Duplicity Game Mods (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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duplicitymemes2019-01-16 07:57 pm
duplicitymods) wrote in duplicitymemes2019-01-16 07:57 pm
TDM #4 OVERFLOW
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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 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. |
 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. |
 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. |
 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. |
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!! |
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[To say that Kain is a bit repressed is a vast understatement, really. He isn't used to seeing sexual matters be treated so overtly like this. It's a lot to get used to. Not to mention being given a... a place, in this world, a very particular role. Is that who he is? Some part of him almost feels that it really is how it's meant to be somehow. But that can't be right, can it?]
Anyway... it's not surprising that other worlds exist. I've fought in a war alongside others who've had certain similarities as well. So... I believe you. Unless your friend comes from the Kingdom of Baron itself, then he's probably from some other world that has dragoons... [He looks over her weapon thoughtfully.] And you? What is your fighting role where you come from?
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A knight... you could say. In a certain manner of speaking. Though as you can see, I've no love for a shield the way a paladin does. Any paladin worth the title would take up arms to protect others, no matter who they are and what they've done, and often with no reward other than the knowledge of having done something good. But what happens when they decide the reward might be worth more than the blood, sweat, and tears poured into their duty? When they start throwing others under the wagon to accomplish it, and end up desiring personal gratification over selflessness?
The only difference between a paladin and a dark knight is in the moral code they follow. The paladin values the sanctity of life and typically adheres to a stricter set of "common sense" rules; but the dark knight uses her own moral compass, even if it points her to the least desirable course of action. If I swear an oath to protect someone, I see it through, even if it means I have to cut down the highly decorated knight beside me if he has betrayed his cause.
[Irhya crosses her arms and shifts her weight, restless. Dropping the words "dark knight" into a conversation casually isn't taken all that well in Ishgard, and though their backgrounds may be completely different, it may not be too far from the truth here, either. Explaining her case might be the better option... but even so, it's never easy explaining why she chose this way over another, more highly-regarded path. It is a path of sinners with stained hands and chains upon their wrists, no mistake, but only those who own that weight and turn it into their power for the greater good can ever really hope to walk it.]
...So, that. [A cheeky grin.] Forgive me for going on at length, but I'm trying to skip the part where someone else acts aghast over the whole concept. As if they've never played a part in someone else's misery before. But, well, I guess the short answer would be that I let enemies take whacks at me so others don't have to. Doesn't hurt that much.
no subject
It's fine, I understand. It's much the same where we come from too. I almost walked that path myself, although I... had more reasons to become a dragoon. Still, the friend of mine who once was a dark knight went ahead and cleansed himself to become a paladin. He chose otherwise. But... the path of a dark knight is still a worthy one.
[He shrugs.]
I know how it generally works, but believe me, I don't mind taking a blow or two in battle myself. [Perhaps a bit more than he ought to. But dragoons aren't known for having a whole lot of common sense...] Do you know if there are any areas with monsters to battle around here? I'll want to keep my skills sharp... [Yes, talking about combat skills is much more comfortable to him right now than other topics, that's for sure.]
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As long as we're not going to have a problem because of the "dark" part, I suppose. As far as practice at arms goes, it seems to be sparring with others or nothing. At least this one lets us keep our weapons...
[Ah, hells with it; Irhya's expression turns a bit speculative.]
I have to ask, though... What did you think of that whole spiel on the fine art of screwing around with a partner? You were loitering in the back the whole time, so I figured you weren't all that interested...
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[Now he reddens and looks away. He is so not good at dealing with... all of this sort of thing.]
Interest has nothing to do with it.
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Ah? If not interest, then... is there some horrid deformity under there you're hiding or something? Or maybe you're just that cloistered up about it?
[What is it about dragoons and having sticks up their arses? Except... if she didn't know better, Irhya might suspect shyness was a factor here. The comparisons to Estinien begin and end with the stoic demeanor, because the second she brought that topic up, his tone changed, just enough for her to pick up. And it's hard to miss the complicated press of his lips, even if he thinks everything relevant to discerning his expression is hidden under the visor.]
...Heh. Nailed it, didn't I?
no subject
[Kain wants to say she's wrong, he wants to disagree in the most obstinate way possible, but unfortunately, she's got it. He lets out an exasperated sigh, before reluctantly changing course in what he was about to say to refute her.]
