duplicitymemes

Entry tags:

«tdm

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 « « «

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"No, of course you're not," going to be in trouble. The smile that he offers is smooth and easy as warmed caramel, his eyes raised to look at the stranger who, even if he is trying to make himself seem small, still has a few inches on him.

He doesn't buy the clueless act for a minute, but he does buy the stated motivation--the crux of it anyway: trying to understand. This city comes with a steep learning curve for everyone new to it. That's one of the reasons he's come over.

"If I had to take a guess," he says of the women, "I'd say that we're watching some street-level enterprise in action. Trying to convert on a window of opportunity 'fore it closes. There's more 'n one way to live by your wits." And he respects that, it's probably clear enough to tell, even if he doesn't especially like the method. That's not the real question though, and he knows it--it's not what the women are doing. It's how they're able to get away with doing it, how what they're doing factors into the bigger picture, the system of the city. He can offer an answer to that too.

"One thing this place'll teach you? It's that power's not anything a person has. It's a relationship, always. It's what someone does."

Ed is quiet for a long moment. He's processing, trying to think before he speaks, to be like Oswald and play his cards close to his chest. His instinct is to talk, always, but he's trying to play it safer.

It's just like Arkham. They have the power, but he has the smarts.

"I imagine that's easier to say with a straight face when you're not designated as property."

You're an idiot, Eddie.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to- I'm sorry, I'm just-"

Grovel more, maybe it'll make you seem even more pathetic right now.

Ed shoves his fist against his mouth, to stop the apologies, to stop himself screaming at his other.

There's a slight lofting of his brow, but not in offense and certainly not in outrage. Mostly, he's lofting it at the duality, the contradiction and speedy backpedal, the crack in the composure that's shown when only one's own hand can stop one's own mouth from going.

He gives a half shrug, waving away the apology as unneeded. "I mean, fair. I probably sound like the fox in the hen house right now, trying to tell the hens they ain't got it that bad. And that's bullshit.

"This?" He gestures to his own throat, bare of any line. "It's arbitrary 'n unfair and it doesn't have a damn thing to do with who you are or what you deserve. And there's no consolation for that beyond saying that people do learn to game the system." That group of women they've been talking about, Q.E.D.

Ed watches carefully, looking for signs of one, anger and two, contempt, but there's neither and it soothes him a little. Enough to lower his hand. "Yes. You sound like a complete hypocrite.

"But. You're aware of it." Which is something. He's not sure what it is, but it's something. "It's not really that different from life in a way. Just a different division of legal power." His hands sink into his coat pockets, fingers running over the smooth handle of his switchblade. "The fact is, it's much easier to say how much power the marked can game from the system when you're not limited in where you can go, what work you can do, what you can purchase. Power might be achievable for the likes of us-" he gestures himself and the woman. "But it's easier to run a race when you haven't had your knees broken."

"Sure," he does sound like a hypocrite, he can accept, "but we all have histories before this place. Well, those of us that got dragged here by LIES anyway." By which he means to imply not the women working the street across from them. He also means to imply that it's on the basis of that history that he can claim something besides rank hypocrisy.

"It must feel like having your knees broken, I don't doubt." And this time he doesn't try to mollify with some remark implying that it's not so bad.

"I think you're right 'bout it being like life just divvied up different. Usually takes a while for people to come to see that. But I take it you've not been here long." So he's quicker than most--it's the subtle compliment hidden in that observation.

The hidden praise has Ed straightening, picking it up and clearly mollified by the subtle acknowledgement of his intelligence. "No. I've had a night in this place, in the hovel that qualifies as suitable housing. I did the required orientation and read everything I could find. I'd rather not find myself inadvertently breaking rules and laws."

Only intentionally, huh, Eddie?

He tilts his head to the side, wincing slightly. Trying not to address the voice. "I'm Edward. Nygma."

"So you've had the truth according to LIES." He'll let the irony of that statement speak for itself.

There's another one of those odd little ticks again--he notices it, reckons it's a bit of an eccentricity, an insecurity maybe, the sign of a man who wants to kick himself for everything he says. Of course that explains nothing as to why, but he's trying to reserve judgment. Instead, he extends his hand in greeting.

"Vrenille. Last names aren't so much the thing where I'm from." He adds that last part because he doesn't want to give the impression that he's holding out. The situation where he comes from is, in fact, more complicated but the point is that he has no last name, and that stands.

"Folks call you Ed?"

"Yes, well, I've had the indoctrination and official literature." And now he's here, watching and trying to learn more.

He takes the offered hand and shakes, brief and firm. Professional. "Diminutive or derivative, spoken in fondness and contempt alike. Some people have called me Ed. A lot just called me Nygma. I answer to either."

"Well then, Ed, I'm glad to know you." (Peculiar guy though you are.) His handshake is returned in kind--confident and even. It's the way a man shakes hands with an equal. There's no condescension in it.

