duplicitymemes | TDM #34

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TDM #34

« « « TEST DRIVE MEME » » »

« « « ALL ON DISPLAY

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 LIEs 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 LIEs 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 high-rise. 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.

Submissives are provided with a plain black pleather collar to wear and Dominants are given bracelets made of the same black pleather. The simple design is an immediate visual indicator that they have not yet signed a contract and they will be informed that more elaborate or personalized styles are a privilege reserved for those who do.

Enjoy your free time until Orientation! Participation is mandatory for all new and past arrivals.

Winter is here and snow flurries are common in the Up while the slush collects in the Down.

» » » ALL ABOARD

After stepping through the door and participating in Orientation, LIERs are assembled together in the Up for a tour of Duplicity in its entirety. 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.

« « « LOVE IS BLIND

(cw: sensory deprivation, coercion, dub-con/non-con)

One of the workshops at this month's Orientation pairs Dominants with Submissives for an exercise in blind chemistry. Literally — they'll all be blindfolded before meeting their partner and the blindfolds must stay on! They will be encouraged to explore with their other senses, such as touch and taste. Kissing is the bare minimum of what's expected, though no one will stop them should they want to take things further…

Each pair will get around 10-15 minutes together (unless they really hit things off) before switching to a new partner.

Some participants may also be tapped for a secondary exercise in which Submissives remain blindfolded, while Dominants are not. Dominants may do as they wish with them and may choose whether to keep their partner or swap blindfolded Subs back and forth with other Dominants.

» » » DASHING THROUGH THE SNOW

(cw: aphrodisiacs, public sex)

With fresh snowfall blanketing the city in white, a festive winter feeling still hangs in the crisp air. Throughout the Up there are horse-drawn sleigh rides being offered on discount to Dominants and their Submissives to enjoy. Newcomers are also given tickets at Orientation in their goodie bags to use for a ride, so long as they do it with someone else, whether it be a person of the opposite designation or even as a Submissive pair. Just no pairs of Dominants! Sit back, relax, and cuddle up close to your companion as you listen to the sleigh bells and the muffled clip clop of horse hooves through the snow.

The weather is finally cold enough for Duplicity's outdoor skating rink to open for the season and it does so with free skate rentals, so long as skaters attend as a Dom/Sub pair. It's common to see pairs skating together, holding hands, or Submissives dutifully on their knees to help lace the skates of their Dominants. Those who don't have a partner to skate with are not so subtly encouraged to find one by the staff. There is a small coffee stand inside adjacent to the skate rental counter that sells snacks and warm drinks, most of them laced with mild aphrodisiacs. Pay no mind to those who decide to warm themselves up in other ways in the stalls of the locker rooms — there's plenty of room for everyone.

The New Year seems to leave people in high spirits and it isn't uncommon to see citizens of all ages playing in the snow together, whether it be making snowmen (some rather well-endowed), snow angels, or whipping snowballs at one another. The fun seems to be infectious and, even if you're not the type to indulge in such frivolity, you may find yourself compelled to. The more one plays in the snow, the stronger the urge to warm up with someone else may become.

« « « MERRY AND BRIGHT

(cw: aphrodisiacs, dub-con, sadomasochism, altered mental states, sexual compulsions, excessive fluids, spontaneous orgasms, bondage, cockwarming)

Snowflakes are falling on the tents and stalls of the annual winter market that lines the streets around Fiddler's Square. Strings of light criss-cross the square, providing a cheerful glow against gray winter skies and the cold nights, and there are tables set up in the street itself for people to sit and chat while having a snack — if they can stand the cold. Booths selling everything from soaps, scented lotions, candles, jewelry and other crafts to colorful bondage gear and winter themed sex toys are arranged in neat, easy to navigate rows.

The most popular food and beverage stalls are giving away free half-size samples — in limited quantities, get them while you can!

