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!
The model would shrug at the comment about Aunt Maye's. Sure, it was a nice business and the woman who ran it quite frequently would endorse Artorias, but he understood people could be rather picky. Artorias then felt the small push, almost like a nudge of sorts. This irritated him a bit, but he had to maintain his composure at this minor gesture.
Luckily, the woman somewhat made up for it with her words, although Artorias couldn't help but believe she was mocking him. Especially to say that such a dress would be displayed alongside his own work. It was enough to start to boil his blood. The man had to take a moment to compose himself and keep his smile, letting his eyes only narrow for a brief moment.
"It would have to be something rather spectacular to be next to something I represent. If your son has no taste, it would be in the back of the store with the rest of the common items." Artorias stated a little more blunt than intended. He would chuckle.
"Not to be brash, but if you really want the best quality then you may want to set your son's standards higher."
Artorias would nod at this. He knew the fashion world well, so the request was something rather simple. Victorian dresses were definitely known in Lorsette so the vampire would nod a response.
"Well, for the dress, that can be found at Aunt Maye's, a few stores down. She has at least a hundred styles of dresses and is rather talented in picking out styles from different eras. Her specialty is Victorian, so she can definitely find you the perfect dress for your person." The man replied simply.
He then smiled briefly.
"As for the new items coming into this store here, that would be my new clothing line: Caught in the Fray. It's bound to be all the rage once it's put in its rightful place at the front of the store here." Artorias would add with a slight bitterness to his tone.
He was more than a little bitter that people were hearing about the new items and that they weren't already put out front for public display.
Artorias figured he would add to the selling point by gesturing to his jacket. "This is one of the new items that can be purchased."
Upon not seeing anything at the storefront, where his line definitely belonged. Artorias was considering entering the store and asking about whether the store had received a shipment or not. If they had and it wasn't being showcased, the man would have been rather irritated to say the slightest. After all, anything that he endorsed deserved to be front and center, just like himself. If it wasn't brought out yet, Artorias would make sure to notify his agents.
Before he could step into the store, the man heard a voice speak to him. Artorias wasn't too surprised at being interrupted and quite honestly didn't mind once he realized it wasn't just some screaming fangirl. He was starting to grow bored today and it was a bit refreshing to hear someone approach him and not ask for a stupid autograph or photo. The man turned to the taller woman, not really surprised at the height difference. In the modeling business, tall females were rather common, so this was nothing new. Although, this particular woman did stand out and wasn't one that he recognized in the slightest. Downtown Lorsette did attract quite a few manner of people, so Artorias would maintain his usual collected demeanor.
The woman's tone of voice was soft, while her manner of speaking showed she wasn't from around the area. Artorias figured that he would humor the woman's request. She seemed fashionably dressed unlike many who he met. Turning, the man would reply.
"Hm? Looking for something?" Artorias asked a bit curiously. Perhaps she was looking for the same thing he was. If so, this could prove beneficial to him.
"How can I help?" The man asked coolly. He didn't care too much for charity work, but figured he had nothing better to do for the day.
Downtown Lorsette. A place Artorias was all too familiar with as he had traveled through it quite a few times and even lived in a rather large house within it.
It was where the man's talented had been discovered and recognized by the masses, so he considered it his birthplace for his career. Many people recognized him here, often whispering excitedly under their breath when he passed by or even stopping him for an autograph. The man didn't mind doing such insignificant things. After all, it made him look good.
Not that Artorias needed help to look good. He was a model after all.
As the tall, slender man wandered through, wearing his signature black leather jacket from his new fashion line he was headlining for: *Caught in the Fray*. The name fit the perfectly given his history, but Artorias currently played it off as being a 'bad boy' heartthrob for his fans. There were already plenty of rumors of Artorias being involved with a new gang or that he was joining underground fight clubs, but nothing held any proof as far as the public truly knew.
That didn't stop his agents from using this to their advantage and making quite a bit of money off of him. Even actually underground ring leaders would profit from people by stating Artorias was sponsoring them.
These rings didn't last long as the sheer amount of people showing up would disclose their location and the agents were also quick to threaten to shut them down unless they were paid a ridiculous amount of fees to utilize the name.
The world was full of criminals of all shapes and sizes, which was why Artorias felt right at home being on top of it all.
The model had been walking around the area for nearly ten minutes when he finally decided to stop by a small clothing shop to see if they were carrying his new releases yet. He may not have cared much for the fans, but he did care about the money that was being brought in.
