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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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Why should it? I'm not special and I'm not too good to work. I could be fussing it up at some pompous high-end job I'm not qualified for, but I'd just as soon earn honest money doing something useful.
[He's hardly qualified for anything here, really, and half of it's so blighted dull that someone with an attention span like his would hardly last a day. He rather likes delivering packages.
Hawke frowns slightly at Cullen's insinuation there.]
Of course it's not. It's a blighted nightmare half the time. But if you spend all your time obsessing over how fucked everything is [LITERALLY, even] and how little you can do about it, you're liable to go mad.
So relax. Better to enjoy something about this place.
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As you say.
[It comes out tired. Maker, when did he get so tired? Will this be him in a few days? Finding work that ill suits him to make ends meet and taking solace in showers, and ice, and whatever else winds up making him more comfortable?]
I'm not trying to insult you.
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[He's done it twice now. Made some remark as though Hawke is someone of great prestige, a Champion, who can tackle any problem in his path with relative ease. Anybody who read Varric's book or, in Cullen's case, who lived to hear of his exploits as local lore might think he really was that grand and heroic.
But it's probably better to address this sooner rather than later.]
It's been a long time. Whatever I was the last time you saw me-- this is me now.
[He rakes dark hair back out of his face with his fingers.]
It's not all menial errands. Some of us manage to do real good here. Help Submissives, so they don't end up selling themselves to live. Help each other. People do the best they can under the circumstances.
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I hear you. [Maker, does he.]
Poor sods. It's unthinkable what they do to them. I don't...
[He's not sure he can just live it up in the huge glass building knowing what's going on right under their feet. He left behind the man who could turn a blind eye to such things in the name of order. Maybe he's destined for prison or worse after all. There's a darkness behind his eyes and a heaviness in his posture.]
I'm sorry. I'm probably the last person who should be having this conversation with you.
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The apostate who's never set foot in a Circle? I've hardly got any room to complain.
[He could take Cullen to task on behalf of mages in general, but that wouldn't accomplish much besides making the other man feel horrible. Hawke doesn't want to be a mouthpiece for mage rights. Maybe he accepted the job before, but given some of the atrocities he's seen over the years, committed on both sides of a war people blame him for starting, he's not going to start now.
Instead, he can offer what little reassurance he can give.]
I'm sorry to say they are very serious about the contracts, too. But they don't care what's in them so long as they're signed. People grant their partners total freedom all the time. That... doesn't make it acceptable, but they're not making you take a slave. Not unless you write it that way.
[Ironically, Hawke met his partner by accidentally purchasing her as a slave. Not that he ever, ever acted on the privilege over her that granted him. That little legal hiccup has since been cleared up and Ava's as free as she can be.]
If... if you think you can be discreet, I'll give you a place in the Down to check out. A clinic that treats Submissives free of charge, provides them food and clothes and whatever else they need. They can always use more help, or sponsorship from so-called "Dominants." Like us.
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When have you ever known me not to be discreet?
[How else did they manage to work together as much as they did before Meredith put a stop to it?]
I'd like that. If I have to participate in this travesty, then I want to do it as much on my terms as possible. Whatever you think of me, I believe you know I wouldn't take advantage of anyone in a position like that.
[When the waitress comes back by to ask if they'd like refills, he declines politely and allows her to take his glass away.]
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Yes, I do. And I know that you're a good man who does his best to step up when his talents are needed. That's more than most people can say.
[Spoken as though he is not also a person like that. But hopefully, that will let Cullen know that he bears him no ill will. Can't speak for how Cullen thinks of him, but Hawke doesn't hold Kirkwall against him or anybody else (but himself, of course.)
The waitress provides a welcome distraction, and he puts in for a second pint. Once she leaves, he taps his fingers idly on the table.]
Is there anything else in particular you want to know?
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One hand rests idly on the table, the other on his thigh. He straightens again, this time allowing himself a lean against the back of his chair.]
I've heard what I need to know.
[His gaze on him is direct, assessing.]
