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duplicitymemes2023-07-10 08:51 am
duplicitymods) wrote in duplicitymemes2023-07-10 08:51 am
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TDM #31
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It's discouraging to think how many people are shocked by honesty and how few by deceit. Yet, solace is found in the lies we tell each other, comforted by the peace of knowing that we're not alone in our depravity, and once on this path, sin itself becomes the lesser of two evils masked in a cloud of normalcy. This is how Duplicity has functioned since the beginning. The divide of power and social standing is overt in that Dominants influence the decisions made both publicly and privately while Submissives cater to the rules presented to them. It is the way of Duplicity to assign random designations at birth with no leeway in altering what has been given. Climate in the Up is far stricter than that of the Down; violating outlined personas for a Dominant or Submissive while in full view of others is punished by degree of infraction. In the Down, many tend to turn a blind eye to these sorts of offenses. To counteract the discovery of the deceit gene – a natural "negative" response to all stimuli – the 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!! |
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Loki levels him with a look that is both unbothered and feigned innocence as though he could verbally spar endlessly and not tire from it.
"Excessive is pool noodles shaped like a poorly constructed allusion of the nether regions and then engaging in martial combat with them. Slapping you in the face with a dildo and throwing down the gauntlet would be excessive," Loki takes another airy sip from his drink before waving a beverage in Damian's direction, it had a slushy, creamy consistency and it was garnished with a pineapple and cherry kabob, a little umbrella, and a bamboo straw, "it's just magic, all you have to do is escape the sphere of my influence and you'll be just as skimpy and sexy as everyone else."
Or you can sit and have a drink, speaking of, "it's free of alcohol, if you were wondering."
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Loki is reminding Damian a few other relentlessly cheerful people who refuse to be dismayed. It's decidedly irritating. "If you slap me in the face with anything remotely related to a sex aid, I'll stab you in yours," he says. Granted he might if slapped at all, but that would guarantee it.
Although in a way he's not entirely eager to leave the conversation. Being annoyed at someone with magic and a blase attitude is the most normal he's felt since arriving.
"I was not skimpy to begin with," Damian points out, looking down at the drink with suspicion. It's hot, and the fruit at least is tempting, but he's not going to actually eat it. He presses the cool of it against his neck for a second instead. "Why were you hiding away? You don't seem particularly thrown by the atmosphere."
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At the threatening remark Loki just threw himself back in the chair and started laughing, for a being so old and so young at the same time it was certainly childish and genuine, not mocking in the slightest.
"I think you might enjoy yourself more if the weapons were less topical and more relevant, I'm just as handy without magic if actual swords and blades are more to your liking. I'm also very good at video games, but I'm not entirely certain they have those here," disappointing if he was being honest with himself, he was fond of human technology and video games in particular were a draw for him, "I suppose there are other ways to throw down the gauntlet."
Slouching forward again considering Damian's question while stirring the celery stick in his drink he considered lying, he could weave something believable up easily and not skip a beat, but he didn't choose the lie.
"Well considering I'm the progenitor of certain sex acts I really don't have a problem. It's the gravity, birds feel gravity, acrobats and dancers, even though they act in defiance of gravity. This place seems to take it away, you know? The diving, the tumbling, the swooping, the loop the loop and wire walking...the ability to defy gravity with tricks. It holds you to the ground, that's uncomfortable," for someone who could go anywhere at any time and do anything, "plus that means I'm trapped in here with people who may or may not want me in chains, and not the good kind."
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And enough people have adopted the batarang in mimicry that Damian isn't worried it will unmask him. Though if he'd had more options by way of weapons on short notice, he wouldn't have taken them.
The laughter grates, and Damian rolls his eyes. "Enjoying myself here would seem to be a hindrance, not a help. It's hostile territory, we should all be on alert." Still he tips his head, frowning. He also likes video games, even if he doesn't play them as often as he used to, when Jon was still younger than him and around more often, or Richard had more time. If he IS stuck here for some time, he'd doubt he has the time to play either, but still. Not having them is disappointing. "Is that what you wish to do? Throw down a gauntlet?" Damian would not mind it, honestly. A good fight is infinitely less complex emotionally than everything else here.
