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!
are we the plaything of fiends or merely the dreams that we're telling ourselves
[attr="class","Haleyaodmain"]
"DON'T-" she gasped, but it was too late, the boy had already electrocuted himself again. She let out a deep, exasperated sigh. She'd dealt with very few patients that genuinely couldn't feel pain, but she knew they could be very dangerous to themselves. Especially when they weren't a particularly responsible person. [break][break] She stared at him as he went on as though he hadn't potentially permanently injured himself, barely even able to process how insane his actual words were. "I don't need food," she brushed his offer away and debated how to proceed. She hadn't known what to expect going into this blind date thing, but it certainly hadn't been this. "Ok," she sighed, running a hand through her hair, "Ok so look, even if you don't feel pain it doesn't mean you can't injure yourself. Now I'm going to heal you but first I need you to promise not to electrocute yourself again, alright?"
are we the plaything of fiends or merely the dreams that we're telling ourselves
[attr="class","Haleyaodmain"]
There had been times in Haley's long life where she had wished she were a parent. During the time she had been raised, it had been expected that women would have children and carry on their bloodline. She had struggled to believe in such antiquated beliefs, even back then, but it had still felt like something she should so. Being exposed to Ozaei took away any such notion. She had found herself taking care of children before, but none of them had even half the energy that Ozaei seemed to be leaking. [break][break] He jumped from subject to subject so quickly that it was difficult for Haley to keep up. It had to be some sort of talent. Even if it had been a while since she was around such a young person, she was pretty sure they didn't usually act like this. Then again, she knew some ancient people who always proved reckless enough to catch her off guard. [break][break] Of course, no one would be crazy enough to put on this sort of display... right? As she watched him channel electricity through himself to make wings and a halo she almost grimaced in pain for him. "Shit!" she gasped as he finished his display, smoke floating off his skin. She knew perfectly well how overheated a person had to get for that to happen. It wasn't the first time she'd seen someone electrocuted and this was particularly bad. "Are you insane?! How are you not in shock from that much pain?" Her words were laced with shock, but she was already scanning over his exterior, marking any information she might need to help fix him. She didn't actually have any medical materials with her so she'd have to use her abilities, which she preferred to avoid. "Scale of one to ten, how much pain are you in? Oh and how hot do you feel too."
are we the plaything of fiends or merely the dreams that we're telling ourselves
[attr="class","Haleyaodmain"]
Haley crossed her arms as Charles tried to weasel his way around her conviction. He was far from the first person to try to get out early, and she knew he probably wouldn't be the last that day alone. No one seemed to like the concept that they might have to relax for a little while to get better. Either that or, like this man, they just wanted to do so at home where they couldn't get help if something else happened to be wrong. She felt a bit of sympathy for them, but her severe judgement of their stupidity had the tendency to overshadow that. [break][break] "Ma Akari," she shook her head, exasperation written across her face. It was hard to believe this man was being serious. He'd gotten himself hurt and he would only do more damage if he kept pushing himself. She'd seen it happen a million times over. "Look, I may not be out on the field but I'm still a TRS agent. I'm not going to leave to get some rest an hour into my shift and I'm not going to turn a blind eye to you trying to leave too soon either." [break][break] She wished she could be nicer about it, but if he ended up injured she wouldn't be able to forgive herself. She had become a medic to help people, and there was nothing she hated more than failing, especially when the solution was as simple as keeping someone under observation for a bit longer. "You lost consciousness. You haven't even been tested for a concussion. And even ability based fatigue has potential side effects. It's not like we intend to keep you here forever, probably less than a day, but I really can't let you leave right now."
