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!
"An uncle, is that so?" Dolores grinned at Penny, idly checking her nails for stains or cracks. If what she said was true, then there could be possibly more individuals nearby that were either the same as or entirely different than herself, and that lone thought made shivers of warmth pulse through her body. Her grin began to fade as she remembered just how comfortable this girl was around things that could take the life of another. She didn't seem too phased by the death of animals either... troublesome.
"I see..." she said, mostly to herself, wondering how to proceed. It wasn't one of the answers the dark seer was looking for, but of course she could adapt and overcome. "If this uncle of yours is away on a... business trip? Then you do not in fact live alone," she began, "how do you get the meals you need every day, dear? Are you in school, perhaps?" All questions asked in a convincing, concerning tone as her eyes seemed to stare into the girl's soul, hopeful for a positive response. In reality? Dolores couldn't care less, all was a ploy, and even if she did care in some twisted way, the cons outweighed the pros.
"I myself have a place not too far from the outskirts where you may rest, of course if your guardians raised you properly you would understandably be hesitant, however I assure you I will not harm you." Bold was the only word that could describe what she was feeling right then. Bold to ask a girl she just met to come back with her, a stranger that just both threatened her own life, Penny's life, and ended the life of a wild animal, but she wasn't without a plan. Her expected answer was obviously "no", and that would allow her to dismiss the entire conversation while apologizing and following her back to from which she came... an elaborate set up just to get a young seer under her wing, and by the gods she will have her. No matter who she has to get rid of... such as an uncle that could or couldn't exist...
Penny wasn’t sure whether Dolores believed her lie. She chewed at the inside of her cheek to stop herself from bursting out with more details to convince her. It would probably just do the opposite. Penny had never been very good with words, after all. This conversation had far too many of them for her liking already. Though the bloodloss was slowed by her makeshift bandage she was sure it would start affecting her head soon enough. She silently tried to keep the blood exactly where it was, as if she had the ability to do something like that. [break][break] "Of course I’m in school! Although… in this condition I doubt I’ll be able to get ready to go in in time today…" That much was the truth. She had lessons in the morning. Even if she didn't attend a traditional school it was pretty much the same thing. "And my uncle’s only out for the week. For meals, I go to the fridge." The words came out as though it were the most obvious thing in the world, a fortunate side effect of her distracted mind. It kind of was a pretty obvious answer. Where else did people go for food? Her diet was strict enough that she could usually pre-stock food and be good for a month at a time. Not that she liked such limitations. If she had her way she'd eat a lot more cookies. Not bad cookies like oatmeal raisin ones, but the good cookies with chocolate or ginger and molasses. [break][break] A cool gaze watched Dolores at the next request. Even a fool wouldn't accept that offer, and the woman seemed convinced that Penny was no fool. So what was she playing at? Was there any merit in seeing where the woman lived? Maybe if she wasn't injured she could get in, see what the situation was, and get out, but in this state there was no guarantee she'd make it out with her life. [break][break] It could be a threat. 'Come home with me or don't come home at all.' It wasn't like it was Penny's decision to make. Betraying the order would mean far worse things than Madame Esmeree could manage. Putting an end to her disillusionment now would be for the best. "Um… Ma’am, I should say that if you intend to try anything there are people that will look for me. Whatever it is you want, I’m really not the person to ask for it." She spoke slowly, carefully choosing her words. That was the most she could say without giving anything real away. "And I'd be far more comfortable returning to my own home. It’s closer and I’ve got an extensive first aid kit there."
Dolores laughed, quite loudly, to herself at the young seer's words, shaking her head as she did so. "Oh no my dear, I would not dare try anything..." She stared directly into Penny's eyes as she spoke; this time, her words were sincere. If she ended up removing this rook from the chess game of life, things would be mighty grim for her, as she has no way of interacting with the realm of the dead, nor does she intend to, if she even could to begin with. Her troublesome reaper of a son still lives, and will easily sense her presence. "However... even if I did desire to, I would have done it before you ran into the unknown wilderness chasing a vision... mm... yes, indeed." Now, her tone was almost mocking, poking fun at this rather serious encounter, but she couldn't care less. All of the training in the world would do little to prepare someone for her sadistic motives.
