Duplicity Game Mods (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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duplicitymemes2019-09-12 04:47 pm
duplicitymods) wrote in duplicitymemes2019-09-12 04:47 pm
Entry tags:
TDM #8
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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. ... 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. |
 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. |
 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. |
( 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. |
 (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? |
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!! |
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[[ The best part of being a nobody at Stark Tech was that he'd been a nobody when he appeared as a superhero, too. No questions asked, no backgrounds checked. And here in Duplicity, it's sort of the same.
Sort of.
He smiles a little bit. ]]
Some Italian news outlet called me the Mysterious Man, and then papers started calling me Mysterio. It's a dumb name, right? But hey...kinda catchy.
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It's ...
( Is there a kind way to put it? )
Um. 'Mysterio' makes you sound like a magician? Quentin's definitely better.
( Not by much, but Peter doesn't have to relay that part. He decides to be tactful about it and alter the track just a little, which he does with a lop-sided smile. )
Anyway, it's cool to meet you again, Quentin. I guess we're gonna see if we make a good team in the kitchen— oh yeah, is there anything I shouldn't bring? I mean like ... are you a vegetarian, or is it okay if I bring bacon?
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( TTYL Quentin, and on that parting note: )
And let me know if there's anything else you need, okay?
LATER THAT SAME EVENING
So Quentin's just sort of anticipating meeting Peter. No bullshit.
Well, some bullshit. He has no intention of telling Peter the truth of their acquaintance, that is, the parts where Peter found out about the holograms and realized that Quentin made it all up to manufacture himself as the next great Avenger. No, he'll be Quentin Beck from Earth-833. After all, they hammered and drilled that backstory into him so good it might as well be true.
He can carry on like that, for now.
So, here he is. Nearing nine because the kitchens are occupied until then, preparation and removal of the cafeteria buffet for Submissive housing. Standing outside the building waiting for Peter Parker to show up.
It feels a little like a Craigslist date.
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Everything can feel like a Craigslist date in Duplicity, if you let it, which is why Peter's been going to great lengths to try and mentally separate hook-ups from daily activities. Meeting someone for coffee? Doesn't mean he has a crush on them. Going out dancing with friends? Hey, he's not trying to find someone to go home with. Taking groceries to a superhero he remembers vaguely meeting once before? Hey, it's just the decent thing to do, especially since Quentin said they'd met before Duplicity. How could Peter not be interested in that?
For all his excitement, there's still a bubble of uncertainty swelling low in his stomach at the idea of a future unknown to him. The last time he'd caught up with his present Tony Stark had ended up dying right in front of him, and y'know? He's not sure he can cope with another shock of upheaval so soon after that.
Or ever again, really, but maybe that's a little over dramatic.
"... Quentin?"
He smiles brightly (if not somewhat tentatively) as he approaches the man standing out there on the sidewalk. This must be the guy; he certainly looks the same as he did on his network I.D., in any case, and Peter gestures towards the paper-bag of groceries he's holding under one arm.
"Hey! Sorry I'm a bit late, those elevators can be really slow."
Brown eyes flit up and down in quick assessment before settling on Quentin's face again.
"I, uh— hope you're hungry, 'cause I brought enough for leftovers."
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But right now, he's just the kid that brought him groceries.
"Hey, Peter. You're fine. They should be cleared out of the kitchen by now, so we'll have the place to ourselves."
He opens the door for them, lets them in, and takes the bag from him. He laughs a little, hefting it. It's more substantial than he thought, and there will definitely be leftovers, even if he is famished. "Jesus, did you bring the whole hog? What else do you have in here?"
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Peter almost protests when Quentin lifts the bag away from him: he knows he doesn't look it but he's almost certainly stronger than him, unless this Mysterio guy has a super-strength thing going on as well? Which ... hey, it's possible! Besides, it'd definitely be rude (and just uncomfortable in general) to stop him with a 'hey, so you might not know this about me, but I'm actually pretty ripped'. His moment of deliberation over, Peter decides to just let Quentin carry the bag.
"Not exactly," Peter snorts, doing his best to ignore the familiar decor as he follows the other man into the building. He's been out of the dorms for around three months now — his first contract is going to be up for renewal soon — and he really doesn't miss the housing set-up in the Down.
"But there's the stuff for tonight, milk, bread, some fresh stuff, some canned stuff ..." It's what he would have done for anyone after learning they'd just arrived as a sub, although he might also be hoping that a good first impression will loosen Quentin's tongue just a little bit more. It'd be a nice bonus!
The kitchen is empty as promised. Peter hovers in the doorway for a moment before stepping inside; he's pretty sure Tony will be annoyed with him when he finds out he's meeting a Mysterious Man from the internet in a deserted kitchen, but y'know? That's never been enough to stop him before — especially when he's convinced he's doing the right thing.
"I don't think I forgot anything, but we'll see when we get it all unpacked."
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It wouldn't have taken such an impression to get Quentin to talk. He's promised already, but more importantly he doesn't take that much bribery to talk about himself. Still, it's considerate and kind, and just the sort of thing one expects from the kindly neighborhood Spiderman.
It's easy to find a counter and plenty of space.
