Welcome to The Duality of Man, an original animanga role-play that features numerous supernatural creatures. Unfortunately, these various species have distanced themselves because of the war that occurred thousands of years ago, plaguing some with eyes that only see their dualism. While others meddle themself with their differences, two groups fight, each attempting to eliminate the other in for their definition of worldly peace. These two groups of the Terror Response Syndicate (TRS) and the Assembly of Phantoms (AP). With individuals fighting merely over their differences, it brings uncertainty to the outcome of this war.
We happily accept all role-players as long as they obey the rules and are capable of meeting our word count of 50. This does include those who are unfamiliar with this style of role-playing. The staff of The Duality of Man are willing to happily help those who are new to the role-playing world so they feel comfortable on site. Feel free to message the staff if you need help, they can be found here or in the site Discord and will gladly answer questions alongside calm concerns. If you have any suggestions we would love to hear them; guests may use the support board as a suggestion area as well. Should you decide to join, may I say welcome to the site and we all hope you enjoy your time here.
Yours Truely,
The Staff
season
Summer 2024
Heat has broken through into a glorious summer. The snow has entirely dried through the spring, leaving to the brilliance of the warmer months. Terror activity has risen as people are brought out of their homes, leaving the TRS in a position of consistent work. Each are attempting to maintain victory in the endless struggle for power.
Since the wonderful members of TDOM enjoy the site enough to play around on it, this thread is to assist with the site's tidying! Functionality is important and we want to make the site functional even if its activity will be minimal at best!
Narrowly, Nyla managed to rouse herself from her slumber during the early hours of the morning; her alarm clock having been her solace in the instance. Upon awakening, the fox shifter managed to dress herself accordingly in her TRS uniform that possessed minor altercations for the sake of her bushy tail. Minutes were spent gazing in the mirror, adjusting the various features of the coat. Once pleased with the appearance of her coat, the female hunter tied her hair back into a simple ponytail with some red ribbon. Her daggers were shortly added, being adjusted until the young woman was satisfied with their locations; caution was required in case a terror bothered her walk. After making a quick few slices of toast and hastily devouring the delicious breakfast, she left home in order to travel towards the TRS training center.
The gymnasium at the TRS headquarters always seemed to possess the correct materials for her solo training unlike the small house that belonged to her uncle and aunt; they were probably unaware of the definition of exercise. The routine began with the usual walk in the brisk morning weather, a red backpack from her school years accompanying her. Slush and puddles covered the streets and sidewalks due to the steady arrival of spring. The air itself had grown warmer, making the walk comfortable enough without her temperature regulating bracelet or a heavy jacket. A single interruption arrived with her walk in order to purchase a large coffee at a cafe that she enjoyed immensely. The remainder was spent in a wondrous comfort as the warmth radiated from her cup, tickling her slender fingers. Upon arrival at the headquarters, a soft smile touched Nyla's lips as she began to walk around the headquarters itself and towards the training building.
Light poured from the windows in the darkness, guiding the young shifter towards the training center. There was a sense of nostalgia as drew closer to the building. Thoughts of days spent in class and being taught by her wonderful mentor caused the smile to broaden. As the distance between herself and building was closed, the fox shifter's ears began to subtly twitch in search of sound. From what Nyla was capable of hearing, there were few occupants inside the building and were probable to merely be cleaning staff based on presumption. Carefully, the blonde pushed open the entrance doors, only pausing a moment to allow her turquoise eyes to adjust to the different lighting. The hallways were navigated quickly, Nyla providing a greeting towards those she was familiar with. When she finally reached the gymnasium doors, the smile broadened a hint more as her fair coloured hand pushed open the door.
Upon entry, her eyes scrutinized the location to make certain that there were no early morning apprenticing classes. What she found was pleasing considering the gymnasium was empty, the various students had probably retired to their dorms many hours before her arrival. The female shifter entered, walking towards the bleachers to set her backpack down, her coffee joining the bag after a the hunter took a sip. Warm, bitter liquid covered her tongue and trailed down her throat, the caffeine assisting in waking her body. The habit was unhealthy, but Nyla already found coffee to be an addictive morning beverage on days when she was required to awaken early. A few moments were taken to remove her TRS coat, draping the article of clothing over the red backpack. Beneath she wore a simple black tank top that she oftentimes wore during training.
