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!
You only got a couple miles to go if you're trying to drive me insane
The night air blanketed her comfortingly as Cali clutched her bundle of fragrant herbs and tiny vegetable plants carefully. She had come out to meet a friend who was selling the rest of their garden before moving overseas, and she had been lucky enough to snatch up a fairly rare collection of plants. Most of them were heirloom vegetables, safely wrapped in wet paper towels to keep from getting too upset before she could get back home.
Walking confidently forward, Cali failed to notice that she was being followed by a group that clung to the shadows. Her thoughts were elsewhere, and her brain buzzed with ideas on where to put all these for the night. She had no way to get down to her greenhouse at this time of night, so she would simply have to make do with whatever was in her apartment.
Many a teacup had been sacrificed to her love for plants, and it seemed that even more were to be added to the rankings of plant pot.
Her toe caught on a loose block on the pavement, and she stumbled for a moment, her bundle of plants dropping with a wet plap as she lost her grip. Grumbling obscenities to herself quietly, she stooped to pick everything back up. The group in behind her closed in like shadows, even as Cali remained blissfully unaware that she was perhaps about to get jumped. Or murdered. All for the sake of dropping her plant bundle.
Chilled night air caressed Marz's features as a single solace to the nocturi. Unfortunately, requirements arrived with the endless assortments of mercenary work plopped onto his lap. Somebody messaged him about a terror, informing him his evening abilities would prove useful for discovering this cruel creature... Yet, hours of endless searching churned up nothing, leaving Marz in the western sector of Lorsette. A low-bearing grumble rose from the depths of his throat as his annoyance bubbled. He sensed it, upon returning home somebody would inform him a TRS group disposed of the vile creature.
[break][break]
The cynic despised the city alongside the people within it. Humanity was a cruel joke with people fixating on their singular goals and the pettiest matters. Thus, every second within Lorsette was spent agonizing over the amount of time he could have spent enjoying nature as opposed to stuffy, polluted, city air. Between the blinding street lights, the nocturi hardly required his night vision... Even the pleasantly warm night air made his cold resistance obsolete in these circumstances. Although, worsening it was his inability to view the precious night sky that kept his company.
[break][break]
The blinding lights obscured the stars above, leaving a black slate between the bright buildings. His eyes rolled at the prospect of being unable to lay witness to the night sky. It guided him, showing him the true colours of a beautiful world dulled by their existence. His eyes drifted from the boring night above and onto the scenery around him. If he managed to locate the obnoxious creature wreaking havoc, he could take his leave... but something caught his galactic eyes. Despite the lights, shadows still existed between them where people lurked ahead.
[break][break]
The nocturi backed into an obscured location, noting the young woman carrying a bundle... and a group of people following behind. The scene roused suspicion, Marz's eyes narrowing as he observed from his small distance. The individuals in the group seemed questionable as they followed, daring not to veer from their path. A gentle 'hmm' left the nocturi's lips, his steps moving stealthily as he observed. Eventually, the woman's foot caught, sending her bundle to the pavement and leaving her vulnerable.
[break][break]
Immediately, his eyes assessed the group following behind her... where he saw it. The flashing glint was unmistakable as building lights shone over the clean blade. Instincts flared as the darkness was pulled, a wall forming between the group of the unbeknownst woman. The action was hastily noticed, the barrier thwarting their plans, at least, for the temporary if Marz failed to manage the situation. Despite despising humanity in its entirety, the nocturi never favoured allowing others to escape with sins if he could help it.
[break][break]
Shouts erupted in complaint, but Marz was quiet as he bent the shadows to his will. Rather, he allowed them to creep up their feet and legs while maintaining the barrier. Perhaps still captured in surprise, they pulled at their limbs, attempting escape, until their eyes discovered him.
[break][break]
"Give it up, you might as well run off before you do something stupid," the nocturi warned.
[break][break]
However, as the nocturi expected of a society he believed was built upon stupidity, pettiness and ego, they accomplished the opposite. Bright and burning, the fireball thrown his way hardly phased the battle-hardened mercenary... rather, he unconsciously created the shield that protected him. A soft 'tch' clicked between his lips as he applied his force against the attack. From behind the barrier, his fist clenched, assuring the group would remain in place, but eventually, it slipped. As the fire dispersed, the mercenary knew the situation would be difficult... given the existence of a pedestrian...
[break][break]
Thus, he acted quicker than the ragtag group of thugs with a target. Upon the fire's exit, the nocturi slung blades of darkness towards them before sprinting to grab the young woman's arm, whether she hid or not. Should she had already fled, he followed behind without a second thought.
[break][break]
"Get moving, I won't let them do anything," he grumbled to her, his voice somewhat harsh.