I think we can be allies again, without...everything else in the way. I'm willing to try if you are.
[To do some good.]
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[It's delivered with the sly grin of a man trying to avoid a heavy topic by cracking an idiotic joke. So... classic Hawke.
But he does relent somewhat, nodding to confirm his agreement.]
Let's leave the mage and templar animosity back in Kirkwall. You're not a templar any longer. And I'm... [Well. He's still a mage.] Uh. Anyway, you get what I mean. We've a bigger cause now.
Or again. Whatever. Blighted stupid time nonsense and all.
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[It's not biting the way it would be if he meant it, but Cullen teasing versus Cullen serious can be a fine line.]
We do. Agreed. Clean slate, or as clean as it can be.
[There were things that could never be erased, no matter how much pretense or wishful thinking were thrown their way.]
Do you have any questions? I don't want to sit here and play interrogator without offering something in kind.
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[That or his tendency to make friends with volatile people. Yeah, that must be it.
He thinks a long moment before he responds to Cullen's offer for questions. He has thousands of questions, mostly about how things are two years from where he last left Thedas.]
I don't know. Is it... it seems wrong somehow to ask after the future. Like that's going to muck it up somehow.
[This must be how Neria feels around him all the time. Though Hawke's kept the gristly details to himself for the most part.]
So I guess I'll keep it specific. There is still a Thedas in two years, so... I suppose that means Corypheus' stupid plan fails? [Or at least gets postponed long enough.]
And then, I don't need details, but I just have to know-- it doesn't sound like the Inquisition hangs me on sight the moment I arrive. Do they? Varric would protest, of course, but, you know... that something about me. I'm actually quite nervous about it.
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[Yes, Hawke. Yes, it is wrong to ask about the future, so stop it already. He inwardly sighs. He did invite this, idiot that he can be. That first question he's all too happy to answer definitively.]
We crush him and his plans utterly.
[Not that there isn't still a world of cleanup and places too remote for them to help adequately. It wears on him at times, those thoughts.]
No. No one hangs you or accosts you in any way. You're welcome at Skyhold, at least by anyone who matters.
[Of course there had been talk, plenty of people scandalized or angry they'd harbor him. Cadash had rightly ignored the naysayers.]
I spoke to you. Not in depth, as I'm sure you can imagine.
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Wonderful news. On multiple counts. I couldn't decide if the Inquisitor was a hanging or a headsman sort, but hanging's just more romantic, you know?
[Now he's just babbling.]
I imagine we didn't have much cheery to talk about. Though... I guess we've done all right here, so. That's good too...
And-- I don't know if you'll know this, but perhaps you've heard from Varric or someone. My little brother, Carver... he's a Grey Warden. Is he well?
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Maker yes, another topic about which he can speak with a bit more ease.]
As far as I know he is. We haven't received much news from the Wardens of late. I suppose that can be a good thing, given that when we do hear from them, it's often about a Blight.
[And here's something he is sure will distract him. He tosses it out very casually.]
Varric is Viscount of Kirkwall now.
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The news about Varric, though, has him laughing.]
Oh, Maker's breath, really? He must sodding hate it. How did anyone trick him into that?
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He has funded several reconstruction projects all over the city. Well, you know how the bureaucracy is there. 'Sign these forms in triplicate. Don't meet at second bell midweek because that's when a high muckety muck is eating toasted goose liver on a thin cracker.'
He complained that not having a Viscount was interfering with his projects, so the nobles met and decided he'd volunteered.
[He laughs freely.] Oh, Hawke, you should have seen his face. And I'm sure you can only guess who was right there with him, sour and dour as ever.
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He does feel a twinge of pity even as he laughs about it. Thank the Maker he ran for it. Those blighted Marcher noble prigs might have gotten the idea to make Hawke Viscount at some point.]
Seneschel Bran, doing his pursey little lip thing. I'd say he was probably upset at being passed over, but I think he's the sort of man who loves licking the boots more than he'd like to wear them.
