states, public nudity)

With the arrival of good weather and sunny skies ahead in the forecast, LIEs has decided to sponsor a post-Orientation BBQ in North Park. Picnic blankets and picnic tables are set up for use around the park and there is a main food station handing out catered food, as well as a few small charcoal grills available for those who wish to grill themselves. Sausages, burgers, and kebabs (vegetarian options available) are either ready to go or laid out to be cooked, along with stuff to make sandwiches (did someone say PB&J?). All the usual sides and condiments are available as well.

In addition to flavor, many of those condiments contribute a little something extra to one's meal. Does the jelly in that PB&J make you feel a little more jealous than usual? Does that mustard get you all hot and bothered? It just might. Perhaps most nefarious of all is that a few batches of the condiments have truth serum mixed in with them, making people open up about their true wants and desires. See someone you wouldn't mind kissing? Feel like baring it all? Maybe you should tell them — or simply go for it. Inhibitions are lowered and tongues loosened so stuff that hotdog down your throat and get ready for some fun.

There are a few different games being played in the park that LIERs can join in on, such as three-legged and wheelbarrow races with Dominant and Submissive pairs, capture the flag, and something that resembles a raunchier version of Twister.

If games aren't your thing there is also a hot yoga class that is taking place, open to anyone who wishes to join. Some people are fully nude as they pose and stretch while others wear workout gear that seem more scandalous than those who are naked. Of course aside from your traditional yoga poses the instructor encourages Dominants and Submissives to practice what are clearly Kama Sutra positions with one another. Hope you're flexible!

« « « FEELING SUPER

(cw: transformation, body modification, drugs)

There's a lot of buzz surrounding a store from one of Duplicity's sister cities, Insincerity, setting up a temporary pop-up location in Fiddler's Square. The store in question is the Supermarket and they deal in temporary upgrades, enhancements, and all things extraordinary. You can sample what it's like to be super at the Supermarket!

Staffed by enigmatic Insincerity natives, the mini market is open to Dominants and Submissives alike. In order to entice buyers to visit their home location, the wares on offer make up a limited selection of their full stock — a carefully curated selection of the Supermarket's best-selling products and seasonal specials. The staff won't elaborate too much, but there are rumors that something big is happening soon in Insincerity. This month they've come to you; next month you may be coming to them.

Products fall into three broad categories: power-ups, transformation/body modification, and sexual enhancers. The most common form they come in is a colorful glowing syringe, but potions, pills, and topical creams are available on request. The menu is as follows:

Something Super:

Invisibility

Super Strength (2-3X average human)

Fire/Ice/Electric Touch

Transform:

Wild Side (grow animal ears and/or tail)

Tongue Twister (tongue lengthens and becomes fully prehensile)

Flutter (sprout wings; limited flight capabilities only, more like hovering)

Enhance:

Shiver (increased sensitivity)

All Night Long (enhanced stamina)

Multi-O (frequent, cascading orgasms)

Effects can be mixed and matched with the application of multiple products — though the Supermarket employees caution that buyers do so at their own risk — and may last up to one full day.

« « « 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 the assignments are OOCly 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 prefers jelly, they are a Dominant. If your character prefers peanut butter, 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

[Thinking about the magic, that's what tethers him back down. Works Theo through the upset he can't control, the pain and distress he just relived; he's bitter that he had to show it at all, more so annoyed at himself that he still can't drown it out with black laced hate. He turns back around, knuckle pressed to the inner corner of his eye and there's a lot to digest. The fact the magic might've worked is... something Theo's interested in, but also not something he trusts just yet. They can't prove it. So he moves on to the next thing:]

Willem liked to kill witches in every life he lived, unless they were useful to him. He views them as subpar beings, mostly because the one who gave him his power did so with a twist. He didn't like that I have the affinity too, but more so he didn't like that I wasn't under his thumb. And also fucking his nephew.

[Theo could still be played by Willem in the right circumstances, more so now than ever - and he hates it. He puts his hand over where the mark is, beneath the layer of clothes, like it aches. He hates the mark but he senses that he's not alone in that feeling.]

It's some sort of containment spell. I can't do shit while I'm wearing it.

I didn't tell him I was a witch until later, but holy shit, that's perfect.

( also fucking weird. not only faceclones, but both witches. then again, it does make sense: theo has been finding himself in new lives since forever. be weird if he didn't pick up a thing or two, wouldn't it? especially considering the nature of his reincarnation. oliver finally moves out from behind the counter, walks languidly towards theodore, until he's almost pressed against his front, before he's dropping his hand down to trail fingers down his chest. )

Mind if I touch it?

