Duplicity Game Mods (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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duplicitymemes2023-07-10 08:51 am
duplicitymods) wrote in duplicitymemes2023-07-10 08:51 am
Entry tags:
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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He followed Alex's gaze down though, seeing the M for the first time and turning his arm gently outward to see it better. Going home for Michael wouldn't be worse than staying here. Roswell was shitty, but it wasn't a tyrannical sex state. So that M was for someone, and it wasn't the Michael that had been here before. "You wanted to remember him that much?" he asked. He tried not to sound hurt, but he didn't really manage it.
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"I fought it like hell for a long time, but I fell in love. And now he's been gone almost as long as I knew him."
Bass was another thing that Alex kept tucked away. Except it had come out with Barry at the beach. And now he was telling Michael - someone who didn't remember his time here - about such a touchy part of Alex's past.
And, judging by the look on Michael's face, he was going to have to go nearer to the worst of it. "When you showed up, it got complicated. Because I didn't think I could love more than one person at a time and Bass didn't want me to. So that was the status quo for a while. But you and I..." He sighed. "I've never been able to stop loving you. I never want to stop loving you."
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Michael looked up, jaw ticking as he swallowed. "I've never been able to stop loving you either, even when I tried. And I tried really hard." When Alex was gone, enlisted and out of reach. Again with Maria. But even loving someone else hadn't made him stop loving Alex. And Maria had known that as well as he did. It hadn't been the reason she gave for cutting him loose, not entirely, but he was pretty sure it was as much the reason as her powers.
"I tried to be better for you," Michael said. "The last few months, when you were gone, I tried to ... I don't know. Grow emotionally, or something. But you came back with someone else. And then I'm here, and you've got someone else on your arm, in your bed, more in your past. I'm not mad about it, I'm not saying you shouldn't have or anything. But the way we keep circling and crashing into each other, then going right back to pulled apart - starts to seem like it means something after enough times, doesn't it? Like maybe we're not supposed to make it, no matter how much we want it."
And no, he wasn't mad, not really. He was mad at himself, a little, for being hurt. Because he couldn't manage more than a couple months with Maria before circling back to Alex, had never had any other real relationship in his life. But here, Alex found someone else he loved enough to tattoo his arm. Fell for Valenti. And had been with Michael. Michael wondered if the other him was just a better guy, or if he'd just hidden how it felt to be a piece of the puzzle instead of half of a whole.
Or maybe he was just too damn new to this place to get it. But he felt like an outsider with Alex right now, and that was one thing he never really had felt. They'd been on the outside together, when they were with each other, even if Michael had kept secrets most of the time. "Look, I just need to figure out everything here. I'm still playing catch up." It was a shitty excuse, and he hesitated and then added. "It's probably going to sound like bullshit, but I'm sorry you lost him, whoever he was. I never want you to lose things or people that matter to you, even when I don't get it."
no subject
Alex's heart was pounding a little. Losing Michael because Alex was in love with Kyle was not something that Alex would have expected. But then, before it had been Michael who'd slept with Kyle first. More or less. Michael who had come to terms with loving multiple people first. Michael who had been patient with Alex while he had his existential crisis. So Alex could be patient now.
But first there were a few things they had to get straight and his fingers shifted and curled in Michael's hair.
"First of all, no. I don't think it means what you're thinking. I think it means that neither of us had good role models for love when we were young and then my father happened and I left for ten years. And it was kind of like we hit pause on figuring out what adult relationships were supposed to look like. Do I think it'll be easy? No. Do I think it'll be worth it? Always.
Second, I'm not trying to push anything on you. I know the first few days, weeks can be a mess and I'm not doing any favors with the information rush. I just need you to know where I am. I haven't fallen into the weeds the way Kyle has, but I'm not the same person I was back in Roswell. Probably for the best, because if I hadn't had Kyle when you disappeared..." His voice caught and he felt a sharp pain in his chest. Even with Kyle, he'd broken. Badly.
"But I think that year you were dating Maria proved that we can be friends if nothing else. And I'm fine with being that while you get your feet under you and figure out what you want." A beat. "Or with benefits if you need help with quota."
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"Yeah, maybe," Michael admitted. But Alex had years here on him. Years with other people, time lived, a whole different, screwed up world to cope with them in. That other Michael had figured out a place, he guessed, but had it been what he wanted, or just the best he could get?
Michael thought it was probably the latter. And if he wanted to be honest, that's what he'd take too in the end. Because he never really got by without Alex, not really. He just survived and kept going for lack of a better idea, dreaming of another world he'd probably never see and half the time forgot to want to get to, when he was with Alex. He just usually wasn't with him.
He tipped toward the fingers in his hair though, because he was weak as hell for Alex. "I'm glad you had him. I meant that. It's just a lot to take in. Feels kind of like ..." he trailed off and then shook his head. "I don't know. I also know that all of this is probably the last thing I should be worried about when I need to figure out how to get around here." And a way back, or to get communication back - but if some other him with years here hadn't figured it out, along with Alex and Kyle, Michael wasn't liking the odds.
He huffed a laugh though, finally slipping his hand free of Alex's with a last squeeze. "Yeah. You and me can definitely pull off casual, friendly sex without any baggage or feelings getting in the way." His tone was wry. "Just give me a few days to figure things out, all right? And keep in touch so I know you're not dying of dehydration from a mandatory participation orgy or something."
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"Just because you're leaving now, it doesn't mean you're getting rid of me, Michael Guerin. Relationship or no, sex or no, I am not letting you walk away. And I'm not going anywhere either. Metaphorically speaking at least."
And in the meantime, he'd focus on how he felt back in the Long farm. Instead of how he'd felt outside the Wild Pony when Michael had kissed him and they decided to try a real relationship.
"And..." A pause. "This sounds wrong, but I'm glad you're here. I missed you."