duplicitymemes | TDM #25

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«tdm

TDM #25

« « « 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.

« « « SUMMER SPECIAL

(cw: aphro/drugs)

LIEs has once again partnered with a local coffee chain, Peek-A-Brew, to promote their summer menu and help play matchmaker among those in the program. Along with the usual goodie bag, each character will be handed a small slip of paper after Orientation with a date and time, location, and three fun facts about a mystery partner they're to meet for a coffee date. These "facts" may or may not actually be true — they're simply meant to spark conversation. For the duration of the 1-2 hours the pairs are expected to spend getting to know one another, they will receive unlimited free iced coffee, tea, and lemonade and a discount on any other menu items. Seasonal specials include fruity parfaits and popsicles in a variety of refreshing flavors.

Naturally, all goods are spiked to make the consumers more agreeable, more truthful, and perhaps a bit more handsy than normal. Though the meetings are not mandatory, contact with the paper brings on an inexplicable sense of curiosity about meeting their partner and discovering who they really are.

« « « BEAT THE HEAT

(cw: aphro, temporary body changes)

With summer heat building, the natives are looking for a reprieve from the sweltering weather. All manner of frozen treats are being sold and consumed and it's not uncommon to see Submissives fanning their Dominants as they walk down the street or ride the train.

Sprinkler systems are running day and night in North Park and other city-owned patches of green and plenty of people are taking the opportunity to run and jump through the spray with little care for soaked clothing — or perhaps they aren't wearing clothing at all. Others have taken up squirting one another, as well as whoever is passing by, with water guns or hurling water balloons at anyone who looks like they need to cool down. Especially on the streets near the park, it's a wet and wild battle royale and all are welcome to join in.

Getting hit with some of those colorful water balloons and squirt guns temporarily causes those who get splashed to taste like sweet, mouth-watering summer fruits. It's not just their skin either — the effect extends to their sweat, saliva, and even sexual fluids and can last for several hours. Those around them will find it hard to resist having a taste.

« « « HANG ON TO YOUR HATS

(cw: violence, public nudity/exposure)

If you're out on the streets of the Down, it's not just your wallet you have to worry about losing. It seems that one of the local gangs, the Bulldogs, has set a new test for their junior members and those hoping to join: steal an article of clothing right off the body of someone in a public place. From snatching the hat off their head to slicing the shirt off their back, it's anything goes!

These junior initiates quickly get competitive, one-upping each other on who can complete the task in the most ballsy or outrageous manner. Some compete over who can collect the most clothing, either certain articles or overall, or who can score a full set first.

As word spreads and more people are going around suddenly missing part of their outfits, the Sparrows, a rival gang, decide to get in on the action purely for bragging rights. Rather than taking the clothing by force, they pride themselves on using stealth and trickery, leaving more than a few people naked and confused.

« « « 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 is more of an optimist, they are a Submissive. If your character is more of a pessimist, they are a Dominant.

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

Why did he put the glass on the table? The tables behind him now and he'd either have to sit up or twist weirdly to get it, he should have put it on the floor-

"Vampire, to start." A poor start and he winces to himself. "Not that it means anything...not all are bad...but this one is. Was."

He sighs again and resigns himself to the awkward twist to fetch his glass. When he's seated right again and had a swig from his glass, he continues.

"He's a vampire who thinks in mostly logic over emotion and he didn't see such paltry things as feelings and consent as things to be worried about. He was also not always aware of the farther reaches of his consequences. A large fish used to a larger pond, if you gather. He was killed and, what little reason he'd learned in his time here, was gone again with his return." That...wasn't the main reason they'd done it then, but it was a factor.

Listening is an active skill, and Hawke watches Chris' mouth as he talks, his shoulders, how he sighs and decides to twist and get the glass that much faster than half standing to retrieve it more comfortably. He drinks first then speaks and corrects himself once, is to was, meaning there was a change in his perception either during or because of what he's describing. And there's bite to what he says, too. The way Chris over-pronounces 'paltry,' 'feelings,' and 'consent.'

