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","aodmain"]
Haley had been raised by the codes of chivalry. She knew exactly where they stood, invisible but surprisingly sturdy walls that could never be crossed. Usually she avoided going anywhere near those walls. Usually she didn’t have any need to. But now, for this one? She found herself wanting to tear it down. It was so unfair that her father was expected to fight and put herself at risk. Meanwhile, what was she supposed to do? Have children so she could send them off to fight too? Standing by and watching the people she loved get themselves killed didn't seem like a real purpose. [break][break] "Surely you have gone beyond fulfilling your duty to the country!" she snapped before really considering her words, "What of your place as a part of this family? Your duty as my father?" It was easy to be angry and not think about consequences, but the matter went deeper than just her own selfish desires. Guilt flashed in her eyes and she glanced away. "Sorry, I know you're right. I just hate it." she muttered. She didn't like the feeling sitting wrong in her stomach, especially as it began to claw it's way up her throat and sting at her eyes. She would not cry. Just because she wanted her father to stay didn't mean she wanted his pity. [break][break] "I suppose it would also be pointless to ask you to be careful." she said slowly, careful to keep her voice even. Caution on a battlefield was a lot like minding your step walking on glass. No matter how careful you were, injury was nearly inevitable. War was a terrible thing, but once it was started there was no way out. Neither side would be willing to give up, so she didn't see how there could be an end. The fighting that had gone on since before she was born would have to be continued long after she died.
are we the plaything of fiends or merely the dreams that we're telling ourselves
[attr="class","aodmain"]
Haley flinched slightly as the energetic boy flew towards her, nearly ramming into her but managing to stop in time. She who cannot skate. Haley grinned at that. "The one and only," she confirmed with a slight nod. [break][break] Haley eyed his outstretched hand cautiously. If she didn’t want to learn to skate, she wasn’t sure what she’d be doing there. Still, she wasn’t sure she trusted herself to shift her weight and reach out. In that moment she was pretty sure she’d feel safer on a battlefield. At least there she knew where she was needed and what she was supposed to do. [break][break] But her time on the field was over and this situation was entirely different. This situation was for fun. There was no real danger. "Alright," she said, taking the hand he'd offered and somehow managing to stay standing. "I'm a fast learner. Just tell me what to do." she added, hoping it was as true in this situation as it was in most others. She'd prefer to get the hang of this sooner rather than later. [break][break] "Have you been skating for a long time, then?" she asked curiously. It seemed a bit like a novelty sport to her, like skiing or horseback riding. Everyone knew the general idea, but some people were raised on it while others couldn't imagine spending time doing it. Of course, she was sure there were all sorts of skaters between the two extremes, it just seemed foreign to her.
are we the plaything of fiends or merely the dreams that we're telling ourselves
[attr="class","aodmain"]
Blind dates weren't Haley's choice method for killing time. She'd been on a few before, but they were more for fun at the insistence of others than anything serious. Her prior marriage had ended in death and when she'd opened up a few centuries ago it had an even messier ending, so while she wasn't closed off she also wasn't in a rush to get back out there. She did well enough for herself on her own. [break][break] Not everyone seemed to see it that way. At least, that's the message she got when one of her married coworkers slammed her with a flier for this blind date event at a skating rink without any prompting whatsoever. After a bit of halfhearted resistance she'd agreed to put some thought into it and rather last minute decided she had nothing better today. So here she was, surrounded by other skaters and flashing lights. She had to admit, the event was quite the marketing scheme for this place. [break][break] Her attention was caught by someone standing on a nearby bench with an absolute lack of decorum and calling her name loud enough for the entire rink to hear, even over the music. Haley knew that over the millennia she’d been alive, customs had changed, and she had no desire to be one of those people who got hung up on past values while the world developed around them, but this had to be crossing some sort of line. [break][break] "That would be me," she sighed, raising her hand so he could pick her out from a few benches away as she finished lacing up her skates. She offered a hurried smile, hoping her tone hadn't seemed too lackluster. She didn't want to count this experience as a loss before she gave it a chance. It wasn’t like she had any room to judge him for his boisterous exterior. Heaven knew she was loud enough once she got to know people, she was just unnerved but the unfamiliar surroundings. [break][break] "One moment, just let me-" she cut off with a yelp as she pushed herself off the bench and skittered a few feet forward, barely managing to stop before slamming into the bench the man was standing on. "Sorry, I’m new at this." she chuckled, making sure she was really balanced before tucking her hair back behind her ear. She really should have gone skating at some point earlier in her life. She had no particular desire to place her safety in the hands of a few wheels, but the outfits were so cute and that was more important than the sport itself. A friend had tried to get her into biking once but she just didn't look as good in bike-y clothes. [break][break]
are we the plaything of fiends or merely the dreams that we're telling ourselves
[attr="class","aodmain"]
Haley wasn’t always the best at reading people’s emotions - or caring - but it would be hard to miss the change that came over her father. The heavy breath, the change in posture, the lack of some fundamental strength she’d always associated with him. Something in her heart twisted at the sight. She shouldn’t be questioning him like this. She should have waited until… Until when? She wasn’t sure what the proper amount of time was for things like this and she hated the idea of her thoughts remaining trapped in her mind forever. But her father didn’t turn her away, so she supposed she hadn’t gone too far past any lines. [break][break] "Oh." she muttered. His explanation was so cool, so logical. She had hoped there was something more. Something other than the words that had been floating around since he’d gotten back. ‘Your father’s a hero.’ ‘Braver than most men would dare to be.’ There was nothing inherently wrong with heroics and bravery. She enjoyed the fairy tales they made. But in those stories, the knights never knew when to give up. It was by the blessing of some god that they managed to make it out alive. She didn’t want the real people in her life to come so close to death that they survived on luck more than their own skills. [break][break] In a world where dying for your country was an honor, she should have come to terms with it long ago. She’d never let herself consider how close every one of the king’s soldiers came to death until her father went missing. "And you intend to fight still?" she asked gently. She didn’t know how they could ask him to. He’d already been through enough in someone else’s name. The anger that welled up in her was wrong, so she put it aside for the moment. "I suppose it’s selfish to wish you wouldn’t return to the battlefield."