Candy Cane - Licking these sweet candy rods will quickly make characters want to lick all kinds of other things — depending on the amount consumed, this may be silly or sexual.

Hot Chocolate - Comes in three flavors: milk chocolate increases masochism, dark chocolate increases sadism, and cinnamon spice increases either dominance or submission in accordance with one's designation.

Eggnog - May cause heavy production of sexual fluids, a desire to be filled or covered with someone else's cream, or all of the above.

Mulled Wine - Leaves one feeling warm and aroused and compelled to engage in dirty talk.

Toffee - Sticks to your teeth, doesn't it? Characters will become incredibly clingy, both physically and emotionally.

White Chocolate Cranberry Tart - This is an odd one. Those who consume it will find themselves suddenly orgasming from unexpected stimuli. Maybe it happens when they laugh, when they get into an argument, or even when the breeze hits them just right. The only consistent factor is that it wouldn't normally be considered something sexual.

These effects tend to last an hour or two and may, in some cases, linger for up to a full day.

Meanwhile, if you're looking for something a little more lasting in terms of warmth, why not try one of the booths hawking some winter accessories? Ranging from thick, plush scarves to soft mittens, there's nothing out of the ordinary about these offerings, at least at first. Those who do make a purchase might find their new knitwear comes with some unexpected urges, ones that only become more pressing the longer these items are worn and will persist even after their removal.

Scarves, for instance, will make the individual suddenly compelled to participate in some bondage (either giving or receiving), while anyone wearing mittens will experience a sudden and insatiable desire to engage in some type of fingering — even if it's not exactly specified where. Meanwhile, if you happen to be donning a winter hat, you could very well find yourself facing the urge to pursue some… warming, either with one particular body part or a more general exchange of sharing heat with someone else. It's cold out there!

The best thing anyone can do right now is bundle up and snuggle up. Effects from the winter wear will last until the specific desire is sated, and after that, there'll be nothing out of the ordinary about these knitted purchases at all.

» » » 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 the assignments are OOCly 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:

If your character is more inclined to fight, they are a Dominant. If your character is more inclined toward flight, they are a Submissive.

To Note: Characters can only swap their designation for one of the following reasons: an event occurs that allows it or there are OOC reasons that make it a necessity. Any swap always requires mod approval and each character can only ever switch once. Characters that are being reapped will keep their previous designation but players can choose to tag on new TDMs with different designations for fun!

Test Drive threads can be used as activity proofs for characters currently in-game.

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

» » » MAIN NAVIGATION « « «

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

"...Faerun, on Toril," he says thoughtfully. "Likewise the Material Plane, though you're the first I've heard call it that who isn't decidedly more local to me. Is the Astral Plane a familiar notion to you? The Nine Hells, perhaps?"

"They are, although most of my reading on those is a shade more superficial than I'd like. Like a fool, I didn't pay as much attention to planar geography as I did chemistry."

Another harumph from the coachman and Percy shuffles a little closer on the seat and tucks the blanket around them both.

"I've barely been separated from it, but I already miss my forge." It's easier to think about projects on the go than people. He can miss his guns and plans, but it's a one-way emotion and therefore easier to control.

Percy shrugs. Just a blase dip of one shoulder before he takes a sip from his drink.

"Not recently, but it's possible, if one has the right sort of elemental magic. Not my specialty, of course, but surely someone here could enchant it."

Cloud isn't even sure what the right elemental magic would be. Any sort of fire-based materia wouldn't feel comfortable, but the thought warms him anyway. He can feel himself sweating through his shirt.

"I would rather keep it simple." Why is he saying this? "Just someone else and me."

Astarion has the benefit of having very little to miss about home, unless you count the number of people who accumulated around him and violently came to his aid - even when it was a distraction from averting the apocalypse. He's trying not to count them. It's not as if he'd want them here, for their sake.

"I know it's far too early to start thinking of gainful employment, darling, but I'm sure a new one wouldn't be too hard to come by."

Harumph.

