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)
duplicitymemes2023-07-10 08:51 am
duplicitymods) wrote in duplicitymemes2023-07-10 08:51 am
Entry tags:
TDM #31
« « « 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 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. It's the hottest part of the summer. Prepare to sweat. |
 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. |
 (cw: aphrodisiacs, dub-con, groping, public nudity, public sex) It's summertime! To beat the heat, LIEs has decided to throw a pool party directly following Orientation at one of the city's public pools! Attendance is mandatory for new arrivals and strongly encouraged for everyone else. New arrivals are provided with (skimpy) swimsuits to wear, but LIERs who have been in the city a while have the option of bringing their own gear. Of course, skinny dipping is allowed as well, and there are many spots on deck for people to tan themselves. Speaking of tanning, why not help out a fellow LIER by rubbing some lotion on them? Or, if you want to avoid a burn, get someone to put sunscreen on your back? The formulas of the complementary products that LIEs provide may or may not have a mild aphrodisiac added to them, but at least you won't burn and you may get that nice golden tan you've been chasing — all over! While one end of the pool is reserved for people to splash around in or float casually, there are numerous games and water activities for people to join in on as well: In a sexy twist on Marco Polo, though in Duplicity the call and response is "lucky" and "get me," the seeker must try and tag other players by tugging at their swimsuits. They'll be rewarded with 30 seconds of foreplay, groping and whatever else they can accomplish within the time frame. Dominant and Submissive pairs face off against one another in piggyback chicken fights or jousts using inflatable toys and suggestively shaped pool noodles. Are those dildos stuck to the bottom of the pool? You bet! Dive down and retrieve them before handing them to the next person behind you to toss in and dive for or just collect as many as you can. There is, of course, the option of using said dildo on yourself or someone else for others to watch and enjoy on the pool deck. No judgment here. For those who prefer a slightly more private option, there are curtained cabanas available and it's easy enough to duck inside with a partner for a quick tryst. |
 (cw: aphrodisiacs, dub-con, altered mental states, miscellaneous kink) Whether it's the obnoxious, telltale jingle that signals the arrival of ice cream trucks, or the vehicles happen to be spotted in their various parking spots all around Duplicity — including some smaller carts made to navigate the narrower streets of the Down, it's obvious that they're popular considering the warm summer weather. It seems the locals can't get enough of the cool, sweet treats on offer — and, even better, the trucks are offering free samples in addition to selling regular sizes. Popsicles and soft serve ice cream are on the menu, and each frozen bite has its own unique set of effects. The menu: Want sprinkles with that? Enjoy your added aphro! |
 (cw: dub-con/non-con, pet play, leash and collar, training/discipline, exhibitionism) A new public park has recently been built on a formerly empty lot in the Up. The bigger sign on the gate reads "Dog Park," and the smaller sign adjacent to it includes the posted rules that all people need to abide by in order to enter. If you're curious about what such a structure entails (after all, there are dogs in Duplicity), you're in luck: today, there's a meet-and-greet being hosted for pets and their owners, sponsored by a local "pet" shop, with banners advertising the event posted at each end of the park. This is a Dog Park, alright, but it's intended for a very specific kind of play involving the LIERs who want to wear the collars in question as well as the LIERs who are interested in holding their leashes. Even if you've never harbored an interest in it before, don't worry — random bystanders will be enthusiastically pressured to join in by event volunteers, so you might find yourself wearing a collar or holding a leash in very short order regardless. All pets must be collared and leashed properly in order to enter the Dog Park, and owners must remain in close proximity to their pets at all times. There are toys for tugging and fetching, a few pieces of special playground equipment, and more than enough space to run around. There will also be obedience challenges issued to various pairs at random, just to see how in sync both pet and owner are with one another. If you decide to participate and remain on your best behavior, you might even earn a nice treat in addition to a pat on the head. The pet shop will be handing out goodie bags consisting of take-home collars, as well as animal tail plugs and other sex toys and gear, to everyone who takes part in the event, willingly or not. |
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 a night owl, they are a Dominant. If your character prefers the daytime, 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 tag on 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
[Sure, his brief time with the Duplicity scientists was a little blurry after they'd had to take measures to ensure his cooperation but he did remember them healing him. But medical attention and bringing someone back from the dead, those were two very, very different things.
Maybe it was just him, but if he'd died back home and he had the option between staying dead and this place, well, he knew which one he'd prefer. He's also not really sure how he'd react if someone he'd watched die showed up here. He really had no idea how to quantify what was going on in his world. Leon wouldn't exactly call it an apocalypse but it definitely wasn't fine. Unfortunately, he'd been dealing with trauma by being a smart-ass and that likely wasn't going to change anytime soon.]
Makes sense... we're all dealing with the same crap. [Shared hardship did tend to foster a certain level of comraderie.] And it doesn't seem like we have much else.
no subject
What we do got is folks on this side who know they've died. They know how, they've got memory of it happening, and they've got people from their worlds here who confirm it sometimes.
I could spin you half a dozen theories on how that happens, but it does happen. It's this or nothing for some folks here, and they know it. [So there may be more ways in one in which people here don't have much else but each other.]
no subject
He makes a face, grimacing.]
I think I'd pick the 'or nothing' if I was in their shoes. But... [He shrugs a little. It's bleak and he doubts anyone here has a choice anyway. It doesn't surprise him that people want to make it work here though. The lack of free will was the part that really rubbed him the wrong way. Maybe because he'd already experienced more than enough of that on the daily.]
no subject
And so far as the 'or nothing' goes, his answer is simple,] Not for you or me to say. [Because it's easy to say 'if I was in your shoes' to some hypothetical, when they're not a person you know anything about, not a person who you love. It's easy to mistake a place of ignorance for some assumed knowledge. But some of Vrenille's closest people now are men who are dead in their own worlds, and there's nothing he wouldn't do to protect what they have a chance for here.