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[His respect for Bran is exactly zero. The only decent thing he can say of him is that he kept the city coffers from draining dry and had enough dirt on enough nobles to prevent them from tearing the city apart like a wolf pack.]
I think he'll find Varric's longer than he realizes. He is in for a wild ride if he thinks to control anything he does.
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[Well, this is all lovely to hear. Corypheus has his plans ruined and is dead, Carver likely isn't, and Varric gets his dwarven arse planted in a seat of power. He'll hate it, probably, but only the formality... it'll allow him to make some progress and do some wonderful things for his home city at last.]
I won't tell him, when I see him next. It'll have to be a delightful surprise.
[Assuming Hawke will see him next in his own "time." Maker, all this sort of thing gives him a headache.]
I'm glad to hear it all. I had my doubts about the Inquisition, but... you've all really done some amazing things. Good for the lot of you.
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And he thanks the Maker he has the experience he does controlling his expressions. As far as he knows, Hawke will never have the chance to tell Varric anything again. How did that work, anyway? He leaves here, and he's dead? Or leaves here to die? Or... It hurts his head to think about it, so he cuts that line of thought short.]
Trust me. He'll be surprised.
[He snorts softly.]
I've had my doubts. You don't get so big and so powerful without pitfalls everywhere you step. Cadash has a good head on his shoulders, dwarven practicality with a shrewd understanding of topsider politics.
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[His unintentionally devastating commentary ends with an amused smile. He doesn't expect that Cullen will know the details of what happens to each of his friends, so he doesn't waste time peppering him with yet more questions.
All he needs to know is that his journey to the Inquisition is not going to be the march to the noose that he thought it was. And it's worth it. Whatever he will do to help them, whatever they will do to help the Wardens-- help Carver-- is going to be worth it.]
And what about you? You're doing well enough, it seems.
[A beat.]
It occurs to me I barely know anything about you beyond the templar thing. Which, granted, is a big thing when you're a mage, but.
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[He must be being tortured. There's no other explanation for this horribly uncomfortable conversation. This is his past, circled back around to bite him in his arse. Or not, but it feels a bit like it.]
I am. Doing well, I mean. Better than I expected before the war started, but I suppose most of us who made it through could say that.
[His hand creeps back up to rub at the back of his neck.]
That's true. I'm not sure what sorts of things would interest you. If there's anything you want to ask, go ahead. If I don't find it difficult to talk about, I'll answer.
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So there's a long, painfully awkward moment where Hawke looks thoughtful as he finishes off his first beer. He's about to say something, when it's interrupted by the waitress arriving with his second. Then there's another agonizing few seconds as he takes a sip.
Then at last, he sets the glass down.]
Dogs. [He's Fereldan too. He'll get it.] You ever had a dog? My Wuffles is here, by some twist of a miracle, and he's the best boy there is.
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At the unexpected question, he lights up like a Wintersend display.]
We had a hound growing up, a courser. And I recently rescued a Mabari from an Orlesian ponce. I've named him Blade. I won't insult him or you by saying what the fop had named him. He's here, in fact. I couldn't believe it.
I remember your dog, a fine beast. He reminded me of some of the Mabari I've seen from the Denerim kennels. Do you know where he came from?
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[Don't think he didn't used to see the admiration in your eyes whenever Wuffles was around back in Kirkwall, Cullen. He saw it. He knew.]
I can't wait to meet the big boy. [Because that's now happening.] He and Wuffles can be friends. There's a beach near the sea, and the natives here never use it, so they can run and play for miles uninterrupted.
And Wuffles... Father brought him home when we lived in Lothering, from one of his trips to Denerim. He may very well have been born in the kennels there. We weren't overly wealthy, and Wuffles was the runt, so I think Father swung a good deal for him.
[He thinks back to when his father first brought home that squirmy little potato puppy. It was actually a short time before he passed on, within two years of it. Wuffles is getting on in years, but he's still every inch the powerful wardog he used to be. Just a little fat now, from the takeout.]
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