"Was this realization about his lack of humanity before or after he came back?"

Chris' brow raises. "Lack of humanity meaning him being a vampire or the logic over emotions? The logic part was after, the vampire part was well before." He pauses again, this time in momentary indecision.

"Jon and I...both had a run-in with him first week he was here. He tried to feed off Jon and Jon fed right back, si neither walked away without idea of the other. He told me a bit later." After Grayson had truly hurt Jon, of course. Otherwise, he got the impression it had been unpleasant, but more surprising than scarring.

The question is heard but Hawke doesn't answer given that Chris answers both for himself. And the run in with Jon, that makes a sort of sense insofar as feeding and all. Vampires are immortal creatures, or so he's been told, and that must carry with it more than a lifetime of fear for the Eye to glut on. What is conspicuously absent is Chris' tale.

"You said both you and Jon ran afoul and then only told me what happened with Jon." He folds his arms across his chest, looking down at Chris with a practiced placidity to his features but inside he's bracing for his previous estimation of 'something worse' not happening to be wrong.

There's a thrum of vibration in him that sets his teeth on edge, similar to when others try to hold his hand or embrace him. The feeling of being trapped rises in him as he can see himself backing into a corner. He could try to shut this down, bail out. He's not even sure which part rises ill in him more: the fact Grayson had pressed his advantage or the fact Chris had invited him to.

His stomach swirls and he keeps carefully still in response to the cool calm of Hawke's reply. "Yes, I did."

There's a long pause, like he might just leave it there. He likely would have once.

"I was a little messed up on some of those mushrooms that sometimes grow in the wet times in the Down. I'd been gathering some for the theatre and got myself hit with them despite my caution. Made me more aggressive. I saw a handsome man and approached." He pauses, tongue sweeping along his lower lip while his eyes watched the swirl of his drink. "He was stronger than me, pinned me and I struggled. He...he offered to let me go if I asked it, but I said yes. Just...didn't agree to the rougher way he treated me. After, anyway. At the time, apparently, I pushed for it. So. It's...complicated." His mouth opens, Jon's name on the tip of his tongue to offer what Grayson did to him was far worse by Chris' estimation, but he bites it back.

Even beyond the fact Jon clearly disagreed, his business was not Chris' to spread, not even to Hawke.

"I agree, that is complicated." Damned city and everything about it that muddles your thoughts, makes people suggestable or thoughtless. Vulnerable. "I think you should steer clear of him now, if you're not already. Ultimately, if you feel what he did was a violation, then it can be simplified down to the singular understanding that it was wrong and you wont be in that situation again."

One way or another, Hawke thinks with a harsh exhale through his nose, condensation misting for just a moment as he wrangles his anger over this having happened at all. And guilt, always on the heels of things even if he knows he couldn't have done a thing to prevent it. He hadn't even been here! But guilt isn't logic and he has to shove it under the proverbial rug with so many of the other things that spark it. In fact, none of that is helpful right now. The guilt, the anger, the vague doubts of motivations and boundaries that can't really be quantified because he doesn't have perfect knowledge of all parties. So he shoves it all under the rug, locking it away to be examined much later when his first priority doesn't need to be the man in front of him.

"This may be a very stupid question, but are you alright? Or are you going to be, at least?"

Hawke agrees and it's partially a relief. Jon, Nick, Nate, Jacob...none of them had seen it properly, none of them had seen to want to acknowledge Chris had said yes. Could Grayson tell he wasn't in his right mind? Might he have pressed anyway, even if Chris had told him no? Maybe. They could hardly know for sure. What he did know was that he was partially to blame for it happening at all and no one else seemed to understand that.

It's confirmation enough to add to the burn of disgust and disdain that had bloomed in him at the discovery like a mold. The leading suggestion Chris hasn't been taking up with Grayson in any way sparks another little bit of shame in him, but easily managed. "I've not seen him for some time since we released him. Not in person."

