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Duplicity Game Mods ([personal profile] duplicitymods) wrote in [community profile] duplicitymemes2020-01-12 10:22 pm
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TDM #10


« « « TEST DRIVE MEME » » »


« « « LIFE WILL GO 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 weather is a brisk negative seven during the warmest parts of the day.



» » » BLINDLY WE'LL FOLLOW




It's time for the monthly Duplicity train tour. 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.



« « « ASK ME ABOUT X




Along with the usual Dom and Sub seminars and demonstrations, the powers that be have decided to try something a little more friendly. After attending the mandatory classes, all characters are invited to a (mandatory) social mixer! There are beverages and light snacks, and mingling is highly encouraged.

Also, all participants have had their clothes removed and replaced with long shirts ( they are allowed to keep their undergarments, but nothing else is allowed ). Said shirts have the phrase “Ask me about _____!” plastered loudly and proudly on the front. It could be a character’s deepest, darkest secret, their most negative trait, or something embarrassing they had happen to them. Each participant is given a clipboard, pen and a piece of paper and are tasked with “asking” three others about what’s written on their chests. Once they’ve completed the task and handed in the assignment they’ll receive their clothes back. Of course, the long shirts can be removed, but that means you’ll be stuck in the nude or in your undergarments until you cooperate.



« « « ON A FLIP CHART




Not into your long shirts? Want to complain or refuse to participate? There’s another option! Unruly Dominants and Submissives will find themselves locked in a private room with a bed, stuffed together into a get-along-shirt. There’s no escaping the garment either, until certain conditions have been met. Written on a flip chart in the corner of the room are the tasks that need to be accomplished to “get along.” Are the two supposed to share a kiss? Sing a romantic duet together? Say the alphabet backwards in sync? The whole point of the exercise is to find that synergy a Dom and Sub pair are supposed to have. Maybe this isn’t the best way to find it, though…

When the conditions are met the shirt is removable or rippable. Otherwise no matter how hard the characters struggle they’ll find themselves unable to get the pesky thing off.



« « « THE LONG WAY AROUND




Many local businesses have adapted to the timing of newcomers, and take advantage of the incoming crowds to do a little marketing. Stationed throughout Duplicity in LIEr-adjacent places such as the train station, the Up Apartments, the Down Motel, and the orientation center are representatives for local businesses and companies handing out free samples and hoping to attract business later.

This month, there’s a particular presence by Harbroken Industries, a cosmetic and beauty company. They’re pushing free samples of their new pheromone perfume sprays, delicately scented and guaranteed to work. Sample bottles are freely available, but some overeager volunteers are taking the department store approach and spritzing unwitting passersby.

The citrus scent is energizing and bright, inducing a talkative state where users cannot get enough conversation, and lose any internal filter for their words. The strawberry-vanilla scent is sweet and comforting, like a warm hug, which users will get a lot of with their new obsession with physical affection. Cedar-sandalwood makes those who use it tough as nails, angry and ready to pick a fight over the smallest slights. The cinnamon-pear scent makes its users feel adventurous and curious, and maybe a little TOO bold about trying new things. And predictably, the patchouli spray inspires “free love,” with an aphrodisiac effect that gets worse over time, unless taken care of quickly.

The scents will wane and the effects will fade after six hours, or after the urges they cause are fulfilled. These volunteers are so eager to make a sale that it’s entirely possible to be hit with more than one spray at a time, so maybe take the long way around these areas if you’re looking to avoid them.



« « « 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: Count the letters in your character's full name ( first, last, middle or whatever combo that they have ). If it totals twelve letters and below they are a Dominant. If it's thirteen and higher they are Submissive.

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




» » » MAIN NAVIGATION « « «

whatsina_name: (Phillip [What are you doing])

[personal profile] whatsina_name 2020-02-26 02:00 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh good. Someone does see why this situation is terrible.

"As far as I can tell, yeah. Which is part of how the 'natives' have been here for decades before us, I bet." Enough to forget their original homes, or at least fit better in this one. What will happen, he can't help but wonder, when people have lived here longer than they ever lived in any other universe? Maybe it really is just time wearing people down.
hypocrate: (pic#13798259)

cw: light suicide mentions

[personal profile] hypocrate 2020-02-26 02:14 pm (UTC)(link)
"Oh... god..." he looks away, not because he's got anything to hide on his opinions of the subject, but just because he needs a moment, sick to his stomach in a way that isn't actually physically possible for him anymore but is apparently emotionally so.