Resting her hands on her hips, she pondered about her next course of action, very aware that any word that comes out of her conversing partner's mouth could either be a cover, lie, or the truth. It was clear to her that her level of prowess was far below her, but she intended to experiment with it, and to do that, she had to throw a bit of caution to the wind. After all, what was the worst that could happen to the most skilledexperienced powerful seer alive? "You must be starving with such a... neglectful guardian. Please, allow me to prepare a proper meal for a gifted girl such as yourself! I of course will allow you to return home, as to not worry a worthless soul, however I insist you let me cook you something once there..." While the Madame's face appeared neutral in nature, the reality was inside, she was nearing her bursting point. Yes, she was quite skilled in planning and war tactics, courtesy of one of her dead husbands, however at her core she quite enjoyed toying with people, and this encounter was no exception.
Penny nodded. She had no doubt Dolores didn’t want her dead, but that didn’t mean she wanted her to make it home safely either. If she wanted that there would be no need for whatever act she was trying to put on. Intimidation between passing strangers was a waste of time and energy. [break][break] Chasing a vision. The words hit a note of discord within Penny. She’d told the woman she wasn’t a seer. She didn’t know why the other insisted on projecting her own abilities onto innocent bystanders, but she was sure it was a mental abnormality psychologists would be fascinated by. It would be best to clear her of the notion now so they didn’t have to keep going in circles. "I wasn’t chasing a vision, ma’am." she argued, ignoring the pain that shot from her shoulder down her arm as she clenched her hand into a fist. "I had a headache and I couldn’t sleep so I went for a run. Don’t make me out to be more than I am." [break][break] Penny was taken aback as the woman offered to cook for her. She had no clue why anyone would offer that. There was no logical reason to offer someone a meal so early in the morning besides maybe earning her trust - like domesticating a wild animal - or poisoning her. Neither of those options seemed pleasant. She knew if she retorted anything along those lines Dolores would just repeat her previous statement that she didn’t want her dead, but situations changed with different settings. Maybe she wanted information that Penny kept in her rooms. There wasn’t much confidential stuff there but it was hard to infiltrate the Black Order at all and such an independent apprentice would be a good place to start. Or maybe she wanted to use a milder poison to knock Penny out and get her to a secondary location where no one would look for her without causing too much of a commotion and attracting attention to them. There were far too many possibilities for Penny to allow it. [break][break] "I cannot accept your charity, ma’am, I have everything I need." That was too clear a denial for Penny’s liking. She hesitated before continuing, very aware that she was about to invite a wolf into her home, but as long as she was in the apartment she was a matter of moments away from calling for help so she wouldn’t be in actual danger. It would be better to find out what Dolores wanted now on her own turf, lest she turn into a long term opponent. "You may come in with me if you are hungry but there's no need to cook for me."
Yet again, the sadistic Esmeree couldn't help but begin to laugh out loud, but she controlled it this time, and so it didn't sound as psychopathic nor loud as it would have been, simply a playful laugh as if she was being tickled. Proving to the girl that she was all Dolores knew she was and perhaps could be more... or less... would be both daunting of a challenge as well as an extremely entertaining one.
"If you insist, dear... but in time, you will see things differently, and Heaven knows I, Madame Dolores Esmeree, will be there to see it..." Dolores said with a twisted look, her odd eyes shimmering with magic. "But alas... if it truly was a headache, it is all the more proof..." The last sentence she spoke was more directed towards herself than Penny Grey , as she of course knew all seers suffered from the ailment that was headaches. In her mind, there was absolutely no chance this girl wasn't of heavenly origin, and just like last time, the thought sent warm shivers down her spine.