One dark eyebrow lifts. "Progenitor," he repeats, deeply dubious. "Doubtful." But there's a part of him that relates to that feeling of being held down. Damian doesn't do well caged, it brings up too many memories and feelings he learned not to indulge at a very young age. "You have enemies here?" he asks, instead of saying that.
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Or basically if he could come and go as he wanted.
"Well, not necessarily throw down a gauntlet, if I could find a game we could play games. I could probably magic one into being as a last resort, but it's just not the same," magically created technology doesn't even function the same way as something practical is a bit removed from something impractical, "but if you enjoy sparring for the sake of sparring, I come from a people who enjoy that sort of thing so I understand it."
And he can enjoy it.
"We'll talk about it when we're both a little bit older," is his response to Damian's doubt, but he's omitting certain information about himself beyond his ability to use magic.
Instead he moves on to the part where they talk about his enemies, "well I don't see them as such, but I'm not so sure they feel the same. You know how we're different people all throughout our lives? I used to be different, not the charming, whimsical ball of mischief you see before you. More like the instigator of malice and terrible schemes...but I have atoned for turning New York City into an ice cream nightmare and similar atrocities. I'm recovering. Some people might not see it immediately."
It has taken time and effort to establish a loving brotherly relationship with Thor after all.
"Most people hold to the leopard being unable to change it's spots principle."
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Playing game with magical strangers who change his clothing at will and teleport is not Damian's first choice, but it DOES sound less terrible than anything else on offer. "Do you play chess?" he asks. "Or cards?" Damian is adapts at both, of course. But there have been accusation of rampant cheating at all card games to account for his wins. "Sparring is also acceptable. When I win, you can no longer change my clothes."
"I am adult enough to know that you are full of shit," Damian says. "You're old enough to know that as well, I think."
Damian does understand being a very different person now than when he was younger. But- "You're not that charming now," he points out. "But I see your point. It's not easy to see change when outwardly you're the same person, and they remember the past all too well."
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"I can play most games, but strategy games and trick-taking games happen to be some of my favorite, probably because they're not popular amongst my people," neither the Asgardians or the Frost Giants were particularly apt at games that forced them to think. He's also a huge fan of cheating, but he'll leave that part out. "When you win? I guess one must manage their expectation."
Or not.
"Progenitor might be too strong, patron is probably a more accurate word and," he'll give his chin a thoughtful tap, weighing his words here for a moment, "certainly I'm old enough, but I'd say that's relative."
Forget the fact that Damian understands his point, Loki gives a derisive snort at having his charm questioned, "excuse you, but I have charm in spades, it's just understated and it requires sophistication to see it."
Sophistication to Loki is purposely sticking his pinky out as he drains the rest of his drink like a true elitist.
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Damian's lips pursed and then he shrugged. "But I'll play with you, if you like."
"Or performer, since I suspect at least 80% of what you've said and done so far is a performance. My guess is you make a habit of it in all aspects," Damian says. "Age is an exact number. How it presents can differ depending on the timeline you're currently in, but the number of years you've existed is a fixed amount. So no. Not relative."
"Or a tolerance for bullshit," Damian tells him with a faint smirk.
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So long as it's not arrogance, that often tends to be dangerous, not that he would know anything about that.
Resting his chin on his fist Loki leaned forward, his eyes bright with excitement and perhaps a bit of anticipation. Is he making friends? Well he's not going to get his hopes up, but that there could be people here who have no idea who he is and what he's done in another life and therefore have no frame of reference to judge him from.
That has legs, "I would like that!"
But did he have to sound so eager about it?
"You're probably right, but in my line of work it's cake or death, you have to be versatile in your roles," and in a certain respect Damian seems to have the measure of him, impressive as far as Loki is concerned.
"I really think it depends, if you are looking at age in a...straight line," Loki is aware that's how most human's would look at it and debating for a moment he decided he might just give Damian a peek at him, "for example if you are a being with an old soul, but you die, then you're reincarnate, but your previous soul becomes sentient inside of you that does complicate things a bit."
More than just a bit honestly.
"Are you sure it's just the bullshit and not my pretty face?"