"And since it sounds like you're up to speed on the official welcome, lemme be the first to offer you exclusive, unlicensed, uncensored, no-holds-barred unofficial guidebook." A beat. "Yeah okay, no guidebook, but you can ask me questions if you want. I've been here long enough to know one or two things."

Ed's first question is an easy one. "I am allowed access to libraries and whatever form of information network they have here, or do I require one of these contracts and permission from my owner to do so?"

"You can use the library, for all the good it'll do you. Staff might not go outta their way to help you, but they're not gonna stop you reading. You won't find any history books though, if that's what you're after. They don't exist, which is weird."

Almost as soon as he says that though, he amends, "Well, there's one history book now. But it's only a history of the past year." A shrug. "Not a bad one, for what it's worth. It's got a little prequel that's better. Or worse, depending on your perspective."

[OOC: If it's cool with you, I'm going to play this to reflect current in-game affairs (i.e. at the conclusion of the war they just had) rather than the state of things as they were a month ago when the TDM post went up. I figure it will make the info Ed's getting a little more relevant if you're apping in, but if you'd rather I not go that route, just lmk and I can edit out the last bit.]

"History books won't help me survive." He needs current information, details on laws, on expectations, things he can use now. "Recent history might. I need to know what I'm allowed to do without an owner, where my legal standing is as an individual and the limitations on that. If I'm attacked by an unmarked, am I allowed to report it? Is it considered my due for not having an owner? What if I'm robbed?"

Get real, Ed, you have nothing worth taking and if they beat the shit out of you, you probably were asking for it, you freak.

His hands curl into tight fists, flinching against the words.

[OOC: That would be great. I've actually already submitted his app... ]

Vrenille's eyes soften, because what he sees behind the words and the clenched fists is a man who's vulnerable and scared. He understands that, and he wants to reassure him, even if he knows that his status as a Dominant makes him an object of suspicion and mistrust.

"You can get pretty far without a contract, Ed. At least for now." He casts a cautious eye around them now to make sure they're not being listened to. "What you need are allies. Any Dominant can vouch for you, contract or not--help you get a job, maybe get some arrangements in place for you to shop.

"Far as the law goes, 50/50 shot on them listening to anything you report. There's a lotta corruption with the cops here. But there's a place in the Down--Haven Hospital. There's a free clinic there. Cafeteria too--serves better food 'n you get at the public housing and they don't turn anyone away."

He looks Ed up and down. "Can you fight?"

[OOC: Ahh excellent! I'm excited for him to be in game! I should add you on plurk, perhaps...]

Any Dominant. He just needs to find someone who would be willing to put in a word for him to get work and shop. He doesn't need to make it permanent. He won't be reliant on them.

And if not... Haven Hospital. He can go there, until he finds allies.

"Gotham was once found to be the most corrupt city in North America, so that's hardly new for me. Ran on money and favours more than anything else. Who you know and all that."

Because endearing yourself to people has always been your strong point, hasn't it? Making friends, no one you were a nobody until you latched onto Oswald's coattails-

"Shut up!" He spits the words, spinning to look at the window nearby. "Just shut up, I don't need you!"

"Gotham?" He's heard of that city before, knows other people here who are from there, and is about to say as much... But that's before Ed's sudden outburst.

Vrenille's eyebrows rise precipitously, though not because he mistakes the words as being directed at him. He's not immediately sure what is happening in that moment when Ed spins around, but he's sure it's not so simple as the man he's been speaking to suddenly and violently deciding to reject his help.

No, this is something else. Something, he suspects, that has a link to those ticks and twitches he's been seeing.

"O-kay..." He's just gonna let Ed have his moment, he thinks, watching him face off with the window with slightly skeptical eyes.

Only no, it's not the window, is it? It's his reflection. Warring with himself--that's what it makes Vrenille think of. Slightly alarming, he'll admit, but he's still standing his ground. "You, uh, need a minute?"

Technically not the window or his reflection, but the other thing he sees, but then he turns around, back to the reflection and pushing his glasses up on top of his head and the balls of his hands to his eyes.

Nicely done. If he didn't think you were a freak before, you've sure managed to blow that out of the water.

"Go away," Ed whispers, hands still over his eyes. Then realises what that sounds like, hands snapping down. "No, I'm sorry, I didn't- I'm fine! Really, all fine."

Smooth.

"I- I forget not to talk to the little voice in your head that tells you everything you're doing wrong," he tries to explain.

Because that's something normal people do, sure.

He tries a smile. It's strained at best.

There are probably a lot of people who would just go away--either they'd take offense or they'd simply be freaked out enough to want to put distance between themselves and the apparent nutjob on the street before anything worse could happen.