As Penny declined her offer of a meal, and replaced it with her own offer, she frowned momentarily before springing to life. "Wonderful!" She exclaimed, her eyes widening and her own headache worsening. "Ozaei is not the best of chefs, a meal would be a wonderful thing to have for such a starved soul such as myself." Stretching as she spoke, her sadistic grin grew. There was a plethora of things Dolores wanted to do and say to Penny, half of them simply unholy, and the other half purely immoral, but she didn't care. She will be hers, and she was willing to bide her time, even if that meant suppressing her desires... however, she wasn't going to suppress them right now. As she did with Amy, an instillation of dread and authority was in order, or at least an attempt at one. A way for others to know she was both mother-like and monster-like; someone not to be dealt with lightly.
As she finished stretching her arms, she raised her left arm towards the direction of the thick of trees that blocked the way Penny entered, and destroyed every single one with the flex of a few muscles, the bark being reduced to small pieces of wood, and the leaves crushed to nothing. There was now a path lined with sharp splinters, leading the way out of the Ivory Woods, but Dolores didn't stop there. Noticing a few more animal life around the newly created path, she forcefully and rather unnecessarily dragged them to her, across the splintered ground.
Glancing at Penny, she hesitated. She so much so wanted to just close her fists and reduce the animals to a bloody mess, slowly, painfully, and mercilessly... but that would only serve to worsen her relationship with the little seer. Loosing her grip and losing her smile, she gently pulled the three deer towards the duo, letting them go when they were within arm's length. Reaching out to pet one, she returned her attention to Penny. "This is the way you came, yes? Or was it another direction?" Dolores asked, ready to depart. "Animals... they are such interesting creatures are they not? Perhaps you can keep one of these as a pet, if that uncle of yours would allow it! As I was saying, dear, let us go, it is getting rather early for a pre-breakfast meal."
To the best of her abilities, she maintained an innocent demeanor, fixing her hair to hide her golden eye as she spoke, but on the inside? She was thrilled. Dolores couldn't believe she was making such steady progress with Penny, and she was loving it. Soon, she would be inside her household to have a better idea on how to entrap the girl, but for now, she would refrain from doing anything too sadistic, as she "accidently" did with an unlucky deer earlier.
Penny pressed her lips together as she chewed on Dolores' words. She was pretty sure the woman was delusional, so trying to argue further would be a moot point. Just because she had a headache and a few bad dreams didn't mean there was any reason to draw conclusions. Sure it had occurred to her before, but it was just paranoia. She wanted nothing to do with seers. Since she herself wasn't one and most people she met would end up dead, she usually didn't have any problems with them. [break][break] The seer's next words were more important. Ozaei. It would be stupid to give her a real name of someone she could hunt down. If Penny actually had any malintent it could be a fatal mistake. The fact that Dolores made it meant she was either very stupid or very confident in herself. Penny was willing to bet it was the latter. In her limited experience it confidence and stupidity were very similar, but with Dolores' displays of power she wasn't sure it was misplaced. [break][break]
She watched, eyes wide, as the seer cleared a path through the forest. She wondered just what effect that power would have on a building. Such an ability would make breaking into safes a lot easier. [break][break]
"I took the long way here, ma'am." she smiled. She wouldn't have followed that path anyway. She didn't like letting people follow her. In this case it might keep her a bit safer from Dolores, but she didn't know what other predators were in the woods. [break][break]
"My pets have a way of dying on me." she added, motioning to the deer. Even looking at the animal now the first thing that came to mind was all the different ways she could kill it. A knife to the jugular was her favorite for animals like that. [break][break]
Her gaze travelled across the edge of the clearing as she reviewed the running path she'd taken to get there. She usually kept better track of the fastest way to her home base, but she'd been distracted when she set out. Still, it only took a few minutes to identify the right direction. "This way. Please don't blow stuff up this time?"
Dolores released the deer she was keeping captive against their will and gave Penny Grey a very warm smile. "The long way, is it? Mm... very well, the long way it is. Walks through the forest, while dangerous, can always be relaxing my dear... even if it was just vision chasing." She forcefully held back her urges to say something- anything- more. Progress was going well, far better than other potential nobles in the recent past. Anything that got in her way now would just be plain foolish, or at minimum suicidal. It was now time to reel her catch in with the charm of a 'mother that lost her children'.