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Damian is perhaps a poor choice to try to make a first friend with. But he's there, and he is, in his way, trying to be if not friendly, at least not rule out the possibility. Even IF his clothing is still absurd to view.
He cocks his head at the eager reply, but there's a small smile to go with the assesment. As someone who has trouble making sense of other people's emotions or the reasoning behind them, sometimes, Damian appreciates obvious shows of it. So long as it's not at his expense. "Now, or another day?"
Damian listens, curious despite himself at the description. But it's a topic he's considered before - you have to, when you and everyone you know seems to have died at least once. After a moment he steps a little further into the cabana and then sinks down to sit crosslegged, not that close to Loki, but not putting as much space as possible between them. "If you die and return with no awareness of your previous life or experiences, and don't regain them again, then I think it's fair to say that the count would begin again," he says slowly. "But if you recall your previous life, then it's still yours. So the count would still be from the time of birth - or creation - to the amount of time passed since then, wherever or whenever you are. The time lived would differ. If you were dead for two years and 22 years old by date, that is how old you are. But you've lived 20 years."
Not that Damian has any experience with these sort of questions either.
He shrugs. "Though I suppose an argument could be made for now counting the time when you were dead toward your age, since you were in no way aging during that period."
Green eyes narrow at the last question. Damian is very new here. He's still easily flustered by things easily. He just doesn't want to SHOW it. "I wouldn't have any idea if it was or was not pretty, would I? You're an illusionist."
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As for poor choices in friendship, Loki has never been one to shy away from a poor choice, in fact he seems more inclined towards choices that wouldn't be orthodox or within the norm. Challenges were fun as were challenging people, and he knew he was one of the challenging ones as well, even if he was more casual and mercurial in his interactions with people who were less than tolerant of his personality.
"Now, later, anytime you want to call on me really," and Loki was certainly free now if Damian either wanted to play or spar, not that he had any plans to fill up his calendar with much. He preferred to keep it open along with his options.
As Damian described his interpretation of aging to him Loki felt the corners of his mouth tug into a broad grin, part of it being that Damian is actually sitting with him now and part of it being the schooled on his interpretation. For someone who has been entirely all over their own timeline it's different to hear it laid out this way. There are few people he'd take on that ride, but part of him wanted to take Damian, unfortunately traversing worlds was no longer an option for him so it was difficult to demonstrate what it looked like.
"I guess that's a fair enough interpretation, It's all hypothetical anyway," or is it, "it's also personal isn't it/ On can look younger than they used to be and feel older tan they've ever been or the reverse...but time does march on."
Loki's eyebrows shoot up at Damian's response to his illusionist comment, his grin not faltering, but instead his comment inspired a brief bark of laughter, "well yes, I can change my shape, but the limitations of my magic dictate that it must still me be."
He'll reach up to pinch his own cheek hard enough to make his eyes squint and water just a little, "this face is my face."
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He shrugs one shoulder. "Now is fine. I have nothing to play with, but if you're a conjurer, I assume that would not be an issue."
Damian's eyes narrow slightly when Loki grins, just because he's not sure what the reason for it is. But he stays where he is, fairly relaxed, by Damian standards - which means a steel-straight spine and free hands, but no active defensiveness or weapons, for the most part. "Hypothetical for some, not for me. Or you, judging by how you speak of it." He doesn't plan to mention that he died and came back, as it's not public knowledge at home. But most of the world knows about his father and Todd, so he doesn't consider it an issue to bring it up. "Most say I was born old." 'A grouchy old man' was how Jon had put it once.
"If you say so," Damian says, but it's light - teasing by placating rather than truly dismissive.
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Also the one you tend to fight with the most, but that's neither here nor there.
"I don't think we've discussed what I'd get should I win," and yes he is a conjurer so he conjured a chess board, an alabaster thing with pieces that resembled Vikings as opposed to normal chess pieces, there were ornamental knots and animal figures carved around the edges, "unless you prefer surprises."
Loki fingers one of the pieces while considering what Damian said carefully, though not one to make an outright accusation, he does have to wonder why it's not a hypothetical for the young man sitting right across from him. Probably just as unwilling to put it out in the air as Loki is, but Loki is doing it to protect himself from a kind of judgement he cannot seem to escape.