( so he can get a good feel for it. sense the magic behind the spell; severing theo's magic isn't the goal here, but hell. it'd probably work anyway, considering the nature of the dagger he'd made. but oliver wants to keep theo around for a while longer, and it'd probably piss theo off if he took away everything. best to avoid that. )

Go ahead.

[He's not afraid of touch, and lifts his shirt accordingly. Even still, when and if contact is made his stomach will flex; it's not that it hurts so much as it just feels tense, like he'll always have Willem's hand on him as a reminder of the control he has over him. He hates that feeling, it's wet and sinks into his skin like the inky marking on his hip. Theo looks down to watch Oliver's hand, but then glances up to meet gaze once again.]

I feel a bit of him on you - gross, isn't it.

It feels like corruption. Black, sludgy, darkness that's licking up the edges but never quite gets far enough to do damage.

( oliver's only had a little experience with it; before here, he's never leaned into demonic magic, has avoided it specifically because of the whole. demons and evil spirits part of it. it always sounded like effort; to trap something, to leech off of it's essence, to pull it into himself and make use of it. metals and glass and material items have always been easier. less invasive, less deadly, easier to vibe with.

it's different here, with beings of demonic origins who he can access easily and who don't mind sharing. he's got ragnor's ring, easy access to so much magic oliver wouldn't know what to do with it if he siphoned it all off of him. not that he would.

that'd cause way more trouble than it's worth, and he doesn't want to drain him. digging into it back home left oliver with the need to never do it again, but here he is: doing it again.

his hand drops easily, slides against theo's abdomen, to the mark on his hip. lets the current of his magic run through willem's mark, just to get feelers for how it responds in turn. )

I've been trying to get it off for months.

[Willem's left that kind of feeling on Theodore long before the mark on his hip, by merit of making him feel... small and contained. Worthless at times, to contrast the other times he was irreplaceable. He always and without a doubt made sure Theodore knew he was special but also knew that whatever Willem wanted was more important. And he was lucky that most of the time, Theo was what he wanted.

He watches Oliver, stomach flexing reactively when that current touches him like a gentle hum. The mark itself is malicious - meant to control and dominate, to not only suppress Theodore but in time break down what magic he has and make it dissipate entirely. It's also leeching off of Theo in order to keep itself working, much like a parasite. Crafty, though Theo doesn't know that much.]

We get mine off and I'll be a lot more able to help with yours. Does it - hurt sometimes? Just to remind you it's there?

( difficult to get a good read off of it like this, but it definitely stinks of william. it'll take a bit of time for oliver to craft something that might be able to dispel the magic holding theo back, but it's not impossible. he'll get there. oliver's hand slides away, and he's leaving theodore's side to move over to the front door of the shop. flicks the lock shut and turns the sign around so it reads closed instead of open. )

It used to. I hadn't felt it in a while, until you showed up. ( a turn of his fingers has the mark dissipating once more, and oliver's shifting his attention to theo again. moves to the door at the back of the shop, and gestures for theodore to follow after him. they can gossip a little more freely away from the windowed walls out front. )

Dispelling curses like this is a little more--not my field, but if you want to permanently be a little associated with the guy who fucked over a fair amount of people here, we can call in Nate. Ragnor'd probably care less and be willing to lend a hand, buuut he's out right now.

[Theo lets his shirt drop back down while he tracks Oliver with a turn of his head and a twist of his torso, watching him lock up the front - seeing a hundred different lives in the way the lock twists on the door, in a sense of deja vu. He rolls his shoulders and then follows Oliver into the back, looking around with mild intrigue along the way, idly reaching out to touch things not unlike a curious cat.]

I don't want any association with Willem if I can help it. If he does come back in any form, I really don't want a trail. That includes you, but I'm thinking we're on the same page on laying low?

[You sell him out, he'll sell you out.]

I can wait a little.

It's a little harder for me. He wanted me because of our face, you know.

( with a hand raising up to gesture to his face. just in case theo forgot that oliver looks just like theo once did. it's a little hard to hide his whole face, unless he just. glamours over his whole appearance but oliver also likes his face. maybe it'd be worth the effort, given how much of a fucking asshole william is. but maybe he'd be able to see through it, too, making the whole trying to hide thing fucking stupid. )

But I won't tell your secret.

( not when selling theo out won't do jack shit for him. even if william made promises, oliver knows they're all empty and useless.

there's a room in the back, with a very comfortable mattress and a nightstand that has a couple drawers. oliver leads theo into it and sits down on the edge of the bed, so he can lean over and open the drawer. )

Sorry about that.