While Artorias maintained his practically trademarked smirk, Dexter had seemed to have started to leave. Luckily for the vampire, the young man seemed to be drawn back into the rude remarks and practical bullying. The model had even successfully brought Dexter's anger to the point of swearing, a feat that Artorias took quite the amount of pride in. It was always a fun time to aggravate and torture his former 'friends' from the Scarlet Ghosts and Dexter was proving to be one of the more entertaining ones. The young man's irritation was definitely a highlight to these schemes.
Dexter's outburst regarding Artorias' implications of blaming the redhead for a gang member's death was just the icing on the cake at this point. The anger in the man's eyes, his clenched fists. It was obvious that Dexter wanted nothing more than to wipe the smug look off of the vampire's face, but Artorias knew he wouldn't dare make such a foolish mistake against him. After all, it was evident that the vampire had quite the advantage when it came to physical altercations, so it was a smart idea not to actually swing a punch against him. Of course, this wouldn't stop the model from continuing to stir the pot.
"Oh, but of course I'd blame you for it. After all, each of the Ghosts had their flaws, aside from me, of course." Artorias stated bluntly with a chuckle. "I believe that you were all more bark than bite, especially you, Dexter. I mean, look at you now. What have you even accomplished since your time away from the gang?" The vampire questioned with a shake of his head. "Still far too weak to stand up for yourself and just barking away instead of taking action." That was when Artorias would most quickly, using his enhanced speed to position himself right in front of Dexter, not caring if he kept his head turned around or not. "You're pathetic." The vampire added in a low voice, just hoping to have upset Dexter even more.
To say that Artorias was growing father more annoyed by Fletcher would have been the understatement of the century. The vampire's anger was starting to reach its boiling point, but he had to keep his cool. Even when Fletcher began to talk about ruining the model's reputation, Artorias would merely clench his fists tightly. It didn't matter to him what this guy would try to say about him, tabloids have started plenty of rumors in the past and nothing ever stuck. Artorias figured Fletcher was all talk when it came this situation, so he merely rolled his eyes.
"Consider it a running start..." Artorias whispered back, just as Fletcher pulled the pocket knife and pressed it to his side. The vampire didn't even flinch as Fletcher declared that this time he was prepared for him, making direct eye contact as he assured Artorias that he would pay for what he did to the man and to their gang. A cruel smirk would come across Artorias' features once again at this. It was almost prideful that such a threat was being made towards him about that. It seemed Fletcher didn't just have a vendetta over his death. He also wanted revenge for the whole gang.
The vampire stayed silent as he waited for Fletcher to sheathe the weapon before chuckling lightly as a response to the threat. "I look forward to seeing just how prepared you'll be, Fletcher." Artorias replied mockingly before continuing on his way. While Artorias would have come across as not so serious about this, there was a nagging in his mind that he needed to cut off this loose end and would have to handle it quickly. For now, Fletcher was free to walk, but Artorias was already planning a few methods to make him pay for disrespect. He was going to make Fletcher regret ever coming back from Hell.
Empty words. That was all that most of these insults were to the vampire. Artorias would just allow the words to fall on deaf ears. That useless attacks upon the vampire's lack of care for others wasn't having much of an effect on Artorias. It was all just childish words for the man. Artorias would have simply replied to the man with some more cruel words, but that was when Fletcher crossed the line, mentioning the vampire's mother and prompting the narrowing of his crimson eyes along with a scowl towards the ex-friend of his.
"Only a coward brings family into such a petty argument..." Artorias growled, that insult obviously having struck a nerve. He wanted nothing more than to wipe that smug grin off of Fletcher's face and make him pay for even mentioning any of Artorias' family members. The vampire clenched his fists tightly, starting to raise his left one, but quickly stopped himself. He didn't want to start a fight out here where people could see. That could tarnish his reputation and cost him his career. He wasn't about to allow Fletcher to take this away from him, so instead the man would take a small breath and shake his head.
"You should have stayed dead, Fletcher." Artorias said in a low voice. "You would have been better off that way and a lot less annoying." The vampire would smirk once again. "Next time, I'll make sure there isn't even a body for you to come back with." The man would add on before moving to the side in order to try and get around Fletcher. Artorias believed the man should consider himself lucky that the vampire had some sense of self-control, but he figured the threat would hopefully keep Fletcher on his toes. Perhaps he would even get the chance to follow through with it, though the vampire wasn't even sure how the man had even returned from the dead.
