Duplicity Game Mods (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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duplicitymemes2019-03-11 12:23 pm
duplicitymods) wrote in duplicitymemes2019-03-11 12:23 pm
Entry tags:
TDM #5
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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 insanely windy. Better batten down the hatches. |
 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. |
 In the peak of the early morning, the last bits of construction are finished; by afternoon, there’s commotion in the Down that seems to brighten the slummish area. Paper lanterns are strung across the beams and awnings of various sectors, and there are stands in the main square with masked vendors that call out in greeting. There are parades of people making a racket, both drunken and sometimes disorderly. It’s colorful, loud, and it’s sexual—seen from the various displays, sounds, and provocative calls all around. Anyone who asks about the reasoning behind the festival will be motioned in close – as if it’s all a big secret – and told this: that it’s an annual free-for-all celebration for the city to let loose without L.I.E.S. breathing down their neck about the laws with the unspoken agreement that what goes on there stays there and that it ends at the appointed time. The government turns a blind eye during this period; some suspect the officials join in, though there’s no proof nor does LIES have anything to do with the activities whatsoever. In return, the people are content to wait another year. They sometimes call it Carnaval. To celebrate and encourage the fun, the vendors won’t accept normal currency. Only one type is taken, though ALL participants are given a small starting sum along with a mask of their choosing. This currency is in the form of colorful beads gathered in a number of ways including: » Glory holes with tip buckets on the receiving side. Any kind of sex act will do, though the amount of beads someone gets for their time depends on how good they are, of course. The sort of things one can buy with these colorful beads range from food to sex toys, little knickknacks, and special masks available closer to the second half of the week. Anything that could be sold will be as long as it isn't weaponry or drugs. The food, too, has some special properties to it. Within the mix of normal food and drink are vendors who sell the kind that offer the chance to break one’s inhibitions, giving the courage and desire to seek out partners new and old, to explore some of the baser kinks, and enact public performances of each should they find themselves unable to find an area of privacy. For those unwilling to partake in these foods or public sex in general, there’s still a way to have your fun! Along with alleyways, many of the buildings in the Down are left open, and rooms can be bought cheap with only one bead necklace. |
After sunrise on the fourth day, the intensity of the celebrations begins to ramp up. The parades of people in the streets now never seem to end. There's more food than ever before, and bargain deals with the beads means that it's that much easier to get your hands on every type of festival food and toy from earlier in the week. It seems like everyone in the city is here to celebrate, with the Up left rather vacant but not unguarded, and the parties and attractions are spread a few streets further than they had been the days prior. But among all of the increased energy, what will be noticed first is that everyone is wearing a mask now. Anyone who has yet to pick up one (or who lost their free one from before) will be flagged down on the streets, pulled aside, and cheerfully (not forcefully) encouraged to purchase one and take part. And after some time, it will become clear that not all masks are created equally. Some of the masks are special, causing a variety of effects on those who wear them. These vary in intensity and time required for them to show up. For example, if two people wear the same cat mask, one might sprout cat ears and a tail instantly and/or acquire a strong desire for fish while another might slowly find themselves purring more at intimate gestures or longing to be on all fours. Similarly, some characters might not receive a mask that has any effects at all, or may experience effects one particular hour or day and not the next. Even masks that were obtained earlier in the week and had caused no effects can now begin to cause them. Strange, isn't it? While there are such a large variety of unique masks that it’s impossible to list them all, there are some categories that seem to be the most common: » Type A. One and Two. These masks rely on their shape to emphasize anonymity. The first is squared off and pointed further away from the chin, making it possible to eat and drink without removal. The second is tight fitting and almost claustrophobic, forming perfectly to the face and even occasionally going so far back as to cover the ears. Wearers of these masks may find that no amount of revealing behavior will actually reveal their identity. They are a complete mystery, even completely nude. Unfortunately, all things must come to an end, and on sunrise of the 20th, Carnaval is completed. Though characters are free to keep their masks as fond memories, they'll no longer carry any sort of effects, and all changes made to characters vanish completely. Vendors are cleaning up their wares, beads are strewn about like trash on the street, and local shops give characters (both Dominants and Submissives) small amounts of money or goods for the beads they voluntarily clean up and turn in to them. The whole city feels content with things being back in place. |
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, 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 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. Characters with black, brown, blue, green or purple hair are Submissives. Characters with white, silver, blonde, red or orange hair are Dominants. Characters with no hair or with two-tone hair colors are Submissives. If canon shows two hair colors for a character, go with the one they were born with. To use this TDM as a door pass please link this on your app and place whether it is Dominant or Submissive. » For those unable to consume the special food and be affected by incense, the knickknacks and toys (both sex and normal, festive souvenirs) offer a sort of “spark” to jump-start the same effects. » For the masks, those listed above are just bases of ideas for what to work with! As long as it’s not game breaking and you receive permission from all characters involved and mark content warnings, you have the freedom to play with this. The specific masks above may not cause those exact attributes to be shared if you don’t want them, and you can create your own attributes, as well. If you’re not sure on something, feel free to ask us! Please remember to mark any necessary content, and have fun!! |
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[ It hits her. It's like someone using Dominate on her, the feeling of a vise trying to clamp down on her thoughts and make her obey. Ava resists because she can, because something else has been happening to her back home, but Jon's in luck; she's naturally pretty honest, unfortunately. ]
I'm trying to keep you from screaming, you fucking idiot. She's fine.