[break][break]
He hoped the stranger held the mental fortitude for the ridiculousness of criminal resistance. With a witness to their ill-intent, a target and a ruckus to match it, Marz doubted they would leave their disgusting "prize" alone easily.
[break][break]
@calliopemoritama || 712 Words
[attr="class","alive_much"]
[attr="class","alive_much2"]-- Only trusting the night, and never seeing the people's light.
You only got a couple miles to go if you're trying to drive me insane
The prime concern here was her precious armful of plants. If anything happened to one, there would be no getting it back. She carefully rearranged them in her arms, fussing over them like a mother might fuss her child. Cali was so busy with her bundle(s) of joy, that she did not notice anything happening behind her. In fact, to her it was a perfectly nice night to be out, with no danger looming whatsoever.
Shouts from behind her drew her attention, and the girl finally turned curiously, wondering what on earth was going on back there. Realising with surprise that an entire group of men had formed behind her, her eyes darted from each one's face cautiously. The barest gleam of a warning flashed in the back of her mind, but it was easy to ignore it when so many things were happening at once. She did not notice the additional man that was attempting to assist, but she did notice the men's shadows crawling up their legs like leeches vying for a prime vein. Her nose crinkled up in curiosity rather than fear, her gaze intent.
It was a cool party trick to say the least. Whoever was behind it must have been a magician or prankster of some sort, since it seemed like the men that were being effected were not in on the gag. The corners of her lips turned up in a smile as she watched, delighted at the impromptu show that was unfolding in front of her.
A quiet voice echoed from the side, and her attention was drawn towards him instead. Ah, he must be the one doing it. He was the only one that the darkness wasn't sucking at.
Taking an inadvertent step backwards, Cali watched as one of the men chucked a fireball in his direction. Incredibly impressed by the shield thrown up to thwart it, her feet were glued to the ground as she watched. This was better than any drama she had ever watched, and she was absolutely enraptured by it all.
Her arm twisted painfully as the stranger grabbed her, dragging her along behind her for a few beats before her legs caught up with the idea. Trotting along beside him, Cali clutched her plants carefully to her chest as she eagerly followed. "Oh, no thank you. I was having fun watching... Well, whatever that was." In fact, she was a little disgruntled that he had dragged her away from the action. "Speaking of, what exactly was that? Are you guys like a travelling circus or something, and this was a rehearsal, or...?"
As the last word left her lips, the men that had been following her filtered towards them, like wolves intent on their prey. "Oh! Here they come again." Her tone sounded rather more excited than scared, and she glanced between the gruff stranger and them. "Speaking of, I feel like fire is a little dangerous to do a circus with but oh-- you're the professional, so I shouldn't talk, I guess."
Malicious intentions stalked from behind in perhaps a brutal desperation. The vile scum trailing them wished to remove any possibilities of reports leaking through. His hand grasped around her arm tightly, assuring she would not slip away and face death... however, the woman appeared entirely unaware. The initial words to escape the stranger's lips resulted in a raise of his brow. Watch?! She wanted to watch a dangerous altercation between people with chaotic abilities and potentially lethal damage.
[break][break]
Admittedly, Marz was dumbfounded by the words leaving the foolish, young woman's lips... She thought everything occurring was a circus performance, one birthed from danger and licking flames. He opened his mouth to speak, however, before the words could escape his lips, she mentioned the men behind him. The nocturi gritted his teeth as he glanced behind them. They were certainly making an effort to gain on them... The brilliant light of fire engulfed the one man's hands, flames surging forward. Hastily, Marz manifested a wall between them, quick, but enough to avoid the stinging flames.
[break][break]
Unintentionally, his hand grabbed her arm tighter, potentially causing pain for the... entertained young woman. Tense situations that involved a victim were something the nocturi despised.
[break][break]
"You think this is a performance?" He hissed at her. "What about this screams circus performance?!"
[break][break]
The nocturi rolled his eyes before an answer was even provided. Humanity was truly hopeless if they could not teach their children, and adults, that dangers existed! Being unaware of one's surroundings was one thing, but assuming a battle as a circus performance was another. His eyes scanned the area, noticing an alleyway up ahead. He hoped it went straight through with no fences, boxes or other blocks.
[break][break]
"Keep your head down," he mumbled at her.
[break][break]
He acted quickly, Marz creating a blinding light above them for their followers to "enjoy". Afterwards, he gently shouldered her to the side. Night vision brightened the darkened area, and within, a fence with a rusted padlock. The mercenary's lips quirked, but with few options, they needed to slither away. He tightened the grip around her arm once more, pulling her close and bringing her down beside the dumpsters.
[break][break]
"Be quiet," he whispered.