Artorias' face retained that sick smile once he noticed that Dexter was growing ever more annoyed and, upon receiving that irritated glare, the vampire knew he had succeeded in pissing his former acquaintance off. The vampire was definitely getting a kick out of this, much like a high school bully with a nerdy classmate. He found it fun and was quite enjoying the fact that every ticking second seemed to make Dexter angrier and angrier.
A cruel chuckle would escape Artorias' lips at Dexter's declaration that he knew how to pick locks and that the door was jammed. The vampire shrugged in a sort of mock innocence before replying. "Well, perhaps you weren't as good as you thought you were. After all, it was definitely a simple lock and seemed to be child's play from what we had planned." He kept his tone condescending as he continued. "I'm certain if I had been the one to pick the lock that this whole operation would have went smoothly. Funny how one little loose end created so many issues, huh, Dex?" Artorias would laugh at this. He could honestly irritate Dexter for hours and never grow tired of it. The wealthy kid just made it so easy for him.
It was obvious that Artorias was far from finished with Dexter. He wanted to make him squirm more, to become angrier. That was why he chose his next words carefully. "You always were the weakest link, but hey, at least you're alive. That's more than can be said for one of our old friends." He added coldly, but feigning a vaguely solemn undertone. "I wonder how it feels..." A cruel smirk came across Artorias' features once more, to put away his facade. The vampire would then shrug once more. "It's not like you killed him by messing things up." Artorias stated bluntly.
Artorias expected such a response from his dear old friend, actually quite thankful to have disturbed the man before him. The eye roll, the irritated mumbling. It all reminded the vampire of why he absolutely despised his former affiliation with the Scarlet Ghosts. Each of them was inferior in their own right, but Dexter had a special place on Artorias' list of people he loathed. He had a lack of experience in the field and therefore was the easiest member to scapegoat that evening. A simple jamming of the door had been enough to seal the gang's fate. Something that Artorias himself felt would have been child's play to escape from.
This was why the blond now was choosing to take satisfaction in messing with his former friend. "Oh, come on, old friend, you act as though you're not happy to see me." Artorias would chide in a cruel tone, even mockingly bringing a hand to his chest as though he was hurt. The man would pause for a few moments before actually answering the question. "This is public property, Dexter, so it shouldn't matter why I'm here." The vampire would state bluntly, but keeping a calm demeanor for now.
A smirk crawled across his lips. "But since you asked so nicely, I figured I'd come here to relax from my oh so trying life as a model. You know, the constant hounding of fans eager for a glimpse of me can be quite tiring." Artorias would laugh briefly. "Oh wait, but you wouldn't understand how that feels now would you? I guess that door never opened for you, hm?" The vampire would emphasize his little insult towards how Dexter was trapped back then. The blond would bare his fangs in a sort of sick smile as he now awaited a response from the man.
Hello! My name is Harry! I have been roleplaying for the better part of ten years or so now! I am a voice actor, cosplayer, and musician from the USA! I am open to any and all plots, so feel free to message me!
To say that Artorias was taken aback by the man's response would be an understatement. A whisper had fallen upon the vampire's ears, stating that the man didn't care what Artorias thought and declaring that both were at blame for the physical contact that was made. As his fingers were pried from the man's shoulder, Artorias was beginning to feel irritated at the blatant disrespect that he was being given. This was not how the average citizen would have reacted to the model and each word that come from the man's lips was enough to cause Artorias' temper to rise, his bottom right eyelid twitched slightly.
It wasn't until the man turned to face Artorias and take a few steps back when realization dawned upon the vampire. Fletcher. His eyes would narrow now, as a frown deepened across the vampire's usual neutral expression. This guy was supposed to be dead and yet here he was, clear as day, with an obvious vendetta for the former partner. Of course, Artorias would clench his fist that was by his side, knuckles even paler than usual from the intensity. Clenching his jaw tightly, the vampire would go to take a step forward, but hearing Fletcher's backhanded attempt at observing that they were in public, the man decided against it.
Just one punch could have the potential to really mess this man up, but Artorias didn't want to ruin his public image. He had a good career going and a positive image to conceal his real motives. The vampire wasn't about to screw this up, especially not over a chump like Fletcher. Sure, he had returned from the dead, but Artorias could kill him again when the time came.