"Stop that. For all you know I could be doing some absolutely obscene things with my hands under this blanket. Keep your eyes on the road," he snaps at the coachman.

"Good, I never really feel like myself if I'm not trying to avoid touching a constellation of pinprick burns over my arms." You know, like you do. There are reasons he wears gloves everywhere he goes and it's not just because he doesn't want to actually touch people.

(That's part of it, but not all of it.)

"Which -" As he raises his voice so the coachman can hear them, "If we were doing something under this blanket, I would be careful about it. Not everything needs to be loud, messy, or vocal, thank you very much."

Ugh, yes I do, please bourbon this drink sooner than later.

[She is habitually obligated to answer that way. Mariner doesn't have real objections to all the ways to kick back and simply enjoy the weather. It's just that the young officer has to put off disinterest in the little joys of snow crunching under foot or being bundled up in soft and warm clothes. No no, that wouldn't fit the image of a rebellious bad ensign. Well, bad lieutenant J.G. but who's keeping track?]

Wait, wait, hang on.

[She takes the lid off her cup, and takes a hefty swig so that when she holds the cup out to Bones and the promised flask, there is plenty of space for a strong shot.]

Gojo didn't technically have any right to be in the apartments in the Up, but since when did that stop him? No, he was vicariously living the life of luxury gifted to Suguru Geto via the City. Spending most nights at his old friend and former Jujutsu Sorcerer's pad here in the Up. With no binding contract to be there, Gojo was pushing his luck with these little visits- Then again, he was adamant there had been some kind of massive mistake upon processing, like, do they even know who he is?! Who in their right mind would consider the strongest of his kind as a 'Submissive'?!

Anyway~ It just so happened that Gojo was slinking from one apartment to the next, a bag of groceries bundled up in his arms as he stopped, doing a double-take upon spotting a familiar face down the corridor.

"No way." He muttered under his voice before grinning like a damn fool. "Nanami? Hey, Nanami! Is that actually you?" Cupping his chin with thumb and forefinger, Gojo let out a loud, exaggerated hmmm sound, peering at him through the black blindfold that covered his eyes. "Nah, it can't be. The Nanami I know wouldn't be seen dead wearing that." Dropping his bag of groceries, an apple rolled along the floor as he rather dramatically pointed to Nanami's feet and exclaimed; "What are those!?"

"Ah, you're the discreet type. Give it a month or two," Astarion says, though not without sympathy. "I'm afraid every few tendays you'll find that something happens to make loud, messy or vocal much more likely."

"In my experience, the longer the name, the more discrete one wants to be." As soon as there's a 'von' in there, it's repression and awkwardness all the way down.

"I had noticed that, ah, people tended to be quite free with their affections. In public." And pubic. Which had been an amazing typo I only caught at the last minute. "Is it mandatory or just that the odds aren't in my favour?"

"It's not mandatory, but there's a degree of - cultural pressure, shall we say? Alongside unavoidable compulsions and gargantuan doses of aphrodisiacs, especially if you can't or won't meet your quota. Though as a Dominant you'll have a little more...autonomy."

"I see." There's something cold and unpleasant to his tone. The first time his generally affable politeness has slipped. His ire is not directed towards Astarion, but it's there and it sits in Percy's gut.

After a moment of looking off into the distance, he reanimates his expression and returns to their conversation. "And what of the good parts of this city?"

"That's far less simple." Percy gestures towards the machine. "That's simple. Always the same thing every time, no messiness except what you bring to it. People? Well, that's difficult."

hed make a good one

ive got every confidence in u
earning a steady income if u wanted to
look at u
ud make a great camboy

There's no offence taken. Honestly, 'fuck three times a month Or Else' is a sizeable improvement for him in terms of personal violations, but he's still not enthusiastic about the quota as a concept.

"That depends on your definition of 'good'," he remarks. "If you're as used to the finer things as the name implies, the Up is perfectly decent and not every business is entirely sexual. If you're looking to get mugged, fence stolen goods or avoid the sunlight, the Down is...well, it's there."