A brief moment was taken to perform some quick stretches for her arms, shoulder, and legs before heading towards the equipment room. The door was slowly open, the fox shifter's hand quick to flick the light switch for the room, almost as though it had transformed into nature. Various shelves that stored training weaponry, targets and some smaller pieces of exercise equipment lined a majority of the walls. Larger pieces of equipment occupied space on the floor, creating a disorganized maze due to the apprentices hastily cleaning the gym for the next class. A sigh escaped the blonde's lips as she weaved easily through the mild mess to fetch a wooden target board with various slits on the flat surface and several red circles. The target board was old, threatening to give anybody who touched it a nasty splinter should they not maintain caution. Nyla was hasty the grab it, the target board's weight not being a problem for the fit young shifter.
With a few strides from her long legs, she excited the equipment room with the target board. She carried it to the furthest corner in order to be courteous to anybody else who desired to use the gymnasium during the morning hours. Once she occupied her favored corner, the fox shifter began working on setting up the oak wood target board with plans to practice her knife throwing. From years of practice, her aim had grown incredibly sharp, but practice remained necessary nonetheless.
✉ OPEN! ✎ 538 words ※ Another thread re-make to use some of my old openers that never received proper use!
The alarm’s steady beeping got louder as it was ignored. With a groan the form on the bed reached out from beneath the covers. A pale hand scrounged around for the button. It was only a moment before the aggravating noise stopped. The hand dropped down, hanging off the bed. Aylin sat up with a yawn. She stretched languidly before throwing off the covers and heading to the kitchen. Setting a kettle on the stove for tea, she searched her cabinets. They were fairly barren. ’Perhaps I should make a food run.’ She thought, biting her lip. She pulled out a mug and set it next to the stovetop. There had to be something to eat here. She wasn’t that bad at buying food. At least she didn’t think so. Pouting, she turned to the fridge. Inside was a single cinnamon bun on a plate and a note from her brother reminding her about … something. She was too hungry to read it.
Aylin popped the bun in the microwave as she hummed to herself. The kettle screamed just before being promptly taken off the stove. Pouring the hot water into a mug, she took the bun out and sat down. She ate slowly, savoring the sweet treat. Placing her dishes in the sink, she went back to her room to get dressed. She had more than enough time to go for a run before heading to headquarters. ’I should stop by the convenience store for some snacks. I don’t want to exhaust myself with just the run.’ Grabbing her bag, she pulled her har up and left the apartment. After a quick stop at the store for some snacks, the dark-haired woman began her run. Lorsette was always beautiful in the early morning. As long as terrors didn’t come ruin it all. She grimaced at the thought. Her run wove through the suburbs and all around downtown before she finally stood before the TRS building.
Slowly, Aylin opened the door. The building was quiet except for the distance shuffling of feet. More than likely it was the poor sods who took the night shift on the ward last night. A perk of being a field medic was not getting trapped in the ward night shift. Night shifts may be a necessary evil, but not one she wanted to do daily.. She pulled some water from her bag and took a sip. As she made her way to the gym, she could hear the sounds of movement inside. ’Was there a class this morning? I didn’t think any of the apprentices woke up this early.’ Tentatively she opened the door and peered in.
Inside was a young woman setting up one of oak target boards. Seeing the knives on her hip, the bakeneko assumed she was there for target practice. Quietly she made her way to the equipment room. No need to disturb the gym’s only other occupant. Upon opening the door and finding the state it was in she sighed loudly. “What is it with apprentices and leaving everything a disorganized mess?” She grumbled in frustration. At least it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. And nothing was missing so that’s a plus. Grabbing a punching dummy and a fire extinguisher, she headed back into the gym to set up.
Gradually, the female hunter's hands swiftly worked towards setting up the target. There was subtle consideration to caution as her hands weaved around the splintered portions of the old targets. A soft sigh escaped the turquoise-eyed shifter, she honestly believed the TRS should consider purchasing new ones... The last thing she wished was for her family members who joined the TRS to receive a nasty splinter! The hinges squeaked as Nyla unfolded the legs, finally getting the target propped into position, although, only seconds before completion did her sensitive ears detect the moving door.
