TDM #10

[duplicitymods]

« « « TEST DRIVE MEME » » »

« « « LIFE WILL GO ON

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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.

» » » BLINDLY WE'LL FOLLOW

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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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» » » MAIN NAVIGATION « « «

Comments

Alice Quinn | The Magicians | Dominant

[dramaquinn]

[ ooc: tentative canon point is post s4, for the canon familiar ]

ask my about—

Swallowing god jizz.

[ Of fucking course. Fuck you, Ember. Fuck you, Fillory. And most of all, fuck you, Plover, because that entire thing was your fault.

The fact that she only just recently watched the man she loves die is what keeps her from being anything but ready to be done with this. Sure, this is embarrassing and annoying, but it'll pass. The dead don't come back. The dead stay dead.

Find her looking dead inside or just plain bored as she walks around with her clipboard. If you're alone, she'll come up to you and ask you about the thing printed on your shirt. ]


the long way around

[ She has got to lift her spirits. By now it's clear she's stuck here, and being actively depressed (as opposed to functionally depressed) isn't going to help her get through this and possibly find a way home.

Alice loves sweets, so of course she samples the strawberry vanilla scent. And god, she feels so much better suddenly? She needs a hug. She needs to give a hug.

At the very least, she's touching your shoulder and giving you a warm smile. ]


wildcard

[ Come to meee. PM me here or plot w me on punnyinpink o/ ]

long way around

[hawthorne]

[ Why in all the world is someone touching her? She didn't ask anyone to touch her?

But, for all the rage curdling in Dahlia's gut — not just because of this stranger, but the line down her throat and so much of how this city works — she manages to look over with all the confused innocence in the world. ]

... Do you need something?

[dramaquinn]

[ When the woman asks her like that, Alice has to be honest. ]

I do, actually. [ She feels the need to be honest, but she doesn't have to like the feeling.

It's a little bit awkward and possibly a little bit cute, given that Alice wears dresses that make her look young and girlish, but she manages it, feeling half uncomfortable and half "oh fuck it" the entire time. ]

I could really use a hug.

1/2

[hawthorne]

[ A... hug. ]

[hawthorne]

[ This is ridiculous, but Dahlia has an image to uphold, so she can't simply show her disdain for this fool.

Not yet, anyway.

So, with all the innocence she can muster, Dahlia sniffles, eyes wide and sad. She can distract this idiot long enough to stop her talking about hugs, surely. ]

It's... this place, isn't it? It's so strange and- and scary. I don't understand why they're doing this to us!

[ So sad. So awful. ]

[dramaquinn]

[ Congratulations, Dahlia. You win. Alice forgets about hugging Dahlia specifically, remembering how upset she was before she tried the sweet-smelling perfume. ]

I don't either. I thought maybe some perfume might cheer me up, but I just... I just want a hug.

[ She just wants a hug, but the person she wants it from is dead. And now this place won't let her grieve in peace. ]

Sorry, I don't— I can find someone else. [ There's a faint smile on her face. It must be some kind of spell from the perfume. Could be worse, she supposes. ] Unless you think you need a hug too.

The long way around

[moderatelymaladjusted]

[He's only standing here because Margo asked him to. Or, she waltzed in, made some kind of speech to motive the workers and somehow it ended up being Quentin who had to stand around when the bus of new comers came around.

Not that that isn't interesting, watching to see who's going to get off and who's going to keep going and who wanted to look at the samples from the shop that he brought. None of his stuff smells half as nice as what they're peddling further down the street, though.]

But it'll take the pain away, guaranteed and-- oh. Oh, Alice?

[dramaquinn]

[ The sweet scent is instantly soothing. Alice almost forgets how sad she is — almost cries because this feels so nice, and she feels like she shouldn't be feeling this way — but she tries her best to lean on the nice side at least until she gets to her suite. She thanks the person with the samples and turns and swears she hears the voice she misses most in this and any world—

And then she sees him there.

It could be the perfume. It could be this place with its strict social class system and who knows what the fuck else. But he's there and Alice misses him so much that she just throws caution to the wind and heads over, weaving between people until she reaches him and throws her arms around him. ]

Quentin. [ The hug feels good in and of itself, but knowing it's Quentin, believing it's him, makes her gut twist and wrench with a painful mix of grief and happiness. ] Please tell me it's really you.

[ She's smiling as she tightens her grip, and her eyes are filled with tears. ]

[moderatelymaladjusted]

Alice.

