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Duplicity Game Mods ([personal profile] duplicitymods) wrote in [community profile] duplicitymemes2019-09-12 04:47 pm
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TDM #8


« « « TEST DRIVE MEME » » »


« « « AND IT GOES ON AND ON


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.

... 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 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.

The hellish summer heat is finally starting to subside, and the cool breeze suggests autumn is approaching.



» » » TAKE A RIDE




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.



« « « A POCKET OF PENNIES




The weather’s getting cooler, and people have begun transitioning from summer clothing to the sweaters and jackets of early fall. With jackets come pockets, and with pockets come a bizarre uptick in robberies.

Then again, perhaps the correlation is flawed. In the Down, getting robbed is a constant threat. Gangs of street toughs look for lone or inattentive people who look like they’ve got valuables on hand. Uncontracted Submissives are particularly easy to rob, since authorities have little time to bother with a lowly Submissive without a Dominant to advocate for them. One particularly nasty gang of young adult men, the Bulldogs, hangs out near the train, looking to ambush unwary Submissives fresh out of Orientation. They are prone to violent muggings and will simply beat up their target and leave them in a gutter when they’re finished robbing them.

In the Up, the streets are nominally safer, but there have been reports of a group of college-aged Submissive women taking advantage of their designation to attack travelers. They, too, stand near the train and the orientation center, looking to seduce passersby into an alley where a group of them can beat and mug their victims, usually Dominants looking to capitalize on their pretty appearances.

But you’re truthfully at risk anywhere in the city. The new arrivals are easy targets, and any brazen thief might get the idea to make some quick cash. The authorities are spread too thin to help, but perhaps LIErs can look out for one another?

Or they might just get in on the thievery. Everyone’s out for themselves, after all.



« « « NEW FLESH LIKE A GLOVE


( CW: potential dubcon, drugs, BDSM/sexual torture, prostitution, public use )

Surrounding a large building near the orientation center in the Up, banners and fliers announcing the beginning of the inaugural Duplicity High Tech Sexpo, a trade show for businesses and manufacturers of adult novelties. Since this is the expo’s first year, admission is free and many excited volunteers are handing out vouchers all over the city. These vouchers can be exchanged for goods and services within the expo, but have no monetary value outside of it. Even if you refuse them, you’ll likely find two or three of them tucked into your bag or pocket.

Inside the expo hall, there are dozens of booths pitching a variety of entertainments. Many offer interactive demonstrations, showing off their tech for the crowds of interested onlookers. Competition is fierce, and booths try to attract attention and customers through any means necessary. There are private rooms all around the expo for potential customers to try out the products. Booths will also happily accept volunteers for demos, or try to recruit them by bribing them with cash or free samples. There’s a nasty rumor going around that some are recruiting volunteers via more illicit means, like drugging and dressing them up, but surely that’s an exaggeration…

Some of the smaller booths sell more traditional toys and accessories: leashes and collars, specialty lubes and massage oils, fetish gear, strap-ons, dildos and vibrators in myriad shapes and sizes, and other basic items. Others advertise apps for the devices, the most notable of which is HUGGR (which LIErs may recognize as a poorly rebuilt sex-themed version of a certain other app.) The closer you get to the big-ticket sponsor booths, the more elaborate and fantastic the products become.

One of the most eye-catching demos is for the Climax VR Headset. You and a partner both wear a VR headset, which displays a collaborative virtual scenario. Both partners can alter the setting and surroundings however they like, and any sexual activity conducted in VR transmits real sensations to their bodies. You can come together without ever physically touching.

Symphony Hydraulics have a large, loud booth where crowds gather to watch perhaps the most outrageous demo: a variety of fucking machines. Volunteers get stripped, strapped in, and turned on, brought to screaming orgasms in front of the whole crowd. There is a fifteen minute break between demos on each machine, as some poor intern hurriedly washes and sanitizes them between uses. In the interim, they offer smaller, portable versions for sale or rent at the expo. (Some may note that a few of the Symphony Hydraulics staff members look a bit familiar.)