[ Which is why she's now going to just turn and go for him instead - not to eat or bite but to get him on the ground and quiet. ]
Listen. [ Compulsion, again, stronger then before. Her blood is humming with the magic she uses. Her voice quiets. ] Listen. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm not trying to hurt her. She's breathing, she's just fine. She's just...dazed.
[ And that all is true, actually. The woman is still alive, blinking kind of dizzily at the sky, like she's close to passing out. Ava keeps her teeth to herself - mostly so she can lick the blood from them and pass for normal again. ]
I have John, Jon, and Jonathan, Kal. What sane person would do that to themselves???
In any case, getting this woman away from her 'food' is probably what's best for that poor woman on the bench.
Jon isn't all that hard to catch, though, which is why he goes down beneath her quickly. He proceeds to struggle violently. Unfortunately, the Beholding has seen fit to give him nothing in the way of physical prowess as part of his abilities. Bloody Eye.]
I don't plan on having some sort of perverted blood sex with you, either, if that's what this is about, so get off!
just for that, I'm going to have Neria call Jonathan 'Jon' now. just to mess with you.
I wasn't having sex with her! What the fuck; that's insane!
[ I mean, it's a vampire thing to do but SHE WASN'T HAVING SEX WITH HER, GOOD GOD. ]
Stop. Struggling. For two. Fucking. Seconds.
[ Which he probably won't do. And she's not going to waste all of that fresh blood trying to really fuck him up. He's just scared. Ava tries to Dominate him one more time, keeping his gaze. ]
Stop fighting me when I'm not going to hurt you. You need to forget what you saw so we can both walk away from this.
why do you want to hurt me?
He does stop, but it's only for a moment, and his eyes almost seem to flash with something.
The tape recorder is a high-pitched whine of static between the pair of them, and when Jon speaks next, his voice is magnified, doubled, tripled, folded over. The woman may have the feeling that she is being watched by something, that there is something very wrong with the way Jon is staring at her, staring through her, seeing everything.]
No.
[He won't do to her what he did to that empty half of Breekon and Hope. Not yet. Not unless she forces his hand. There's no Basira or Archives here to protect him. They're out in the open. She might go running, but he'd be left a fainting mess.]
Tell me who you are, and what you did to her. All of it.
[He shouldn't be proud to drag a statement out of the stranger like this, but he's been flagging ever since his arrival. This is the first truly supernatural activity he's witnessed and he needs to know. He's been feeling weaker. Even without the Eye looming in his mind, he can feel it distantly. And it's hungry.]
c:
And she does release him, starting to get up and get away, but his command forces her to stay right where she is because the ache in her head is too much. Too many voices, a cacophony, ringing in her ears. She grips her head as she goes down on her knees, trying not to scream. Screaming will draw attention. But it feels like she's already being watched by something. Ava's gasping for the breath she doesn't need. ]
M-My name is... It's Ava. I bit her. I was hungry. I-I need to drink blood to...to heal. I'm--
[ She'll be breaking the Masquerade if she tells him, but her skull feels like it'll split open if she doesn't give him the truth. Her fingers tighten in her hair. ]
I'm a vampire. I'm... I'm a vampire, I need to drink, I'm hurt, please, please stop!
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Maybe overdid that just a bit.]
Can't you just... go to hospital or something? They've got blood.