But Vrenille does not go away. When Ed's hands snap down, he'll find him looking at him, his eyes slightly unsure but not impatient. And it's the apology that really wins him, the quick shift like a jump-start between one gear and another.

As a rule, Vrenille tries not to pity people. It's insulting and condescending, and he'd never want it from anyone himself, so why would he do it to someone else? So it's not precisely a matter of feeling sorry for Ed. But he does feel sympathy, especially with that explanation that fails so spectacularly, not for being false, but for being, he thinks, a little too true.

"Yeah, that voice." Well, everyone has some version of that voice--self doubt, second guessing--at least sometimes, even if he thinks it might be...different for Ed, given what he's seen so far.

He lets the quiet stretch for a moment. Then, "Walk with me?"

Ed nods mutely, agreeing with 'that voice' and being pathetically grateful that Vrenille hasn't pushed him about it.

No one ever questions you about me. They'd have to care for that to happen and no one cares except me.

But Ed knows that isn't strictly true. So does the other, which is probably why he goes quiet for now.

"Okay." He doesn't think Vrenille's a threat to him. Not like he could be. "We can walk."

With a gesture of his hand, Vrenille leads them down the street, away from the women and their hustle and towards Fiddler's Square. He sets his pace so that they can walk casually, side by side, talking as they go. If there are some Dominants in this place who expect Submissives to walk a step behind or follow them along like pets, Vrenille isn't one of them.

"Listen, don't sweat it." What just happened, he means. Ed seems a little deflated, he thinks--embarrassed maybe--and he's trying to take the sting off. "You're kinda having a helluva day--week, whatever.

"This place'll mess with your head. I mean, hell, you've just been kidnapped outta your life, dragged to a whole different world, and told you're some kinda second class citizen. I'd be more worried if it didn't get to you a bit. Maybe just try 'n go easy on yourself for a while, yeah?"

With Ed's long stride, falling behind someone while they walk is just unnatural. He pushes his hands back into his pockets, thumb rubbing over the handle of his knife again.

Having spent most of his life fighting for some sort of recognition from society, to get out from the disadvantages of his childhood, from his problems, having finally got somewhere... "I'm used to being treated like a second class citizen. It's frustrating, I'd just managed to get my way out from that, but I did it once." He can do it again.

"Honestly, I think it's an advantage, backwards as that sounds. It's the people who've had it soft that suffer this place more. Takes street smarts, living here." It's an advantage that they share, in fact, given Vrenille's past. But he doesn't offer this because so far he's had no indication that Ed is interested in hearing.

"You mentioned Gotham--I've heard other people name it too. Not that I can pretend to know much, but it's never sounded like the lap of luxury."

"Gotham is... Gotham." Cold and mad and indifferent to the cruelty that she birthed in her citizens. "It really went downhill for a couple of years, but Oswald, Mayor Cobblepot, he's determined to turn it around. We have- had- a plan."

A plan and a pair of framed certificates that said they were no longer insane, side by side on the wall in the manor house.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" He asks it almost like an accusation, but not quite. "Is it because in your world, you were in my position?"

He's not heard of this mayor before, but he has no reason to mistrust what Ed is saying. What's especially notable, though, is the we--we had a plan. So when Ed says that he'd managed to get his way out, this gives some shape to what he means.

As to the rest, it's a fair question, and it deserves a fair answer. "Maybe sorta. My world's a lot different 'n this, but I grew up on the street.

"Way I see it, people're important to each other. And hell, I had someone decide to be good to me when he'd 've had every reason in the world to throw dirt in my face." He shrugs. "You ever meet someone 'n y'think, damn, if I could be half as good as that guy, I'd feel pretty all right when I look in the mirror?"

So, in a sense, he's doing towards Ed as someone he loves did towards him. For him, it had made all the difference in the world, and he wants to be a little bit like this person, wants to feel a little bit closer to him, maybe mitigate missing him just a little.

It's probably not what Vrenille thinks, but the shape os it wouldn't be entirely wrong, either. It's a complicated thing.

Then Vrenille's words hit him, cut deep and hard. He doesn't show it, too used to showing nothing when he hurts. "Yes. Yes, I did. Meet someone who made me think that."

Vrenille inclines his head as though to say well then, there's your answer, and hopefully, if Ed knows the experience, it's a satisfactory one.

The truth is that Vrenille was always very people-focused even before he met the one particular person he's mentioned. He's always gotten by in life by weaving bonds of mutual benefit with people: he meets their needs and they help him meet his. Because of what they get from him, they help him sustain himself, assure that he's there to service them another day. The answer he's given Ed now is easier to offer in a nutshell though, and it's not untrue, it's only just half the story.

The corner of his mouth curves in a smile. "I'd ask," about the person who meant that to Ed, "but maybe we're not quite there yet." Ready to open up that far.

So an alternate path for their conversation instead: "You must have more you wanna ask 'bout this place." He's still willing to answer.

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