are we the plaything of fiends or merely the dreams that we're telling ourselves
[attr="class","Haleyaodmain"]
Haley grinned at the comment. Horse maintenance hadn’t been entirely her responsibility, but she wouldn’t have let them get too out of shape. She’d grown up around most of these horses and she cared about them nearly as much as everyone else in her family. She winced slightly at his comment on keeping up their experience. ”As much as I could, which wasn’t much,” she admitted. Between her father being deemed dead, trying to learn what she could about fighting and self defense, and her regular responsibilities as a lady of a house, she had been pretty busy. Coming in to groom the horses and making sure they ate every day was the most she could manage a majority of the time. [break][break]
A small smile grew across her face as she watched Feather. The horse was visibly more at ease with her father around. It comforted Haley to see the horse so happy. She had been worried that if the mare got any more upset she’d stop eating or start getting fussy when anyone came near her, and that would make things more difficult. If Peyton had actually gotten himself killed… Haley shuddered and brushed aside the thought. Her father was safe and unharmed. Now was the time to be counting her blessings, not worrying about the future. [break][break] “Good thing you came back for her, then,” she commented, running a hand through Bluebell’s mane. A part of her felt certain that the horses had to be happier about his return than any of his actual family members were. The animals didn’t know how complicated matters were, they just knew he had left them and now he was back. Once again, she turned her mind away from that subject. “Shall we take them out, then?” she asked with a light smile.
are we the plaything of fiends or merely the dreams that we're telling ourselves
[attr="class","Haleyaodmain"]
In the TRS, agents were taught to read others. It wasn’t always an explicit lesson, but in every field there was something agents needed to be able to pick up on at a moments notice. For scouts it was obvious. Reading faces from afar helped tons in gathering information. Hunters had to deal with panic in civilians and aggression in enemies. Healers had to find something much more subtle: pain. Over the years she’d dealt with plenty of patients trying to pass themselves off as recovered only to run off to the battlefield and hurt themselves worse. Thus, it had quickly become necessary to sort out honesty from lies, and Haley had become an expert at it. [break][break] As the deputy sat up, Haley watched his movements, slow and stiff, and winced sympathetically. She had avoided the front lines for centuries, but before that she’d gotten her own share of stupid injuries on the field. She knew just how it felt to want to get back to work when she was told it would be safer to get some rest. Unfortunately, she was on duty now so that sympathy couldn’t be translated into action. [break][break]
“Absolutely not,” she said, stepping between him and the door. “You’re the one that got yourself hurt, you’re not going anywhere until you’re completely recovered. Can’t rush you doing something stupid and getting more hurt. You’re stuck here for a while so get comfortable.” She eyed him sharply. She may have been a great medic, but if she let him just walk out she could get in some trouble with her superiors. She didn’t want them looking too close at her habits and realizing just how little sleep she actually ran on. Plus she wouldn’t stand by someone getting themselves hurt when it was so easily preventable.
are we the plaything of fiends or merely the dreams that we're telling ourselves
[attr="class","Haleyaodmain"]
Haley grinned as the other girl accepted the offer for a drunk, then grabbed another cup and poured the coffee from the pot, bringing it over to the table along with some cream and sugar so her coworker could make her coffee however she liked it. Haley herself had started drinking coffee during fieldwork when she didn’t have fancy additions available, so she’d developed a habit of drinking it straight. She’d had it with sugar once and absolutely hated it. It was the bitter shock that truly woke her up before the caffeine kicked in. [break][break] As she took a seat across from the other medic, Haley had a brief burst of memory of her mother telling her to leave people alone when they needed rest, but she had long since given up any self consciousness about whether people wanted to talk to her or not. It had been important to pay attention in her family home, but that kingdom had long sense crumbled and some of the less significant rules she’d lived by had faded along with it. “You’re a field medic, right?” she asked curiously. Even if it weren’t for the difference in uniform, Haley was pretty sure she’d been there long enough to at least recognise the faces of all the ward medics if she didn’t know them by name. “What unit are you with?” [break][break] Haley had ended up taking care of people, especially hunters, from each of the three units, and she couldn’t help but wonder which of them worked with the woman across from her. Plus it hadn’t taken her long to learn that if someone wanted to learn about a branch of the TRS, most of the time the hunters would be too arrogant and the scouts would be suspicious. It was the healers who actually got to interact with everyone and knew what was what.
are we the plaything of fiends or merely the dreams that we're telling ourselves
[attr="class","Haleyaodmain"]
Despite working for the TRS for the better part of the last couple centuries, Haley didn’t really support the effort. As she walked past room after room of injured members, she knew there was no way she could ever support something that brought so much suffering and injury. Not that her current work was particularly bad. She’d been in far worse places when she worked as a field agent and before that when she’d volunteered for war efforts without any TRS involvement.