[The face thing - not like he can help it any, though. He stares at Oliver for a longer moment, scrutinizing a face he once knew so well - still plagued with a little bit of jealousy because it was his face after all. And now it's on someone else, giving the guy he used to hatefuck a complex all in the process. Kinda funny but not in a ha-ha way. He stands a few feet from the bedside, scratching at the side of his neck before just watching Oliver rifle through the drawer.]

If he comes back, he'll look the same. Always does - so far as I remember. You said he died and... I want to believe it. But he's died before. I hope you really did end it.

[...]

I'm tired of the cycles.

( there's a few gems in the drawer, and a few long pieces of stainless steel. oliver pulls out a piece of steel, and leaves the gems for now. grabs hold of a knife, too, before he's dropping down onto the floor on his knees and--puts the steel down on the nightstand. takes the knife, and starts carving a few runes onto one side of it. not the whole bit, but the first two inches of it. the tattoo on his left hand glows a soft blue, and the knife, while not particularly sharp, sinks into metal as easily as if the metal was clay. )

Doesn't matter to me either way. He didn't come back here, which's all I cared about. He wasn't exactly open about whatever was going on with him, so I had to finagle something I thought would work.

Remind me that I owe you thanks for that.

[Later, after they're done talking inkblot curses and brands and Theo can revert to his more flirtatious personality now that danger's off the table. For the time being at least. He's not shy about using sex as a thank you and this whole city seems to thrive on it, so. He'll find some way of replaying Oliver later, where as right now he just watches him work. Diligent at his craft, deft with his fingers.]

Where did you learn?

Hogwarts. Got my letter when I turned eleven. Slytherin, in case you were wondering.

( complete fucking bullshit because a: jkr sucks and nobody likes her and b: oliver very clearly does not have a wand or a cute animal companion.

but he's not taking his eyes off his work either. lips purse as he digs the knife in deeper to gouge out a little bit of the steel towards the center, then reaches back into the drawer to take out a small piece of carnelian. places it into the new groove he'd created, fingers sliding over it until steel melts and rehardens to hold in the stone. )

You wish, you fucking little Hufflepuff.

[Oliver doesn't answer and it annoys him somewhat, but he isn't about to beg for a response - he is... really interested though, because he's never been able to meet a witch who didn't then immediately meet an unfortunate demise. He had no way of learning except through trial and error on his own and well, imagine what it could be like to actually fucking know what you're doing. He huffs a breath, and then just. Seats himself right on the edge of the bed. Fuck being polite.]

If you want actual answers, maybe you shouldn't be such a snarky little bitch.

( especially when he's doing theo a favor. not that oliver stops what he's working on. the stone is set, so he starts working on the other side of it with the tip of the blade. even as he talks. when he finishes dragging the blade off the edge, oliver reaches up into the mess of curls to the side of his ear and--pulls out a little sharp-edged bobby pin. starts going around the runes with intricate little designs. not for the charm or anything. just because he likes his shit to be pretty. )

Takes one to know one.

[He says before flopping back, legs curled over the edge of the bed but his back flat out across it, arms folded over his chest. He stares up at the ceiling for a beat, remembering a time when he could summon the view of stars over his bed to fall asleep. He lays for a moment before he's decidedly uncomfortable and sits back up, once again scrutinizing Oliver's work with a cant of his head to the side.]

You got any cigarettes?

Just weed. Behind the front counter, second drawer.

( but he's dropping the needle down and waving theo in closer instead of waving him away. most the basic hand work done, but oliver hasn't even gotten close to finishing it off. runes are easy; he brought over all his notes on his phone and thanks to oliver's inability to sit through lessons but endless pdf downloads of books and pictures of shit he thought might eventually become relevant, he hasn't struggled with pulling what he needs together. )

Give me your middle finger. Left hand.

[He thinks about the weed but isn't given the opportunity to go get it - which is fine, he just wanted something to smoke, not necessarily get a buzz out of. He'll see if the fancy still strikes him later because free weed is still free fucking weed, but he does as he's told. Holds out his hand, flexing his fingers and turning his palm side to side, letting Oliver decide if he wants him palm up or not.]

This is giving me deja vu.

[It's a joke. Willem was rarely that caring to actually propose.]

( the hand movement is annoying, so oliver grabs hold of theo's wrist when his palm is up, figures that's good enough. and then--lets go, to grab onto the line of steel he's been fucking with. )

You're going to owe me big for this. Like, do you know how hard it is to find good gemstones here? Do you know how much magic I'm about to waste on you?