If he could not be himself for a little while that would be fine.
"Oh, maybe you have an old soul rattling around inside of you somewhere, those are best ignored," literally.
With his free hand he rubs his pinched cheek a lopsided and wistful expression on his face now, "I think it suits me."
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He may like most of them, he just doesn't like admitting it. And there would always be tension. That's likely just what happens when you've tried to kill most of them.
Damian cocks his head, but doesn't look overly worried. An overblown sense of invincibility is something he has yet to outgrow, despite being decidedly defeated several times. "What do you want?" He plucks up a conjured piece with deft fingers, examining it curiously.
"My soul is the same age as the rest of me. It's just also as mature as the rest of me, which is usually more so than the rest of the people I spend time with," Damian answers. He looks up from the piece in his hand, setting it back down as Loki pinches his own cheek. "It's an attractive enough face," he says, matter of factly enough that it somehow doesn't sound like a compliment.
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Of course there's only one sibling he even remotely cared about, but Thor had done quite a bit and more to earn it. Of course Loki also had to work very hard to earn the title brother as well, even at the best of times he wasn't entirely certain he deserved it.
But family. Complicated things. That was always the story.
"Hmm..." Loki thought idly about what he wanted, the tip of an index finger tapping the head of a warder, or a rook, biting its shield like some kind of Viking berserker, "...it's been a while since anyone's taken me on a date for breakfast."
Of all the things he could ask for the thing that he liked was breakfast food.
"Oh? Maturity is a virtue, one that comes with so many rules...so many people have so many things to say about maturity and what it means," obviously Loki wasn't a stickler when it came to rules, responsibility was often a suggestion, but he did his best in his own way. Responsibility was a balancing act.
Of course all maturity flew out the window the moment Damian conceded that his face was attractive, no matter how blasé he was, "it's so sweet of you to give me hope."
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Maybe he shouldn't be surprised, given the general atmosphere of the place, but Damian is still startled enough that he showed obvious surprise. "You want me to take you on a date?" he asks. His cheeks feel a little hot and he valiantly ignores it. "Not that it will happen, as I'll win. But that's what you would want?"
"Maturity is an inevitable side effect of a serious upbringing," Damian says. "Mine was very serious, for the most part." Once he'd joined his father, there had been many moments of ridiculousness.
Once in a while, Damian did envy others' ability to have fun without being self conscious or feeling foolish about it. But it was a fleeting whim he let go of. Mostly.
"Hope for what? That your face is a face and will continue to be so?" Damian asks, amused.
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It might not stop him.
"Oh absolutely, it'll be fun! A day of curated activities, arm linking, eye-contact, breakfast for dinner," he'll give that a minute to breathe picking up on Damian's tells, his surprise, his inexperience, the pointed redirection. It does make Loki smile a bit before he raised a finger in the air haltingly, "kidding...well mostly, I never joke about breakfast."
Breakfast is serious business in these here parts.
"Ah, well you can rejoice, I don't stand on ceremony and I'm hardly ever serious, not for long anyway. I grew up surrounded by warriors who took their warrior-ing very seriously, I'm not the sort of person that it fits," Loki shrugged a shoulder still grinning, but it was different, "I much prefer words and wonders."
And his magic made him special even when it made him different.
"Hope that attractive might become handsome or beautiful, I'm fine with either one honestly!" He's a sucker for praise in general.
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Damian slow-blinked at him and then snorted. "You enjoy being ridiculous," he accused. "But fine. Breakfast. Wherever the least likely to be drugged location is."
His own family was likely the kind of warrior family the other boy was referring to, but Damian didn't admit that. "You prefer to talk your way through a problem rather than attack it," he surmised.
It occurs to Damian, very belatedly, that they hadn't actually exchanged names. He offers his with an utter lack of segue. "I'm Damian."
He rolls his eyes. "On your current trajectory, I'm sure you'll end at attractive, whichever variety you like."
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"Well if you want to engage in the age old traditions of courtship, I could be quite serious about it," the words sound serious enough, but the solemn nod was just overplaying his hand a bit and still seemed ridiculous, "the least likely diner to be drugged it is, but if it is a little drugged I won't let you get into trouble."
