duplicitymemes | TDM #10

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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 « « «

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Yeah, that pretty much clicks his suspicions into place. "It is almost comically common here," he says flatly, "Honestly in my experience it's almost harder to find people who don't have some kind of magic or supernatural ability." Some of them are 'science' abilities, but to him it's pretty much the same. 'Sufficiently explained magic' and all that jazz. "Honestly trying to hide it tends to be not really be worth it in my experience."

Which is kind of a way of saying that yes, he does have experience with this particular dilemma too.

"Really," there's a pause in the noises of him dressing, "That... surprises me..." he resumes after a moment.

"Are people not... afraid?" he asks, after a moment. "Or do other world's have..." he pauses again, isn't quite sure how to put the thing he's thinking into words someone else would understand, "In my world," he says, instead, "anything that's supernatural is evil, a blight to be cleansed off the land, a perversion of the natural order. Dangerous." There's a lot more information about how Shido feels about himself in that statement than he's aware of, all things considered, but it's also the truth, not just self-recrimination. "Is that not true other places? Or does something about this place... mitigate that somehow?"

He opens the door after he asks, dressed in his normal attire.

That... is very telling in a very sad way. "No, it's not like that at all in any place I've heard of," he says after a startled moment, "Like some people are from worlds where people don't really know about or where some people think it's bad, but." He would guess that the second case is more like what Shido's world is actually like, but he just met the guy and who knows, maybe something about vampire blood literally makes someone evil. He doubts it, but it's possible.

It's easy to see the surprise cross his face, now, and how he's working to assimilate that knowledge,

"Then a great many other worlds don't know how fortunate they are," he says, simply. He's no good at a poker face and perhaps he should have stayed on the other side of the door a bit longer, because Phillip can easily watch Shido's slow realization that he might be the only blight to be found in this world, if other supernatural things aren't evil. It's a chance to maybe be able to leave his own past behind him, but there's also the distinct possibility that he's stepped through a door and found a world where the biggest threat to the world is himself on the other side. He's entirely unsure how he feels about that.

"I... can see there are going to be some unexpected difficulties in this world beyond what might be considered obvious."

"It's definitely an adjustment," Phillip tries to assure him, but he's very aware of that look. He has no real way of knowing whether or not Shido is actually a threat to anyone yet- his instincts say no, but he's pretty sure his instincts are shitty just because nothing can really happen to him, so. There's more than enough vigilantes to take him down if he does turn out to be trouble, so he won't worry about it too much.

Honestly the bigger concern is Shido's attitude towards himself if it's not true. "As much as this place can suck, it... does have some good things about it," he carefully offers. Being able to be himself, magic and all, is a bonus for him. Maybe Shido can figure out if the 'evil' actually applies to him.

There's a lot that's going on unspoken, here, and even though Shido is perceptive, he's not psychic. But he does know at least one thing Phillip is talking about and he finally decides to address the pointy-toothed elephant in the room. He feels a bit better, dealing with it while he's got some familiar clothing on and he's in a space that he's noticed conveniently doesn't have windows, even in a place where sunlight would never go to begin with,

"I don't have to kill people to continue to live, for one. There's a lot I would have traded for that, back home. I'm not sure yet if this would have been a trade I would have made, if I'd been given the choice, but so far, aside from worrying about the people I care about, I can't find much to recommend saying no." Which also says quite a bit about how he feels about himself and his place in the world.

Wait, hold up a second. "You have had to kill people in order to live?" Phillip doesn't sound horrified or disgusted, just... confused. Another rule of his world, or just a lack of knowledge of other options? "I'm-- if I'm wrong let me know but with that and the umbrella thing, I was guessing you were a vampire but all the ones I know here don't have to fully drain people or anything."

Even though he was dancing around it before, he doesn't bother trying to deny the "accusation" now, just nods when Phillip names him and then nods again about the "killing people to live thing", looking down,

"It's not that. I've got enough control to not drain someone to death, even at my worst, but I'm... venomous, I guess. Anyone I bite dies, regardless of what I take. They turn into vampires themselves, if they're... strong enough. If the vampire feeds them their blood or does drain them all the way to death. But otherwise, they turn into a kind of... demon? We call them Night Breeds. Technically, I suppose vampires are also Night Breeds, but they're thinking, feeling," he shakes his head, "Most of the Night Breeds are... mindless at best. The greater ones are driven by more than instinct and use humans as hosts, but vampires are... unique," he says the last with a face.

"I've always supposed it's because we're really just our own 'hosts', rather than possessing someone else, but... I don't know. I've spent all of the life I can remember hunting them, trying to stop them from killing other humans. But, obviously there's also a price to pay for that. I'd found someone back home I could feed from without her turning into a Night Breed, because she'd already been touched by one and survived. But until then..." he trails off, pulls one of his hands into a fist.