Does all this high-tech equipment have you overwhelmed? Wish you could go back to a simpler time? Sir Robert’f Bedroome Provifionf (sic) is helmed by historical reenactor Robert Plum, who has also created his own line of medieval torture device-themed sex toys. Need a chastity belt to keep your Submissive all to yourself? A rack with an attached spreader-bar? An iron maiden with soft vibrating silicone ticklers inside? All the stocks and whips and chains you could ever need? Sir Robert has you covered. Of course, everything on display is harmlessly altered for sexual novelty purposes, but one might also ask to see Sir Robert’s “special” merchandise in the back.

Perhaps the most unassuming booth at the expo belongs to Grandma Hattie’s Snacks and Sweets. Grandma Hattie, a kindly old Submissive, has partnered with a tech company to produce what appear to be completely normal vending machines, stocked full of her tasty homemade bread, snack cakes, and other baked goods. Vouchers are good for a free sample of any treat from a vending machine. They taste amazing and have no apparent odd effects-- until 10 minutes after consumption, when you suddenly gain an insatiable craving for a random kink. Your craving will dominate your thoughts for three hours, or until it is appeased.



« « « PERFECTION OF THE DIGITAL




(CW: potential dubcon, objectification)

By far the largest and shiniest booth comes from expo sponsors Sexy Metal Incorporated, who have set up a display of their incredible high-tech sexbots. These life-sized dolls are made of extremely realistic material that feels like warm human skin, and come with state-of-the-art mechanics that give them lifelike movement. Engineers show off how the bots can be plugged into a computer and programmed to act any way the buyer likes.

They come in a wide variety of customizable appearances and eerily, some of the bots on display look exactly like people you may know. Booth staff encourage customers to buy these dolls, or to rent them and give them a try onstage in front of the fascinated crowds. If that’s not kinky enough, one of the engineers has purchased a VR headset from another booth, and programmed it to interface with the bot’s controls. Care to slip inside the silicone skin of another person?



« « « MOD & OOC NOTES



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 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: In celebration of our one year, pick whichever role you want for your character!

» A Pocket Full of Pennies: Feel free to come up with any free-roving gangs or petty criminals you like for your characters to tangle with.

» New Flesh Like A Glove: Characters can spend money on items at the expo, or may exchange vouchers for what they want. Each voucher has a value of about $5 within the expo and they may be acquired by finding them, having them handed to characters/stuffed in their pockets or bags by expo volunteers, or paid them in exchange for “volunteering” at booths.

Characters may indeed try before they buy, either out in the open or using one of the provided private rooms with a partner. The expo has a staff of unpaid student interns tasked with cleaning and sanitizing products if they are used but not purchased.

Grandma Hattie’s snacks can inspire characters to have any kink you may desire.

» Perfection of the Digital: Sexbots can resemble any player characters, including brand new arrivals/test drive characters. They can also resemble characters that yours knows from home. The engineers have no explanation for this, and the one who identifies himself as the designer will shrug and say he gets inspiration from many places.

The sexbots are hot-ticket expensive merchandise, so security is tight around the booth. Characters who attempt to steal or destroy a sexbot (for instance, one who looks like themselves) will be quickly set upon by guards, who are meant to eject them from the expo. However, many of the guards will take bribes from other booths to provide them model “volunteers,” drugged into complacency.

If characters want to acquire a sexbot permanently, they will have to buy it or exchange a hefty 50 vouchers for it.

