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duplicitymemes2023-09-10 05:47 pm
duplicitymods) wrote in duplicitymemes2023-09-10 05:47 pm
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TDM #32
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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. Submissives are provided with a plain black pleather collar to wear and Dominants are given bracelets made of the same black pleather. The simple design is an immediate visual indicator that they have not yet signed a contract and they will be informed that more elaborate or personalized styles are a privilege reserved for those who do. Enjoy your free time until Orientation! Participation is mandatory for all new and past arrivals. The weather is cooling as summer turns to autumn and the sky is overcast more often than not. |
 (cw: optional pony play elements) The usual train tour after Orientation showcasing important city landmarks has been canceled and replaced with a walking tour, at least for the half of the tour that winds through the Up. Not only that, but Submissives will be required to carry Dominants the whole way, either on their own backs or in sedan chairs or litters.* It's a visceral lesson in accepting and understanding their role, whether that's to direct or serve, guide or support. (*Accessories such as harnesses and tail plugs may be provided for some Submissives either at a Dominant's request or the whim of LIEs staff.) This portion of the tour will conclude at the train station that connects to the Down, where LIERs will finally be allowed to board the train and take a rest as they continue onward to the less impressive sights of Red Wall Bridge and South Park. Seats are in pairs and randomly assigned to Dominants and Submissives alike. 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. 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, random kink compulsion) As they're walking down the street, characters may spot some fliers for job skill classes or even be pulled aside and invited to attend one by an earnest spokesperson. These classes are advertised as equipping characters with "useful" skills that will either improve their quality of life or help them find stable employment. Whether that's actually true is questionable. The address they'll be directed to is a random building in the Down that seems to be a repurposed storefront. There are three subjects being offered currently. At bartending class, characters will be provided with a variety of liquors, mixers, shakers, glasses, and garnishes. A few simple drink recipes are written on a chalkboard to give them a starting point, but they are also encouraged to play around, mix and match and create their own concoctions, and taste test each other's as well. Some of the drink components contain aphrodisiacs, ranging from a basic arousal booster to more targeted tinctures that stimulate desires for specific activities. These effects can stack and combine or even conflict. Drink responsibly (or don't)! The hospitality class is geared toward setting a mood or scene and seems to mainly involve things like lighting candles and incense, running a bath with scented oils, bubbles, and foaming salts, and spreading rose petals artfully over a freshly turned down bed. Once everything is in place, they'll be urged to try it for themselves — get in that bath, roll around on that bed or have someone tuck them in. How else will they know if they've done a good job? And if they're feeling frisky from the fumes or the bath products, it just makes for a better test. The third class is flower arranging and characters are given vases, shears for trimming, and a selection of flower cuttings of different sizes, colors, and species. They're instructed to follow their intuition and use whichever flowers they like to create a well-balanced arrangement. The thing is, some of these flowers have pollen with aphrodisiac effects. Other flowers have petals that, when handled with bare hands, secrete an aphrodisiac that's absorbed through the skin. Like the drinks, these effects range from the generic to the specific and can combine in complementary or conflicting ways. Think you're arranging a bouquet that symbolizes pure friendship or everlasting love? It might actually inspire a latex-wearing tickle orgy. In each of the classes there are people discreetly taking video and photographs. If they ask about it, characters will be told that the footage is for promotional materials. |
 (cw: altered mental states and changes in perception, compulsion) The light in the old lighthouse at the north end of Chicanery Beach must never go out, so the locals say, but the fuel that keeps the fire burning hasn't been replenished properly in a while. As usual, Duplicity natives are hesitant to go near the beach, but this important maintenance is still deemed essential. The solution, at least this time around, seems to be putting the latest batch of LIERs (as well as any others foolish enough to volunteer or unlucky enough to be recruited) up to the task of visiting the lighthouse in teams or pairs to feed the flames. Working in shifts and armed with canisters of fuel, the lamp is to be filled every evening and the fresnel lens carefully polished. It's a simple enough task. However, some of the fuel has been tampered with and, if examined, smells somewhat off. What this means is that in some cases, when the contaminated fuel is added, the flame temporarily changes color and those in close proximity experience odd effects. If the flame turns blue, characters will feel compelled to share a truth about themselves that they wouldn't normally admit — at least, not to this person. If the flame turns green, they will feel argumentative and inclined to pick a fight. If the flame turns purple, it induces a desire for physical sensation — any sensation. It also scrambles characters' perception of what it is they're feeling. Everything they touch is inexplicably painful or pleasurable, hot or cold, smooth or sticky, soft or sharp, etc. The effects last for as long as the flame burns that color, which can be anywhere from a few minutes to several hours. People who approach the lighthouse or try to investigate from the outside while these changes of color occur may find themselves lost on the beach for up to six hours. |
 (cw: pornography, aphrodisiacs, public sex) The city is putting on a free movie night in North Park with a big projector screen, encouraging citizens and LIERs alike to spread out a blanket and cuddle up close to watch the films. It's a double feature! The first film of the evening is relatively "family friendly" but it's dripping in propaganda with a heavy pro-Creator bias and an emphasis on traditional Duplicity values. The second film, beginning well after dark, is more erotic and adult in nature (and frankly just straight up pornographic). Concession stands are serving popcorn and other movie snacks, along with seasonal drinks like cider and hot cocoa, available during the hour before the showing and throughout the runtime of both films. As is common in Duplicity, many of the concessions are laced with an extra special ingredient that lowers inhibitions and dramatically increases libido. Those who consume the refreshments may want to pull their blankets up over themselves and engage in some stealthy fondling, or maybe they're feeling bold enough to get handsy right out in the open. It's dark, after all, and everyone else is watching the movie. Or are they? |
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 more afraid of tangible things (such as spiders, snakes, or clowns), they are a Dominant. If your character is more afraid of intangible things (such as intimacy, rejection, or change), 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 couldn’t help it! It was clearly not his Jim, but how could things be that different? The Farragut? Really?]