That's all fairly heavy though, so in the next breath he lightens it again, more casual, a step farther back from a line he'll hold against anyone who comes at it.]
Not for me to say you're wrong if you wanna break your head on this place everyday either. Personally, I take a more negotiated approach. It's all a question of strategy. And priorities.
no subject
I'm not saying what they should do. I'm saying what my choice would be. That is for me to say. [This guy sure is on a high horse and it's starting to annoy Leon.]
Strategy and priorities. Sure. [He exhales through his nose in frustration, looking toward the pool, really anywhere, not seeing anything, but nods. He can't say he's wrong. If you fight everything, you'll only exhaust yourself.] Choose your battles.
no subject
Silver spoons tend to act like they're owed, no matter what other people's lot is. They'll glibly pronounce death as preferable to the lives of others when those lives are ugly to them. And Vrenille knows how ugly his own life tends to read to people like that. Leon would not be the first person to think that Vrenille would have been better off dead if he knew his story too.
It's a truth of the world. Or the multiverse, evidently. He shrugs nonchalantly and leaves it alone.]
So what battles take priority for you? There's quota, there's contracts, there's this, [a gesture to the line on his throat.] There's SIN guards being assholes every day, natives who aren't gonna take your money or even wanna talk to you. What rankles worst? Where do you dig your heels in?
no subject
He thinks over the long list Vrenille offers, rubbing his temple. His head hearts.]
I... I don't know yet. [He'd heard about a few of the punishments, making resisting some of these things completely pointless, or worse directly harmful to himself.] And whenever I get a Dominant... I wouldn't want them to suffer for anything I did. [He runs a hand through his hair and rubs the back of his neck.] They really get you no matter what, don't they?
no subject
But that's on the surface of it. [Which is to say that there are avenues of resistance in all of this, places to claw back a little bit of leverage if one is savvy about it. If one's an all out freedom fighter for whom nothing will do but some pre-established image, they tend to struggle in this place.]
Think of a Dominant as a partner. That's one way forward. You'll never hear me call my contract partners my "Submissives." That's the city's word. It's not who they are to me.
You can look to make a partnership with someone who shares an outlook with you, someone who'd wanna fight the same fights. If you're partners then you're not dropping 'em in it, you're backing each other up. There's people who do that here, who see it that way. It's one option.
no subject
... So, where are you from? Is it similar to this place - the tech and infrastructure? [He figured Duplicity would be the easiest common denominator that they could both compare their worlds with. It's the one they've both experienced after all.]
A partner... [Okay, that makes sense. It does give him some ideas as to what he should bring up when it comes to contracts.] Got it.
Even if they're fine with taking the rap for something I do... I don't know, it just doesn't sit right with me. [He already knows he's going to feel wracked with guilt watching someone else get punished in his place, regardless of the agreement, especially if he's at all close to them.] I'll figure something out. I think, I need to get to know this place before I can really say what may or may not be viable.
no subject
As to his world,] It's called Tyria, and nah, not by a long shot. This place blew my mind when I got here--all these wild tall buildings made outta so much glass.
We got a lot more magic, especially compared to most versions of Earth I've heard of, but even compared to here. And we've got dragons, which as soon as I say it always makes you Earth types think we don't got tech. We do, it's just different types of tech--teleportation gates and holograms but no TV, no phones, stuff like that.
[He focuses here for now, letting Leon ask whatever questions he wants about it and leaving the rest alone for the moment with a nod. It takes time to process all this. People have to take their own time and there's no use rushing how they want to think through it.]
no subject
So, a place like this must've been a bit of a shock. Have you run into other people from Tyria here?
[He wondered if it was common for multiple people to be here from the same place, if he'd run into anyone from his own version of Earth. Though he's not sure how they'd be able to tell.]
Could you do magic where you were from? Are you still able to do it here?
no subject
My best friend from home's here. Makes me lucky. 'Sides the two of us though? [He shakes his head.] Gotta be at least three dozen different Earths people here come from--different points in time, different variations of history. I'll tell you, I've learned a helluva lot 'bout Earth.
So far though, only seems to be one Tyria people have been pulled here from, and it's just us. [And briefly, their guild leader; he doesn't mention it.
On the topic of magic, he smiles and raises one hand, fingertips rubbing together a bit like he's plucking at invisible strings in the air, and then, just like that, a spray of purplish light, little sparks, and a cascade of translucent purple butterflies that flutter up into the sky between them, disappearing towards the sun.]
Turns out is works just the same here as back home, which is handy. And probably interesting if you're a maginamics researcher.
no subject
So many different Earth variants. Weird that it comes up more than, well, than Tyria or anywhere else.
[The spark of color gets a few random cheers from some people in the pool, making Leon snort softly in something that is almost a laugh.] Did that so something? Or just... what would you call it? An illusion?
no subject
'Course LIES'd never give you a straight answer on this or anything, but personally I've wondered if Earth might be at some kinda multiversal nexus, like a tree trunk, and Tyria's just off down some branch somewhere. Or maybe once whatever LIES does has snagged someone once, it makes it easier to use that same sorta channel a second time, like paths getting more 'n more trod on through a wood.
[The more established a path, the more people tend to take it. But he's not wedded to the idea in any case, and he shrugs. These questions turn out to be pretty academic in the end. People arrive, they vanish, and no one has the least control over any of it.
So far as the cheers from in the pool go, Vrenille laughs, raises a hand in half a wave of acknowledgement, and shakes his head. They're having a good time. It's nice to see people having a good time here.]
Mn, an illusion. That one's just a show of lights. [It's a careful phrasing: that illusion was a show of lights only; it's not the same as saying that all of them are.]