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




» » » MAIN NAVIGATION « « «

overcoming: seethesoldiers | ij (the blood is on my hands)

bruce wayne ( gotham ) submissive

[personal profile] overcoming 2019-09-12 09:59 pm (UTC)(link)
( pennies )
a.
[ that teenage submissive in the absurdly expensive suit is definitely being herded toward a dark alley in the down by a group of ragged men with knives so certain that they won't be stopped or challenged that they aren't even bothering to hide this soon-mugging.

weirdly, the young man doesn't seem that concerned, expression giving nothing away except cool calculation. maybe he just doesn't know what's about to happen? ]


b.
[ or maybe you're the one being crowded up against an alley wall with a knife pressing against your ribs. ]

I think you should go, [ a voice pipes up, and that guy in the suit is calmly removing his jacket, folding it neatly. ] Drop the knife before I make you drop it. [ confident much? ]


( flesh )
[ for an eighteen-year-old, bruce has seen.. a lot more than most his age, maybe, but the sexpo has still been alarmingly eye-opening. he'd attended the orientation, of course, and he knows the requirements laid on him and what the mark down his throat makes him. in theory, at least. he'd thought maybe attending the expo would be a relatively tame introduction to the city and its culture as a whole.

boy had he been wrong.

some of the more traditional sex toy booths draw his attention from time to time, and he stands to the side to listen to explanations. demonstrations make his glance cut away, though, leaving him a little flushed and uncomfortable in spite of himself. he's not some innocent, of course, but it's still a lot to handle all at once, especially considering what he'd come from.

still, he takes some of the pamphlets. knowledge is power and all that, and submissive or not, he's still.. well. bruce wayne.

he doesn't mean to get involved in the crowd around the symphony hydraulics booth, but the noises had caught his attention, and before he knows it, they're calling for a new volunteer and bruce is being jostled and pushed his way toward the front of the crowd. when he realizes what's happening, he digs his heels in, eyes wide and alarmed in his face. he glances wildly around himself, jerking back when one of the staff reaches for his wrist. he could really, really use an escape right about now. ]


( wildcard )
[ encounter him on the train, or at orientation, or exploring the up or down. bruce is from sometime ambiguously in season four, though i haven't decided exactly when. ]
pathofvigilante: ("You're a rotting stinking corpse")

pennies.a

[personal profile] pathofvigilante 2019-09-12 11:53 pm (UTC)(link)
Hey fellas! Don't you know it's not nice to take things that don't belong to you?

[ said pot to kettle, but shhh. John Doe stands at the mouth of the alley wearing his mismatched best and a grin that could wither a thistle. Eerie trailing chuckles leak through his clenched teeth, but the group of jerks in matching jackets don't seem overly threatened by the additional presence of a single weirdo.

Even if they should. Now, John took a swing at the vigilante thing and fucked it up pretty bad, but that's why he's here, beating criminals to a bloody pulp with his fists and oh god Bruce would be so proud of him-- but, like, one second?

That's... that's not... no, Brucie isn't that young!

Yeah dude now he's staring at you like he's seen a ghost and can't brain anymore. ]
overcoming: seethesoldiers | ij (now i'm standing on the edge)

[personal profile] overcoming 2019-09-13 12:20 am (UTC)(link)
[ bruce is not expecting to be interrupted; he wasn't even particularly expecting to be noticed. whatever his clothing, he's still a submissive in the down, and he's quickly learning that submissives are largely ignored everywhere in this bizarre place.

the voice, then, brings his glance up, puzzled and a little startled beneath the careful blankness. but the way he looks is.. uncomfortably familiar. bruce instinctively recoils, brows drawing together as the stranger--smile familiar, like jerome's--stares at him, looking as surprised to see bruce as the younger man is to see him.

now isn't the time, though. he has a more pressing concern, which is currently digging into his side unpleasantly. ]


Excuse me, [ he says, polite out of reflex more than anything, and then whips around, leg snapping up in a kick straight into one of his attackers' forearms. the guy swears and drops the knife, clutching his arm to himself, and bruce drops down to catch it, sweeping his leg out to knock another one of his feet. he dances back then, knife held before himself and trying to keep his eyes both on the would-be muggers and the strange not-jerome. ]

I don't want any more trouble.
pathofvigilante: ("It's called a Jokerrang!")

[personal profile] pathofvigilante 2019-09-13 12:39 am (UTC)(link)
[ Oh right, violence. That's what he came here for in the first place! But it looks like proto-Bruce recognizes him, too! No way John would miss that-- he never misses a trick. Anyway, some kind of vauge recognition is good enough for him! ]

Oof, nice kick! [ He laughs out loud in delight with a few enthused claps. He always did admire Bruce's brutality! ] hey buddy, I don't wanna concern you, but I think trouble is exactly what these guys want!