"Ah yes, unfortunately mortals are cursed with the ability to die quite easily, especially pets. Perhaps I will get you one that does not have such a curse, Penny. I am sure you would not mind, since you are nothing more than a name, and nothing less..." Dolores played with the things the young girl said to her, attempting to make it clear she meant what she said earlier. The Esmeree then began to make her way behind Penny, placing two hands on her shoulders if she was able to get close enough.
Laughing lightly, she nodded. "Of course dear. I feel rather light headed anyhow." A lie; in truth her head was swelling with pain, and she could only use her prowess to keep the pain at bay for so long. Refraining from using her telekinesis would be for the best until she can rest. It would seem like this situation was win win. "Please, after you. I still would love to treat that injury of yours, as your uncle is away. As I have said earlier, you are someone that matters to me."
Penny smiled at Dolores' offer, but shook her head. "Ma'am, you don't have to get me anything," she said. The words themselves were perfectly respectful but there was a firm undertone to them. She didn't intend to see this woman in the future so there would be no getting anything from her. Besides, physical possessions were meaningless. She could barely keep a hold of her journal from day to day. Keeping a pet would be impossible. [break][break] Penny hesitated before starting forward. She didn’t like people walking behind her. She knew Dolores would be just as dangerous walking ahead, and she knew she wouldn’t know where to go if she took the lead, but the idea still sat wrong in the young assassin’s stomach. [break][break] She walked a few steps in silence before deciding it was best to nip this in the bud before it went any further. "Madame, I think you misunderstand..." she began, trying to decide how to be completely clear without letting on too much. "I do not know why you are trying to win me over, but I am not at liberty to choose the people in my life. In my world it doesn't matter who I like, so talking to me won't make a difference in anything." [break][break] She didn't look at Dolores as she spoke. Rather, she remained focused on the path in front of her. She had a long path in front of her, literally and metaphorically, and she knew something as benign as friends wouldn't change anything. She didn't spend much time considering whether she liked the people she worked with. If she was told to kill someone for them, she'd be bound to do it, whether she liked it or not. She was little more than a blade that followed the orders of it's wielder. She didn't care about anything else. [break][break] "Besides," she added as an afterthought, "I'm not this seer you think I am. You're wasting your time trying to abuse something that's not there."
After taking a few steps in suit of Penny, Dolores stopped as she did, not at all surprised. "Oh I am very aware, my blind, sweet dear. You are but a child in the dark, of course you are at no liberty to choose the people in your life, and in certain fields of work it is never beneficial to grow attached to people." A wicked smirk grew on the dark seer's face as she continued to walk on, this time with the intention to walk in front of Penny. "However... absolutely none of that matters to Madame Dolores Esmeree and her noble children, as well as any she holds dear for the meanwhile." Turning with a nice spin of her dress, she crossed her arms.
"I am at full liberty to choose who enters my and my children's lives, what those individuals do in said lives, and why." Giggling like a child, Dolores sighed. "Of course you are not my child, however I am sure we both have secrets that could be shared. In time, perhaps you might trust me enough to share them with me... or perhaps not. Do trust dear, I have all the time in the world to test many trust building 'activities'."
Do not use drama to get attention in the chat. Nobody appreciates it.
2
No advertising, we have a perfectly fine board for that.
3
Please try and keep swearing to a minimum in the chat.
4
All chat usernames should be PG-13 and not break the ProBoards ToS or site rules.
5
A Chatango account is not required, but it is encouraged.
6
Please avoid spamming the chat; accidents are understandable.
7
You may use the in-character chat prior to acceptance.
8
Be respectful to anybody who enters the chat, including guest, fellow members and staff.
9
Guests may speak in chat at anytime to ask questions or get a taste of our community~!
resource sites
affiliates
credits
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.