"Ah." Ok, that's definitely new, and Phillip can absolutely see why that would be more of a problem for him that it has been for other people here. "Well... if it helps, I've never heard of anything like that here. And I'm pretty sure LIEs can get blood for you so that wouldn't be an issue." It's not exactly great for them if everyone turns into mindless killing machines, after all.

There are obvious questions in there, about what kinds of things Shido did before, but this does not seem like the time for them. And in reality, Phillip probably doesn't really need to know, willing to bet Shido feels terribly about it without any probing. For people like him... maybe Duplicity is a genuinely better situation.

"I... have reason to suspect that my bite won't harm people here, no. Or at least, that there would be a way to stop the effects once they start," there's a slight tint of pink to his cheeks as he says that that's it's own sort of tell as to why he thinks that, but he's more open to putting a finer point on that faster than the vampirism, "Otherwise, I'm not entirely sure how I would meet their... other demands here."

"Between that and the blood they've assured me of without having to feed from people at all..." he shrugs, "I am not excited to be here, but it's mostly because I don't know what's happening to my friends back home, or to the city I've sworn to protect. Whatever part of all of this is a cage or a punishment, I deserve, and whatever part of it allows for me to not have to be a slave to my own nature is a blessing, regardless of anything else." After a moment, his lips quirk in a small smile, though, his tone turning back wry and a little less weighty,

"Still. That hardly means it's going to be easy, I assume. And I don't know if I'd want it to be. I wouldn't know what to do with easy."

"Yeah, they're real good at fixing anything that might interfere with what they want." Phillip may sound a touch bitter when he says it, but he will grudgingly admit it's been very useful in some occasions.

It's clear that there's definitely a lot to Shido's concerns, and Phillip is not remotely capable of addressing of the more serious ones. So... he won't and instead focuses on the second part. "No, probably not. And it's probably not the kind of 'not easy' that anyone can be super well prepared for." Well. Some people could, he guesses. He did better than most.

"I'm a detective. I'm reasonably self-assured I can figure things out," he says it of how things will not be easy, but the wry grin stays, "Which, speaking of," he trails out the vowels just a bit, "I notice that you're all along with a self-professed blood sucking monster in a place where screaming is probably not going to bring any concerned neighbors and yet you don't seem particularly worried. Somehow, I doubt that's because you believe a lack of a line down your neck is going to save you."

Not that Shido has done anything particularly threatening or has shared any part of his past that might make someone think he's going to try to hurt someone for no reason, but it's the principle of the thing. Most people are afraid of what he is, not who he is, after all.

Phillip cracks a little bit of a smile. "Pretty sure I mentioned that I know several vampires here, so the simple fact that you are one doesn't really scare me, no," he says with a shrug. People can be good or bad, vampires can be good or bad, he's not going to preemptively judge someone for it. Especially since Shido certainly doesn't act very threatening. But of course, there is more to it than that. "...And in the interest of disclosure, you probably can't actually hurt me anyway."

"Ah, and why is that?" he makes to head out of the door, eager to get back outside now that the sunlight can't hurt him and he has his normal clothing back. He's never been one to stay inside much, not when there was a city to get lost in. "You're not a priest are you, because I can definitively tell you that's not going to stop a vampire from my world." It's said like there's a bit of a private joke at his own expense there.

He's clearly not going to give up this line of inquiry particularly easily, but he seems fairly, well, sanguine about the whole thing, doesn't seem to be particularly bothered with the answer, just intensely curious.

"Immortal and invulnerable." Phillip isn't keen to go into the specifics of why he is both of those things- he's slowly, slowly getting there, but there's work to be done yet. Still, if Shido presses again he'll answer. "And I can teleport so the chance of you cornering me is pretty low too." Not to mention being able to straight up murder him, but most people don't seem to like hearing that even when he does share.

"Most things that think that they are both are neither," he comments, though it's not a threat in the slightest. It's more something he's talking about in his own past than in either of their presents or perhaps acknowledgement that if Phillip is truly both of those things, he's something special.

He raises an eyebrow, looking sideways at Phillip,

"Teleport, hm? Handy. I suppose you find all of whatever this city does to be infinitely avoidable, then," there's something of a twist to his lips that suggests that he knows full well that's unlikely to be true, but it's companionable, a joke rather than anything cruel.

Phillip doesn't argue with him and just smiles. Oh, he is well aware that most people think that. But he's not going to say anything else unless specifically asked.

He snorts, shaking his head. "Only if I'm trying to escape a specific person, really. What the city does tends to be very... widespread." There is no escaping even if you try. Which is kind of why he doesn't bother trying anymore.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

TDM #10

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