[ John doesn't sound. Too upset about that. Actually he sounds pretty excited. When it looks like one dude is about to try and get that knife off mini-Bruce, a motion so quick it blurs flings some kind of knife-thing through the air and right into the guy's shoulder-blade. ]
overcoming: seethesoldiers | ij (life is walking on a tightrope)

[personal profile] overcoming 2019-09-13 02:19 am (UTC)(link)
[ he doesn't have time to question this too deeply now. for the moment, he accepts the help at face-value. he darts around the fallen, groaning mugger, ignoring the confused yells around him to drive his elbow into the kidney of one of the two still standing. as he doubles over, he kicks him down and drives a foot into his gut, a second into his shoulder, wrenching the arm badly enough that he won't be getting up again anytime soon.

he ducks under a wild swing, the wind of it ruffling his hair, and spins, darting back again and breathing carefully, glancing between the last guy standing and his fallen, noisy comrades. ]


You have one last chance to run. [ he shifts his grip on the knife, flipping it in his hand and raising it defensively. the last mugger glances down disbelievingly at his friends, then from bruce to john, and evidently remembers self-preservation. dropping the knife, he flees, quickly disappearing between two buildings. ]

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fixating: (do you walk in the valley of kings)

flesh.

[personal profile] fixating 2019-09-13 12:16 am (UTC)(link)
[ regulus is wandering, mostly. he's not much interested, but some things catch his eye, and he's always on the lookout for people he might know. mostly from wariness.

there's a boy about his age, one he recognizes, but can't place a moment. then he realizes: alfred's photograph of his charge.

a cold bolt of ice settles in his stomach.

it's bruce wayne.

alfred's important boy, you know, the one that's not him. and he's in trouble. regulus, bitter and petty as he is, considers just walking away and pretending he didn't see it. but that would upset alfred, who believes regulus can be good, can improve himself, so he--

--steps over, head held high, and speaks sharply as he grasps bruce's other wrist, grip like iron. ]


Our dominant wouldn't like that, thank you.

[ he says it sharply, curtly, and plucks a folded-up contract from his pocket to wave in the man's face. he's thin, and relatively small, with slicked-back hair and grey eyes. he clearly comes from money, in a well-cut suit, and--

--that's a little weird, isn't it? he looks a bit like bruce, just without blue eyes and with a posh british accent. but the staff relents, without looking at the contract, and regulus drags bruce away from the crowd without another word.

finally, when they're away, he lets go. ]


You're Bruce Wayne, right?

[ he's panicking, inwardly, because surely alfred is going to abandon him now, but maybe--maybe, if he's good, he'll keep him. ]
overcoming: seethesoldiers | ij (why can't i understand?)

[personal profile] overcoming 2019-09-13 12:36 am (UTC)(link)
[ he stiffens as the hand wraps around his other wrist, and between the two strangers, something like panic briefly flickers behind bruce's ribs. he smothers it viciously, though, and is about to twist, breaking himself free and damn the onlookers, when the new person comes to his defense.

in spite of himself, he's impressed with the quick way he deals with the situation--something to note himself for use--and lets himself be drawn out of the crowd and away from all of them.

he shakes his wrist out as he's released, and glances up into a face that's thankfully not identical, brows lifting in muted surprise at the recognition. he's a little surprised to find someone else that's presumably from gotham, but then again, it's arrogant to think that bruce himself would be the only one taken from the city. if him, why not others? ]


I.. am, yes, [ he says, polite by default and a little puzzled. ] Thank you for the help back there. [ he offers his hand. ] What should I call you?
fixating: (do you walk in the shadow of men)

[personal profile] fixating 2019-09-13 12:46 am (UTC)(link)
[ regulus observes him more closely now that they're stopped. they're a little ways from the booths, so there are less people around, and he's actually very lucky the man didn't check their contracts, because he knows for a fact he isn't contracted with alfred.

