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!
notes - elliana gonna make him suffer have a lot of fun
The door opened with a lot faster than she thought it would but her head tilts as he hand held up the warm coffee she promised as well as going out of her way to pose a bit over-dramatically. She had to make an entrance after all! "Hey there, tough guy! Your delivery of coffee and smiling lessons have arrived." She said with a playful wink as she had entered his home with a slight bounce in her step. Judging by the kind of person he was she had an expected image for how his home to look. Bare at most, maybe with a plant or two somewhere but really more along the lines of being minimal. All she had to do was take a few quick glances around the first room she entered and was able to acknowledge in her mind... that yup, this definitely was Naoya's place."I should've asked what kind of coffee you like but you kinda rub me as the type of person who'd drink plain coffee and claim it's superior." She pauses, realizing how accusatory that sounded. "Not that it's a bad thing but you know how some are about coffee." She leaned more on the heavily over-the top drinks some menus offered. Sure, it was a bit wild but Elliana ran off the sugar packed drink.
Her feet came to a stop as her eyes turned to look at him. "Are you ready?" Her hand held out the coffee to him. "Drink some, you'll need the energy for today." She had no plans on going easy on him. A smile was important and she wanted nothing more for Naoya than the joy of expressing such things to another person. It was an easy way to close bonds or establish trust with another person if you were able to flash a convincing smile. A smile also said a lot in cases where you couldn't quite put to words your thoughts; so she figured if he mastered this... it could be useful! He also came off as a man of few words, saying things in a straightforward way. Maybe without tact at times but that wasn't an intentional thing.... maybe.
"You feeling nervous? Excited? I'm looking forward to teaching you! I wonder if we should jump into it right away or would you like to chit-chat for a bit?" Texting was one thing but she knew she had quite the energy when in person. Perhaps talking about random things might help him adjust.
Opening the door to let her inside, he knows that he probably looks tired. He almost always looked tired if the words of others meant anything. Either that or chronically having a death glare plastered on his face. It had been awhile since he had anyone over to his house, even longer if it wasn’t work related. Yin and Honeydew were out of the house, probably on some sort of sugar hunt. ”You’re lucky I got most of it out of the way.” He closed the door behind her and figured he could put the rest off until later. The most important stuff had been taken care of, and that was what mattered for the moment. ”Plain is usually what I drink.”
He didn’t really like things loaded down with sugar, or specialty foams. That stuff was a little too intense, too cloyingly sweet. The last time Honeydew had brought him such a thing, his tongue had felt raw for days. He inclined his head at her question, the closest she would get to a nod. ”As ready as I’d ever be.” He gingerly took the coffee as she offered it, the warmth emanating into his hands. “Don’t need to tell me twice.” Immediately tipping it to his lips, he takes a drink. It was definitely needed, especially if he was going to try to crack the stone that was his face. Well, crack it without looking like he was some sort of serial killer.
He was pretty sure that’s what the apprentice had acted like he saw when he forced a smile last time, either that or like he had seen some vengeful spirit straight out of the grudge. Either way, it’s been quite awhile since he last saw that one in particular. Naoya can tell when he’s being avoided, but doesn’t care enough about it to do anything about it. ”More like worried you’ll waste your effort. I’ll probably look like something out of a horror movie.” He sighs lowly, taking another drink of the coffee. ”I don’t want you to start avoiding me too.” It was a first step, even admitting something like that. That he didn’t want someone to leave him alone.
“You gotta be nervous at least.” She mumbles, her eyes staying peeled to his face. She was glad he was enjoying the coffee at the very least. It was a gift but also a small hope that it’ll keep him in a decent mood if this whole teaching him to smile-gig went horribly wrong. She came to boost his confidence and her biggest worry is him flashing a smile that might make him lose all of what he had in him to improve with it. Not that she believed any of this could happen. Elliana was confident in her teaching capabilities but still worrying was an instinctive thing that was built into her.[break]
Her lips parted, moving into a slightly surprised expression. No noise left her lips but it certainly looked as if she gasped or something. Her fingers moved over and playfully poked his shoulder a few times. Mostly out of a sudden rush of ?! no way… you did not just say that? She had made so much progression with him. Elliana wasn’t going to take his words or trust of her for advantage either. “Naoya…” She can’t help but whine happily before her hands drop back down to her side. [break] “Whether you can smile, whether you can’t smile… it doesn’t matter.” Her head nodded with her words as she spoke. Her hand lifted again to tap against his arm. “You can’t get rid of me that easily. I’m already pretty glued to you, you know?” Elliana tilts her head, gives him one of her well adored genuine smiles. “You’re a pretty important person to me, so don’t worry about something like a smile scaring me off. I’m tougher than you think!”[break]
Her throat clears before her hands come together to clap. “Speaking of which! I want to see this smile you claimed to be oh-so deadly and scary.” To see the severity of what she was working with after all. “Maybe also try to smile without thinking too much about -- “ She pauses, doing her best Naoya voice impression. “Oh I’m smiling---” Her voice reverted to normal after the failed impression and a suppressed fit of laughter was avoided. “...t-to see what comes out naturally. I’ll be able to make notes and work off of that!” [break]
He hums lightly at her comment, before giving his head a tiny shake. He wasn’t nervous so much as worried, that all of this would be in vain. Taking another sip of the coffee, he decided that he can’t actually remember the last time he felt nervous about something. Or rather, maybe it had been a long time since he had allowed himself to acknowledge himself feeling it. Feelings that he didn’t think were relevant, he had learned to ignore. Anything that wasn’t needed for survival was discarded, but maybe it was time to loosen the grip. He wasn’t under his father’s thumb, so he could stop looking back over his shoulder.
