TDM #1

[duplicitymods]

« « « TEST DRIVE MEME » » »

« « « OUT OF CLUTTER FIND SIMPLICITY

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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.

» » » LIES TRAVEL IN COMPANY

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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

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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

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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

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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. For characters with a birthday falling in the months of January to June, their designation will be Dominant. For characters with a birthday falling in the months of July to December, their designation will be Submissive. For characters with an unknown birthday, their designation will be Dominant. Arrival into Duplicity has not been used as a prompt as it is a rather large part of introducing the game and will be saved for the first in-game log. But feel free to thread it on the TDM. Also, any locations throughout Duplicity are available for TDM prompts as well! Please remember to mark any necessary content, and have fun!!

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» » » MAIN NAVIGATION « « «

Comments

kylo ren | star wars | dominant

[warfares]

» » » AUTONOMY.

[ If there was one thing he'd learned from Han Solo and Lando Calrissian, it was that places like this held value.

Information, specifically. Now that the Orientation was over he'd been struck by just how much information had been glossed over – or outright neglected – and this dug at him like a bur, that niggling sense that something vital was being withheld from him.

Autonomy promised answers as much as it promised freedom, one need only take the risk.

Inside, Ren can be found:

a. at the bar, nursing a drink and discreetly studying the other patrons.
b. submitting his name for the lottery, for the chance that his promised connection might have answers.
c. heading to the door, having exhausted any possible leads. Clearly the people here had other pursuits on their mind. ]

» » » PARTY.

[ There is something deeply unsettling about the display.

Ren tips back a glass of something dry and expensive, dark eyes lingering on Victoria for a long moment. He thinks of Starkiller, of its rows upon rows of glittering toy soldiers, and how closely their unquestioning discipline seems to mirror hers.

Miriam is nothing like the High Command, however. She's soft where they would be hard, nurturing where they would be indifferent. The disparity is difficult to reconcile. He has no means to measure this, to quantify and understand it. ]

What do you make of this?

» » » WILDCARD.

[ feel free to hmu at resurrectionist or via pm if you'd like to plot! ]

Party (table for two)

[appleinc]

Two footstools, a coffee table and what I can only assume is a poorly postured coat rack.

[Crowley hasn't been without a glass of amber colored liquid in his hand since the demonstration began, and it had ended some time ago by now. Seeing no tattoo on the man asking the questions, Crowley merely sips from his drink and surveys the room. Not many conversationalists here, and he would soon be getting to the number of glasses that he and that frumpy angel usually started having their really important conversations about how smart dolphins really were and whether or not the sound of music could ever truly be escaped from.

It was almost a shame the angel wasn't here. Crowley would have loved to see the look on his face being presented with such sights as these.]

Thousands of years of conquest, hundreds of thousands of years of cultural development and expansion has led to this. The Aram of fleshy furniture.

It's brilliant. Absolutely bloody brilliant.

[warfares]

[ If there was one advantages to gatherings like this, it was the alcohol. Not generally one to overindulge, Ren had nonetheless availed himself of what was on offer.

Perhaps a little too liberally given his next question. ]

How so?

[ Because Crowley had had him, right until the end. ]

[appleinc]

Think of just how bored these people had to have been to be sitting there - just picture it - leaned back on the couch, staring at the water rings left behind by the mug of tea in their hands and they think: You know what would improve on this coffee table? If it were a human being.

[Crowley's voice is rich with amusement and a little heavy with liquor, his eyes on the demonstration rather than the man he's speaking to. He takes another drink.]

Boredom is a powerful drug.

[warfares]

[ Put that way, it's all too easy to imagine. Power brought privilege, entitlement was often quick to follow and from there it would be all too easy to look at those that lacked the same advantages. To reduce them into something lesser.

Ren takes another sip of his drink, considering. ] It seems a flawed premise, [ he settles on finally, waving a hand toward one of the Submissives — a pretty blond in her early twenties, blindfolded, her agitation radiating off her in waves; anyone that dared to set anything on her back would be in for a nasty surprise.] if only because of the amount of training involved before attaining that level of discipline.

[appleinc]

A pet project. Something to occupy the time. [If Crowley's words lacked soul it would have made sense, but there is a flicker of something in it. A mix of awe at the levels humanity could go and the slightest touch of disgust. Humans. Forever more creatively cruel than anything Below could inflict on them.

the tip of a too-narrow tongue quickly wets the demon's lips before it's gone again and he's finishing his drink and turning his attention back to Ren, looking him ove from behind his sunglasses.]

Does it make you uncomfortable having that task in your future?

AUTONOMY

[mindreads]

[ Poppy pulls up a bar stool beside him after a while of observing. He's trying to scrutinize other people. She knows because it's written all over the surface of his thoughts, easily skimmed. It's not even conscious on her part — she wishes she could shut it out — but he's interesting because, well,

His thoughts are quieter. And in a room this chaotic, where she's on the brink of shutting down from how many different thoughts and feelings are flying around, that's a respite. If she can focus on him, she thinks, maybe she'll be alright.