What's more important is that sharp exhale. Hawke didn't need this. Chris hadn't been intending to tell him, it wasn't even the most recent thing to fall on the Cleric's plate, it was just the biggest and longest-lasting in terms of time. He shakes his head and purposefully does not take a drink before or after he answers: "I'm fine. Jon's been instrumental in helping in near every aspect and it's all but handled now."

He gives it another beat before he takes his sip and sets the glass on the floor before rolling over slightly to more lay in the chair rather than sit in it. "Your concern for me's sweet as ever, Hawke, but you've plenty else to mind and I'll not be another stone you've put on your back."

Chris sprawls and attempts to play like he isn't as bothered by any of it as he'd been only a moment ago. Demeanor, body language, even his tone of voice changes in the same way Hawke sees from many other people in his life who are terrible liars. It makes him frown, and sigh, and pour himself another drink before coming over with the bottle and unceremoniously moving one of Chris' long legs so he can sit in the chair and have the blond half draped across him.

"You're not a burden. Yes, I certainly have a lot on my mind, but none of it can't wait for now. And don't take me agreeing it's complicated as confirmation you did anything wrong. It's complicated means just that. Not simple."

He knocks back the glass in one long pull, then turns it over in his hands absently, staring off at nothing but in the general direction if Chris' knee. "It makes me think of all the things I have to do now that I'm back based on the rules. And the things that will end up being terrible with no warning, like mushrooms or pollen or tentacles in the drains. That's always the danger is someone taking advantage."

He leans back and scrubs a hand down his face. "I want it on record that were we not in Duplicity where the rules of life and death apparently do not apply, I would absolutely put him down if you hadn't already. As it stands, based on what you felt compelled to do when he returned without memories, it would cause more harm than good. Just know I would do it."

Chris shifts to accommodate Hawke with a slight grumble but offers little other resistance. The chair was meant to sit two comfortably.

He doesn't respond to the remark about not being a burden or not taking his own blame, if he doesn't acknowledge them then he doesn't have to agree or disagree. He also doesn't have to acknowledge that he knows that's the risk of this place. So many people he cares for have suffered that -suffered this- while Chris went along lucky enough not to for so long, but that wasn't all of it. Maybe if he spoke of the memories, Hawke would understand why it sits so ill in Chris...but he can't. The physical violation takes little to understand.

The rest, at least, makes Chris chuckle. "Oh would you? You going toe-to-toe with some ancient vampire who can control in the blood in your body? Love you too and all, but I'd have to warn against it. Besides, we didn't kill him, something else did, we just swept up the mess."

"Yes," Hawke replies bluntly, with the weight of knowledge and leaning into a more petty argument so he doesn't have to have a real one. "Not so different from an ancient magister who can hop between bodies and rip holes between planes."

He's a little proud of being able to use Chris' own terminology, what with 'planes' not being a concept really. There's the Fade and the waking world, full stop. Only he'd learned last time around that's not true and now he's able to put that knowledge to work, even if it's just in a vague discussion of who could hypothetically beat which ancient evil asshole.

"I may be officially old now but I'm still just as capable as I was ten years ago."

Chris lets out a bark of laughter. "Oh you're quite right. Practically ancient yourself and far better looking I'd wager." That's easier. More comfortable to talk about. Not memories, not what happened to him or Jon or with Grayson.

"Let's say you could take him, I appreciate your discretion in not doing so." His hand comes up to wrap around the raven skull at his chest and he shifts to be more comfortable. "one of the tenants of my god is a demand for intolerance to the undead, but that's far from tenable in a city so full of them as this. Quiet tolerance would be better, especially since I made it well clear to him a good portion of my magic could wipe him out as quickly as he could me." An uneasy and peaceful stalemate was he best they could hope for, really, but it was more sustainable.

