Duplicity Game Mods (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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duplicitymemes2020-01-12 10:22 pm
duplicitymods) wrote in duplicitymemes2020-01-12 10:22 pm
Entry tags:
TDM #10
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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 weather is a brisk negative seven during the warmest parts of the day. |
 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. |
 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. |
 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. |
 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. |
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!! |
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[Jon's eyes widen in horror. He takes a step back. She's not Not!Sasha. He'd remember that face. But is this-]
Prove that you're Sasha. I don't believe you! Prove you're her!
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Hey, hey...
[People are starting to look over. The only thing she can think to do is try to diffuse him before it becomes a scene.]
Sure, okay. Whatever you need. What...what do you want me to say?
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[He's panicking, but he has a way, doesn't he? He can compel Nikola Orsinov, that thing inside Sarah, the cop, Breekon. He can compel all of the Stranger's minions. Very suddenly, Sasha will have the sensation of being pinned to the spot. It's not just other people, but eyes. So many eyes are staring right at her. There's static flickering around the edges of Jon's gaze and he looks very, very wrong, a bit like the Distortion. There are too many eyes. Jon is covered in them.
When he asks his next question, there's power behind it.]
Are you the real Sasha James? Or do you work for the Stranger?
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Of course I'm really Sasha James. I've always been Sasha James, and I only work...I work for you! For the Institute!
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Sasha it's... oh, my god, it's really you. It's you!
[Jon's not a physically demonstrative man most of the time, but in this one instance? He lunges for her. That probably looks overly aggressive all things considered. Really, he's just trying to wrap her in an awkward hug.]
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God, Jon, it's like you haven't seen me for years, or something.
[If only, if only she knew.]
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I'm sorry, I just- I'm so happy to see you. You have no idea.
[The real her. He's trying to commit her face to memory, ensure he has the right one in place where the Not!Sasha had shoved herself in.]
Martin's here. And-and Elias. And Agnes Montague.
[He's not actually letting her go.]
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[About Martin and Elias, she means. Agnes Montague...the name sounds familiar? The statement about...the construction worker, she thinks. Trying her best to ignore the other eyes on them, she carefully rubs his back.]
I'm glad to see you, too. Since I sort of...woke up here, I guess, I've been worried about what happened with all of you, with Jane Prentiss.
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[And hold off activating the damn things until the Hive was burrowing into Jon. One thing at a time, though. And maybe not in a crowded room.]
What's the last thing you remember?
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[Her shoulders lose a bit of tension. She's glad that that turned out as well as it did.]
I remember...
[Well, she isn't really sure, actually.]
I saw something. I mean, I saw someone. And after that...I don't, I don't know.
[It's unclear. It's unclear and it hurts.]
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A lot of things have happened, Sasha. We-we should go somewhere private to talk about it, though. Maybe find Martin, as well. He might be better at explaining this. I mean, after he's sobbed all over you, of course.
[There isn't the usual bite or derision in Jon's voice when mentioning his other assistant.]
How many more people have you got to go for this... stupid ice breaker?
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[He sounds almost anxious to include Martin, even. Maybe they bonded during the incident with Prentiss? Or maybe being here changed them. Circumstances and all that.]
Just tell me about... [He isn’t hiding his shirt anymore, so she gets a better look at what it says.] ...Mr. Spider? And I should be all set.
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It's, um... it's a Leitner. A Guest for Mr. Spider.
[She, at least, would understand what that means more than most.]
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[Considering her history in artifact storage...yeah, she doesn't really need much more elaboration.]
I'll just put down that it's a very scary book that left quite an impression?
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Um... I'll just... I'll put Jane down for what you saw.
[Becausr that's what she saw, not... not that thing that isn't her. She still just feels wrong to him, though. Like a blind spot. It's unpleasant.]
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[After a moment of awkward scribbling from the both of them. It's hard. It's not like she can say that things were normal, where she left off, back home. But...it's like talking to a stranger. It isn't right.]
Is there a cafe nearby?
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Yeah, there's... We're not too far from the branch of the Institute I started here. I know a few places around there. I'll meet out front after I text Martin. I'll ask him to join us when he's finished.
[He disappears into one of the changing rooms and will rejoin Sasha after that. Jon's clothes back when she'd been around hadn't been terrible. He'd still been trying to make a good impression, seem properly on top of things as the Head Archivist of the Magnus Institute. Christ, what a ridiculous thing that was. He'd tended toward sweater vests and waistcoats, button-up shirts with jeans, maybe even slacks and a tie if he had a meeting scheduled with Elias.
His current attire is much more on-point fashionable with a rather androgynous cut and neutral colors that flatter his figure and skin tone. It may be very obvious that Jon had no hand in actually picking any of this out.]
It's five minutes from here, maybe. They have decent tea. Are you... all right? I mean, of course you're not all right. Clearly, but you-you feel like yourself?
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[Sasha lets that process before going in to change, as well. It's not until they're looking back to themselves that she really speaks again. Well, not that Jon's looking like himself. At all. Actually, as much as she recognizes him, she can't say that he's the same person she knows. Same poor sense of humor, same tactlessness, sure. But otherwise...]
Why wouldn't I feel like myself?
[He's holding something back. Multiple somethings, more likely, but Sasha doesn't pry quite yet. She gets the feeling that once she opens that door, there's no going back. And it's not...exactly a door she wants to open. She's afraid of what's behind it.]
I feel fine. I mean, as fine as can be expected. What about you? You look...well, your outfit's nice.
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I'm- what? [He looks down.] I'm contracted to a man who's a Victorian dandy. He prefers I wear nice things. It's just easier not to argue. [He's learned to be selectively stubborn, at least, which might count as character growth if it weren't for the fact that often translated into a sort of helpless acceptance of much worse circumstances.]
It's fine. I'm fine. Martin and Agnes are safe, by the by, but don't talk to Elias. Or at least don't listen to anything he says to you. He knew the Corruption was going to attack, let it get in without warning us to see how we'd react.
[To see how Jon would react.]
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[It's like once he starts talking, he can't stop. He's...radiating this nervous energy like he can't contain it inside of himself. She stops him, puts her hands carefully on his shoulders, almost like she's trying not to spook a wounded animal.]
Slow down. What in the world are you talking about? Elias? The man barely leaves his office.
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It's complicated. It's- he's not a good man, Sasha. He never was.
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I...
[She doesn't not believe him. Things have been strange. Worse than ever, since Martin started tracking worms into the Institute. But, well...it's hard to just grasp. There are so many easier, smaller things that she can focus on first, and her forehead knits.]
Have you been getting enough sleep?
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This is not about not getting enough sleep. He's evil! [And this stranger's face and voice and Sasha's everything are winding him up more and more. Jon tenses even more, looking about ready to bolt. He definitely doesn't look like he's got anywhere near enough sleep.] I'm not crazy. I am not crazy. Don't believe anything he tells you.
He's Jonah Magnus. There was a ritual and now he's- it's just his eyes. He stole Elias Bouchard's body.
[He is extremely sane.]
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I'm not saying it's about you getting enough sleep. Just...Jon, you sound like you're at your wit's end. No, actually, you sound like you've catapulted right past the end of it. No matter how bad things get, they'll only get worse if you aren't taking the time to...to breath, for God's sake.
[A bit strained, she tries for a joke.]
You know, if you want to convince someone that you're not crazy, it's usually not advised to lead with "I'm not crazy".
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I know what you saw, Sasha.
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