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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!! |
memories;
Inside is where things have changed a bit, not all of it Val and Kazu's doing. There's now a blackboard-paint wall across from the bar with what looks like menu options that people are voting on..? And suggestions scrawled beside the list in multicolored chalk and various handwritings. The pillow piles in the dark corners are gone, replaced with plush lounges and loveseats. Although the dive aesthetics are largely the same, if cleaner, there's one glaring addition. Someone has used gold spray paint to write 'BLACK CANARY' in large, angry lettering.
It's early by bar standards, so the only one currently around is Kazu who flipped the sign and headed straight into the kitchen to prep the current (experimental) snack menu and bar garnishes. They've kept the drink options simple and unpretentious like Faith preferred, no crazy cocktails unless Jesus is getting creative on his own for a supper club night, but even some basics need citrus! While Faith is looking around Kazu pushes through the swinging door with the tray of sliced fruit. He notes that someone is in the stage area but doesn't scrutinize them, because that would be weird -- instead he just calls out with the instinctive 'irasshaimase' to greet a customer and continues setting up the bar. ]
Can I get you anything? There are a few more instruments in the back, as well.
[ Toby isn't in yet, obviously, but there's no audience to MC for at the moment anyway. Someone who's come in this early might want to warm up while it's quiet? ]
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You got rid of the pillows. [Perhaps she should have thought of something more profound to say, but it would have to do.]
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There's a pressure in his chest, like someone's squeezing him so tight he can't breathe. Then he realizes he isn't breathing, and that's why it's suddenly quiet.
Get it together, Kazu. People come and go all the time, you should be used to this shit by now.
But he isn't. Probably never will be, because that's not who he is. He has entirely too many feelings for something like a partner vanishing or reappearing to not be completely overwhelming. ]
They smelled weird.
[ Okay, not a great first thing to say on his end, either, but he's kind of flipping out on the inside. And she still hasn't turned around, so when he speaks again his voice is shaky with uncertainty. ]
...Faith?
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[There's a soft but cautious laugh when she registers the shakiness of his next question, finally turning to look at him. That's something she'd need to get used to again. People caring this much about her. Caring she'd been gone.
Faith cants her head at him, not quite meeting his eyes since his reaction makes her a little uncomfortable.] Hey, Kazu. Guess it's been a minute, huh?
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It's been many of those.
[ There is very obviously a hug coming Faith's way if she doesn't stop him. ]
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Missed you too, buddy.
[She means it too.]
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It's that last part that has him unable to stop from wrapping his arms around her and holding on tight, knowing that with her slayer strength she could escape in a blink if she wanted to. But she doesn't shove free, she squeezes his shoulder and says she missed him and Kazu laughs fondly into her hair. ]
Only since you got back. But I'll take it.
[ He finally loosens his grip and straightens up, smiling with that slightly embarrassed 'I know I'm being too much but thank you for indulging me' flush Faith will certainly remember. ]
Do we have any catching up to do?
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Depends. How long have I been gone? It's been a year for me. But there's not much to tell. Just travelling the U.S., slaying demons and vampires. You know, the usual.
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[ Still smiling warmly, Kazu reaches up to tug at a lock of her hair. ]
I'm sure you can come up with a few stories for me, if I make you something special. Come, we upgraded the kitchen. I'll make whatever you want.
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If I remember your cooking right, I'd be willing to even make up a few if it got me more food.
[She moves to follow him.] What other changes did you make?
[It's a strange feeling. She's not quite sure how she feels about someone else running her place and changing it. Not mad. It's just... weird. And part of her thinks he's probably made it better than she could have. That'd be her insecurities talking as they so often did.]
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[ This is something he worried about from the start, something that made him uncomfortable when he and Val had thought about taking over an existing business. It's not honorable, where he's from, to claim someone else's work. Faith had given them this place, but making changes had felt disrespectful. Like he would be offending her either way.
He holds the kitchen door open for her to reveal that it's been expanded into the storage area that was adjacent to it, so that there's room for more than just a fryer and flat top. Once she's stepped in Kazu moves into the corner to let her look around properly, trying not to make it obvious he's desperate for approval. ]
We didn't want to change it, just make it... all of ours. I do a supper club on Tuesdays, that's all. My friend Daphne plays jazz instead of it being an open mic that night, and I've catered a few events that rented the roof deck. But that-- I didn't think you'd mind too much. We couldn't possibly also run a restaurant.
[ Please cut off his nervous rambling, Faith. Please. ]
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It's nice. [Faith tries to offer a reassurance but it feels a bit awkward, as it's not a well-used muscle. Most people aren't seeking her approval. Not like this.] You could have made it whatever you wanted, Kaz. It's yours and Val's. I'm just still... getting situated.
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We didn't want to make it something else completely? We liked it here before it was technically ours, and it has always still been yours. And Dinah's, she-- worked here for a little while. Before she disappeared, too.
[ There's a pause, before Kazu pushes off the wall and reaches to open the fridge. ]
If you want it back when you can own property again, Val will also understand.
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[Faith shrugs noncommittally at the offer, not sure she wants to just yank this place back from them.]
I don't know. Maybe it'd be better staying with you. [Quieter, she shifts awkwardly.] Maybe I could just tend bar or something?
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The counteroffer is easy enough, though. Kazu does glance back up at her with a smile, at that. ]
Of course you can. [ He could use the help, on busy nights. Val doesn't hesitate over dealing with the alcohol anymore, but Kazu still prefers if he didn't feel pressured. ] Actually, I think that's perfect for now... Magpie keeps telling me we should serve snacks and I could do that if there was another set of hands.
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Deal. I got pretty good at pouring beer from the tap and making cheap cocktails before. I can try and upgrade my skills to slightly fancier cocktails too, now.