(for now, presumably. the thought makes him a bit more bitter, but he steels himself.)

if he'd been caught lying, well... thankfully, his actual contract says alfred is the only one that can punish him, so he wouldn't be dragged off to the slut center, but--woof. anyway it's good his lie held up.

he takes the offered hand and shakes it, well-bred if nothing else. ]


Of course. I detest their pushiness. [ he pauses, considering. ] Regulus Black. I recognized you because I've seen your picture. Alfred Pennyworth is my Dominant. I'm well aware he looks for you with each influx of new arrivals.

[ there's an edge to him, but he's being forthcoming at least. ]
overcoming: seethesoldiers | ij (this is how it feels how it feels)

[personal profile] overcoming 2019-09-13 01:53 am (UTC)(link)
[ his picture? his lips part to ask, but alfred's name is hard on the heels of that statement, and bruce can't help the startled breath through his nose. he goes stiff and frozen and silent for several moments as white noise rushes through his ears. alfred. alfred is here. is here, worlds away from gotham, and he's-- okay.

and he's this boy's.. dominant. for a moment, two, bruce isn't sure he's putting things together correctly, but no, it makes a little sense, doesn't it? are bruce and regulus much alike? after practically raising bruce, especially after his parents had been murdered, how lost had alfred been..? how long has he been here?

it's an uncharitable thought, both to alfred and to regulus, and bruce takes care to dismiss it, pushing it aside and burying it. regulus is himself, and alfred had contracted with him for his own reasons, and none of it matters beyond the fact that the older man is here.

he searches the other teen's face, brows knitting. ]
He's alright? Is he-- Has he been treated well?
batfromthedead: ([unmasked] Wink)

flesh

[personal profile] batfromthedead 2019-09-13 12:24 am (UTC)(link)
[ Jason's been wandering around the expo for a while, watching various people volunteer or "volunteer" for demonstrations all day. But when he sees the clearly resistant teen about to get grabbed for those honestly brutal (but kind of hot) machines, he pushes his way forward, grabbing the kid by the shoulder. ]

Hey, hands off, this one's mine.

[ He firmly pulls him back, steering him out of the crowd, before he finally lets go and offers him a quick smile and a wink. ]

Sorry about that, you looked like you could use an out.

[ He looks the kid up and down, making sure he's all right before he walks away, but-- he goes still, a look of confusion creeping onto his normally well-controlled face. Those eyes, those angles... What the fuck? ]
overcoming: seethesoldiers | ij (why can't i understand?)

[personal profile] overcoming 2019-09-13 01:14 am (UTC)(link)
[ bruce bristles instinctively at the claim, expecting another jerome or ra's al ghul, but he doesn't fight the hand helping him out of the crowd and away. he may not like it, but he can protest once he's no longer in danger of being tied down on one of those.. things.

thankfully, the stranger releases him once they're out of the thick of the group, and bruce blinks at the smile and apology. .. oh. yes. of course he'd just been trying to help, and the way he'd done it even makes sense. bruce is a submissive. if a dominant 'owns' him, he can't be forced into situations like that without his dominant's consent. right?

he straightens at the stare, brushing the sleeves of his jacket down and offering a reserved smile in return. ]


Thank you. I'm afraid I was taken by surprise. [ the way the stranger's looking at him speaks of familiarity, but bruce isn't as surprised by that as he should be. if the older man is from gotham, he may have seen him in a newspaper or paparazzi photos. even so, he extends a hand politely. ] Bruce Wayne. And you are?
batfromthedead: ([unmasked] Oh Yeah)

[personal profile] batfromthedead 2019-09-13 01:49 am (UTC)(link)
[ Jason recovers smoothly, which means he doesn't entirely hide the shock.

He lets himself be taken aback, lets his face flush. Even if he's young, he has to assume that this man still has all of Bruce's intelligence and perceptiveness. God knows he trained it into his Robins when they were even younger.