"Everyone..." immortality is great if you choose it, but if you don't, it's the worst curse Shido can imagine. He's known for a while now that he's un-aging, but as a vampire he's not unending, he can commit suicide, he can screw up and get himself killed. He's killed other vampires.

(He'd thought he'd killed the only vampire that mattered.)

Now, even that choice has been taken from him. There's a defeated slump to his shoulders for a moment, the weight of that too much to bear up under. But after a moment, he does, taking a deep breath and setting them back up again.

"How does everyone stand it?" he muses aloud, since it's obvious that Phillip understands from the way he's talked.
resistingly: (pic#12534479)

[personal profile] resistingly 2020-02-26 02:49 pm (UTC)(link)
[ He knows she's close, maybe even hovering torturously so to that precipice, her entire body wracked with tremors that she can't hope to suppress, and he's there to try and deliver everything she's asking for with that firm crooking of his fingers, the harder lash of his tongue against her clit.

Her pleasure is coming off of her in waves and he thinks some of it might be filtering through other levels of his awareness, deeper than anything he can feel while he's touching her. It's like she's in his thoughts, giving him the impressions that everything he's doing is right. ]


Mmm. [ It's an encouraging sound, and he has to retreat for a second to murmur against her, to make sure she hears him while she arches beneath him, strains, and all he can do is marvel at her. ]

That's it. Just... let go.

[ He wants to see it, all of it, the first time she really tips over the edge for him all over again; it's an image that's already indelibly marked on his consciousness from before, but this is new, isn't it? New because she's never felt it from him like this. ]
whatsina_name: (Phillip [Curious])

[personal profile] whatsina_name 2020-02-26 07:26 pm (UTC)(link)
Ok, this guy definitely is immortal, or at least has thought about the possibility of being immortal considerably in a probably very tangible way. Because--

"I don't think they think about it too hard." Or they haven't put the pieces together that that's what's going to happen here. The fact that they don't even acknowledge that death (or Death) is much of a thing most of the time here, the fact that people have been here so long as to maybe not remember where they were from before or the histories associated with it. He kind of doesn't blame them, even. If you're not used to thinking about how awful being immortal can sound, then it probably takes a direct example to get you to start.
high_warlock: (Default)

[personal profile] high_warlock 2020-02-26 07:39 pm (UTC)(link)
He nods his understanding, smiling faintly.

"That sounds about right. Anyone worth knowing, anyone with the ability to even figure it out, would pursue something like that. It's like supernatural selection, in a way. Those that would brush off such an encounter wouldn't survive in a magical place. But those with curiosity... well they might not survive, but they might also thrive."
hypocrate: (pic#13798259)

[personal profile] hypocrate 2020-02-27 12:20 am (UTC)(link)
"Ah." He says simply and just kind of leaves it at that for a moment. There's a clarity to the previous conversation, suddenly, with Phillip saying that and Shido realizing that maybe normal humans wouldn't, or would think it was a blessing.

He's fairly certain, even in the tattered remains of his memories, that he didn't want to be immortal, hadn't asked to be turned. He remembers the church, the terror when he realized he wasn't going to be leaving it. But if he'd been given the choice, then, death versus immortality, he doesn't know what he would have chosen. He'd believed then that he was going to change the world, after all. Would he have naively thought he could hold onto his humanity from the beginning.

Would Cain have even let him have the illusion of it from the start?

He only remembers being human in odd, half-formed memories and in moments like these. It's a weird realization, to know this attitude also probably gives him away. But, also...

He turns and looks at Phillip, a bit more keenly, speculative,

"But you do. You also understand."
lightlessflame: (50)

[personal profile] lightlessflame 2020-02-27 12:49 am (UTC)(link)
"There are, unfortunately, individuals who take their label as a Dominant to the extreme, without care for the harm they do others." She hesitates though, not wanting to make the conversation completely negative. "They're not as common as those who wouldn't, however."
craftylikea: (as brothers we will stand)

[personal profile] craftylikea 2020-02-27 12:53 am (UTC)(link)
"I promise you I am not."

