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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!! |
no subject
I may say the same for you.
[ also, true. he's quite handsome, and she's learned that being forward in this city is a positive.
her brows knit, lines of her face creasing in muted worry and empathy. ]
I would like that, yes. [ to which she moves to one of the benches, body resting politely and straight, hands resting in her lap, one palm brushing on top of her other hand. her focus remains on d'artagnan as they both sit, eyes shifting only as they might for comfortable conversation. ]
I too was incredibly bewildered by this entire place. The train. [ a beat for a huff of breath, her head shaking. ] I still do not care for it. It is far too loud, and everyone is far too close together. We had nothing like it where I am from. London, 1813. [ may as well toss that out there. nothing like such a detail to show she really can understand his confusion. ]
My sister has lived here for...well over a year now. It has been only a small number of months for myself. She has not come across any further answers for how we arrive here. Only that we clearly do, are stuck, and we are expected to live under a certain set of rules. [ her expression turns wry. ] It is not what anyone newly arrived might want to hear, but it is the truth.
no subject
It's very loud, and the... cars, when you walk along the street. I've not seen one horse.
[He hadn't thought streets particularly quiet before, but the rumbling of engines and the speed of cars and trucks across pavement is a far different sound than the slower clop of hooves and clatter of wooden wheels on uneven stone and dirt. He considers where, and when she's from, tilting his head to the side slightly. It's still past where D'Artagnan had ever imagined time, but closer than anyone he'd previously spoken to about such things.]
I know of London, though I've not been there. I'm from Paris. 1636.
[Daphne's lack of information isn't surprising, and he nods slowly in an accepting sort of disappointment. He'd met another woman who knew people that been in the city four years, and he couldn't fathom it then. It seems hardly within the realm of possibility still, but D'Artagnan can't dismiss it and reject what he sees before him as a fever dream any longer, as he had the first day. He regards Daphne with a sympathetic look as he considers the other piece of her statements.]
Your sister is here as well, and you did not come together? Are there often others from the same... worlds?
[He twists his fingers together, a slight worrying of his lip, that new concern drawing out a mild restlessness he tries to keep mostly to himself.]
no subject
I have not seen a horse while I've been here, either. It is even worse that they demand we take the train. We must do it at least once every month, when new people arrive here. [ orientation. ] I care not for the cars, either. I am told the sound comes from something called an engine? [ her nose wrinkles faintly. again, not an unfamiliar word -- just, not how she'd ever have known one could use it, modern day mechanics utterly unknown and alarming to daphne. ]
1636. [ she repeats the year back slowly, eyes widening and brows lifting, one shoulder drawing in closer to him for a few seconds. ] It is disarming how dissimilar this place is to either the London or the Paris we both remember.
[ about eloise, daphne's lips lift into a small smile. always happy at even mere mentions of her family. the question he poses causes her face to tilt just so. ]
I have heard of it happening for others, yes. A good friend of mine and another young man from his world; they're from the...twentieth century. Then, there have been a cluster, nearly, of navy men from close to my own time, I know, all from the same vessel. The same crew. [ she says the words with a smidge of unfamiliarity, not really confident on discussing members of the Queen's navy, but it's a fair answer to his question. ] A good four or so of them, that I know of, I believe.
[ she spots some of that unease, but had wanted to answer honestly. daphne offers an empathetic smile. ]
It is a very large city. Easy to avoid those we do not get on with so very well. [ a small attempt at comforting, if he's concerned about anyone from his world showing up. ]
no subject
Disarming. It is that.
[He draws closer as Daphne smiles, interested in her answer and insight on what he might expect with people taken from the same places. The mention of crewmen from the same navy vessel has him raising an eyebrow, the thought of an entire group not one he had yet entertained. With Daphne's attempt at consolation, D'Artagnan realises his actions are more obvious and he shakes his head slightly, making a correction and going into more detail than he'd initially intended with it.]
Oh. No. No, I'm not disquieted in that way, but the opposite. I've family too, that I'd not wish to be called to this place as I was. Knowing it's possible, I fear... longing for her might make it manifest. It's unfounded, I'm sure, only... difficult to set aside.
no subject
she watches d'artagnan closely, lips parting in awareness of how she'd drawn the wrong conclusion. her experience includes pirates and military men being at great odds, so she'd considered how people may find themselves in a fray they find inescapable. her smile maintains, eyes growing warmer, empathy shining. ]
I cannot know how I would have fared here without Eloise. But...I, too, have contemplated how others from our family may arrive here. Our eldest brother was here a time, just before I arrived. It is...impossible, I think, to not consider how others of my siblings could be a support here as well. It does unsettle me to think so selfish a notion. And... [ she does not speak of simon often at all, but now seems like an appropriate time to.
her forehead creases as she peers away for a moment. ] I have a husband at home. But. I would rather cease to live than to see him in this place. [ simon would do just fine there, but daphne couldn't bear the emotional weight of knowing that her once rakish husband could fall easily into bedding others again. she swallows faintly, knowing she's brought the conversation to a darker albeit realistic shift, and well, she'd done so to ask -- ] Your family member you think of now. Is she related to you by blood? Or is she your partner?
no subject
My wife.
[His voice is quieter and the tone holds a strain of emotion to it, a tense melancholy.]
I've no siblings by blood, and my brothers-at-arms, they... I'd not worry of them, but Constance... It weighs heavy on my heart to think of her here.
no subject
daphne's forehead creases when he confirms what she'd been guessing, her eyes growing sad, empathetic, her face turned to peer into his as d'artagnan shares this with her. she does not know constance, of course, but hearing the name makes her heart sting. ]
My three oldest brothers. They would fare well here, I believe. And... [ she swallows, lips pressing together. they've only just met, she shouldn't be so forward in sharing what is right on her heart but the urge overtakes her. ] Simon would as well. I could not bear to see that.
[ she works to pull on a smile that turns out tight. ] I do hope that neither of them come here, then. Constance or Simon. It is...not easy to adjust to this place, for some of us, and it is loving of you to consider the weight of how being here would affect her. [ a long beat. ] So while it may seem a folly, know that there is at least another who deeply hopes she does come here.
no subject
Thank you, Daphne. Your words are a comfort, and know that I share in your hope we see them only upon our return.
no subject
she sees him reach over, smiling down at his hand and back to d'artagnan, eyes fond and appreciative. the gesture is most welcome. ]
Thank you, as well. It is impossible to not mull over the figurative, when we have people so close to us. [ a small swallow and slow inhale through her nose. ] But I have had many good days here. Thanks to Eloise, and the friends I have made from other times, lands and places. Bleak edges remain, although I try to remain positive. It is not so difficult to do when I have the opportunity to meet people as yourself.