[Now here is where he could use the old Daisy. Should he even be having a conversation with a vampire? It's not a real conversation. It... certainly feels like one, though. A psychic conversation? But her lips are moving. No, it just seems like they're moving.]
From bags, not from... from.. damn.
[He's just going to pass out now. Definitely overdid it.]
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Whatever he's supposed to be.
She stares back at him, fingers lingering on the handgun she has hidden, and if actually starts to get up, she might just shoot him.
But he doesn't. He passes out. Ava stares, slowly getting to her feet. She glances over her shoulder, back where they came. The woman is still there, rousing. Her eyes go back to Jon, tempted to either just...kill him or leave him. Neither will work, she realizes. Too many Masquerade violations. And he's an innocent for the moment, she guesses.
He has a mark on his throat. That's something. He's like her.
Ava bends down, careful to make certain he's unconscious. And then, carefully, she scoops him up in a bridal-carry, carting him off to the closest building: a closed music store. A bit of lockpicking and poking around later, she's got him in the back stairwell of the business near the window, so she can watch for trouble. The security's been turned off; some people have really stupid passwords these days.
Oh, right. And he's going to be gagged with his hands tied behind his back. She's not dumb enough to think he won't try to use magic again - if that's even what he did. She waits, sitting across from him, keeping an eye on the position of the moon and how long she has before she has to be scarce. ]
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This is bad. Maybe not Orsinov bad--although, that time in the Circus' care had left him with exceptionally good skin for a while--but still very bad. She's displaying a level of restraint and intelligence he's never heard of from a vampire.]
Untie me and let me go!
[It's what he tries to say. It comes out as something more along the lines of:]
Uhn hie hee 'n' heh ee oh!
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She is a creature of the occult. Of magic, of the unknown. But she is also tired of people hurting her - and she needs to do something about him. ]
I will. Once you tell me what the fuck you did to me.
[ Ava comes closer, crouching down again, gaze unflinching. ]
If I take your gag out, you're going to talk. No magic - not from either of us. And if you dare to hurt me again, I'm going to really make you forget it. Understand?
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After a long moment, Jon nods. He would prefer not to be gagged. If and when she pulls the gag down, he'll offer in an irritated voice:]
What did you do with my tape recorder?
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Don't bite me, either.
[ The gag comes out. And at his question, she quirks a brow, but then turns to the tape recorder he'd dropped. She didn't know what to do with it but figured if she left it, he'd be much more likely to scream about what she was.
She sets it down on the stairs beside him. ]
I'm not a thief. But you are going to make sure what's on that recording gets erased. The part about me, at least.
[ If it even picked up. Slowly, she stands again, and goes to remove the dagger from its resting place. It slides back into its sheath and she goes to sit in the window sill, give him his space. ]
What did you do to me back there? And don't lie to me. I'll be able to tell.
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And as far as I remember, I asked a question and you answered it.
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[ He's not a vampire. He didn't Dominate her. It was close enough, though, and...a little bit horrifying. ]
Something was hurting me - either you or your magic or something else. What did you do?
[ This time, there's no magic, no forcing. No compulsion. But by the tone of her voice, her patience is wearing thin already. ]
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I'm the Archivist. You're the first one I've met who hasn't known. Refreshing, really.
[He says it in a tired, sarcastic tone that implies this sort of thing maybe happens to him a lot more than he'd like. There's a click as he continues speaking, something that Jon barely notices, but Ava might notice that the tape recorder is on once more and recording.]
How does the Hunt even communicate with vampires? It's something I've wondered. Does it communicate? And how are you talking to me? Is this your real voice? That can't be your mouth. Or are you some... different breed of vampires? Your tongue looks entirely normal.
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I have no idea what you're talking about. Not any of it.
[ Slowly, she comes back down from the window sill, but barely advances. Enough that he can see her better, maybe? He can see her and can tell her lips are moving, so she doesn't really understand what he's trying to imply. ]
I'm a vampire from Santa Monica. There are a lot like me. And yes, this is my real mouth. My tongue is normal. I've never heard of the Hunt, unless you're talking about actual hunters.
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...Oh. Hmm. I don't suppose the Usher Foundation means anything to you?
[That's the American branch of the Institute.]