That's the nicest thing he can say about it. It exists for such niche requirements as a person may have.

"The same way you did, I guess. Doors, people with labcoats, the train..." Rude watches him carefully. He still doesn't know when Cloud is from but from the fact that he clearly knows who Rude is it can't be too far back. And the last Rude had seen of him Cloud had very nearly killed Reno before they had collapsed the plate so it is better to keep his guard up. "I've been here seven, maybe eight months now."

He reaches into one of the bags he had been carrying, he had been doing some shopping for him and Dorian and pulls out a water bottle before he offers it to Cloud. "Which one of the drinks did you have? Free stuff tends to be spiked around here, most of the time aphrodisiacs of some form or another."

No, please...I..I want to hold you.

[Zack keeps moving, trying not to focus on the smaller bundle of his best friend in his arms. It feels so warm having Cloud so close, so familiar and gets his heart racing. As he's running it starts to snow and once he's near the public Dominant housing he pauses and does put Cloud back on the ground.]

I'd always take care of you Cloud, you mean a lot to me.

[He sticks his hand out, letting some snow fall into his bare palm as he turns, smiling and looking at Cloud. For a moment they are back in Modeoheim, Cloud's just as baby faced as he remembers and wearing his new infantry uniform. There is so much life and hope in those blue eyes. It only lasts a moment before it's back to the Cloud he sees now. Those eyes glowing with mako energy and something almost similar to Sephiroth. It's not his Cloud's eyes. His own expression sadness for a moment as he reaches for Cloud and touches his cheek with one hand at first. Still so soft, so warm. It is his Cloud.]

I've missed you....so much.

[His own emotions are too strong for the mulled wine in the moment as he gives into himself and cups Cloud's face in both his larger hands. Those feelings he's still not sure what to call resurface. His time here he's been thinking about everyone he knew back home and what he had felt for them, if he would have pursued anything if things were different. Cloud was always someone he couldn't fully explain those feelings for and even now it's a mixture of things but he knows that he wants to hold him, protect him and shower affection on him. That's with or without anything forcing him.]

We should...we should go inside. Undress and I'll cool you down.

[Despite his words he doesn't let go of his face, unmoving from this spot as the snow falls around them.]

Edited 2024-01-11 17:50 (UTC)

( Lea smiles easily at her, and chokes back a laugh when she downs a good portion of her drink. It looked like it was still steaming, after all. )

You burn your tongue with that maneuver? ( She scoots closer on the bench, unscrews the cap of the flask with mittened fingers, and gives her a generous shot regardless. Hey, in this place? She deserves it. )

"I haven't done much that my name implies for some time."

He huffs out a breath somewhere between a laugh and a sigh and leans back against the coach. Perhaps he's done what he needed to do and that's the end of it for him in Exandria. Whitestone is free, his sister lives, and all that's really left for him to do is ...what?

"Forgive me, the change in circumstance tends to leave me out of sorts. I had come to a point in my life where I was unsure where to go next, which untaken road to explore, and I hadn't thought to consider 'kidnapped to a sex-mad city' as an option."

[ He takes a moment to consider that, and he tilts his head to look up at this very tall man. ]

A prison nevertheless.

[ A prison is a prison, and he knows it. Freedom was well-earned, he thinks, for all that it did cost him. He does not think of Melitta or Oenomaeus right now. He thinks, instead, of the adrenaline of a fight, the way it surges through a man.

And of an answer to the question. ]

Most recent of Capua.

[ Prior to that matters, but it's not something he needs to share, not right now, not this instant. ]

I've heard tale of arena, here.