( despite his words of complaint, oliver's still smoothing thumbs over the line, until it shifts and wraps it's way around theodore's finger. connects on the opposite side, without even a line to show where it connected. oliver hums soft, looking down to it, then.

looks back up to theo as he lowers his head over his hand and presses lips to the band itself. )

Diluo lues. ( murmured soft, as the band tightens and grows hot, before it's form shifts entirely. the runes sink into steel, the shape of the stone shifts until it's only visible in a thin line running through the center of the ring. when the burning sensation fades, it looks rather-- simple, but it does the job.

well. ish. it doesn't entirely erase the mark on theo's hip, but it does hide it from view and suppress william's hold on him; suppresses the ill intent behind it, so it can't leech off theo, fuck up his magic or prevent him from touching it. instead, the stone attracts the curse's attention, draws it up through theo's side, down his arm, and straight into the ring itself so all the mark controls and hinders is just a stupid piece of rock. leeches off of it, too. which means once the stone's been sapped dry theo will be fucked but like.

oliver didn't promise a permanent solution. )

[He bears through the warmth - the heat of the process and says nothing, with his eyes downcast and watching the metal transform into a ring around his finger. Simple works for him, and he flexes his hand again once all is said and done. He can already sort of feel it; a weight pulled right off of his skin, the mark diverted elsewhere and a warm throb of magic back in his blood. He looks up to Oliver, reaching out with his other hand to stroke the underside of his chin.]

I'll pay you back - however you want me to. A good favor, a great hex? Ass eaten, enemies humiliated... you name it and it's yours.

[Couple of those things he'd do just for fun too, so it's no loss for him depending on what Oliver decides is worthy. He has a feeling Oliver's a sharp kid who will know when to bank a favor, the most valuable of all the things he's offered - so he waits to see just what he decides.]

( theo's lucky it doesn't drain oliver directly, just--his reserves, which he really doesn't have much of. oliver knows plenty of strong, powerful witches with reserves in spades, but he's. significantly lower class than that. the charm'll probably hinder him working on anything else over the next few days, but oliver's got enough protection charms that he's not super worried about it.

and ragnor's ring, giving him a link to siphon off demonic magic if he needs it. he raises a hand up to the side of his face, rubs his palm against his head where he can feel a headache settling in. )

You already know it's a great ass, so you'd eat it anyway. ( just an fyi. if he were in theo's place, oliver'd enjoy taking apart someone with a face he once had. ) The ring won't last forever. Carnelian can only hold so much, and I didn't have a particularly large chunk of it either. Maybe three-ish months? You'll know when it's about to give, it'll start to crack a few days beforehand. I can make another using topaz that'll probably hold for another couple months, but curses like that are hard to fool with the same trick more than once. So after the topaz breaks, I can't help you with it anymore.

Three months, maybe more.

[Better than nothing, though he'll have to make use of the time wisely if he wants to get this shit off him permanently. He already feels... better, which is nice, and he's staring back down at the back of his hand while he tries to remember how to deal with this feeling of - freedom. It's hard to remember what it's like to not have the weight of Willem in one form or another. He laughs, and looks back up to Oliver.]

Should give me some time to figure it out. Yours too, if you want to joint work it.

[They've got mutual interests??]

Or we can just fuck, and keep work and play separate. But I like mixing it up.

( oliver's still on the floor, so he just. leans forward to press his forehead against theo's knee. figures what the fuck would theo do if oliver let his guard down, when oliver just gave him an out. kill him? potentially. but it wouldn't help him any, so probably not. )

After offering eating my ass as repayment, you're really ruining how much of an incentive that'd be if you're just going to offer it for free. You know that, right?

( he's resting. theo interrupted his nap, but this is just as good of a place to get one in as any. )

I'm a bit of a whore.

[He says without a shred of embarrassment, he knows what he's good at and for some people he'll only sell it or trade. Others, well, he'll still give it out for free. While still looking down at Oliver, Theo gets a familiar pang in his chest. Moments like this weren't the type he shared with Willem, but much rather - Everard. Evan, if they were being stupid and modern. He doesn't think, he just reaches out to card his fingers through his hair near-affectionately, only half attentive to his own actions.]

( fingers move into his hair, and oliver leans into it. closes his eyes as a shudder runs through his spine. there's nothing he likes better than a good hair pet and a little attention. if theo's going to give it to him, oliver's not going to argue. )

Oh, good. You'll fit right in.

( the whores get on the best here. oliver would know. )

Can't help being hot and knowing how to use it, so why the fuck not. Right?

[Theo idly continues playing with Oliver's hair, a mix of affection displaced from the thought of someone else and just... doing what he knows he likes, which is evidently working. It's weird how alike they are in some respects - makes him wonder what really separates them, and what thing is going to be the defining line between where Theo starts and Oliver ends.]

I have a feeling that it'll work in my favor here quite a bit. You feeling chatty enough to tell me how it's been for you, signing and all that shit?

TDM #24

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