"We can improvise, as long as you have the basics for it," he says gently. Really, just the baked ziti would have been fine, but he appreciates the fact that he'll be able to eat for a hot minute. He starts unpacking the bag, though he leaves room for Peter to step in and help too. "I'm pretty good at coming up with things on the fly."
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"Even with cooking?"
Peter laughs lightly as he moves in closer to help unpack the bag, arranging the ingredients for their pasta separately from the rest of the groceries. He definitely isn't there yet when it comes to the kitchen: he can follow recipes pretty well and he even has a few dishes that he's made up on his own, but he's not the best at throwing things in on the fly and ending up with something edible. Hopefully Quentin will be able to help with that, if it comes to it.
"Okay, then you're gonna have to make something for me someday, totally on the fly. I'll taste test it like it's a real cooking show," he teases, folding the paper bag down when it's empty. "D'you know where they keep the pots? I can start on the pasta if you wanna put the rest of the stuff away."
He glances over at Quentin with another of those bright smiles before beginning to rummage for a pan, which he then fills with water and lightly salts before setting it on the hob. Hey, if May could see him now, actually managing to cook for someone else instead of just throwing together a limp sandwich.
"So when did you get here? It must've been a couple of days, right?"
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Quentin looks around for a pot, finding one quickly and leaving it for Peter to manage. He also finds a cutting board and a good, surprisingly sharp, chefs knife. It's easiest to focus on all of this prep work than it is to look at that kind, earnest face, but Quentin doesn't make it seem like he's avoiding him. Just focusing a little.
"Yeah, not too long ago." Honestly, he's lost a little bit of time, just getting used to the place and being oddly anxious about the whole thing. That isn't like him, but he's been ripped from one reality to another, and unlike when he constructed that truth, the fact of it is jarring.
"Have you been here very long?" He looks at Peter and smiles a little bit. "I mean, long enough to get yourself all taken care of."
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Peter sucks on his lower lip for a moment.
"Uh ... about eight months?" He winces a little, because it sounds way worse when he says it aloud like that. "I've actually had two doms so far: there was this one guy Jack, but he disappeared a couple of weeks after we contracted, and then Gwen. She's my girlfriend," he says proudly, a flush of pink settling over his cheekbones. Girlfriend. His first ever girlfriend, with whom he's totally besotted.
"She takes really good care of me. She bought me my own apartment and everything, just to—"
Well. Quentin can probably guess why. Peter has a boyfriend too, and they both have other people they're hooking up with, which means it's less awkward all around if they have their own space to entertain their own guests. Clearing his throat, Peter looks away as he rummages for a grater to begin shredding the cheese.
"Anyway, I had my own job too up until recently, and I'm gonna start classes at the college in one of the other cities, so ..." He shrugs a little sadly. "I know it's not the same as being back home, but it's good to have a routine, y'know? Even if Gwen's gotta sign off on everything before I do it."
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"You give up the ghost on--uh. MJ? MJ, right, I think you said her name was."
It's a slightly teasing question, but Peter looks so smitten that Quentin can't not tease him about it.
And Quentin's only been here for a couple days, but he gets the gimmick going on and more importantly, he's never really been in the habit of steady relationships and quiet monogamy. But he doesn't mention that to Peter. It doesn't really matter how he feels about things, especially since Peter seems happy with his situation.
"There are other cities?"
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Peter whips his head around to stare at Quentin, that smitten look replaced with one of urgent incredulity.
"You— there's an MJ ghost?" Because sure, Peter's always liked MJ and values her company incredibly highly, but the idea that he might actually put his bundle of crush-type feelings into action back home? It's not something that had ever crossed his mind, mainly because thus far MJ hasn't given him any indication that she'd be interested in that. In him. Actually, he's pretty sure she just thinks he's a massive loser, for all she spends her lunches carefully situated on the very edge of whatever mad conversation he's having with Ned.
"Did I talk to you about her?" He must've, if Quentin knows who she is. Maybe now's the time to bring up how they know one another in the first place; Peter had planned on being polite about it, maybe even waiting until after they'd eaten, but that was before Quentin dropped that there might be some kind of ...
Yeah. MJ ghost.
"Were we close? You and me, I mean. If I was talking to you about wanting to be with MJ ..." The thought of which has him pressing his lips into a thin line, because he's been trying so hard not to let himself get hung up on crushes from his own world. But. Is there really hope for him and MJ?
"How about this: you tell me how we met, then I'll tell you about the other cities." Peter smiles hopefully. "Deal?"
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When Peter asks if they're close, Quentin takes a second to consider how to answer. He's already settled in on telling him the multiverse story, but that story never involved a Peter Parker back in his world that he might have been close to, that might have bolstered his apparent affection for the kid.
Well, why shouldn't there be? Nobody ever looked too deep at these things.
"Deal," Quentin says, and slides over the cutting board where he's chopped up all the things that are going into the baked ziti that Peter gave him to chop. "Well, it's not quite so straight forward as whether we knew each other or not. Actually, you and I just met. See, I'm from another Earth. But we sort of met in Venice, and then got formally introduced in Prague. That's where you told me about MJ."