He plays up the Jersey accent, the little mannerisms that announce that announce his origins right in the middle of Gotham's dark heart. ]


Sorry. I didn't realize I was rescuing, you know, Bruce Wayne.

I'm Jason. Jason Todd.

[ He takes the offered hand and shakes it firmly. ]

So... you been here long? And, uh, is it "Bruce" or "Mr. Wayne?" because the last one seems kind of awkward all things considered.
overcoming: seethesoldiers | ij (life is walking on a tightrope)

[personal profile] overcoming 2019-09-13 02:30 am (UTC)(link)
[ jason's not wrong. even at this age, bruce's eyes are steady and observant and impossible to read in his face. they watch the older man steadily, but soften by careful degrees as he introduces himself. he's still not warm, not exactly, but the easy courtesy remains. old money manners. ]

It's a pleasure to meet you. And.. [ his lips quirk up. ] Bruce is fine, particularly given circumstances.

[ he pushes his hands into the pockets of his slacks, head tilting faintly as his glance flicks out over the rest of the convention hall, expression easing into neutrality once more. ]

I've only just arrived, I'm afraid. I attended orientation yesterday. And yourself?

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in_sects: (look ahead)

b

[personal profile] in_sects 2019-09-13 01:53 am (UTC)(link)
[ Perhaps it should be embarrassing to have an intervention by someone nearly a decade younger than him, but considering there's a knife pressed against him and Rhys isn't planning on raising a hand to defend himself, it's more of a relief than anything else that at least someone else is there. After all, Rhys is trying to reason with the thieves. ]

I told you, I don't have anything of value.

[ He's not optimistic about the deescalation of the situation, but he expects the young man to move on as soon as he spots Rhys, as soon as he sees who he would be intervening for. For their part, the group doesn't look particularly bothered, taking in the wealthy look of the new arrival more than anything else. ]
overcoming: seethesoldiers | ij (the blood is on my hands)

[personal profile] overcoming 2019-09-13 03:04 am (UTC)(link)
[ well, bruce warned them. he sets his jacket neatly down atop a discarded cardboard box, then without warning darts forward, spinning in a roundhouse kick that nearly breaks the first mugger's forearm. the stranger howls, the knife falling from nerveless fingers as he clutches his arm to himself, and bruce shoves himself between rhys and the two men. he kicks the injured mugger's knee out, then punches him in the face, breaking his nose in a spray of blood as he collapses in a heap.

the second guy, seeing what bruce did to his companion, yelps and scrambles back, turning to flee deeper into the maze of alleys.

for a few moments, bruce stands there, ready, fists white-knuckled-- but as the mugger on the ground only moans and holds his face, the teen turns to rhys once more with concerned blue eyes. ]


We should get out of here before the other guy comes back with help. Are you okay?
in_sects: (it is a problem)

[personal profile] in_sects 2019-09-13 10:26 am (UTC)(link)
[ Rhys can tell himself that he's prepared for whatever may happen, but it's definitely a surprise to be standing there unharmed. He studies the man's eyes, light as any Mhorian, and only when he realizes he's been staring for a moment does he look away.

Unfortunately that just lets him see the blood splatter and Rhys feels that familiar queasiness at the sight of it. ]


Yes, fine, I-- [ He doesn't look fine, but Rhys settles his gaze on the entry to the alleyway. ] Thank you.
permanentlyexhaustedbird: (fistbird)

Tim Drake | DC Comics - Pre-52 | Submissive

[personal profile] permanentlyexhaustedbird 2019-09-13 04:21 am (UTC)(link)
( pennies b )

[As a Submissive Tim has gotten used to the occasionally attempted mugging in the Down so as soon as he notices he's being followed he's quick to find a nice alley to duck down and pretend to be helpless in so that he can knock the assailant out.

This one had gotten his knife up and close a lot quicker than normal but Tim still isn't ruffled.