And by the sound of it, he's looking for someone to focus on too. ]

Hi. [ She points to his drink. ] Sorry, I just noticed … You're the only other person who's barely participating. You're new to this too, right?

[ There's a charisma to the fluid way she inserts herself. ]

Still deciding what you think?

[warfares]

[ His attention shifts, away from a tattooed submissive he'd been studying — indulging in entirely un-submissive behavior — to settle on her: slim, dark haired and attractive. Warm, though uncertain beneath that veneer of unease. ]

Yes, [ he admits finally. Another glance back at the submissive, who is now beckoning their partner to one of the private rooms. One needn't be a mind-reader to know for what. ]

I'm not sure I knew what to expect. [ To put it mildly. These are not the kinds of circles he generally moves in, much as he tells himself that it doesn't — that it shouldn't — matter. ]

[mindreads]

I didn't either when I first got here. I've heard of places like this, but this is the first I've been to. I'm figuring it out, though.

[ It wouldn't be hard for a Force user to pin that for a lie, but Poppy isn't used to the risk. It's too confident too fast for someone who has barely put active effort into looking. However, he's clearly at a loss, and she wants to help. Having someone who knows what they're doing who's willing to talk to him might comfort him. ]

If you have questions, maybe I could answer them.

[warfares]

Have you been here long?

[ A safe question to start. The lie noted but set aside for the moment. He'd come here looking for answers and she is willing to give them ㅡ progress.

He waves over the bartender. There's no talk of a price, because it's not that sort of arrangement, but he can manage this, buying a girl a drink. Making conversation like this whole situation was more of a novelty than a concern. ]

[mindreads]

[ She doesn't really want the drink, honestly. But she doesn't want to make a fuss either, so she smiles fleetingly when the bartender makes it and sets it in front of her. It's something simple, at least. Easy on the stomach. ]

Long enough to figure out that this is the only place people can come to be themselves. But even that's steeped in this divide. [ She looks around. ] Everyone's one or the other. [ Somewhere near one of the booths, a dominant has taken her submissive by a leash and started leading him across the floor towards a private room. He's on his hands and knees. ]

PARTY.

[purpose]

[ She senses him long before she spies him in the crowd: a prickling awareness that runs the length of her spine and forces the fine hairs at the back of her neck at attention. It seems an impossible thing, but when her eyes waver from their hostess, he's there, a few feet from the stool she's taken up.

Solid and real, she thinks, despite the immediate thought that it can't be more than a figment created by the Force. Her current companion rattles something off — another invitation to try her hand, presumably, at reining herself as a Dominant — but she isn't listening, more the part of a creature caught in bright lights.

In the end, there's no question of whether she'll approach, too impulsive for restraint to be shown. There's no mistaking the accusation woven in her tone when she interjects, as though he had been posing the question to her across the room rather than the individual at his side. ]

I should ask you. Isn't subjugation what your order preaches?

[ The person he'd spoken to looks rightfully put off, and makes a hasty excuse to get away from the dramatic scandal of whatever's to come. ]

[warfares]

[ For a split-second, everything stops.

Then comes the adrenaline, ricocheting through him like a blasterbolt. His head snaps toward her, muscles rigid and eyes wide. His mouth opening to form the word, How. How is she here? His gaze flicks to her throat — where he half expects to find an inked-stripe; the relief at finding her skin bare of any such mark is staggering — before lifting to meet her eyes. ]

If that's all you understood of our cause, [ his lips pull back, exposing his teeth, ] then it's no wonder you threw in your lot with my mother and her band of misfits and criminals.

[purpose]

I chose correctly.

[ Comes her only response, a flash of teeth that's more animal than human in her bristling. Whether it's a consequence of his labeling — criminals, as though aligning himself with genocidal fascists is morally superior — or the suggestion of ignorance is indistinguishable, but it's set aside to rankle at his examination.

She would be blind to miss it. Of course he would think to look, to assume that she would be among those marked and cast down by society, while his own continues to be left bare. Her presumption is immediate. ] Disappointed?

[ That she does not need him to survive in this world, that she had not come crawling back on her hands and knees and implored him to care for her when he hardly knows how to care for himself. ]

[warfares]

[ There's a thickness in his throat at the accusation. He swallows, teeth grinding together. ]

No.

[ Flat and hard; the brief, wild flare of indignation passes quickly and he's left with the realization that she's doing what she's always done when angry: slid her fingers along his walls until she'd found some chink of vulnerability to dig into and exploit. His chin lifts, taunting. ]

I wouldn't want you that way, beaten down and whimpering.

[ There's an implication here; that if he's having her at all, it's because he's earned the right. Not that that would keep him from snapping the fingers of anyone that dared lay a hand on her — and then only if he were feeling merciful. ]

[purpose]

[ Were she less aware of him, in possession of a familiarity that transcends the word itself, she might have missed the reaction. As it stands, she takes in the way his clenched teeth have rotated his jaw, muscle and bone working beneath his skin.

And even if it were not present, his eyes speak for him when the rest of his features refuse. The satisfaction to be had in her victory is short-lived, empty, for what it accomplishes: nothing but an outlet, as though she can pool her festering hurt and disappointment with his choices into Ben himself.