Lyall smiles politely and then sends his gaze out over the crowd at the questions that follow. The visual search is not strictly necessary, since he can smell any vampires currently present (who aren't heavily covering their scent, anyway) but he carries it out for show. A very superfluous show, considering that he's likely to out himself shortly but some amount of mystery is attractive to him. If only for the suspense of things.

"The degree to which they make themselves known varies. Of course it ends up being rather futile to conceal much of anything. Secrets do tend to out, here." A faint scent is coming from another corner of the room, one of a vampire that he doesn't actually recognize. There were more earlier and he makes a note to at least go investigate this one at some point in the evening. At the moment, though, he turns his attention back to Aziraphale. "There is one. Forgive me if I don't point them out, I am not familiar with them and don't know how amenable they would be to it."

He is nothing if not polite. There is, too, the possibility of it getting back to this unknown vampire that he was the one who outed them to a stranger and that is a complication he does not need. His smile continues to be polite, shading to ever so slightly apologetic...though there is, perhaps just the slightest hint of amusement too. It's the mention of werewolves.

"I don't believe animate mummies exist where I come from either."

There's an implication there.
whatsina_name: (Phillip [Listening])

[personal profile] whatsina_name 2020-02-27 01:22 pm (UTC)(link)
Phillip... saw that question coming. He knew when he answered like he did that, if Shido was actually immortal, that it would probably be pretty obvious. He's still not always sure he likes near strangers knowing even that much. His instinct, for all that he's loosened up in Duplicity, is still to be very guarded. But he's trying, if not to give people the full blown answer of what he is, to not be as obnoxiously cagey about it.

"Yeah," he says with a sigh, "I do." The elevator stops and the door to the Down opens, and he steps out with a pause for Shido to follow.
hypocrate: (Default)

[personal profile] hypocrate 2020-02-27 01:36 pm (UTC)(link)
Shido considers his words carefully, falling silent for a moment as they walk. It's not an awkward silence, at least not from his side. He's more mulling things over than any kind of frantic need to respond or fill the space. Finally he says,

"It can be difficult, having something other people want while not desiring any of it," it's vague enough, an indication that he's not going to pry, even as there's an acknowledgement that they likely both know what the other is talking about, at least the broad strokes of it. "All we can do is make use of the time and the... gifts we've been given, even if they are more burden than gift."
whatsina_name: (Phillip [Listening])

[personal profile] whatsina_name 2020-02-27 01:54 pm (UTC)(link)
Phillip's more than happy to walk as Shido thinks, leading them toward the Down's housing. And even after he does, it's his turn to be quiet for a moment, thinking it over. Even the people he's met here who are immortal are very divided over how they seem to feel about it. He can't find anything that ties them together, either; it's probably their goals or the kinds of lives they've lead, which are not things he can predict now.

"Yeah. And not worrying about the things we can't change." Because he can't change this about himself, has no way out. He needs to come to terms with it.
hypocrate: (pic#13798259)

[personal profile] hypocrate 2020-02-27 02:03 pm (UTC)(link)
"Also true. Though I would imagine that's easier for some here than others," he gestures at the mark on his throat and his current state of dress, but it's more in a kind of tongue-in-cheek humor than anything snide or self-deprecating.

It bothers him, of course, how could it not? But it's not something to lose sleep over, compared to everything else about this entire situation. Hopefully he'll find someone kind to be a patron of sorts and, if not, at least there's very little chance that he's going to meet anyone like Cain here. Though... actually...

"I do have another, perhaps more practical question. Have you ever met... uh... someone you know here?" He hasn't really fully picked up that there are people from different worlds here, but even if they brought a thousand other people directly from Tokyo, it's not like he would be likely to know any of them.
whatsina_name: (Phillip [Curious])

[personal profile] whatsina_name 2020-02-27 02:07 pm (UTC)(link)
It's a good question, and certainly an easier topic. "I haven't, no, but I've known people who have," he says with a shrug, "It's kind of hit or miss, honestly. Most people seem to be alone or just have one or two people they knew from home, as far as I can tell, but I know there are exceptions." Normally he would assume that Shido was asking after friends or something like, but from the way he asked-- he's actually not sure.
hypocrate: (Default)

[personal profile] hypocrate 2020-02-27 02:14 pm (UTC)(link)
"I see..." it's pretty clear that's not an answer that brings the purple-haired man a lot of joy. "Is there a... registry of any kind, then? Some way to see who they've brought?" he's remarkably calm and casual given the circumstances, but it's still definitely showing that there's someone he's worried about being here.