[break][break]
The sounds of footsteps echoed outside the alleyway, and Marz despised it. The nocturi pulled the darkness from around them, condensing it in the desperate hope of hiding them. However, with a fire manipulator on their side, Marz was not optimistic; not that he regularly was.
[break][break]
@calliopemoritama || 411 Words
[attr="class","alive_much"]
[attr="class","alive_much2"]-- Only trusting the night, and never seeing the people's light.
You only got a couple miles to go if you're trying to drive me insane
The stranger's grasp on her ensured that she would be able to do nothing else but follow. Regardless, she was happy to follow along. This was the most entertainment she had gotten in a long while. She had absolutely no intentions of legging it, and in fact, was very determined to see this to the very end. She was something of a circus connoisseur, making a point to go to each one to see the steam piano that she shared a name with.
She really had to admit, his dedication to the show was admirable. The whole thing was so dramatic, Cali had to wonder if this wasn't a show after all. It was too real, too gritty. Twisting in the man's grip, she looked around for cameras. She was stupid, of course this was a movie. She had just gotten wrapped up in it by accident, and he was such a good actor, he just rolled with it. The heat of the fire rushed towards them, and despite her new resolve to do her best to not mess up their action scenes, Cali couldn't help but cringe away. In a quiet whisper so the cameras could edit it out better, she answered, "its okay, I know its a movie now. I won't mess it up, I swear."
She tucked herself closer into the stranger, obviously associating him with safety. Even though her consciousness had not been able to clock the danger, her subconscious thankfully had a tinge of self-preservation left to it. She obeyed without another comment, sticking herself firmly into Marz' side as they moved into the darkness. It swallowed them, and Cali squinted so hard her face hurt. Giving up on seeing anything, her hand gripped the man's shirt as he pulled her down.
This was a little romantic, Cali thought with a little blush. She didn't exactly know her supposed role in this, but this was a little sweet. Her hand slipped down to hold the stranger's tightly, surprisingly happy to stay quiet in the moment. Her brain was still trying to catch up with the quick decision to have a crush on the stranger.
Fire blossomed in the alleyway several yards ahead of them, lighting up boxes and pallets immediately. Sparks hissed and cracked as they spiraled upwards. The group of men seemed to not notice them, surging forwards as they burned everything in their path. They had apparently decided that the pair had fled on, and they burned a war path ahead to smoke them out.
The acrid fumes burned her lungs and eyes, and she squinted painfully before turning her head into her arm, pressing her nose into the fabric to breathe. This was starting to become less movie-like, and a little too real for her tastes.
Perhaps his distance from humanity left an unfamiliarity Marz failed to comprehend. The light-haired woman seemed completely unaware of the direness of the situation. Unflappable to the shooting flames and swirling danger around her, however, the reasoning only solidified how she managed... Initially, she believed it was a circus act, now, it progressed to the notion of being a movie scene... The nocturi's lips pressed together in frustration, however, insight panic was unlikely to improve anything with a nasty gang of murderers behind them.
[break][break]
If she wished to believe it was a movie, whatever! Convincing her that otherwise appeared hopeless, thus handling the threat became the better option. The dark-haired man ignored the spontaneous hand holding. He assumed the young woman wanted comfort because of the thrills in this so-called "movie scene"; the thought made him roll his eyes. Nonetheless, Marz maintained his silence, listening to the world around them. The sharp growls of burning flames made Marz stiffen as he waited, hoping they would continue on their path, however, he was not optimistic.
[break][break]
Angry people enjoyed destroying things to unleash the anger boiling inside. Beneath the shadow cover, Marz's eyes narrowed, thinking as the smoke enveloped the alleyway. Options were limited and for the sake of assuring their safety, something needed to be finished. Carefully, he pulled the stranger away, hand grabbing the back edge of the dumpster.
[break][break]
"Be ready," he whispered.
[break][break]
Everything happened quickly as Marz plotted their escape inside his mind. From the wall, he yanked the dumpster into the alleyway before sending high-speed darkness at it. The speed was nothing extreme, but enough to assure their enemies would be surprised by the actions taken. The nocturi vice-gripped around the woman's hand, dragging her towards the locked fence. In a swift move, condensed shadows shattered the rusted lock. Without hesitation, Marz shoved her through, placing himself between the unruly men and the woman.
[break][break]
"Start running!"
[break][break]
The mercenary heard the sound before noticing it. A nasty bite into his arm made Marz grimace as fire smacked into him. An annoyed grunt growled from his throat as he patted out the flames. These fools were relentless and the dark-haired man despised their cruel situation. Another throw of darkness, another need for an escape. Hastily, Marz followed after the woman, hoping the ruckus would spook their assailants enough to avoid a further chase. The burn stung his flesh, but Marz bit down on his lip and bore the pain to avoid a show of weakness.