[break][break]
As it was, there was always war of some kind. Humanity simply couldn’t seem to avoid it, no matter how much she disapproved. If people were intent on destroying themselves she may as well be there to help with repairs. It was far better than working in a hospital, anyway. She could deal with injuries and surgeries, but illnesses, especially ones that were harder to cure, scared her. Besides, she’d been raised with a loyalty to Akari that transferred to the TRS. Plus, they’d introduced her to coffee and for that she owed them her livelihood.
[break][break]
She sighed and glanced down at the patient sheet in her hands. It was still too early and Haley had yet to have her morning caffeine boost. Thankfully, it was a simple, routine follow up on a patient another medic had taken care of the day before to make sure nothing had developed over night. The ward was relatively empty so only a few medics were on duty. The empty halls didn’t fool her though. More medics could be called in at a moments notice if something went wrong and they had an influx of patients. [break][break] She peeked into the room to make sure he was actually awake before speaking. ”Charles Ohm,” she read off the clipboard, leaning against the doorframe. ”Did you sleep alright? I know the beds here aren’t always the most comfortable. I suspect it’s meant to discourage people from being stupid and getting themselves hurt.”
are we the plaything of fiends or merely the dreams that we're telling ourselves
[attr="class","Haleyaodmain"]
Haley had been through a lot of different jobs in the healing business, and it was hard to say which she liked the best - or the least. She hadn’t picked up the trade with any intention of helping the TRS. In fact, the TRS had barely been around when she’d started learning. Long ago, she’d started into the profession because she wanted to help people and she was sick of watching them die around her. She was determined to do all she could to keep death off her doorstep, regardless of whether it was reaching its icy hands towards a friend or a stranger she happened to stumble across. That’s why it didn’t matter what they called her profession or what her day to day duties were. As long as she was making people better she’d be content.
[break][break]
Unfortunately, not everyone could be made better, and even if they could there wasn’t enough of her to help them all. She knew there were other healers who felt equally responsible for the lives they safeguarded, but she still had the tendency to push herself just a little too hard trying to do everything she could.
[break][break]
Today was one of those days she’d taken on a bit too much and wore herself out almost completely. She made it a rule not to use her angelic abilities to heal unless she had to so as not to waste energy on every little bump or scrape, but she was still bone tired by the time her double shift was over. It hadn’t been a good day either. With the warmth of summer came an increase in AP activity and, consequently, TRS casualties. By the time people made it back to the ward they were usually in bad shape, and the number of potentially life threatening injuries she’d seen that day rivalled any other since she’d arrived in Lorsette the past autumn. [break][break] Haley needed a long bath and a good book to read, but far more urgently she needed a cup of coffee. She slid into the break room, not bothering to pay attention to the room around her until after she had a cup full of brown liquid from the pot someone had blessedly brewed somewhat recently. Then she took in the room and the blonde and violet haired girl in one of the chairs. “You look like you’ve seen as much hell as me today,” she mused with a wry smile. “You want some coffee?” she added as though that could make it all go away. In her opinion it could. There was no miracle to fix everything, but she was pretty sure coffee came pretty close.
are we the plaything of fiends or merely the dreams that we're telling ourselves
[attr="class","Haleyaodmain"]
On the walk down to the stables, Haley could tell Peyton was happy. She usually took the beauty that surrounded her for granted. After all, it was what she’d grown up around. The gardens and the house were as solid and constant as anything else in her world. She couldn’t imagine living far enough away that she’d be unable to visit whenever she wanted.
[break][break]
A slow smile spread across her face as she watched her father approach Feather and stroke her fur. This was where he belonged. Her mother and siblings would always be important to him, but the stables with the horses were where she thought of him as the most at home. Happy without thoughts of duty or honour. At least, that’s what Haley saw in him as he tended to the horse. It was a feeling she herself was familiar enough with. Among the horses she didn’t have to worry about other people but she was also never alone. Horses didn’t care how she held herself or if what she said was proper or any of the other tripwires she had to avoid in society. As long as they were fed and cared for, they wouldn’t have any grievances with her whatsoever.