As Loki played he almost presented himself as a novice, showing just enough skill not to be obvious, but not too much skill that he would put Damian on a strong offensive. He wanted to give the appearance of losing. He's lost quite a few of his pieces, his pawns, a knight, a bishop, and a queen are all that's standing between Damien's pieces and his king.
"Words have energy and power. They can hurt, heal, turn you on, sow chaos, inspire, enrage and the list goes on and on. I can't think of a more versatile tool than words...and there's an endless supply," if you run out of words in one language you have another language.
It's at this point that Loki nobly sacrifices his queen with a perturbed look on his face until Damian offers him a name. He thought about lying for a moment, but there were people here who knew him so that would not endear him to someone he wanted to have call him beautiful in the future, "I'm Loki."
"Well now I have a new goal...aside from this one..." Loki's side of the board was a barrier of strategically placed pawns, one knight, and one bishop. The sacrifice of his queen, his most powerful piece, did allow him to position his remaining bishop and his knight into an impossible position, "...checkmate..."
((I never got a notif, I'm sorry!))
Damian is not easily duped, and he plays cautiously at first. But in the end Loki drags it out long enough that Damian is lulled into a sense of false security. He's a formidable player - but hardly infallible.
"In my experience, words can work well. But there are points when they fail, and something more is needed," Damian says. "Frequently, what's needed involves punching."
He looks up from scrutinizing the board when he hears Loki's name, head cocking a little. "Named for the mythological being, or are you him, in your reality?" he asks, sounding curious, but not particularly thrown. Damian has met gods and demigods, after all. He knows it can happen.
The curiosity and faint smile turn into a scowl when Loki neatly traps him into a checkmate. He studies the board looking for a counter and then grunts and reaches to flick his king over - conceding that he's lost. "That won't work a second time," he warns, plainly dismayed to have lost. But after a second he grudgingly adds. "Well played."
((lol no worries, it happens!))
Raising Damian's king to eye level Loki offers the piece a significant look before tucking it away on the inside of his shirt as though it were something precious, and it might be, but who's to say? Once the chess piece is safe he tilts his head commiserating with Damian on his loss, but not begrudging his own win.
"I've had practice, but when you win the next round I'll do whatever you want then. Not that I'll make it easy on you, you don't seem like the type to forgive a gimme," shifting to his side Loki swing his legs up so they were propped on the table, crossing his legs at the ankles looking pleased with himself still.
"Ah, to answer your question I'm just an extradimensional being, we were worshipped as gods, but I don't know if that's accurate."
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There are worse things than spending more time with Loki, Damian reasons. He's entertaining enough to talk to, and this way he can ensure a rematch.
"No, I wouldn't want a win handed to me. I want to earn it," Damian says. "It has no worth otherwise."
He considers that and then nods. "Not terribly different from some of the beings in my world, then." He didn't really know any of them well, but he'd met them. And more than a few people consider Superman to be a god.
Damian is not one of those. He thinks you have to have not played Mario Cart with someone and watched them be a sore loser to see someone as God-Like.
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If a rematch is the motivation Damian needs for Loki to continue to annoy him into friendship status then Loki will continue to come up with competitive ideas. He doesn't have many people he'd call friend, after all, and anyone who is not someone that he knows, someone who would judge him for what he's done rather than who he is...well that's like a breath of fresh air.
"Somehow, I knew you would feel that way," if he hasn't been swatted away already Loki will lever himself to his feet and stretch, "due to no talent for reading people, you're competitive energy is one you put out there."
And for a moment Loki did frown, quite possibly one of the few serious expressions in his arsenal. Loki already took advantage of that competitive edge to win a date for himself and as talented as Damian is and perhaps hardened by his own life experiences, there's a purity about him as well.
Not everyone was harmless fun in the way that Loki was (unless he had to be otherwise).
Letting the frown slide back to an easy expression he braced his hands against the table leaning in with one of his patented smiles sliding in to replace it, "as a god who is not a god...and not terribly unique...can I trouble you a little further Damian?"