duplicitymemes | TDM #4 ( revised )

« « « TEST DRIVE MEME » » »

« « « HERE WE ARE AGAIN

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 L.I.E.S. 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 L.I.E.S. after a year; however, results have remained unsatisfactory and testing still continues.

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 highrise. 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 by all new and old arrivals.

Oh, and one more thing. It's fucking cold. Better bundle up.

» » » LIES TRAVEL IN COMPANY

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.

« « « END IN THE DISCORD

While the societal climate between Dominants and Submissives remains somewhat neutral throughout Duplicity, there has been the occasional whisper of defiance and call for equality. Yet, demonstrations and visible proof of this unhappiness spreads faster by word of mouth on a day exactly when you need it most.

Welcome to Autonomy, a "traveling" nightclub that is never in the same place twice. People wanting to attend only learn of its lucrative location and password hours before it opens for business. Tonight, I choose the third door will get you inside and into the temporary freedom club Autonomy has to offer. In this circle, there are no assigned designations and no consequences for taking a role that isn't the one given by society. So, a Dominant may become the Submissive they've always wanted to be—or vice versa. Dominants and Submissives alike are able to mingle without repercussion and be themselves. Food, drinks, and private areas for more intimate – or if your preference is sexual – encounters are provided. Donations are accepted at any point during the night to further Autonomy's attempts of spreading the fulfillment that comes from being untitled.

On the night you choose to visit, Autonomy is holding a random lottery for temporary connections. When entering, you have the choice of submitting your name into this drawing to be paired with someone else in the club regardless of designation. A short while later, a message will pop up on your device with the name and information of your partner, and whether or not you choose to meet them is purely at your discretion. Having more than one connection isn't completely unusual either.

» » » TABLE IT FOR LATER

Gratification of being a successful Dominant or Submissive isn't necessarily simple. Learning curves are to be made, and mistakes will happen. Led by a Dominant and Submissive couple – Miriam and Victoria, who have been paired for twenty-two years – a monthly meeting for unattached Dominants and Submissives is held in the conference room of Morning Wood motel in the Down. The meeting starts a few minutes after nine and has no designated end time. The couple introduce themselves and explain the purpose of the meeting: learn the proper method for a new kink and possibly find your perfect partner. The space is intimate and well-stocked with refreshments.

To begin, Victoria, while blindfolded, balances on her hands and knees with her back perfectly level. Her partner, when ready, places various items on the level surface–a full cup, a plate. The Submissive is meant to hold the items until the Dominant believes she's reached her limit. The exercise is one of trust and understanding. The demonstration is a short one, followed by Miriam removing the blindfold and soothing her Submissive. The words are whispered low and with care, clearly a method that is specific to this couple. The process is concluded with the pair handing out workups, videos, and answering questions. Anyone wishing to practice Purposeful Submission can do so in the open room with a random volunteer, aided by the couple, or can find someone to take to one of the rented rooms. Sex may follow any scene but is not necessarily included. Experimenting with unattached Dominants and Submissives allows for new relationships to form.

« « « MOD & OOC NOTES

Please read carefully.

On each Test Drive Meme, there will be a section noting character roles based on birthdays; these will vary each TDM. On an IC level, character will still have gone through the doors but assignments OOCly are still randomized. When applying, there is a section of the application that denotes whether the character chose "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. All characters who have blue eyes or one blue eye and another color are Submissives. All characters who have brown eyes or one brown eye and another color are Dominants. Characters with any other color eyes are Dominants. To use this TDM as a door pass please link this on your app and place whether it is Dominant or Submissive.

Please remember to mark any necessary content, and have fun!!

» » » MAIN NAVIGATION « « «

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"He has an amusing sense of humor, I have heard." Her face darkens slightly. The Olympians were the source of much of her trouble, but they were not here to discuss such things. "Gift or curse, we all bow to the whims of Olympus."

"You read my mind." She grinned. "This reprieve comes at a time that I needed it most. I had a brief visit from Jason and Medea, but after them? I was facing a long expanse of nothing."

"Amusing is not the word I'd use," Orpheus says. "But I'm sure he thinks it's funny." He flips his harmonica into his palm and tucks it away again before picking up his glass to drain it.

"And here you have a vast expanse of someones." he grins, delighted for her. "Where will you begin? I imagine more than a few of the LIERs are heroes." He recalls that being her thing, if she had one.

"I imagine he views it as coming to his benefit in some way." That was what normally drove him, she found. The gods were always altruistic. There was at least someone who knew and understood. Somehow, that made this world so much more comforting than simple chiton.

"I hadn't thought that far ahead." She would have to, clearly. She needed a submissive and needed to fulfill her quota. Yet she had been more concerned with settling in and finally stretching her legs. "What of you? From the stories, it seemed you were bonded forever to Eurydice."

At the mention of Eurydice, Orpheus immediately turns away to flag down a server for another drink. "I have touched no woman since she died," he says. It was a vow he made a long, long time ago, and though he's been tempted, and though the pain of her memory has lessened, he's never broken it.

He won't look at her again, not until he's cleared his throat and taken a breath and gotten his emotions under control a little.

3000 years isn't enough to heal that wound completely.

She reached for his hand, regretting her mention of the young nymph. However, it was a loss she understood. Glauchus had been the first man she loved and she had once believed he would be her only love. A pity that she had not shared herself with someone she genuinely had given her heart to. Instead, it was passing amusement with Hermes and comfort with Daedalus.

"Forgive me, I did not mean to open old wounds."

The damage was done now, but she could at least have a drink with him in solidarity.

Orpheus orders a bottle of something strong without asking too many questions about what constitutes "strong." It's enough of break for him to at least get his face under control, if not quite the emotions roiling beneath it.

"Irritated, maybe," he says, waving away her concern. "Not opened. You have my forgiveness."

The bottle comes and Orpheus pours them each a glass. "Drink with me to those lost."

She could think of a few names that still hurt to consider. Ariadne, Icarus, Daedalus. Each brought their own measure of pain, a reminder that she could do nothing for those she cared for. For all of her magic, she was still powerless to protect them.

"Of course." She raised her glass, draining it quickly. The liquor burned against her throat, causing her to nearly cough in response. It wasn't like the sweet wine she had cultivated on Aiaia.

"What will you do now that you are here? Begin searching for a dominant?"

Orpheus lifts his glass as well and tips it back, emptying it. He refills both of their glasses before answering. "I have no need to rush into servitude. If I find a dominant, so be it, but I'll not be searching."

He's seen this sort of relationship play out well and poorly, and he knows better than to sign his life into someone else's hands on a whim.

"That is wise." Though time was something she was still struggling to understand, at least from a mortal's stand point. What seemed a short amount of time normally would now stretch into such a dreadfully dull extreme.

"I am disappointed that they would make you thus. You deserve a better fate than this."

Three months is no time at all in many situations. In others...it is far too long for Orpheus' liking.

"Who? Our captors? I am happy to be here." A city he's never seen, a world that hasn't grown old and stale? This is the best thing that's happened to him in centuries. "Aren't you?"

"Yes," it was a simple fact. After years and years alone, too many to even count, she had been aching with loneliness. It was almost like a weight was lifted from her chest, bringing her out of the haze. "I never thought I would be granted freedom in a place like this though. I have never seen anything like this."

The buildings, the cars, it was almost overwhelming.

TDM #4 ( revised )

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