[break][break]
“I kept an eye on them while you were gone,” she said, approaching a stall further down with a dappled grey mare. “Hey Bluebell” she cooed, placing a gentle hand on the horse’s nose then trailing it down her flank as she walked further into the stall. “Well, when I could, anyway,” she added, returning her attention to her father with a rueful smile. “Feather was particularly cranky.” As if in response the brown and white mare by her father huffed. Haley stuck her tongue out. Feather had never particularly liked Haley, especially not when anyone else was there and able to feed and groom her.
are we the plaything of fiends or merely the dreams that we're telling ourselves
[attr="class","Haleyaodmain"]
"That's not how immortality works," she sighed, though she wasn't certain whether she could be heard over the pounding wind or his yelling. Despite the icy air, she could feel her face heating up. She was just glad she didn't actually know any of the faces gaping up at them from below. [break][break] As he started raving about her species, Haley felt a headache coming on. This was going to be a long night. "You didn't almost kill me," she assured him. She'd faced far worse on the battle field, even if she technically stayed out of anyone's direct line of fire. She ignored his pickup line. She could have responded to it, but she wasn't sure it would be easy to explain that she hadn't fallen from heaven because she'd been born on Earth and have him actually hear a word she said. [break][break] "We do not need to do anything like that again," she replied firmly as they made it to solid ground. Maybe skating wouldn't be her thing after all. Even if she could fly, she much preferred to have something solid beneath her feet, especially when dealing with unpredictable balls of energy. "Don't worry, you've already made quite the impression." She glanced around. A few people were watching them, though she couldn't be certain whether it was because of the insane launch into the air, all his yelling about immortality, or her sudden sprouting of wings. She rolled her shoulders back and allowed those wings to fade away. [break][break]
A distraction would probably be useful here. Preferably one that didn't give him any room to launch them back into the air. Fortunately, her time as a ward medic had given her plenty of experience keeping restless people from injuring themselves. "Would you do me a favor?" she asked, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She couldn't imagine her hair was in any sort of order after that experience, but she didn't have a mirror to fix it. "You're an electricity manipulator, right?" That seemed like a very pointless question, but politeness demanded she ask rather than just assume.
are we the plaything of fiends or merely the dreams that we're telling ourselves
[attr="class","Haleyaodmain"]
It would be alright. Her father's words sank in, and she wanted to scoff. Of course it would be alright. She'd been taught how to act in any situations, but even in her extensive repertoire, there were no lessons on true change. The world twisted around them, but part of her job was to adjust. To keep acting proper even when everything in her screamed things wouldn't be ok again. As if by smiling and playing a role she could ever mend a hole in her heart. No matter what came, eventually it would be alright. [break][break] She kept the thoughts to herself and dawned a tight smile instead. "For now, it is. That's what really matters," she said. As long as things kept being alright, she should push it out of her mine. After all, the only thing worse than dwelling on the past was dwelling on the future. [break][break] She nodded as her father started towards the door, standing and straightening her skirts before following. She wasn't exactly in riding garb, but the dress wasn't the worst for the occasion. Like many times before, she followed behind her father towards the stables. There had been a time not so long ago that she'd thought she'd never see him in the stables again, but she pushed that thought out of her mind too. If her worries kept persisting she'd bring them up later, but for now she was determined to let them settle a bit. [break][break] "If we don't visit them now they'll probably forget you altogether," she teased in a rather matter-of-fact tone. She didn't believe a horse ever truly forgot a face, or perhaps they just held onto the intonation of voices in their memory, but that wouldn't stop her from poking fun.
are we the plaything of fiends or merely the dreams that we're telling ourselves
[attr="class","aodmain"]
Haley was raised to smile and take things as they came. Most concerns could be kept to herself, and when they had to be stated there were more tactful ways of doing it. She may have not had the same duties as her father, but there were still codes of educate she was supposed to follow. Today she had pushed aside those lessons. She knew her father wouldn't mind as much as her mother might, but it still felt wrong. [break][break] She chewed at the inside of her cheek as she listened to him. She shouldn't have let herself snap at him without thinking first. He'd been through enough without her anger directed at him. And it wasn't anger he deserved either. He'd survived more than most people could claim in the past few months. As much as she hated all the whispers and people walking on eggshells, he really did deserve the praise he got. [break][break] She didn't think his promise really meant anything, but she refused to keep protesting. Pressing the subject would only get her in trouble. Nonetheless, she couldn't meet his eyes. If someone was trying to get themselves killed they could easily manage it day one on a battle field. The only way he could really stay safe was to avoid the fighting altogether. But she wasn't a child. She couldn't just beg that he shunned duty. That would get her nowhere, and she wasn't sure she'd really want him to change his beliefs. They were who he was. [break][break] Instead of expressing any concerns, she nodded to his former statement. "I'd like that," she said. "Would you like to go out horseback riding sometime? I think- I think the horses missed you too. They were a lot quieter than usual." The stables were one of Haley's favorite places in the world. She was pretty sure it was where she had spent most of her time while Peyton was missing. When she wasn't at her own place, that was.