Quietly, the blond glanced over her shoulder, noticing the entrance of a black-haired woman. She observed her a few moments, watching until the other gym occupant retreated into the equipment room. At that point, the fox shifter shrugged and tested the sturdiness of her target. She gave the wooden board a gentle shake, the item wobbling from the motion. A sigh left her mouth before the hunter shrugged; not much she could do about that. She retreated a few steps from her target, creating a suitable distance for her knife throwing.
Once satisfied, Nyla brought back her arm and threw the first of her knives. The weapon spun through the air, flipping as it approached the target until-
Thunk!
The throwing knife sank deep into the wooden target, embedding itself into the red target. On the left edge of the bullseye, it stationed itself, quiet and unmoving. The form was correct to warrant the knife staying in the target, alas, aim required further sharpening. Fortunately, Nyla always considered the initial throws a warm-up; something to shake any remnants of grogginess from her brain. Eventually, she would feel the incredible boost of energy from starting her practicing routine, and when it hit, she would sharpen her skills.
A deep breath was inhaled into the blonde's lungs as she brought her arm back and threw the second blade. The blade over hilt it rotated, eventually landing blade-first into the board. Closer into the centre red circle, however, higher than her previous throw. A gentle 'hmm' escaped the fox shifter's face as she straightened herself and grabbed the third of her array of knives hooked to her belt. Once in her fingers, she accomplished the familiar steps, aiming for the infamous bullseye shot! When it landed, a similar problem was poised with it being a tad high.
Automatically, the blonde's finger reached down to unhook another knife. For a moment her turquoise eyes wondered, spotting the mysterious woman who joined. Motion somewhat stopped as Nyla raised a brow and noticed the equipment in the woman's arms. A punching dummy and a fire extinguisher? Curiosity overtook the young shifter, thus, from her position she observed to see what the stranger had in mind.
Aylin walked towards an empty corner of the gym. There was no need for her to be that close to the other occupant. Plus, they were practicing knife throwing. She didn’t want to get on the wrong end of that. With a short chuckle, she gently put down the extinguisher. A few steps away she began to set up the dummy. The base was a little light on sand but it wasn’t too bad. She would just have to be careful about her hits. She was just supposed to be practicing her fire control today anyway.
The dark-haired woman glanced over just as the blonde threw the first knife. The thunk of the knife digging into the wood echoed slightly in the silence. ‘I’m glad I never have to be at the wrong end of her weapon.’ she thought with a smile. After another moment she returned her attention to her own target. She didn’t come here to watch others. Aylin slid her feet into place. She pulled back her fist and struck the dummy. Slowly she built up a rhythm and speed until her mind was woken from its morning fog. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Inhale. Exhale. Flames began wrapping around her knuckles as she pulled her fist back.
The fire licked and flickered through the air as it sped towards the dummy. Just as it was about to strike the flames went out. Perfect. She continued that progress. Build up the flames as she pulled back and then extinguish them before she made contact. It was a simple enough exercise. But one that hinged on the self-control of the user. After about ten more minutes of warm-up, the medic began to let her mind wander. A recent argument with her brother began playing in her head. Something about how she was wasting her talent at the TRS. How she could have done something greater with her life. How the parents she could barely remember wouldn’t have wanted her to put herself in so much danger.
Familiar anger bubbled inside her. She could feel in just beneath her skin. The flames were reacting to it too. They were getting bigger, wilder, taking longer to dissipate. She could feel the control on her fire slipping rapidly. ‘Perfect. Right where I need to be.’ Gritting her teeth, she tried to calm her breathing. Inhale. Exhale. In. Out. Her fists kept moving as the flames licked at the dummy. The anger coursing through her veins strained against the edges of her mind. Against the leash she was attempting to put on it. It showed in the viciously flickering flames as she continued her assault. ‘Focus on breathing. Come back from the edge.’ Slowly, her breathing calmed and the flames shrank. The dummy was slightly singed but not burning. Quite an improvement over the last time she did this. Had to replace the dummy… and repaint a portion of the wall. Her strikes against the dummy slowed until she was just standing there. It was then she noticed eyes on her. Turning she locked eyes with the other early riser. Quirking an eyebrow she opened her mouth,
Curiousity flourished in Nyla's turquoise hues as her attention fixated elsewhere as opposed to her primary objective. The distraction was the result of one of the peculiar possessions taken by the young, dark-haired woman, a fire extinguisher. There were few instances where the fox shifter would witness training of that calibre, particularly with the introduction of a punching bag. It intrigued her, feeding her interest enough to take a brief break from her training plans. As her turquoise eyes watched, she made herself useful to her training efforts.
