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!
His gaze was freezing as she told her story. She'd thought it was a little funny, but people had different senses of humor. When he finally spoke she realized he was just holding off until he decided how he wanted to try and get under her skin next.
"I'm sure he does worse than flirt behind my back." she frowned. The story she was telling was meant to be transparent, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to stick with it. The follow-through was always just as important as the lie itself. "And I'm not the type to let that sort of thing go unmatched."
She leaned in as he began weaving his own story. She was sure it was meant to be sad, but she couldn't bring herself to pity him any. Having a mom die on you was much better than having her abandon you to what she knew was a living hell. She understood her mother's actions, and she was kind of grateful her sister wound up safe, but that hadn't made her feel any less abandoned growing up.
The bad boy act was also far too cliche. His interests were darker? What the hell was that supposed to mean? They were just petty words meant to scare her away. And yet his cold gaze had her fixed. That beautiful promise of danger was hard to fake. On any other day she would have loved to poke at that chilling demeanor to see how deep it really went.
Alas, she had other plans in motion and they were starting to come together. Out of the corner of her eye she caught a blur of movement near her other targets. She didn't need to look to see the argument she knew would ensue. Instead she kept her attention fixed on the man as he went on to explain how envious he was of handbags. She made a mental note of the fact. Maybe she could steal a handbag and give it to him as an apology for the mess she was throwing him into.
"Well, while the tough guy act is charming, you should really walk away now unless you want to prove it." She set her gaze firmly, daring him to leave. If the bad luck threat wasn't enough, she was pretty sure this wouldn't be either. And if she was wrong? Well she'd be very disappointed.
Mikaela chuckled at the man's words. He was right, of course. Everyone here was trying to forget the hole that was slowly growing deeper beneath their feet. But why had he cared enough to point that out? Was he trying to cheer her up? The smile melted from her face at the thought, but he was too busy snatching the bartender's attention to notice.
"I thought I was the one that offered to buy the drinks." she observed, ear flicking in irritation. But she didn't say anything else. As long as he hadn't ordered her milk there was no reason to be upset.
Her stomach twisted in a knot as he finally threw out the dreaded line of inquiry. What was her story? She knew his specific words were meant to get under her skin and they worked. What nerve he had assuming he understood her. For all he knew, she could have just been bored or lonely. But it begged the question: Why was she here? She'd long since moved on from the past, so why did she still feel the need to hide from it?
When she finally turned to look at him, disgust was written across her face. "Is that really what you think I'm doing?" she asked. "Drowning out my insecurities?"
Her gaze studied the curves of his face, analyzing his expression with no shortage of curiosity. He was more interesting than she thought he'd be when she pulled him over. He was awfully bold to assume she had anything in particular to forget. For all he knew she could just be bored and lonely. The matter of his psyche demanded more attention.
"Alright. You wanna know my story?" she asked, sighing. Honesty. How was she even supposed to start on that? It definitely wasn't worth figuring out. "I have a boyfriend. The real mentally abusive type, but he has enough money that I stay despite that. Anyway, we got in a fight about how he wouldn't buy me a handbag and now I'm avoiding going back home until things blow over."
She shrugged and leaned across the bar to check the status on the drinks he'd ordered. Her gaze flickered back to him and she wrinkled her nose. "Before you judge me you have to know that it was a really cute handbag." She allowed the words a moment to sink in before cracking a wry smile.
"What about you? If you see through all these 'happy faces' what interest does a place like this hold for you? Are you an addict looking for some kind of twisted rush?" And if he was, would he be willing to really play with her? Maybe she was making a mistake in condemning him to a mere bar fight. She could probably do much better if she really put her mind to it.
As expected, her question caused him to pause. She should give a reason for him to stay and talk to her while he was still interested in paying attention. But when he turned and spoke, he didn’t offer the brisk dismissal she’d been waiting for. In fact, his new attitude seemed completely different. She wasn’t sure she could trust the sudden turn around.
She initially tensed at the thought of anyone thinking of her as adorable, but that anger faded away and was replaced by a grin. Adorable. She could work with that. Even if the added jab about her fluffy, tabby cat tail hit a little too close to home.
She leaned against the bar, using the motion to casually glance at her other targets. She’d lost track of the guy, but that was a good thing. It meant she only had to hold her position for a bit longer before the much awaited collision was set in motion. After all, the girl was now sipping on a different drink.