Had he said something strange again? No, maybe it was just strange to say these things out loud. Maybe he’s letting himself be a little too loose with his words? He blinks and tilts his head to look at her when she pokes him, mostly curious as to what exactly had prompted it. Was she really so surprised? Still ... he doesn’t really regret saying it. It had been the truth, after all. Taking another sip of the coffee he can’t help but feel a little satisfied.
He hummed again at her words, though more thoughtful this time. ”I think it’s pretty important to you, though.” Besides, others needed to see something other than a stone face every once in a while...right? ”Then I guess I don’t have to worry, huh?” Maybe she would be one of the first who could weather the chill, he found himself hoping as much. He’s drawn to her smile he finds, and her words catch his cold eyes softening. ”If you’re certain about that...” He’s relieved, he thinks.
She ... just had to ask that huh? Sighing a little and instinctively frowning a bit, he might as well do as asked. ”Just remember that you asked for it...” The apprentice’s face momentarily flashes in his mind and Naoya tries to force his face to cooperate as he had then. The corner of one lip twitched, and the forcing was quite obvious. He looked either like he was in intense pain, or was about to kill something. ”Look - I’m so happy- Can’t you tell?“ His voice sounds stiff, pulled tight.
"Oh come on! You know me... I can handle it." She gives a playful wink as she turns and takes a step back to fully take in this smile she heard so much about.
There's something oddly charming about this oh-so deadly smile he claimed to have scared off a number of people. She does have to stifle a laugh with her hand but her heart became strangely full with an unfamiliar feeling. The seer could see how it may be unnerving but for Elliana she saw it as cute. A very Naoya smile if you will. It's stiff and a mess all over the place but if Naoya were to show this to her without asking... she would be flattered.
"Don't think I was laughing at you to like make fun of you either. Your smile is just so unique it's cute. I couldn't resist the urge to laugh." It's the best he could do but the notion of him attempting to smile would be far too sweet for her. She gives a wave of her hand to help put him out of his misery. It was clear by the tone of his voice he loathed having to show that. "You can stop now, okay? I think I've seen enough."
For now she was already analyzing how they could go about fixing it. For him to smile in a way that he was happy with. "Let's do this... I get the feeling you're overthinking about smiling when trying to smile so it comes out like this. " She closed the distance between them once more. Her hands were moving to touch his face but momentarily stop. She felt the need to give him the warning. "I'm gonna touch you a bit today. So just be prepared for that, yeah?"
"Do a favor for me and completely relax your face. Don't overthink it either. You do this lil thing with your eyebrows when you do so if I see you do it I'm gonna pinch your forehead." It's a threat that was necessary to be made if they wanted to make any progress here.
He knows he looks horrible, otherwise the apprentice wouldn’t have balked. ”Even if you say that..” His face still looked like a cracking marble pillar, or like some kinda horror movie slasher smile. It was a broken gesture he had never been able to properly showcase, or really tried that hard to. For a long time it was a useless skill, with there not being anything to smile about. Gently trying to push those thoughts aside, it wasn’t the time for that. Later, he could think about it later. For now...there was something to do.
”I wouldn’t blame you.” His teeth grit a little and the forced smile bleeds over into his voice. It makes for a verbal twitch in tone he isn’t used to. Smiling is awkward and he doesn’t like it. Was it really such a necessary thing? There were other ways to show how you were feeling, right? ”Okay...” He allows the slasher smile to drop, and feels relief watch over him.
It was just as unpleasant as he remembered, but at least she hadn’t run away. That was a sign of some sort ... right? ”Don’t I have to think about smiling in order to do it?” His voice is tinged in a subtle curiousity, though it was still pretty evident. Can you smile without thinking about it? That felt strange, but maybe there was a truth to it. ”It’s fine with me. It’s to help ... right?” He breathes out slowly, allowing his face to fully return to it’s normal state. ”Okay...” Was this really okay? Was it possible to make any progress?