Slowly, she strode forward, eyes sparing an occasional glance. Each step carried her closer to her target board where her knives stuck out, handled facing her. Automatically, Nyla's hand began moving, giving each throwing knife a sharp tug until it gave way from the board. Carefully, the knives were plucked, but before the final blade could be removed from the splintered board, the fire show started. The shifter's eyes widened as she watched the fiery punches colliding with the durable fabric. Flames coated the stranger's hands, yet, nothing set the entire punching back ablaze.
From a distance, Nyla watched, mesmerized by the control exercise. Initially, she believed the woman to potentially be a fresh transfer into the hunting division. Somebody attempting to establish a new fighting style was not far fetched considering the times Lorsette was launched into. People were dying because of the Assembly of Phantoms, suffering beneath their constant attacks, and the TRS required preparation to conquer. Brilliantly, the flames blazed, growing in strength as the stranger trained further.
Lack of control went unnoticed as the woman completed her first round of exercises. The shifter believed the woman was practicing her fighting style more than fixating on perfecting her control over the vicious flames. The blackened portions of the bag were merely the demonstrations of the potential damage. The huntress was near parting with her stares, alas, the woman noticed before she could return to plucking that final knife. The question was met with a smile as Nyla shook her head.
"Oh, I'm fine. I was just watching you work," she began an explanation in a cheerful tone. "You gotta nice fighting style developing there."
The assumption left her lips automatically from the absorption of her beliefs. Infrequently did Nyla witness scouts and medics participating in early morning training sessions. If anything, she found hunters commandeered the gymnasium for their training efforts. Furthermore, the fierce-nature captured in the fire attack only sharpened Nyla's beliefs about the woman's training intentions. A thought hardly escaped being given to the possibility of a field medic wishing to increase skill in one of her abilities.
Everybody required defending and training, but as a young huntress, Nyla discovered herself mixed in with her fellow division members. They spared, practice and developed skills together to defeat the crooks wishing to engulf Lorsette in darkness.
Aylin blinked in surprise as the young woman spoke up. ‘A fighting style? Is that what it looks like?’ she wondered to herself. ‘I mean sure it could be utilized that way I suppose…’ Stepping out of her thoughts, she returned her attention to the blonde. A small smile slipped onto her face before she responded.
“Thank you, but it’s more of a control exercise than a fighting style. Though it does help when people attack the tent. “
Still, it was nice to hear someone compliment her training. She has had a few run ins with hunters who were… less than enthused about a medic training themselves. In anything other than healing at least. Pushing these thoughts away, she placed her hands in her pockets.
“Now if you want to see impressive you should see a recording of your knife throwing. You must have been practicing that for years.”
Fidgeting from one foot to the next, she tried to figure out whether it would be polite to return to her training or introduce herself. ‘It might be nice to know more people outside of the medical ward.’ Plus, it was always good to know who you worked with. It was just safer that way. Especially with this line of work. With that thought she spoke once again.
“My name is Aylin Roos, a Field Medic of Unit One. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
The smile on her face wavered slightly. She could still feel her anger and irritation bubble beneath her skin. While it was true that these training sessions were mainly for learning control, or just making sure she didn’t get rusty, they had the added bonus of being free therapy. And with how her temper could be, it wasn’t easy calming down from it. Placing a hand on her chest, she tried to calm herself. While it worked, unfortunately it wasn’t fast enough. A few flames shot from her fingers, scorching the ground. She jumped, cursing as she did so.
“And that is why you need practice.”