The vampire shook his head briefly, taking a couple small breaths to try and calm himself. It was then that an idea came to his head.
A cruel smirk would cross Artorias' face. If Fletcher thought about it, it would be quite similar to the one Artorias would have had when killing him. "Now, now, Fletcher. No need for name calling. I just wanted an apology because most people move out of the way and don't speed up after bumping into someone. You could have been trying to pickpocket me for all I know." The vampire was of course trying to play the nice guy role, though his voice did come off as condescending.
The cruel smirk would widen as Artorias continued to speak, "And as for having nothing to say to me, you've said quite enough." The vampire would shrug, using his temper as a catalyst for his words to instead hopefully agitate Fletcher enough to make a wrong move. "Most people would die for a chance to talk to me one on one instead of just hurrying along like they've seen a ghost." Artorias picked his words carefully, hoping to strike a few sour spots with the ex-partner before him.
With these words, if Fletcher was adamant about the two parting ways, Artorias would merely walk pass him to continue on his way.
Unfortunately for Fletcher, luck wouldn't be on his side today. As soon as Artorias and Fletcher collided, albeit briefly and nearly subtly, it was enough to cause the vampire to turn abruptly, a soft grunt of surprise coming forth. While most days Artorias would have disregarded an altercation, this was not one of those days. Maybe it was the sense of familiarity of this person before him. Maybe it was the fact that others would have moved from the model's face. Either way, Artorias' crimson eyes would narrow slightly as he would quicken his own pace to catch up with Fletcher.
It didn't take long at all for the young vampire to reach his right hand out to abruptly grab Fletcher's left shoulder, a little harder than he probably should have, but hoping that the action would be enough to garner a response. Regardless of whether this stopped the man or not, Artorias would state rather bluntly, "You know, most people apologize if they accidentally bump into someone in the street instead of just speeding up and walking away." His tone was scolding, perhaps even condescending, but the vampire could care less at this point. The person before him made a mistake and he was going to know it.
Artorias wouldn't let himself lose a single step with his words.
"What? Did nobody ever teach you manners?" Artorias would ask once again bluntly, trying to keep his voice level, but feeling a bit of his temper starting to flare. Something familiar about this person really was grinding his gears, but he couldn't quite place what it was. Not like it mattered. Sometimes he just hated how someone looked. Whatever the reason may be, the vampire right now was on the fence about whether to escalate the situation or not depending upon how Fletcher would respond. He did have a public image to uphold, but he wasn't going to let himself be disrespected either.
It started out as a normal day for Artorias, much like any other day. As a model, he didn't have much time to spend for himself since he always had to think of what others would think about him. His personal image as an overall citizen alongside his physical appearance were both intricate parts to Artorias' career. While reporters hoped to catch him 'slipping up', Artorias never once allowed any of them to have that satisfaction. This always made him chuckle, alongside his managers who were obviously proud of their client for staying true to himself and never allowing those 'dastardly predators' get to him.
If only those managers knew of Artorias' own predatory nature. They would definitely think twice before ever grouping those reporters in any category even close to himself. This brought a smile to Artorias' face every time he thought of this. It was such a fun little game to him, one that he wasn't planning on ending anytime soon. It was a simple game of cat and mouse for him which would tide him over until his real hunts occurred. For now, Artorias merely would continue this charade until his time came.
This day's main difference was that Artorias finally had some free time for himself where he could relax and spend some time in nature. He much preferred this aspect of life as opposed to humans and their constant use of technology and reliance upon their machines. As Artorias pondered these thoughts of his, he found himself approaching a path that he knew all too well. A path to Cattail Lake. It was a small area of nature, but an area nonetheless. A normally crystal clear lake, beautiful foliage, and quite a bit of wildlife. It was a perfect getaway from humanity for Artorias and one that he went to quite frequently. Wearing his usual garb of a bright red t-shirt, a black leather jacket with matching pants, his usual black and red shoes and a silver necklace around his neck. 'A'-shaped silver earrings were also upon his ears with his blond hair spiked in his preferred casual style.
Normally, Artorias would shrug off his jacket, remove his shirt, and go for a nice cooling swim within this lake, but upon reaching his destination, a surprise met him. A slightly familiar form was before Artorias, earbuds removed yet still seemingly in touch with technology. It was irritating to him, but not enough to prompt much aggressive, instead Artorias decided to just make himself known in a...more polite manner.