"Sometimes that's the best we can do," Hawke pats Chris' leg in a teasingly patronizing way and he lets his head loll back in the seat comfortably. "I think you did what you felt was right, honestly, and I'm the last person who should criticize you. And it does explain why you seem so uneasy about the room despite it being yours."

He pauses for a moment, then turns his head to look at Chris appraisingly. "You know, this is still more comfortable than the Down public housing, even knowing that. Maybe you could do me a favor that may have the happy benefit of breaking the association."

Chris lifts his leg slightly and let’s it fall back onto Hawke’s leg without a second or even first thought. Teasing he could do, patronizing got a kick.

He looks up at him when Hawke’s tone shifts from comforting to thoughtful, Chris’ brow raising as he followed along the thought path.

“I was trying to just muscle through it, but your thought seems better, if I’m reading it right. I’ve no kitchen and no laundry except the bathtub, but you’d be welcome to settle here a time, if you like. Truly not so far from the housing anyway.” He pauses and lets his head fall back again.

“I’m still not so sure on having others over to the house, though. And any kink play is likely to happen here, but I plan that stuff out, so I’d try not to spring it on you.” But it was something to consider.

Edited 2022-07-25 04:57 (UTC)

"It's fine, I'll do food and laundry at public housing to make an appearance and sleep here when there is too much. I think I'd gotten soft living in a private Up house for so long." He pats Chris' leg again, this time more absently. "As long as you give me warning for the other thing, I don't mind. It'll force me to get out and about anyway."

Not that he can go many places before securing a job. Or a contract. Andraste's ass he doesn't want to have to secure a contract. He can hear Anders in his head though, knows he would make that sour pinched face he does if Hawke was putting himself in danger of prison. He's not, of course, he has three months. But time does go quickly by...

"Know any dominants that aren't complete shit?"

It comes out sounding far too tired for having literally just gotten back, but in his defense, he didn't think he'd ever have to look.

'Force me to get out and about' pings in Chris' head. He'd always considered Hawke more a social butterfly than Chris ever was, yet he was making it sound like he was under threat of holing up and never showing his face again. Not that it would be such a great hardship for him to be responsible for keeping Hawke's quota in check, but he really ought to be meeting new faces.

And, yes, a new contract. He knew Hawke had been near-on blissful in his old arrangement but...well, things changed.

Chris shits up and stands a moment only to flop back down with his back pressed along Hawke's side. He wasn't especially in a full-body idle contact mood, but...Hawke seemed like he might need it. He could manage.

"A few, actually. Scott Summers is self-destructive, but he's a care type, bit like you. V...no last name, he's easy going, freaking out a bit over just having got swapped over to Dom cause he doesn't want to take over someone's life. Told him that makes the best soret of dom, but we'll see. Ky's new, kinda young for you though, but laid back and sweet. Also a werewolf? Eloise Bridgerton's very sweet, sharp as a tack and also young. Aand...Jon, Nate, and Kyle's all full up." There's others, probably, but those were the top of his own personal list not so long ago.

"I clocked that about Summers, yes. Built a bit like me too, though he could use an arm focused workout. Already has a Submissive though and I don't know if he'd want another but wouldn't say yes anyway because he's, as you said, a bit like me." Which is a great deal of self awareness for Hawke, but he's been navel-gazing quite a lot since arriving, even if that hadn't been very long ago.

"V I met on the train and we have a lot in common, it seems. I might talk to him." V reminded him of Festival in that way, actually. Having an understanding of what the city wanted a Dom to be but perhaps not having given thought to what a Dom should actually be and how they could do more good than go to prison on principle. He won't mention the similarity though, not with Festival gone.

"As for anyone under the age of twenty-four, absolutely not. I can't contract with someone who's young enough that I could be their father, not with what the city sometimes makes us do." That's his line.

Chris hums for the return assessments. He couldn't argue with any of it, really, and it was all Hawke's choice in the end.

Well, at least until the last part. He leans back a little harder against Hawke's shoulder.