( his heart aches.

cloud wants to tell him that his memories are still fuzzy sometimes, mixing things together in a way that don't make sense, and even when he finally sorts them out, it leaves him confused. the times he'd spent with zack had been good in a way he'd never had with anyone else. of course he's connected with other people, made friends who have stuck by his side, but he'd never opened up quite as much with another person as he had zack. tifa doesn't count, he thinks absently. they'd grown up together, had known each other longer than anyone, and zack—

he'd died. he'd died trying to protect them, to save him. some of those moments are so hazy still, swimming in mako and blurred out, but he can recall bits and pieces of conversation. how zack had taken to talking to him along the way. how much he'd cared about him. and the gentle way he puts him down when they reach where zack presumably lives feels momentous somehow. the hands on his face jar his thoughts, anchoring him to the spot as he stands there and stares up at him.

the cold and the snow are only a backdrop now. he feels the weight of zack's words and the heat of his hands, and he knows his eyes are wet before he even blinks. )

I tried, ( he whispers, suddenly afraid of his own emotions. i tried to save you. ) Zack... I'm sorry. I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough.

( cloud can't bring himself to move despite zack's suggestion, only lifting his hands to curl them around zack's wrists and hold him there. )

Astarion laughs quietly.

"I imagine that few people do, darling. I came from quite the...complex situation myself. 'Sex-mad city' is actually an improvement, in some ways, but I suspect I'm a rather marginal case."

If it's any consolation, Cloud is surprisingly docile for the moment. He doesn't particularly view Rude or any of the other Turks as a problem these days; things had changed enough over the last couple of years that there wasn't much point to fighting the remnants of Shinra. But he does clock the way Rude watches him despite the warmth under his skin.

"That's a while," he answers unhelpfully, eyeing the bottle like he's deciding whether or not to take it. "It was cherry and chocolate? I don't remember." Sweet enough but also tart, and finally, Cloud makes a move to take the water from Rude. But in the process, their hands brush, and the sudden intensity of pleasure that rushes through him is too much.

He pushes out of his seat on the bench and hits the ground hard on his knees, breathing heavy. "Is it always like this?" He's so uncomfortable right now.

[Zack sees those tears and while he could have easily rubbed them away with his thumb, he doesn't. Instead he breaks the invisible wall between them and kisses those tears away. He can feel his own forming, so muchh left unsaid between them and what they went through together. It shouldn't have ever been that way. Even if they both lived and were mercs together like they promised, the rest was still to much to bare. Cloud doesn't have to say what's making him cry, Zack knows it.]

It's okay. I was never upset at that, never ever. I promise I.. [His own voice is hushed, only for Cloud to hear and in their own little world in the snow.] I wish you never had to go through that. You were an innocent in all this. [He leans in more, his forehead pressed against Cloud's. The coolness of his body meeting Cloud's warmth.]

Please don't cry...I'm here. I'm here and I won't leave you again. It's the one good thing about us being different...I can take care of you again here.

[Their noses meet and Zack's so close to taking Cloud's lips against his own but he'd never without Cloud's okay. As much as he'd love to he doesn't want this moment to be sullied with a lust that clouds how they are feeling. He's sure he'd never get this change again to tell Cloud this.]

Capua.

[ Well, if that doesn't tell him exactly what he needs to know and more. Now that he knows they are so close together in place and (very likely) time, he can recognize the garb of a Gladiator for what it is. But...a gladiator from Capua that he doesn't recognize, and who does not recognize him. That does give him pause. Caution that does little to mask a sharpness just beneath the surface settles on his face, his hand more than ready to draw for his sword if need be. ]

It is more gymnasium and fight pit than Arena. And which Ludus do you hail from, in Capua? You have the look of a Gladiator but I do not know your face.

[ He could be many things. He could be someone else's Gladiatorial slave. He could be a replacement for their uprising. He could, if they are in the Underworld, be a Gladiator long passed. ]

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TDM #34

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Dashing through the snow

All On Display

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Re: WITH MUCH DIFFICULTY but he's stubborn and done other stuff

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WELP

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Re: Oh that hurt my heart in the best way.

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