Fine, you're right. The second part, I mean... It's not as if I haven't... as if I've never wanted...
[Sure, he isn't hiding anything hideous at all under that helmet, quite the opposite in fact, but at the moment, he sure is hiding a lot of reddening. He just can't help it. He's just hoping she doesn't see, but he already realizes he's being awkward about this. He feels all too awkward.]
no subject
Irhya smirks, though it isn't haughty or sardonic for a change; rather, she's just sincerely amused.]
A big, tough dragoon like you... the shy type? Never thought I'd see that happen.
[If it isn't physical, it's in his personality. Something he does turns people off of him, from the sound of it, and she has a feeling based on that line alone she knows what it is.
She's heard it in a whisper, somewhere in her own inner monologue, in spare moments that turn to hours of lying in bed and thinking over her own life.
People like confidence, one of her past partners had told her. That something about it is attractive to others. And if he's not going to be the suave one here, well...]
I mean. [A beat. Her grin turns a little sheepish.] We could fix that.
[Okay, the delivery wasn't perfect, but maybe he can be talked into it, in that case...?
No, she still can't have Estinien in the one place that might've facilitated such a thing, but what else is new. This is the next best thing, at least comparing physical things in common.]
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[Put him on a battlefield and he'll exude confidence. But in social situations, especially involving romance or sex? Forget about it. It's not just the inexperience, of course, although that plays a very large role. There are simply things he won't talk about now, things in his past which make him deeply fearful of rejection. He was never Rosa's choice for a lover, so why would anyone else choose him?]
[Kain of course reddens after that and looks at her. Part of him is admittedly curious despite his various anxieties about this matter.]
Are you... [He trails off, feeling immensely awkward.] Are you proposing that we...?
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[She hesitates, seeing his reaction. Is that supposed to indicate displeasure, or tentative interest? It's not like she hasn't gone ahead and helped a few inexperienced people build a little confidence, but not someone several heads taller than her who looks as if he could probably spin her around and toss her like a javelin over the horizon if he wanted to.
...Though if she's speaking frankly, that's also kind of cute. A big man like that, who ends up being reserved and awkward about these things...
Twelve, now she really wants that helm off. She reaches as if to take his hand for a moment, hesitates, and then decides against it, instead hoping for an indication of comfort first.]
I'm not trying to be opportunistic. I've helped others with this before, and I'll be the first to tell you this situation becomes much easier when handled willingly, within the bounds we've been given. You have enough power, at least, to choose what you do, and who you trust enough to do it with.
If you don't want to, then yes, I understand why, and I won't push it. But if you don't make that choice, someone else is going to do it for you, one way or the other, and you might like their answer much less than one you decided on yourself.
[Even if she is using him a little bit. Not really, since he most certainly isn't Estinien -- but a little, tiny, exceptionally guilty part of her would like to imagine so.]
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I don't doubt your intentions, I promise. You've given me no reason to mistrust you, and you've been more forthcoming than most people. If… you're willing to help…
[He hesitates. It all comes out sounding maybe a bit too formal, too stiff, but that's just how he is about this situation for now. Is it even possible to get used to this though? He wonders.]
I would accept your assistance. Please.
[She's not so bad, after all, and seems friendly enough, willing enough to bear with him and his uncertainty. All in all, he knows that this is a better situation than it could be.]
Although I would prefer… Could we go elsewhere? Somewhere more private?
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Of course. Much as I'm sure they don't mind it being completely out in the open, I'm not that kind of person.
[It'll be... odd, bringing someone home with her, but at least she's a Dominant and can provide others with something nicer. And it's not like her roommate ever comments on it; he probably does much the same when she's not looking, anyway.]
Let's get out of here, then. I'll do what I can to make it worth your while.
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[Kain sounds all formal, as if what they're about to do is something strictly businesslike, and not such a highly intimate experience. He's just not entirely sure how else he should express himself right now. He's suddenly very anxious, fearing that he somehow won't prove good enough for her. Not that he'd ever let on to these emotions rushing through his mind. He'll just... attempt to play it cool and calm, as much as he can. Admittedly, he's also a little bit excited, heart pounding with anticipation.]
[He looks over at her expectantly.]
Lead the way.