[There's happiness there, in his voice and in the way he hugs her back instantly, tightly, like he's never going to let go. Her hair is in his face and it's not even annoying right now, because-

Shit.

She's here which means she isn't out living her best life somewhere that isn't a total shithole and she's trapped here, just like the rest of them.

He doesn't even know if he should hope to see a line down her throat or not, because this place was equal opportunity awful to everyone.]


It's me. Jesus Christ Alice, I didn't think--

[And the samples and the wares he's supposed to be showing off are forgotten, while he hugs her.]

[dramaquinn]

[ People walk past them, shopping or just on their way somewhere else. Any other time, Alice might care that she's being this emotional in public, but it's Quentin. It's him, alive and whole. Real.

She's not letting go. She won't let go, not yet. She needs to hold him and be held, to make up for all the time since his death. His embrace is warmth and comfort as she breathes shakily. ]

the long way around

[whatsina_name]

[Being touched out of nowhere is very normal in this city, and were it a less innocent touch he might have just kept walking. But something about the way Alice reaches out catches him and he pauses, turning to look at her.]

Uh... hey. What's up? [He's confused, wondering if she mistake him for someone, but he's friendly.]

[dramaquinn]

Nothing.

[ Certainly not Alice's mood, except by artificial means. ]

I just feel like I really need a hug right now.

[whatsina_name]

Oh-- sure.

[Phillip doesn't find anything wrong with that- if she's new here, and it's about that time, then yeah, everyone could probably use a hug. Or other things. Really, does anyone need a reason to want a hug??

He turns to her, wrapping her arms around her in a hug. He won't fight her if she tries to pull back it.]

wildcard ok ok

[endlessflask]

[ He sees her in the marketplace. He still isn’t allowed to do much there without Quentin, but he likes to wander through and then text Quentin things he should buy. He’s eyeing up some breads when that unmistakable blonde hair catches his eye.

He’d know her anywhere. ]

Alice!

[ Eliot is a little slow as he moves towards her. He’s not using his cane anymore but there’s still a pain if he finds he moves too quickly, though he makes it to her soon enough. He has a simple black collar on and, under that, the mark that designates him as Submissive, but beyond that he looks just as he did when they last saw each other. ]

Hey.

[dramaquinn]

[ She's already seen Quentin, so she knows Margo and Eliot are here, but actually seeing Eliot takes the air out of her while making her feel like she's finally standing on solid ground.

Alice goes to meet him half way, remembering the ugly injury that put him in the hospital and the way he'd needed Margo and a cane to support him on his walk to the fire. ]

Hey. [ Her smile is tight — she's worried about him, and also, seeing his Submissive tattoo is unsettling. Fuck. He was High King, and now society here treats him like trash. ] How are you feeling?

[ About his recovery, about being a Submissive, about everything. ]

[endlessflask]

[ Well, that's a good greeting, all things considered. But they're different people now, aren't they? They even held hands, sitting around that fire, and Eliot knew in that moment that they understood each other in a way no one else would.

It'd been a very bittersweet realization, and Eliot's having it all over again seeing Alice.

But, he tells himself, here it doesn't matter. Because Quentin is very much alive, and - Well, he hopes that doesn't make things awkward. ]

You know me, as long as there's alcohol I'm fine. Did you just get here?

[ Don't think he doesn't notice that she's a Dominant. ]

the long way around

[girlofsteele]

[Ana, thus far, has managed to avoid being spritzed with anything in particular. four months here have left her leery of cheery salespeople bearing free samples of anything. food, drink, sex toys, and now perfume. or maybe it was just body spray. either way, she was backing away quickly from anyone who was offering to spray her with something.

in the process, she backs directly up into Alice. she immediately turns, preparing to stammer out apologies when the other woman touches her shoulder and gives her a warm smile. now what?

Ana gives her a nervous smile and her gaze flicks from the hand on her shoulder to the other woman's face]

...um. Hi? I'm sorry for almost stepping on you?

[dramaquinn]

It's fine. [ Alice shakes her head a little. ] It's crowded, it happens.

[ And because this poor woman looks like she needs one as bad as Alice does, Alice pulls her into a hug. Not a tight one, or even an overly long one, but a hug nonetheless. ]

Honwstly, don't worry about it.

[girlofsteele]

Okay. Okay. Thank you.