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Why would I turn down becoming the youngest First Officer in Starfleet history?
And I hate to disagree but I’ve served on the Farragut for years. I was assigned right after graduation from the academy.
It’s Stardate 2398.3.
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Right, sorry. Guess I was thinkin ya were someone else. So, youngest first officer, huh? That’s a pretty big honor.
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It happens. Surprisingly more often than you would think.
Youngest since George Kirk took the position on the Kelvin. Took some leg work to beat him out, but it was worth doing.
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Wait, wasn't George ya dad? An do ya have a brother named Sam?
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But ya don't know anyone named McCoy? Or Spock?
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[ which sounds better than 'that time I went to visit my brother on what should have been an easy mission that ended with us blowing up a federation refinery and discovering an entirely new species in the process' ]
He finds my brother frustrating too. And he's pretty decent at chess as long as someone doesn't distract him halfway through.
Haven't met a McCoy though.
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Ya play chess with Spock? An win? He tolerates that? Distract him how?
[Oh. That was . . . depressing. How could a Jim not know a McCoy?]
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[ it's less creepy than it sounds ] He was two moves from check mate when a crew member approached him with a problem. Threw him completely off his game.
Valuable to know, if we do play and I'm losing.
[ even this Jim Kirk isn't above a little sabotage when needed. Maybe it's not the full Kobayashi Maru, but hey.
If it helps, he imagines it won't be too long until he does meet a McCoy--it just hasn't happened yet. ]
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[The size of his smile said just how often he verbally dueled with the man. The one from his generation, not Spock Prime. That guy was too human to be goaded. And kind of scary.]
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An ensign was having visions sent to her by an invisible alien species that only she could hear and the rest of the crew was convinced she had deuterium poisoning, Spock included.
She was--educating him otherwise.
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Course he did. Damn Vulcans never look past their pointy eyebrows, let alone their noses. I coulda proved there wasn't poisonin goin on in five seconds! Who the hell ya got runnin the medbay that they'd miss somethin so damn obvious? Did they even try ta scan her?
[It was a mini-rant, but honestly? How could the medical staff miss something so basic and call themselves professionals?]
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To Dr. M'Benga's credit she did have a lot of the symptoms of deuterium poisoning. Hallucinations, the works. She punched me in the face though and broke my nose, so I figured it might be something more significant.
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Sorry. Sorry, that was just . . . so perfect. But still, a few scans'd show an awful lot.
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If I get the chance, I'll pass along your approval to ensign Uhura.
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[McCoy list himself to laughter again, though it didn’t last as long as the first time. It took a while to catch his breath. He sat with hand raised trying to stop the lingering chuckles.]
Oh shit. I’m sorry. Lemme explain. In my reality Jim tried ta date Uhura an it didn’t go well, but she got together with Spock later. He gave her this necklace from Vulcan an turned out it was basically a radioactive homing beacon. Came in handy, but oh god. If anya them ever heard about what your reality did . . . She’d string him up. Ya got off light with just a punch, I promise!
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--and for the record if he asked her out, he's reasonably sure she would say yes ]
Your Jim seems a little--brash.
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[He was grinning, clearly teasing. But the Jim in front of him really did seem quite . . . subdued. A lot more like the Jim from his own time, before they had that last fight. But not because of being worn down, just . . . a much calmer man.]
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Might as well understand the enemy before engagement.
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[McCoy made a face and tugged on the plain braided leather bracelet he wore. The last thing he wanted to do was wear some ostentatious cuff, but he had to wear something. He'd found the most boring choice and tried not to destroy it by picking. It was a constant reminder of all the terrible things the city forced on people and he hated it.]
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What do you mean cracking down?
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Mosta the time we don't gotta wear shit, an we're not watched like hawks. We got a little autonomy. Now they're punishin everyone for any little thing. It's irritatin as hell!
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[ a pause, as he looks for the right word ] barbaric. At least the ones who don't comply.
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Hey. Don't take on that guilt. I know how hard it is ta see someone gettin bullied an hurt in this place, but divin in without knowin what's happenin is dangerous for everyone. Ya can't help anyone if ya get thrown in jail too.
[Which wasn't to say that Jim couldn't interfere, it was how he might choose to do it. Comin in as Dominant with reasonable arguments could be really effective, at least in the short term. Wading in with his fists would just make it all so much worse.]
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