She turned back to him when he continued talking, staring at him with an amused gaze. If she wanted to sit in silence she might as well drink alone. Then she wouldn’t have to pay for his drink too. ”Well, while that sounds like an.... entertaining time, I’m afraid I’m gonna have to disappoint you.” She sighed and leaned her cheek against her palm, but her eyes still glimmered mischievously. ”You see, I have a little secret.”
She paused and glanced around before leaning in closer and whispering: ”My tail isn’t fluffy. Or tabby.”
”I know, it’s shocking, but I’m just your average black cat.” She tilted her head to the side and grinned. ”Well, maybe not average. Us black cats are supposed to be bad luck.”
”If you’re in a place like this, you probably have enough bad luck. Maybe you should run while you still have the chance.” Disappointment filled her tone. It was meant as a sarcastic comment, but the truth behind it hit hard. No one should hang around her. She brought nothing but pain and trouble. She told herself that she cared about being a good person time and time again, but if it was true wouldn’t she just stay away from others? That would be safer for them.
In a smooth motion, Mikaela waved to get the bartender’s attention. She needed another drink, and she didn’t really care if the guy she was talking to wanted one from her or not.
As he ripped away from her grasp she didn’t have the chance to hold on tighter. He didn’t like being pulled over by a stranger. She could read it on his face. At least... for a few moments she thought she could. Then it was gone, replaced by some other expression that escaped Mikaela’s understanding.
“What are you...” her gaze tracked his hand as it moved towards her and she growled as he scratched behind ear. She should punch him in the gut. She should kill him. But it would have to wait until later. If she drew too much attention to the two of them now it might catch the attention of her unwitting targets across the bar.
He pulled away and she stared blankly after him for a moment.
“Ma dai?!” she blurted out, apparently a bit too intoxicated to bite her tongue and conceal her emotions. Not that he’d understand what she said. Was he seriously just going to walk away without another word? No way was she that far off her game. Getting someone in a little bar like this to have a drink with her should have been child’s play. But no! Somehow she’d messed up and he was walking away. She wouldn’t allow it.
“What high and mighty plans do you have that make hanging out with someone like me so...” she paused to hunt for the right word, and her when she finally got it it rolled off her tongue in a thick drawl. ”Intolerable.”
She placed a hand on her hip and studied him. What made him so important? She knew first hand how hard it could be to determine who was actually dangerous in this world, but he wasn’t going to get out of a simple conversation with her without a fight.
For someone so young, Mikaela sure had a lot of experience with the worst sides of life. It hardly seemed fair, but she wouldn’t complain about it. Regrets, insecurities, and fears hadn’t been an option for her until recently. Sure, she could occasionally reflect on her life and wish things had been different or shrink back in the face of a particularly fierce opponent, but when it came down to it she’d always keep moving forward and doing what she had to do.
Old habits died hard and she still made it through by shoving those negative thoughts and emotions to the side. They only got in the way. But tonight was different. She was sick of the limitations she usually tied herself down with. Maybe, just maybe, at the bottom of a bottle she could find a way to forget the past lives that had long since moved on from her.
She was only a few drinks in, and she was starting to get bored. It was time to make some entertainment. A crimson gaze scanned the bar, hunting for the perfect targets. Her attention caught on one particular couple and she spent the next couple of drinks observing them.
A muscly guy and a blond woman. The guy seemed protective. When others closed in on the woman he’d glower at them. And yet he wasn’t there for her. Sure, he was sitting with her, but he was periodically pulled away by a group of friends. She seemed disappointed every time this happened, but she was too meek to step up and say anything.
Mikaela wrinkled her nose. Both of their actions disgusted her. If you went out with someone you weren’t supposed to use it as an excuse to hang out with friends. And if someone wasn’t paying you the attention you deserved, stepping back and letting them do whatever they wanted wasn’t the correct solution.
She leaned back in her seat, contemplating, for a moment, whether she’d feel guilty if she messed up their lives a little. Deciding that no, she definitely wouldn’t, Mikaela waved down the bartender.
"Heyyyy, I have a favor to ask." her voice was accented thicker than usual and she took a moment to gather herself and find the right words in English. "That girl over there? The blonde that’s been nursing a cola all night? Next time her boyfriend goes over to play with that group of guys, can you send her a gin and tonic from me? Oh, and if you don’t tell her it’s from me specifically I’ll give you a nice tip. Just motion in my general direction if she asks." He looked at her dubiously and she offered a warm smile. Of course that would be a suspicious request and she should clear up any potential misunderstandings now. Or, at least, that’s what she would be thinking if she wasn’t lying through her teeth. "You see, we were sorority sisters a few years back and I want to see if she still remembers me."