He wouldn't want any of his friends to be stuck in this place, least of all Riho (who knows, Yayoi might actually have fun) but he wouldn't be worried about any of them. Even Riho, kind-hearted though she is, is a survivor at heart.

But Cain showing up here, of all places, particularly as a Dominant, fills him with a creeping terror that's almost impossible to fully hide.
superweaponized: (c o n v i n c e)

[personal profile] superweaponized 2020-02-28 12:24 am (UTC)(link)
"Sometimes life has a way of making you complacent, because you're too busy trying to survive," she said quietly, having a personal connection to this subject. She was never a slave, but she knows about survival and loss. She didn't blame someone for not being active, but she knew that that ideology had to be changed within a person. It was possible though. That much she was resolved on.

"I don't know what happened. I was two when the Republic fell. I barely even remember Coruscant," she told him, knowing she wouldn't be able to answer how it all happened. What she did know was the Imperial Army moved in after, and things got tighter and stricter and harder.

"It's nice to meet a Jedi. My mother was a part of the Church of the Force," she told him. While belief in the Force had waned, and even she had trouble understanding it or knowing about it, she did believe. There had to be something out there that bind them all together. Of course she wasn't Force sensitive. Anyone was possible of marvelous feats, but she did have faith and hope in the Force.
unpragmatic: (try to decide)

[personal profile] unpragmatic 2020-02-28 01:26 am (UTC)(link)
The fall of the Republic.

The words hit him like a plasma cannon. But how? How could they lose the war? He can’t accept that. He’s been haunted by prophecy his whole life, balance to the Force and all of that. He can’t lose the fucking war. That’s impossible. He refuses.

Anakin Skywalker isn’t going to entertain the possibility that they lose against the Separatists and their droids. They’ve been trying to kill him and Obi-Wan for years and have never succeeded. He landed half a ship! He killed Count Dooku! They’re so close.

So then what?

If they don’t lose, does the Republic fall in some distant future? The Chancellor can’t live forever. Even Anakin himself can’t do that.

Everything dies, Anakin Skywalker, he hears in his memory. Even stars. Even the Republic. Even the entire Order, someday.

It’s probably better for Jyn that she’s not Force sensitive, because Anakin can’t gather all the complicated things he’s feeling - anger, betrayal, disbelief, and his long-denied nemesis - and settle down. It’s a long minute before he speaks.

She must be from a far distant from future. That’s all he can accept. And so young when it happened that she probably can’t tell him what went on. He has to think about this. Preferably when he’s not nearly naked on a train.

“That’s a terrible thing to have gone through,” he says. “I’m sorry.” He cools his fear and anger into some hard faraway thing and manages to sound actually sympathetic, at least.
superweaponized: (Default)

i see that bit of chest ani~

[personal profile] superweaponized 2020-02-28 04:40 am (UTC)(link)
She watched him as she told him about the Republic. For a moment she did wonder what happened to the Jedi. What would have happened to him? Did he die? Maybe she shouldn't have said anything to him, but it was hard to not be affected by being told he was a Jedi. That was still a pretty big thing, even to her.

Her gaze dropped to her hands when he apologized. She swallowed hard, keeping her emotions at bay for the moment. "I lost everything when the Imperial Army came," she told him, her own anger bleeding into every word. "My father was an important scientist. They wanted him to work on one of their weapons. They don't take no for an answer."
unpragmatic: (bite back)

;D

[personal profile] unpragmatic 2020-02-28 06:56 am (UTC)(link)
Imperial Army. Another confusing term. Imperial? He knows the word and its meaning, sure. But he’s not sure what it really means here.

Her anger, at least, doesn’t confuse him in the slightest. He had hated the sand people for what they’d done to his mother, his only family, an emotional connection he was just expected to forget. He hates them still, though that was years ago and they’re all dead. His hate festers inside him, unacknowledged most of the time. He remembers it now, reminded by Jyn’s own pain.