It's better, still, that he can't pretend to be unaffected by the rift between them — or the sudden off-kilter experience of finding one another here. ]

Do all of them look beaten down to you? [ As pointed and nearly rhetorical as it is, meaningful as her eyes catch on a submissive being soothed by her dominant in a corner, there's a hint of curiosity to it. It's difficult to imagine, in these circumstances, but she can't deny that some seem perfectly content with their lot in life.

Even so, her chin tips upward, an unconscious mimicry of his. Defiant, in what it states. More assured, in fact; goading though it may be, he's failed to deny that he might her at all. ]

It's bold of you to assume I would let you have me at all. [ Let, the operative word here, to remind him she isn't without that freedom. ]

party.

[magnetizing]

To each their own. ( Lorna shrugs whenever the stranger asks her what she thinks of the whole display. she's been watching intensely, her gaze never leaving the women as they work. she has a drink in hand, which helps with the awkwardness of being a part of something that is so intimate between two others.

then again, she thinks that's part of what they two of them like.

the thought makes her frown even more, though the look is more one of mild confusion than outright disapproval.

as they wrap up, Lorna finally turns her back to the show, glancing over at the other boy as she sips at her drink. she doesn't see the distinct marking of a submissive, lacking the marking herself. )

I hope they're not actually expecting us to do that with someone else. It's not really my thing.

[warfares]

Pragmatic of you.

[ Mild; though her answer gives him an excuse to shift his attention, to study Lorna instead. The hair is the first thing he notices, of course, though it doesn't warrant more than a brief lift of his brows ㅡ it is a very distinct shade of green ㅡ then his gaze flicks downward, searching for a tattoo (a habit, these days) before lifting back to meet her eyes. ]

I already have a coffee table.

[ He was here for information, plain and simple. Getting into the Down as a Dominant was about as easy as getting into the Up as a Submissive ㅡ which is to say: not very. Not without a contract or at least a damned good reason to be there.

Parties were not his thing. Parties like this were so beyond his scope of experience as to be laughable, but it got him into the Down and that was more than enough reason to endure a little discomfort. ]

[magnetizing]

( the response elicits an unexpected laugh, though the sound is more a scoff, from Lorna. she shakes her head at the concept of what he's just proposed. )

You mean you're not interested in using a person as your personal coffee table? ( she rolls her eyes. the fact that this is an actual conversation she's having with a complete stranger- )

I'm Lorna. One of the "lucky" slaves in this hell hole. ( she puts extra emphasis on 'lucky' to show she doesn't actually believe it. though she does think those in the Up are luckier, the reality is they're all trapped here to endure this insanity. )

[warfares]

Ren.

[ He inclines his head, then looks back at the display ㅡ several of the newcomers are being coaxed (goaded) into trying their hand at things with varying levels of enthusiasm. ]

It's all spectacle, meant to ensure our compliance. So far I'm underwhelmed.

[magnetizing]

( she makes big eyes at the ones that seem a little excited, shifting away from the movement a bit and glaring down anyone that tries to approach her. if others want to, then to each their own. she has no interest herself. )

Agreed. It's not even a good spectacle. ( weird, but she's not even slightly tempted. )

I'm not really interested in helping them subjugate the our fellow prisoners.

Autonomy

[apilot]

[It never occurs to Poe that the risk of placing his name in the lottery, for much the same reasons as Ren's own, would find him staring down the name of one of his enemies. Against common sense and instinct, Poe follows his device as it leads him back to the man he last saw on the end of an agonized scream.

It takes a moment to compose himself before Poe carefully orders a drink, keeping a few feet between them. He shifts his jacket, making it readily apparent he's unarmed.]

Gotta say after our last date I'm not sure we should be seeing each other again so soon. It was a very rough break up. [As usual, Poe's response comes with a touch of humor in the face of a potentially life threatening encounter, but he's hoping the public setting will keep this from escalating too quickly for him to make an escape if need be.]

[warfares]

[ ...well, this day just gives and gives. ]

I'd have thought you enjoy rough play. [ It's said with the kind of off-hand casualness that one might be tempted to think he isn't entirely thrown. It's not simply this ㅡ though there is a truly stunning irony to their being matched, of all people. It's this place. It's the constant press of thoughts and bodies and adrenaline-spiked hormones.

He lifts his drink to his lips, drinks, and savors that sliding alcohol-burn. Watching Poe without seeming to watch him. ]

[apilot]

Oh I do. [Poe orders himself a drink, doing what he has always done fairly well. Rolling with a situation gone terribly wrong until he can find his next step and not stopping in the meantime.]

Don't love having my mind shredded from the inside. That's a real mood killer.

[Poe's drink comes and he tosses back the shot but doesn't call for a second. It wouldn't be wise to impair his reactions around the dangerous man before him.]

Next time we should consider a safe word.

[warfares]

[ His brows lift. ] How about "I surrender."

[ He'll play this game but he'll play to win, finding the bruised flesh of healing wounds and digging in his fingers. ]

You've had plenty of practice.