Still seeming slightly skeptical, the bartender nodded and was pulled away by another waiting customer. Now for the important part of her plan. Her gaze scanned the bar again and she grinned at a passing stranger."Hey!" a hand reached out to loosely grab his wrist and she prayed to god that she wouldn’t get slapped for this. If she distracted him into staying and talking for five minutes that should be more than long enough.
"I don’t usually do this sort of thing, but can I buy you a drink? I can already tell it’s gonna be a long night and I don’t really fancy drinking alone." She tilted her chin down, looking up at him through long lashes with a coy smile. Upon closer inspection, he didn’t seem too far from her type. His eyes were the prettiest shade of green she’d seen in a while and they seemed to glow under the dimmed lights. But she couldn’t let herself get distracted! She wasn’t actually flirting, just setting him up to take a hit for her. No way would she let herself fall for a stranger in some dirty old bar.
5 feet and 4 inches of pure tsundere. Mikaela has dark hair usually worn up so it stays out of the way. Sharp crimson eyes take in every little movement from her enemies. She has a tattoo of a snake wrapped around her wrist like a bracelet, a subtle mark from her father’s gang for those who know what to look for. There are a number of scars riddling her body, mainly burns from cooking incidents and a few scratches from fights.
Layers is not in Mikaela’s vocabulary. Even in Winter the most she’s likely to wear is a hoodie. She doesn’t aim for fashion, but rather movement. If she can’t fight or run at a moment's notice, she won’t like the clothing. She does prefer darker colours, only really wearing lighter or brighter tones when she’s trying to play a role.
As a Nekomata she can shift into a cat. Similar to her human form she’s a small cat with well-built muscles. The lean build is covered with a long, black tabby pelt. She can partially shift and manifest black ears and a tail in her human form as well.
From an outside perspective, Mikaela seems insane. She is irrational and reckless and unpredictable. She likes it that way, though. She’d rather be home alone reading a nice book than anything else, but if she has to interact with others, she’s going to have fun with it. She’s more fluent in lying than telling the truth. In fact, she’s not sure who she really is, but she doesn’t dig into the matter because she’s worried she’ll find out that she’s a monster.
Mikaela does take some things seriously. If she has a job to do, she’ll do it to the best of her ability. In fact, she gets annoyed when she knows others slack off, even if it doesn’t affect her at all. She may lie every other word, but if she says she’ll do something it will take a natural disaster to stop her.
If Mikaela is ever the reason someone gets hurt, she’ll never forgive herself. She doesn’t care if others get hurt carrying out someone else’s plan, but she won’t be the cause of it. If she actually cares about someone, she’ll lay down her life for them, but she’d never let them know. She believes the further away they are from her, the safer they are, so she’ll usually be more irrationally annoying around them.
abilities
Feline Shift ~ Moderate - Mikaela can shift into a black smoke cat. In this form she’s much more agile and faster. If significant damage is taken in this form she won’t be able to maintain it and will shift back to her human body. It takes about 35 seconds to shift during which she is vulnerable to attack. She doesn’t have much control over partial shifts besides ears and a tail.
Darkness Manipulation ~ Advanced - Mikaela can manipulate shadows and thicken them in certain areas. She was once a master at using this to help her blend in when she was sneaking around, but now that she doesn’t do as much of that it’s a bit of a useless talent. She used to enjoy messing with people by making small bursts of shadow and making them think they were seeing things, but she doesn’t do that so often now, thinking it’s far too basic to be worth her time. Sometimes when she gets anxious or stressed she’ll thicken the shadows around her without realizing it. Using this power without moderation wears her out quickly.
Enhanced Speed ~ Advanced - With years of training in stamina, Mikaela can run fast and far. She is fastest in her cat form, but even in her human form she can manage great distances in a short amount of time. The faster she goes, the sooner she gets worn out, though. Her enhanced speed also influences her reflexes, and when she’s startled she can quickly shift from relaxed to defensive.
Naturals - Enhanced Dexterity, Enhanced Senses, Night Vision, Enhanced Stealth
backstory
Aurora and Arabella, later known as Liberty and Mikaela Lye. Twins born into different lives. Their mother was a fallen angel and their father was a major figure in the criminal world of Italy. Liberty, taking after their mom, was whisked away to Canada shortly after the two were born. Mikaela, on the other hand, was crafted into a weapon for their father to use.