Just as much as he had been stubborn in denying her claims, she was stubborn in denying his claims about his own capabilities. Naoya Shikekutsuki was a man she had the luxury of getting to know over the time of their friendship. She learned that he wasn't someone who opened up easy, that he was an incredibly hard worker and quite serious about his job. He had raw skill and talent for things she could never which was why... something as simple as smiling. She believed he had the capability to do it even if he may feel it's too forced or unnatural on his end. "No more talk like that, okay?" She huffs. "We left self-doubting at the door!"
Elliana laughs at what he spoke next; for someone who's undoubtedly experienced a number of grim things given his line of work asking something that felt so... innocent was vastly entertaining. To know that he wasn't aware that you could smile without much thought. It made her laughter evolve into childish giggling as her hands gently secure the hold on his now-calmed face. "Nooo! Not at all!" She chirps with a slight deep breath intake. Her laughter finally ceased but the grin she had only grew. "Again, you're hyper focusing so much on it that it might've become a natural thing for you to think about when you do!"
"Like um... when you work you think about all the things you have to do, right?" She'd do her best to explain it where it could make more sense. The seer hoped she was doing a decent job of it at least. "Well now replace that with smiling... you think about smiling and knowing you your mind wanders a hella ton till you're like freaking out and just panickily give your classic Naoya smile, I assume?" He gave her the feeling that he was someone who thought his way through a lot of things. Elliana was more of the opposite; she did everything with less time thinking about it.
"Sooo I want to do this... close your eyes and relax those for me too, okay?" She hums as her hands remained on his face but they have yet to move so for now she was simply holding his cheeks. "Clear your mind of any thoughts regarding smiling.... now... from here~ There has to be something that makes you happy. Whether it's something small like to someone that may exist! I want you to think about something that makes you happy." This method would really only work if he had something that made him happy but Elliana doubted that ever being a possibility. Smiles came out more naturally when one would think about something that brought them joy.
So... she wanted to see if this would work on him. To see if he had something that was capable of earning a natural smile rather than the forced one he typically puts on.
Even if he were to show some sort of optimism, wasn’t this proof that he wasn’t cut out for such a thing? Smiling was something he was more accustomed to being thought about, often as some sort of proof that there was happiness in the family life. Now that he truly thought about it, when was the last time he felt something like true happiness? Something that wasn’t just setting his mind and heart to distractions, or focusing every ounce of himself on working. Between sparks of frustration here and there and a comfortable neutrality, he hadn’t bee allowing himself to feel. Elliana was making him realize, just how much he has shut himself away. So much so that many emotions others felt so freely, he had them barred off. If he were to soften his grip now, wouldn’t they overflow?[break][break]
The laughter that his question procured only served to deepen his frown for a moment, wondering if giving voice to such a thought was something that appeared as amusing. It did give the thought that it was probably wrong on some level, that not everyone had to think themselves into a smile. The relaxation though softens his face again as he’s reminded of her touch on it, that a frown would surely have disrupted what she had in mind. ”...Really?” The fact he might be able to do something without a thought ... almost as if it were comparable to breathing. The thought of that grasps him strangely, like a foreign language or some sort of alien form. Though his focus is split between his own internal musings and her in these moments, when she spoke again it didn’t escape him. ”The things I do on a daily basis require focus. It’s something that happens every day...”[break][break]
Already, he could see where she was going with this. The fact that he was focusing too much on it as if it were more paperwork, that was where it went wrong. Work had consumed so much of his attention and life, that it had just naturally started to drag everything else along with it. ”I think about forcing it as though it is something necessary, like paperwork or....dealing with an unforeseen circumstance..and if I fail it might have some sort of repercussion?” Since the results weren’t satisfactory anyways, he had long since abandoned trying before today.[break][break]
Obeying her next set of words, he closed his eyes. Taking in a deep but soft intake of breath, eventually letting it back free with the very traces of a sigh. Slowly he starts to let outside thoughts drift away, though at first it isn’t easy. The cadence and tone of her voice helps to eventually chase away the stubborn clinging thoughts, ones that fought for their grip in his psyche. The small things that make him content come first, the bitter taste of fresh coffee and the knowledge that his children were safe another day. The thoughts turn to the adoring eyes and presence of Honeydew clinging to his side and eventually was Elliana once again present in the majority of his thoughts. [break][break]
The dragon’s face naturally softens as the thoughts linger and keep out the pressing matters, the constant chatter that was his working mind. Very small quirks that hinted at the trace of a smile were starting to spark, as the things he truly realized he appreciated bloomed i stead of the worries and the expectations. Things that would have likely been muted for far longer, left buried under the iron fist of someone who dared not look away from making himself busy. The state of relaxation that was starting to soften him overall was something foreign, but it isn’t something he found himself disliking.[break][break]
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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.