[and a hug. hugs are actually nice. she misses hugging her roommate, Kate, so she hugs back carefully]

All right, I'll try not to? [terrible joke, Steele] Are you new here?

all in on that god jizz talk

[magija]

[ some people have appeared to be a lot more cooperative with the set of circumstances they've been tested with than others. wanda herself is more on the side of resistance, especially when her own shirt speaks fairly straight forward with the words "ask me about mindfucking" printed right along her chest in large bold letters.

she'd done her best to try to cover it, either with the cross of her arms or the provided clipboard in her hands, but inevitably it's been left to be fairly exposed, just as much as the stretch of her legs that she can't seem to cover no matter how much she tries tugging at that bottom hem.

eventually, a woman approaches her, pointing out the words inquisitively, and she responds with a pursing of her lip, the shifting of her eyes displaying that continued reluctance. ]

It's an exaggeration, mostly. It's not the ... exact words I would use for it. Just as I'm sure yours probably isn't either? [ because what even is the concept of "god jizz"? ]

aw yeah gurl

[dramaquinn]

[ With the straightest face, Alice just comes out with it. ]

Mine is very literal. I swallowed god jizz once. It's just as bad as human jizz, but it gives you god powers for a few weeks. I did it to save the world and hated every second of it.

[ It was a lot of jizz. Fuck you, Ember. ]

So what words would you use for yours?

[ JUST. MOVING ON. ]

[magija]

[ oh.

well, honestly, it's hardly what she was expecting at all, but the girl seems to have provided a plenty blunt response on it, straight to the point. there's still ... plenty of questions, especially in the context of how something like that could even be capable of such a feat.

but then again, a stone from space gave her powers, so who is she to question where it comes from.

fair is fair, though, and considering she hadn't been too guarded on hers, wanda debates how much of her own story to give away. ]

Mental manipulation is another term for it. Though, even that can keep it on a single track. I can ... I can see into the mind and make people see what I want them to.

ask me about—

[curious_spirit]

[ Shadow didn't understand the point in attending the monthly orientations. He didn't understand the point in a lot of things when it came to Duplicity. However, the mandatory mixer in a sad sack of a night gown? Hospital gown? Sad sack was probably the best description. He wasn't sure what the purpose was but some kind of covering was better than being naked which wasn't too far from what he was given his stature. The long shirt wasn't so long for someone tall and muscular.

Yet as if the mental ward outfits weren't bad enough, they had something less than flattering scrawled on the front of them. “Ask me about how my wife died!” How the hell was this good conversation? Shadow started to wonder what the citation was for not attending. He usually didn't mind conversing with others but not with the ice breaker he was stuck with. There couldn't be anything worse.

And then a petite blonde in glasses walked up to him with something scrawled across her sack that could give his a run for its money. ]

Do you wanna go first?

[dramaquinn]

Why not.

[ She looks tired of this — because she is. ]

God jizz is no better than human jizz, unless getting godlike powers for about a month is either your kink or something you want. But actually swallowing it is...

[ She sighs. Honestly she still gets a little angry when she thinks about the fact that she had to do that. Why is Fillory garbage? Why are gods such pieces of shit? ]

Disappointing. You'd think it'd taste better.

[ Ugh god don't think about that move on move on. ]

So how did your wife die? I'm guessing it was traumatic. What would be the point of all of this if she died peacefully in her sleep?

[curious_spirit]

[ Oh god. He regretted stopping her before she'd even gotten to the part about swallowing. While her face seemed tired of the question, Shadow had a look between apologetic and disgusted. His face was in a disturbed smirk when she commented on the taste. His mouth opened for a second in an effort to attempt some kind of condolence when she asked him about what was unceremoniously written across his shirt. The answer to that might offer somewhat of an even playing field. Maybe.

His expression turned stiff, having to repeat something that he didn't like talking about... the majority of the sentiment around. ]

The easy answer would be in a car accident. But you're right, it's not that simple. The uncondensed version would be in a car accident that was orchestrated by my father who I never knew, turns out he's a god, Odin--who saw if fit to have said accident occur while she was blowing my so called best friend--husband to her best friend. Bit him clean off and his wife took liberties with that when she buried him. Back to the accident, it was a handful of days before I was finally getting out from a three year prison sentence.

[ Shadow left out how his cheating wife orchestrated the failed job that landed him in prison, more than likely his father being responsible for that factor too. All the above was spoken bitterly and he figured the blonde would excuse herself but he waited for her to say as much. ]