Her father taught her to use her abilities to her advantage. Not one bit of her potential skill went to waste. Physically and mentally, she was trained to blend in until she had the perfect opportunity to strike from the shadows. He particularly emphasized strategy and tactics, but she was also tutored in all the topics she’d need to blend into high society if need be, from languages to music. In particular, she was taught French, English, and the basics of Latin, along with how to play piano.
Despite most of her time being spent on one lesson or another, Mikaela had friends. Or… at least something related to friends. A couple other kids, Aina and Matteo, were trained alongside her. She was always expected to be better than them, but they were the few peers she really knew and they were willing to stick by her side.
In her life, that sort of loyalty was important. She could never really trust anyone, but some of the jobs she was given couldn’t be completed on her own. Primarily an informant, she spent a lot of time undercover, but she was also in charge of ensuring the loyalty of people her father made a deal with. If they weren’t loyal, things could get dicey. It was on one of these missions that Matteo died, and she blamed herself. It was her fault, after all. She’d been in charge.
Showing her grief was one of the signs of weaknesses she’d always been warned against, so the kept it to herself, but the tragedy made her more cautious. In fact, she soon realized that that’s what happened in her world. People got hurt and they died and a lot of it was going to be her fault. The only way to escape it was to get out altogether. So, when she turned 18, she asked her father to let her go to Canada to live with her mom and sister. She had another brother more fit to be his heir anyway, so with some manipulation she got her way.
With a different name and the documentation to back it up, she couldn’t be linked to her old life. She’d never let anyone take a picture of her, and the rumors floating around about her back home were complicated enough without the distance barrier. Anyone that may have got the idea to target her wouldn’t have known where to start looking.
She settled into Canada, determined to stay on the straight and narrow. She got a job at a bookstore and found a nice sized apartment. Technically she had enough money to last her as long as she wanted, but she never liked flaunting it. Greed was what got a lot of people she knew dead, and she wasn't eager to follow in their footsteps.
Things were going alright, but normalcy was boring. She managed it for about a year before she started to stray away from the legal path. She started with small things, getting involved with a couple minor criminals and playing ‘games’ with them in her free time. This only made her more nostalgic for her old life, and she eventually found out about a mafia, the ravagers, and got involved as an informant.
She made her living with them pretty easily. Information gathering was what her father had built her for, after all. But after a couple of years she started doubting her new path. She’d come to Canada to get away from crime, not to get involved with a different group. She needed space to think and she needed people not to bother her while she did that.
Maybe it was because she felt like she was backed into a corner or because she really was unstable, but the simplest solution to her was to get herself committed to a psych ward. Odd as it might seem, this task actually took a bit of work. She’d never been one to take the easiest way out, and she didn’t like transparent lies when it actually mattered, so she did her research and let a few symptoms of borderline personality disorder with ever-increasing mood swings build over time. Eventually when she admitted herself to the ward it wasn’t that shocking to the people that had been around her through the transition.
Throughout her time in the ward, everything Mikaela said was a lie. She created a fake personality for herself. It wasn’t like she could be open with the doctors about what she’d been through in her past. She wanted to stay a few months and she adjusted her cooperation and ‘recovery’ accordingly. When she was finally deemed fit to re-enter society, she once again built a new life for herself. She didn’t get a job right away, but a couple months later she found a position dealing cards at a casino and has been doing that since.
misc
WARNINGS. Because, unfortunately this is necessary. Putting a Mikaela in a kitchen will result in injury no matter the situation. Trying to get a Mikaela to be honest will result in more lies than you are prepared to deal with. Interacting with a Mikaela will likely lead to a headache. Warn your characters before throwing them at her. Also, be prepared to deal with a full tsun. Anything less is not the true Mikaela experience. Likes: The cold, Lying, Messing with people, Stars, Music, Reading, Fighting, Getting what she wants Dislikes: Sugar, The heat, Boredom, People being loyal to her, The Dark, Crowded Spaces, Painting, Boredom, Her Dad, People underestimating her, People letting her win, Canada
roleplayer info
☆ NAME Leesee
☆ RP EXPERIENCE About 5 years?
☆ TIMEZONE CET
☆ GENDER Female
☆ AGE Teen-aged
☆ OTHER CHARACTERS Lexie Abbot @elizabeth @crimson
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You may use the in-character chat prior to acceptance.
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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.