It's when a teenaged? same age? oh god he definitely recognises that face from photos, either way, Bruce Wayne interrupts that he's left flummoxed for a good long moment as Bruce threatens his attacker. Still, the man does turn and he has a perfect opportunity to smack his right across the jaw sending him to the group.]


Bruce?! is that you?!
overcoming: seethesoldiers | ij (Default)

[personal profile] overcoming 2019-09-13 02:08 pm (UTC)(link)
[ he has a moment to be surprised--both by the quick reaction and his name--offering the other teen a sharp, questioning look, but then he has to focus on the small group. he shoots forward, quick even in dress shoes and slacks, darting into the midst of the would-be muggers to slam his fist into a kidney. as the man doubles over with a groan, bruce snaps his elbow into his jaw with a sharp crack, and he goes down in an unconscious heap.

bruce dances back again, stance defensive, blue eyes cutting toward the other teen again. ]
Fight first, talk later, [ he decides tightly, jerking his head toward the remaining figure. ]
permanentlyexhaustedbird: (helmetbird)

[personal profile] permanentlyexhaustedbird 2019-09-14 02:27 pm (UTC)(link)
[Tim actually doesn't have a huge problem doing both. The ability to quip during fights always felt like an integral part of being Robin. Still, Bruce is right. Fight first, talk later.

Tim steps forward and snaps his leg up into a high kick. There's a crack as the soul of his foot hits against the man's nose breaking it and he goes down into a heap.]


Okay, fighting is done. Talk now?

[He looks down at the unconscious bodies]

Maybe not here though.

[He takes a few steps back to the alleyway entrance and pauses for Bruce to follow]
Edited 2019-09-14 14:27 (UTC)
inforapound: (15 serious)

Wildcard - train stop

[personal profile] inforapound 2019-09-13 07:39 am (UTC)(link)
[Each month, since he arrived, he takes the time from all the far too many things he's doing to keep himself busy and out of too much trouble to sit on the bench where the newest inhabitants pour out of receiving for their first tour of the city.

He sits. He watches. He prays. He hopes. It's a duel hope. He watches for Bruce and at the same time, he hopes that the young man would be spared this place.

He's been doing it so long that he's certain he's seeing things. Not too far a stretch in a place like this honestly. This Bruce could just be Duplicity's latest attempt to fuck with his head. First the literal rings of hell and then the lucid dreams, and now this.

It could be a trick.

Alfred would recognize Bruce anywhere. He stands the second he sees the teen. Finds enough dignity not to rush to him. He knows how he must look. He's worn thin, exhausted, looking like he's lost a year off his life and aged another in Bruce's absence. He's been pushed hard and he can't dare to hope.

But he already is taking off his suit jacket to hold in offering to the teen in the paper grown. His voice locks in his throat, stoppered a little by grief and relief and anger all balled together. It takes him a moment to get anything out.]


I'll have a proper change of clothes for you if you give me a tick, Master B.
overcoming: seethesoldiers | ij (this is how it feels how it feels)

[personal profile] overcoming 2019-09-13 01:58 pm (UTC)(link)
[ bruce wayne has been angry for a long time, and really, he has plenty of reason to be. between the murder of his parents, the corruption of his company, kidnappings and attacks against alfred and ra's al ghul, bruce ought to struggle just to function with the rage that occasionally fills his chest and washes everything else out. until recently, though, until he'd held a knife in his hands and felt blood spilling over his fingers, until he'd killed someone, it had never been so all-consuming. he's angry, and he's wounded so deeply that he doesn't know if he'll ever heal, and he's lost and he's crumbling apart day by day.

and yet when he sees the figure on the platform, all of that washes away in an instant. some unconscious part of him notes the changes--too thin, worn and tired and older somehow--and he realizes that alfred has been there a lot longer than the few hours it took to process bruce into the system here.

alfred has been here alone. and yet here he is, stripping out of his jacket and looking almost haunted as he offers it out.