“A weapon? Guess it was easier for this Imperial Army to force obedience.” He knows this type of thing, though of course neither of them can know just how close to it he is or will be. “Guess this city isn’t so different from that. Sounds to me like they’ll force obedience from us, too.”
whatsina_name: (Phillip [Listening])

[personal profile] whatsina_name 2020-02-28 12:24 pm (UTC)(link)
Phillip shakes his head. "Not that I know of. You can ask the network- through the device they gave you- and see if they know of anyone you're looking for being here. Or you can just keep an eye out to see who posts on it yourself, but some people avoid it."

At this point it's clear that Shido is thinking of someone very much in particular, and probably someone whose attention he wouldn't want to draw. "...I don't know everyone, but I've been around for a while so I might be able to help."
hypocrate: (pic#13798259)

[personal profile] hypocrate 2020-02-28 01:37 pm (UTC)(link)
Shido considers that for a moment, doesn't even really try to hide that that's what he's doing. He's not sure if he can trust this young man, but he's also not sure he really has any choice? He's going to have to rely on other people here no matter what, it seems, which isn't something he minds so much as something he's aware can be perilous whether he minds it or not. Still... Phillip seems nice enough.

"His name is Cain. He's tall, a bit taller than me, with long blond hair." He doesn't say the man is a vampire, but then, he also hasn't actually said he's a vampire himself. "He'll figure out I'm here fast enough, if he ends up here. There's nothing I can do about that.. I just want to make sure I see him coming."
whatsina_name: (Phillip [Curious])

[personal profile] whatsina_name 2020-02-28 01:46 pm (UTC)(link)
"That doesn't sound familiar." Again, Phillip doesn't know everyone, not even close, but he doesn't think he's seen anyone like that on the network either. He's not sure if that's helpful or not; maybe Shido would be happier to have a confirmation that he was here, knew to expect him, than a vague answer.
thephix: max (that beating: that winged)

[personal profile] thephix 2020-02-28 09:16 pm (UTC)(link)
I couldn't recommend it more, if you ever find the opportunity to visit.

[Once they get out of this hellhole, she supposes.]

An ex of mine was from London, I spent some months there when I was in my twenties. [As an explanation for picking the accent.] Soho was a lovely spot, from what I recall. What is it that you do there?
afraidtofall: (really!)

[personal profile] afraidtofall 2020-02-29 02:16 am (UTC)(link)
"Has someone harmed you here?" It's a terrible thing to think about, but if she is warning him like this, surely she has reason to feel the way she does.
afraidtofall: (exactly)

[personal profile] afraidtofall 2020-02-29 02:27 am (UTC)(link)
He waits patiently. If he were dressed in his usual habiliment, he might take the time to fuss with his watch chain or straighten the hem of his waistcoat. As it is, all he has is the t-shirt which he would rather not call attention to at all, the fit absurdly unflattering.

He is not at all good at lies or subterfuge. It doesn't mean he doesn't recognize them in others. There is something entirely too convenient in how the professor picks the vampire out, yet claims a lack of familiarity with him. With his attention focused in the proper direction, he can sense it now, what he couldn't before. A subtle tug of evil, nothing as obvious as any demon, even Crowley.

"No animate mummies. Pity for both of us, yes? To come from such dull and lacking places." He widens his eyes briefly for emphasis.

"Still, I notice. I can't help but to notice, can I? That you say nothing of werewolves?" He's almost gleeful, feeling clever.
intrusivethot: (pic#13768872)

FORGVE ME FOR SLOW, I need this in my life

[personal profile] intrusivethot 2020-02-29 03:08 am (UTC)(link)
[ Ren is thinking about that. Ren is thinking about that a lot. ]

It seems like it? [ Praise Satanael, another level-headed leader type (RIP to Ryuji, but Shiro's different). Right out the gate no excitable Chariot means a lot less explanation, more coordination, faster exit to their predicament? Supposing that whatever it is that they want Ren and Shiro to do is quick and relatively painless, but it isn't as thought Duplicity offers decent proposals. ]

Together, left first? Left, right -

[ Teamwork makes the dream work. That's sure the object of the flip chart exercise, right? Right. Though... the city doesn't seem that interested in whether or not someone initially matches their designation, which leads to some fun misadventures. And by fun he means deeply uncomfortable.

Upon closer inspection of the chart, well.
]

It's cute that they think anyone could move around and make out with you with all that chest int he way.