The words were hissed under Aylin’s breath. She ran over to the abandoned fire extinguisher. Picking it up and activating it, she blasted the stray flames. It was going to be quite the clean-up job to get rid of the scorch marks. Turning to the other woman, she giggled nervously.
Genuinely, Nyla believed the fanciful moves filled with flames and vigor were designed of future fighting moves. Few people outside of the hunters’ division attended the gymnasium for training. The overall hope was to have the hunting division accomplish combat-oriented interactions with the Assembly of Phantoms. Accordance to those preset plans were where things oftentimes fell short. Hunters could not be everywhere, nor could they manage to protect everybody under their lengthy list of requirements.
Therefore, other members were forced to learn the skill of handling fights. Nonetheless, Nyla’s thoughts tended to overlook the ideas of field medics and scouts potentially sharpening their skills. With hunters being among the divisions that required constant battle practice, people's thoughts often went to them. Particularly, with a woman showing what the fox shifter believed were powerful fire punches designed to dispose of Assembly foes. Although, Nyla was pleasantly surprised by the woman's interesting explanation.
The surprise flickered in her turquoise eyes followed by a small smile. Control exercises were always a marvellous idea to avoid any unwanted issues.
"I see," she said, allowing it to slither through her lips. "Makes sense, a field is a dangerous place after all."
Only moments later did the woman complimented the female warrior's skillful knife throwing capabilities. Broadly, the shifter smiled, ears twitching with excitement. Although, she failed to notice the nervous characteristics being exhibited by her fellow TRS.
"Thank you! I try to keep it sharpened up as a hunter of course," she explained cheerfully.
Introductions were rolled out naturally and without hesitation. It was necessary given their conversation starting from Nyla's accidental staring.
"Hey! I'm apart of unit one too," she began before reaching for the outstretched hand. "I'm Nyla Korvich, hun-"
Before the words could complete leaving Nyla's mouth she noticed the warmth and gentle bite of a drifting amber. An 'ow!' left her lips as she pulled her hand away sharply. Her turquoise eyes noticed the flames leaving the woman's fingers accompanied by her curse. The fox shifter backpedalled from the small flames, listening as Aylin mentioned this being the reason behind her practice. The rattle of a fire extinguisher being grabbed and pinned filled the shifter's delicate ears, shortly followed by the sounds of rushing foam.
The flames were consumed in a large mess of foam, leaving a mess on the floor. The shifter stared in surprise, detecting nervous undertones in the woman's giggling. Her eyes slowly shifted to Aylin, a gentle smile followed by a soft laugh leaving her lips.
"Remind me not to shake your hand until you have that under control," she cheerfully responded.
Control issues were unfortunately natural given the amount of abilities that required practice. There were still instances where Nyla's animal form enhanced speed send her crashing into a wall. It took effort to strengthen one's control, and Nyla was plenty aware of it.
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The skin is created by Wolf of Adoxography and Gangnam Style. The thread and conversation remodels are by Kagney. The Strange Reality board list, Heal My Soul info center, I Remember Now mini profile and Electric Requiem profile remodel is made by Pharoah Leap. The Who's That Member member list remodel was made by Tictactoe. The Cbox.ws Shoutbox remodel was made by Trinity Blair. All templates used for claims, information sheets, applications, etc are credited to their owners; credits for these can be found in the threads the templates are use on. Images that are used on The Duality of Man are credited to their owners, however, they have been edited by Zac with a few being edited by Chibi Magician. The plot, rules and various other information pieces for The Duality of Man are written by Chibi Magician with the assistence of her co-admins, Finnegan and Dremulf, alongside other unlisted people who were kind enough to give their input. The TRS, AP and face claim were all created by Fleur for specifically the use of TDOM. All plugins used on The Duality of Man are credited to their owners. The templates my members use are credited to their maker, if you find a template that belongs to you, but is uncredited, please speak to Chibi Magician or the member themself. Characters created on The Duality of Man are credited to their owners and should not be used elsewhere without the creator's permission.
Special thanks for the members of TDOM who make suggestions to help make this site better. Even though we can not accept all suggestions, we immensely appreciate it. Thus, we give credit to any additions that you thought of and were later implimented by the staff, because we are glad you give us these excellent ideas.