there's a moment in which bruce simply stares at him, feeling strangely small and young and hopelessly, painfully grateful. then he steps forward, ignoring the jacket to practically fling himself at the older man, arms curling around him and hands tightening, white-knuckled in his shirt. it feels as if it's been a long time since he's done this, since he's hugged alfred, since he's appreciated him the way he should have been doing all along. alfred has been there for him his entire life, and he's been alone here, and he doesn't have to be anything at all for bruce in this place, and he's here anyway looking for him.

he pushes his face into the older man's shoulder, breathing in shakily, alfred's scent comforting beneath the unfamiliar soap he must use here. ]


Sorry I made you wait, [ he mumbles into the other man's shirt, because it's the only thing he can think to say, and it needs to be said. ]
inforapound: (8 hug)

[personal profile] inforapound 2019-09-13 09:15 pm (UTC)(link)
[Somewhere, deep in Alfred's heart, he knows that if this is a trick, if this is some terrible new thing that has come, he's not going to be able to stop himself. He's going to tear the place down with his bare hands if he has to. But it looks real.

Christ. It feels real. There are arms around him and for a moment, he thinks it really is fake. He can count the number of times his boy has hugged him on two hands. He knows Bruce isn't demonstrative. But here he is and he's sure. He's so sure. He'll never forget this feeling.

Alfred is still slow to wrap his arms around the teen. To hold him back. He can feel his hands shaking as he gathers Bruce closer. Holds him tighter, like he's terrified he's all a dream.

His voice holds even more gravel, like he's barely keeping himself together. He can't lose it. Bruce needs him. Like always. Bruce needs him to be strong and steady.]


It's all right, lad. Nothing for you to be sorry for. [Because Alfred would wait for Bruce for as long as he needed to.] It's good to see you, Sir. So good. Wish it wasn't here, but beggars can't be choosy, now can they?

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monomachy: buckybear @ ij (swagger jagger)

pennies a.

[personal profile] monomachy 2019-09-14 01:44 am (UTC)(link)
[Most of Diana's nights are spent interrupting exactly this kind of situation. She's only a block down the street when she hears the unmistakable laughter of a couple of thugs who think they've found someone who will be easy pickings.

Unfortunate for them, really.

Lasso at her hip, she wastes no time dashing down the street, face set with grim determination. Just at the alley's mouth, she finally catches a glimpse of the apparent prey: a young man who looks hardly old enough to be here, surrounded by men with knives.

Her eyes and voice go cold. She takes the lasso in her hand, the rope giving off a gentle golden glow through the gloom.]


Step away from the boy.
overcoming: seethesoldiers | ij (now i'm standing on the edge)

[personal profile] overcoming 2019-09-14 07:20 pm (UTC)(link)
[ bruce has a moment to allow himself surprise at the interruption and the woman's glowing rope, but he's now foolish enough to give himself longer. instead, he takes advantage of the thugs' distraction and swings, clocking one of them in the jaw hard enough that the guy's teeth crack together. he goes down in a heap, and bruce ducks as one of the other guys jabs his knife toward him.

instead of moving toward the woman with the lasso, an unknown entity, bruce darts back deeper into the alleyway, putting some distance between himself and his attackers. in part for obvious reasons, but in part to see what she does and how she handles herself. even at his age, bruce doesn't like being in the dark. ]
monomachy: wondie @ dw (style)

[personal profile] monomachy 2019-09-15 11:58 pm (UTC)(link)
[His instincts are good--which probably shouldn't be Diana's focus right now, but she can't really help it. Thousands of years of training has given her an eye for that sort of thing.

Even before the boy dashes into the gloom, Diana is moving. She takes two long strides forward, whipping the Lasso out in front of her. As if with a mind of its own, the rope wraps around the ankle of the nearest assailant. And with a decisive tug, she yanks him through the air towards herself as if he weighs absolutely nothing. Still moving into the alley, she lifts an arm to clothesline the thug as he flies through the air, knocking him out. Without looking back, she moves towards another member of the group, eyes fixed on his face. She isn't afraid of them recognizing her anymore--not here in the Down. Being a dominant does come with a few perks.]


That is your last warning.

[Because knocking someone unconscious counts as a warning, of cours.]