are we the plaything of fiends or merely the dreams that we're telling ourselves
[attr="class","aodmain"]
Haley's heart was pounding in her chest as she found herself depending on his grip to keep her from falling. She hated depending on others, even when they weren't perfect strangers. [break][break] I am a warning! She heard over everything else and she had to scoff. At least this wasn't turning into the boring blind date she'd half expected. She wasn't sure whether being stuck with a half-suicidal idiot was any better, but it certainly wasn't worse. "You're going to get us killed!" she called over the air pounding past them. She wasn't sure the view of being so high was worth the free fall they were about to endure. [break][break] Haley clenched her jaw as she began to get the feeling that this particular fall would be problematic. "Hold on!" she yelled over the breeze. She twisted in his grip so she was facing him and kept a firm hold around his waist. She wasn't used to making this change while falling, and if she was going to do it she didn't want to accidentally fall from his grasp and lose track of him. She closed her eyes and kept her breathing even as she went through the familiar change and wings bloomed from her back. She had very little experience flying with extra weight, but she didn't need to actually lift them, just to slow their fall once it began.
are we the plaything of fiends or merely the dreams that we're telling ourselves
[attr="class","aodmain"]
Nineteen. When Haley was nineteen her life had been so much different. She'd been married - an arranged marriage - and entirely focused on what she was supposed to be doing. Back then the entire world had been a different place. It had been expected of her to start a family young. She wasn't sure how her life would be if she'd fulfilled that duty and had children, but that just hadn't been how things turned out. She was glad for how her life had turned out, even if she'd been through plenty of less than ideal situations to get there. [break][break] She couldn't really dwell on the thoughts, though, because Ozaei released her hand, leaving her skittering for a moment before he grabbed her around the waist and began speeding them forward. She let out a small yelp as the world flew by her. Her heart was pounding too loudly in her ears for her to make out what he shouted as they flew over the ledge. [break][break] Haley absolutely did not trust this boy not to drop her, but she pinched her eyes shut. "What the hell?" she yelled, trying to replace some of the edge in her voice with mirth. "I don't get any warning?" They were going far too fast and she felt with a certain dread that if they didn't land hard on some sort of pavement they'd surely run into someone else. It was like they were flying, but even she wouldn't do that so recklessly.
are we the plaything of fiends or merely the dreams that we're telling ourselves
[attr="class","aodmain"]
Pretend like you're riding a bike with no seat. Haley wasn't exactly sure what that meant - she hadn't even ridden a bike in decades - but she smiled and nodded like she understood. She was sure the best way to learn would be by practice anyway. After all, she could watch skaters all she wanted but it wouldn't show her how to keep her balance like they did. [break][break] Then, very suddenly, they were off. She was shaky, but she managed to stay upright as they zoomed past other skaters. Her attention was very focused on her footing as Ozaei rattled off a response to her question. [break][break] She nodded as he told her she could try on her own, but kept a firm grip his hand. She wasn't sure she could do this on her own. Not yet, at least. She braced herself and set a goal to try on her own after three more laps. After that long it would be more about overcoming nerves anyway. [break][break] She glanced down at their clasped hands, at the sparks between them. He must have been an elemental then. Her gaze lifted to his face. "Assassination?" she asked. Then she realized she almost certainly didn't want the answer. "Actually, don't go any further on that subject."An assassination mission. She’d spent a lot of time on a battlefield, but labeling something an assassination was rare. At least, not amongst the ‘good guys’. She knew that in any army there were the good and the bad, the ambitious and the dutiful. [break][break] Regardless, that wasn’t the sort of thing most people talked about. "You're kinda young, aren't you?" she asked rather abruptly. She knew appearances could be deceiving, she herself being a prime example, but he had the aura about him of someone under thirty.
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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.