"You know, this place is much better without a distraction like technology around you. You should try it." Artorias stated, matter-of-factually with a neutral expression on his face and his left hand in his pocket. Crimson eyes looked down upon Dexter, almost challenging him to make a witty reply. Artorias didn't mind either way, but was ready to make his point clear if an argument began.
Streets of memories. Memories that Artorias had disregarded quite easily. His times in a rather small gang where he would perform a variety of small crimes alongside his 'partners.' A smirk came across the vampire's face as he recalled a few of the heists they performed. There were some fun moments for him involving pawning some very valuable, and sentimental, family heirlooms from some unsuspecting rich folk around the area, but Artorias never cared too much for the monetary aspect of it all. No, he much preferred when things went wrong during the heists and the victims would be home.
The vampire recalled one particular event where he had the absolute most fun with his 'old friends.' Artorias knew the heist could have gone perfect, but he felt that his damned partners were always slowing him down. Something went wrong during that time and this had completely set him off. That was why the vampire took matters into his own hands, choosing to permanently silence one of the members. Fletcher. Artorias always felt the guy was shifty, seemingly preferring to target individuals outside by picking their pockets instead of breaking into houses where the real fun was at. Artorias saw this as fear, weakness, and quite honestly found it annoying.
So he killed him.
It was messy and the most fun that Artorias had in quite a while. Betraying his entire gang, even going so far as to lock one member inside of the building so the authorities had someone to blame. It was a perfect cover-up and Artorias never thought twice about it, aside from fond remembrance of the joy of seeing blood pouring from Fletcher and the obvious panic of all of his 'partners' when their heist went wrong. Now, Artorias was free from those consequences. Free from those losers. And he had been for awhile now.
That was why the young vampire found himself walked along the downtown streets, his usual red t-shirt, leather jacket, and matching pants upon him. This time the vampire wore two silver earrings with a sharp "A" upon each of them, obviously representing his name and brand, along with a matching silver necklace.
Most people were smart to move out of the model's way, though there was gossip in the streets as usual with Artorias' usual confident demeanor being prominent in the way he walked. He didn't pay his fans much mind, occasionally offering a smirk or a nod to them, but not too interesting in the commoners. They respected him, some of them practically worshiped him, as they should and that was enough for him.
That was when Artorias caught sight of a familiar face. Brown hair, green eyes that he recalled losing their light as he passed on. There was no way in hell that this person was who he thought he was. The vampire would shake his head briefly, slowly, and chuckle a bit to himself. ~I swear, a lot of these humans look alike.~ Artorias thought to himself. Slightly distracted, the vampire soon found himself walked directly towards the man, seemingly on a collision course that would result in the two bumping shoulders.
Downtown Lorsette wasn't a place that Artorias found himself in too often. It was packed full of a variety of merchants trying to sell their goods to anyone who passed by and was overall just too crowded for the vampire. There was only one good reason why he was here and that was a little rumor that Artorias heard about a bar that was run by a vampire, a powerful one at that. It was enough to peak his curiosity, knowing that if the rumor turned out false then at least he could get a decent drink for himself.
The blond was dressed in his usual casual outfit of a red t-shirt under a black leather jacket with matching leather pants. On his feet were two crimson gym shoe with white laces. Nothing really stood out about the attractive model's outfit, two silver earrings upon each ear along with a silver chain around his neck. It was enough to maybe give off a "punk" appearance with the man's hair spiked up in his iconic style. A few passerby had been whispering as he walked by, recognizing the model and creating their own ideas as to why he would be here.
Artorias would merely shrug this off as he approached the entrance to the bar. It wasn't anything too out of the usual, but it was the location nonetheless. The vampire would open the door, crossing the threshold confidently as crimson eyes scanned the area. It looked much like how most bars appeared, so his hunt could very well be in vain. With a slight turn of his neck, stretching slightly, the blond would approach the bar, taking note of the many guests.
That was when the man noticed a figure in a purple pinstriped suit with white hair and maroonish pink tone eyed. He fit the description of the owner, as he wandered around and greeted the different patrons. Artorias would lock eyes with the man for a brief moment as he'd approach him. "Hello, I take it you're the owner here." The vampire smiled, allowing his fangs to appear briefly but retracting them as though it was an illusion. "What's your most popular drink here? I'm parched." Artorias' tone came off as smooth and confident, a higher baritone voice, he knew the questions to ask and exactly how to ask them.
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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.
