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!! |
no subject
He takes Tim's eagerly offered hand, giving it a steady, unpressured shake in return.
"Sesyria. A pleasure, Tim."
If it was possible to say the word 'pleasure' in a way that was completely devoid of anything even remotely resembling the actual word, Sesyria manages it.
The confirmation that Vrenille is here is some interesting information to have, though he opts for a different angle initially.
"Hm. Yes. Well. Potential sympathies for having met Aurus in the Dream, I have no doubt he was especially esoteric in a second-hand state."
Vrenille's human dream version of Aurus... What even would that look like.
no subject
"Hakkyuu is also here, although I haven't met him in person before. Vrenille doesn't think we'd get along, it seems he's right." He's only had one conversation with the man over the network and he was, vulgar? crass? purposefully antagonistic? reminded him of Jason actually.
"I didn't mind meeting Aurus, although I suppose esoteric is a good word to describe him. I had presumed it was likely because the world was so different and strange from my own."
no subject
"Yes. Well. Hakkyuu and Vrenille tend to come as something of a package and they are especially insufferable together. When they're separate one is decidedly more tolerable than the other."
He takes a moment, staring at Tim in silence and clearly taking quiet stock of him.
"It is very possible you have ended up with one of the more preferable members of our unit as a contact, assuming that you and Vrenille are indeed friends or at least acquaintances."
There are always other possibilities for knowing someone's name; Sesyria knows all too well that many people in their world know Hakkyuu's name and it is definitely not a foregone conclusion that it's because of an amiable encounter. Vrenille, however, tends to be another matter.
no subject
Tim doesn't seem to mind the staring, quite happy to meet the eyes looking at him and look back, taking in what is being presented to him. Sesyria seems well-spoken and quite to the point. Not easily impressed. At all.
He doesn't see Vrenille as often as others in Duplicity but he would say he trusts the man more than others and that's more important to him than ever. "I certainly hope we're friends? but you'd really have to ask Vrenille if he sees me in the same way I see him."
no subject
The 'pleased' is peppered with an especially put-upon tone and the slightest impression of a shake of his head, like an exasperated teacher with a problem student.
Tim's comment about Sesyria needing to ask Vrenille about his relative perceptions of him is met with a close-mouthed hmm, an acknowledgement and dismal at the same time. Regardless of what Sesyria puts out, Tim may well come up in conversation between him and Vrenille.
"Vrenille is hardly one to squander his social time. How long have the two of you known each other? And I suppose additionally, how long have you been subjected to--" he brings a smooth, silver-barked hand forward to gesture at Tim's shirt without making any contact, "This."
no subject
At the reminder of his clothing or lack thereof, Tim will pull the shirt down a little, like that might cover more of himself somehow if he can stretch it out.
"I've been here about a year now and Vrenille a couple of months longer than that but I think we met," He tries to remember how long after the Veracity problem that the hotel showed up and he had his first encounter with Vrenille. "I would say about six months, give or take. You'll find that this place actually gives you a lot of leisure time since they basically want you to spend all your time seeking out sexual partners."
no subject
Tim's attempt at modest earns no particular change in Sesyria's overall judgemental expression beyond a mildly bemused upward shift of his brows.
"You and Vrenille both have been here beyond a year? That seems... unusual."
After all, he just saw Vrenille yesterday back in Lion's Arch. The reference to finding sexual partners, while something he's heard a lot about since arriving, causes the corner of his mouth to pinch ever so slightly.
no subject
Sesyria's eyebrow arch will only get one in return. It's perfectly reasonable to be uncomfortable with his current state of undress and he doubts he's the only one.
"Vrenille has been here over a year. He got his little one-year celebration dinner and got informed he was a 'citizen' of Duplicity a couple of months ago."
no subject
Sesyria's approach is routinely to meet Hakkyuu's attempts at escalation with cool disinterest or respond with excessive seriousness. Of course, he's known Hakkyuu and his antics over several years now and it would be unfair to hold Tim to the same standard.
"And what does being a citizen entail? Clearly it does not involve being able to return home."
no subject
It's very easy to see how Tim could have been a fine target for Hakkyuu if he wanted him to be.
"It exempts you from having to fill a sexual quota mostly. You still manage to get pulled into the things they pull around the city. I've heard people say they kick you out of the Public Housing too but no one seems to have a clear answer on that one. It's not a great place anyway so I don't stay there regularly anyway." He shrugs, "And no, no one who has been here a year has gone home. Some disappear and we're told they're sent home but I don't believe it."
He gives the exit doors and the guards and organisers who keep them from leaving the hall a side-eye and turns away from them.
"I'm sorry this probably isn't anything reassuring." Tim knows he's overwhelmed a few new people with a giant info dump on how bad it can really get before and he's attempted to be better. Ease people into it a little more while trying to give as much warning and advice as possible.
no subject
"I do not believe I was asking for reassurance, so there's nothing for your to apologise for. And you certainly didn't create this situation otherwise we'd be having a very different discussion."
He does make a light gesture toward Tim's shirt then.
"And should I?" He moves his finger back and forth to emphasis the text, "Ask you about 'cloning Superboy'?"
no subject
"You could, it is how we're going to get out of this forced gathering. It's probably going to make you reassess your opinion of me already though and I'd probably have to ask you about um..." He gestures to Sesyria's shirt.
no subject
He leaves a moment of silence then, a rather intentional discomforting trap that doesn't entirely make it clear as to whether he's expecting Tim to go ahead and ask that question or offer his own sense of an answer.
Fortunately, Sesyria is well-practiced with moments like this and speaks again just before Tim would definitely be expected to fill the silence.
"And I assure you, I don't have enough information about you to truly reassess my opinions on you just yet."
no subject
Tim shakes himself out of that train of thought before he finally answers, "Superboy was my friend. He was a clone of Superman," and Lex Luther but he's not saying that," and he-he died. I attempted to clone him in order to bring him back. It was a stupid endeavour and it never would have been him, had it worked- which it didn't."
He'd had a lot of people die. Tim just wanted his best friend back. He pulls up his pad of paper and scribbles down the answer Sesryia gave him. It was short and simple and actually wants him to ask more about it, how Sylvari do um- yes well he's not actually going to ask that.
"Do you need any more answers? We're supposed to get three."