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[ Again, completely honest. She should learn to be a better liar but, in the cast, it won't serve anything. Ava creeps just a little bit closer, curious, no malicious intent behind the movement. It's then that she realizes the recorder has turned on and she eyes it suspiciously. She hadn't pressed anything, had she? And he hadn't either.
She frowns. ]
Does the name 'Camarilla' mean anything to you? Or 'LaCroix'?
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Not particularly, no. Unless you're talking about that fizzy water brand for the latter. Which I don't expect you are. It's vile, by the way, if you are. [Just if you were looking for opinions.]
I'm so glad that reference was made
[ What the fuck, honestly. Not something Sebastian LaCroix would do. She wouldn't put it past him to make something disgusting and then try to make a profit, though. ]
You're not from my world, that's for certain. Most people here aren't and I'd say that's a good thing. That...or you are, but not from the same place or-- Whatever.
[ Some people have talked about timelines and worldlines and, frankly, it's an interesting subject but not one she's been able to have a real opinion on when things like survival take priority. ]
What is the Hunt?
It needed to be made
[They seem to be moving toward something like neutrality, so he'll try pressing his luck. That woman out in the streets--Ava's victim--hasn't left Jon's mind. He wonders if he should try to look for her, to Know if she's all right. That would be inadvisable, though. Especially right after collapsing. It rarely works how or when he wants it to, anyway.]
I'm... Jon, by the way. Jonathan Sims, Head Archivist of the Magnus Institute in London.
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[ Which is a habit that's really pissing her off, honestly. It's not just him, it's the whole damn world that seems to want to be obtuse enough not to tell her what it means. People seem to take more private delight in dancing around the matter.
Ava regards him for several moments in silence. Briefly, she looks back towards the window, then comes closer to him. ]
If you hurt me, I'll fight back.
[ But not before. Which is why she gestures for him to sit up so she can reach the ties with her hands and not with her knife. They come off fairly quickly just the same, and then she moves away, giving him space. She means what she says; she isn't in the habit of harming people or killing them unless she has to. Even before she knew of the Masquerade, that was who she was; the woman from before wasn't someone who ever had to take a weapon to anyone. She wishes it could be the same way still.
Ava goes back to the window sill provided he doesn't make any other moves. ]
I've never heard of you. Or the Magnus Institute. [ Lowly, she sighs. ] Not that it means anything; I'd never heard of half of the shit I know now a couple of months ago. So...it's nice to meet you, I guess.
[ There's an awkward pause. And then, quietly: ]
I'm Ava.
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Ava. Right. [He's really not very good at people, but Jon has been making a game attempt at it in recent weeks. This place isn't really helping much with his paranoia levels and trust issues, though.] You asked about the Hunt. It's... an entity, is the best way I can think to describe it. It feeds on fear. Specifically fear related to things being hunted or fear of the hunter who knows they've gone too far in their madness. Honestly, it's one of the straightforward ones. Vampires are typically aligned with it. Being... hunters and all.
[He gestures to her vaguely.]
Is that woman really going to be all right?
legit, the Hunt sounds like Bloodborne
[ Perks of being a vampire, she guesses. Now she's just a flake who ditches people and they can think she's some kind of weird sex goddess just because she bit their neck. Thanks, White Wolf(TM).
To the rest, she regards him closely. ]
That sounds like...something the Sabbat would do. But most vampires have to keep their antics on the down-low. Exposing themselves means you've violated the Masquerade and you're likely to die. That, and whomever caught you needs to be disposed of.
[ Her gaze lingers on him meaningfully from where she sits. ]
I wouldn't be surprised at the crossover; TMA pulls from all sorts of horror tropes
Seeing as the Masquerade doesn't exist here, I don't expect you'll need to observe it. [He's... assuming.] But the vampires in my world do keep their activities quiet from what I've been given to understand. They're interested in eating. Little more.
[Maybe that's Trevor's biased perspective, but every other statement that mentions them does bear that notion out.]
You don't seem like one of them.
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[ It's a coy little question. She knows what she's implied. Still, it sounds a lot like the Sabbat, and they're a perversion in and of themselves. If she sees another in her lifetime, it'll be too soon. But everything he's talking about seems like some kind of offshoot. Does he live in a world where they've taken over? He doesn't seem to recognize the name.
Ava tilts her head slightly, curious now. She leans forward in her sitting position but makes no move to come any closer to him. ]
What do the vampires in your world look like, Jon?
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cw: mention of dismemberment/attempted self-harm
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