[break][break]
@calliopemoritama || 415 Words
[attr="class","alive_much"]
[attr="class","alive_much2"]-- Only trusting the night, and never seeing the people's light.
You only got a couple miles to go if you're trying to drive me insane
It made complete sense that this was fictional. If it wasn't, then how come everyone else seemed to be so sure of themselves?! This whole thing looked choreographed, and if she wasn't having so much fun, she might have felt guilty about crashing their scenes. She was blissfully unaware that the chances of getting out of whatever mess this was were growing slim the longer she lingered.
Taking the stranger's silence as an agreement, Cali felt altogether a little bit shy at this newfound crush. Beginning to plot out the start of a beautiful life together, her visions of white picket fences was smartly ripped away as the crack of fire sparked up closer to them, the heat rippling angrily as it reached for them. The night was otherwise silent, a stark contrast to what was happening in their current bubble. She sucked in a sharp breath as smoke rolled over them, tickling her nose and lungs.
Her new beau pulled her away, dragging her towards a locked fence. It was starting to not feel as nice as it did, with his fingers digging into her hand as tightly as they were. This wasn't the romantic picture her brain had created anymore, it was getting a little weird at this point. Maybe she didn't want to spend forever with dumpster man anymore.
The lock shattered before her eyes, but she didn't have much time to be surprised. Of course, it was a prop lock, it was built to do that. Nonetheless, it was still marvelous to watch it happen. She was commanded to run, and after a short debate, the fire curling towards her ankles finally convinced her to obey for the first time that night.
Turning, Cali bolted, her original bundle still firmly clasped to her chest with one arm. A significant amount of leaves were gone in all the running and hiding, leaving only a bundle of sad, green twigs. If she wasn't convinced she could save them, she would have just discarded the bunch.
She was relieved to hear footsteps behind her, turning her head to assure her that the stranger was hot on her heels. She didn't want to leave him, but honestly if it came between their forever and her survival, she was gonna put herself first. She could find a new lover, maybe move to Italy or Greece and forget he ever existed. Ah, but the memories of their time spent together would still haunt her even as an old woman.
After a brief sprint, she began to slow, her lungs burning with the effort of running for perhaps the first time in years. "Is it over yet? Can we stop now? I'm so tired. My legs are so sore. And oh my gosh, my lungs burn like crazy. I have no idea if its the smoke or running but man, maybe I need to go to the gym more often."
Marz Luther ● how many children are we having boss?
He claimed absolute disappointment in humanity, yet, he bit through pain to rescue the young woman. Despite his cynical disposition, Marz refused to simply allow bad things to occur if he could change them. A tired man accomplishing heroics solely because of a nature that weathered through the storm of cynicism. The nocturi remained behind her, galactic eyes glancing over his shoulder at the empty street... however he proceeded down the sidewalk with her ahead of him. Even as his lungs burned and his muscles ached, he continued until she spoke.
[break][break]
"We can stop," he called through the exhale.
[break][break]
The mercenary ceased movement, legs slowing to a light canter before finally stopping sturdy. Between his somewhat elevated breathing, the nocturi gazed behind them. A deathly silence consumed the sidewalk, only broken by their heavy, ragged breaths. Nobody existed behind them, the emptiness between the street lamps a pleasant sight for the protective nocturi. A long sigh escaped Marz's lips as his arms reached to stretch, but he stopped. A pained hiss left his lips as he brought his arm down, noticing the amber remnants on his sleeve and blackened fibres.
[break][break]
Quietly, his eyes stared at the reddening injury across his upper arm. Adrenaline fled from his veins, leaving the pulsating pain. Fortunately, the evening belonged to nocturi, and beneath this gorgeous night sky, his injury was bound to gradually heal and mend. Moments passed before his starry eyes locked onto the young woman, hoping she caught her breath.
[break][break]
"Do you still think this a movie?" He grumbled, an edge to his voice. "I was grabbing your arm hard enough to bruise and you couldn't see the grave reality of the situation? Are you a fool or was this idea a coping mechanism to handle the situation?"
[break][break]
A razor edge infiltrated his voice, harsh and void of softness for the situation. How unimpressed the dark-haired mercenary was exhibited itself in his narrowed eyes and deadpanned expression. He wished naught for thanks or appreciation, but rather, to educate the foolishness evident in humanity. Those who swayed into danger without realizing it risked themselves to an early grave.
[break][break]
@calliopemoritama || 355 Words
[attr="class","alive_much"]
[attr="class","alive_much2"]-- Only trusting the night, and never seeing the people's light.
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.