"First off, while I'll not argue that could be odd if you're sensitive to such things, I'd expect an actual father to have that problem more'n someone like you. Second...you know that's only two years off my age, right? You suddenly gonna be weird if I want to climb on your dick or bend you over for mine?"

"No. As you said, it's two years off your age." Hawke scowls, shifting to look at Chris at his shoulder and then realizing its basically impossible at this angle and settling again. "I'm entitled to my scruples as you are to yours. Though I think it's less about age and more about experience? I have a hard time being at all attracted to doe-eyed innocence and that's a fair sight more prevalent in younger folks. You've at least done things."

A bark of laughter escapes Chris. "Oh, a few things, though maybe not as many as I'd have liked."

He shakes his head a bit and pulls out his phone to scroll through the people he knows. No, still not a lot of options.

"We'll find you someone. Maybe I'll see if Jon knows anyone. Aside from Tim and his lawyer friend, anyway." Maybe if Festival came back...no, he doesn't want to think like that. Better to assume he won't. To hope he won't. "Are you going to go work for him again? Jon, not Tim."

"Chris... Please. I just got here this morning, I don't really want to be match-made quite yet." Or at all. Ever. This sucks a lot.

"I should hope not Tim." He huffs, running a hand through his beard and looking at the ceiling for a moment. "Yes, I'll try and find him tomorrow. I don't know what positions he has open though. I can't imagine he'd have gone this long without a building manager..."

Trailing off, Hawke rolls his head to look at Chris instead. Time for a complete change of subject. "What sort of things haven't you done that you'd like to?"

Chris shrugs. It's Hawke's decision on his timeline for this. Chris can offer to help, but he's not the mage's nanny, he'd do as he would and Chris' protests would only come at the eleventh hour.

He's about to say he's pretty sure security could use a brush up when the utter subject change throws him.

"What? Like...in general? Here? Sex? Life? That's way too broad, Hawke."

"You said you hadn't done as many things as you'd have liked, I'm asking about that." Gosh Chris, keep up. "I'm not sure if you meant in general, here, sex, or life either."

Keep it light, that feels better right now. He can get dour and brooding later when he's on his own. He'd rather enjoy that he gets to keep company with Chris again for the time being.

"Oh." He'd lost the thread of the thought, but he's quiet a moment as he traces back.

He'd meant in life, now that he thinks about it. Sights unseen places unvisited, things undone. Seems an unkind turn for the levity Hawke seems intent on pursuing.

"Well, I've forgotten my meaning. So a new one: I've been here a while since re-arriving. Tried plenty and explored much, we'll have to get you caught up. Maybe teach you a few new tricks, old dog that you are."

He half turns to try and catch Hawke's eye, but the angle's awkward and he abandons it. "I'm very good with bindings of several kinds."

"Oh are you, now?" He tries not to sound so interested but there's a difficulty curve to that. Normally he wouldn't be in the mood for such things currently but he's learned of himself that being restrained by someone he trusts is a quick way to being out of his head and having just arrived back and sitting here with good company but in borrowed clothes and looking down the barrel of having to sleep with people that are not his first choice or suffer tangible consequences certainly makes him wish he weren't himself in that moment.

So perhaps he'll just. File that away for later.

"When did you learn that?"

Or ask about it now. Fuck it, if he's going to have to do it anyway, why not? Maybe 'fuck it' should just be his new mantra.

He gives up the comfortable position to turn and face Hawke for that little turn in his voice Chris thinks he hears. His brow raises, but there's no judgement or teasing, just a small question.

How interested is interested?

"Always known a bit. Plenty of people wanting to tie or be tied in a brothel, but learned most of it for myself with my lust demon boyfriend. You remember him, yeah?"

He left a bit afore I did, so when I came back and he was still gone, figured it was time to set out for myself. Stretch my wings, as it were. I've had plenty of practice from light play to full suspension, for those interested..."

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cw: mention of dubcon and altered memories

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