are we the plaything of fiends or merely the dreams that we're telling ourselves
[attr="class","aodmain"]
She nodded as he guided her to a chair. "Of course." she said, more out of politeness than actual agreement. She did think people should speak their minds more often, but that didn’t mean that there wasn’t a time and a place for such things. She just wasn’t so sure when that time and place was anymore, especially when everyone seemed to be insisting now wasn’t it. She wasn’t blind to the way people were content to whisper among themselves and walk on eggshells around him, but she wanted quite the opposite. She hated the idea of pondering behind her father’s back and listening to everyone else’s thoughts on the matter. If she was condemned to that path he may as well have still been absent. [break][break] The questions bouncing around the community weren’t the same ones she had, either. Everyone seemed so caught up in the heroics of it all. What a brave soldier he must have been to escape from the enemy’s pits and return home all on his own. The story that had been spun made a glory seeker out of a victim. She liked fairy tales as well as anyone else, but there was a fine line between reality and stories and she was far more worried about what might be slipping through the cracks. [break][break] "Feel free to cut me off if you don’t wish to talk about this." she began timidly. There was no reason to be afraid of talking to him openly, but she couldn’t help but consider what her mother would think. "The thing is, I thought you were dead. And I was afraid." She glanced down at her hands as she fidgeted with the fabric of her dress. She wasn't sure whether it was insensitive to say that when he'd surely had far more to be scared of than her. [break][break]
She forced herself to return her gaze to his as she went on. "Why did you come back?" Her words hit her ears wrong as she realized they conveyed a much different message than they had in her mind. She hurried to correct herself. "I mean! That came out wrong. Obviously everyone is very glad you’re back, especially me, but they say people fight best when they have something to fight for. Were you fighting for anything in particular?"
are we the plaything of fiends or merely the dreams that we're telling ourselves
[attr="class","aodmain"] Haley’s breath caught in her throat in the moment of silence before her father’s response. A warm greeting summoned her through the office door. There were papers lying on the desk before him. It hadn’t occurred to her that he’d probably missed quite a bit of work. She hated the idea of distracting him when he was supposed to be catching up and recovering, but it was too late to just walk away. [break][break] “Hey,” she began. “I don’t want to bother you if you have work to do. I just… wanted to talk.” The words were followed by a moment of silence. It was true. She wanted to talk. But with that initial statement out of the way she wasn’t sure what she wanted to say. [break][break] How rare it was that people stopped to talk in their world. Sure, there was plenty of meaningless blabber, but she found that the important thoughts always found themselves stuck in her head. Their place was not in some frilly conversation over tea, and even if they were thrown out they’d be overshadowed by the overall light nature of common conversation. Now probably wasn’t the time to express them either. She wasn’t even sure any of the thoughts swirling around in her mind were complete enough to be of any interest to him. He’d been through enough without having to sit through her stream of confused worries. [break][break] “I’m sorry, it’s silly. I shouldn’t be interrupting your day.” She shuffled back, suddenly lacking whatever scraps of confidence she may have had before. She’d been a fool to come here without knowing what she really wanted to talk about. Nonetheless, words continued to spill out of her mouth. “It’s just that we haven’t really had a chance to chat much since you got back…” Her voice softened, trying to avoid the sting associated with the past few days. She’d be happy to just move on and pretend nothing had happened, but it did happen and she was still shaken from it.
are we the plaything of fiends or merely the dreams that we're telling ourselves
[attr="class","aodmain"]
Safe. They’d gotten the news that her father was home safely the day before, but Haley still hadn’t really gotten the chance to talk to him. She plopped down on her bed only to get back up and start pacing again. It felt like she’d been pacing for days. She couldn’t help herself. Her dad could have been dead. He wasn’t, but that didn’t change the fact that many good men went off in the King’s name and never came back. Just because he came back this time didn’t mean he would come back next time. Or anyone else, for that matter. There were so many people in her life that she could so easily lose and she’d never cared enough to pay attention. [break][break]
Haley wrapped her arms around her waist, telling herself to calm down. She knew she was being irrational. She didn’t want to appear before her father that way. She didn’t want to appear before anyone that way. Panicking about nothing was ridiculous. She’d seen hysterical girls before and she didn’t want to be seen like them. [break][break]
When she was sure she had a grip on her emotions, at least temporarily, she left her room. She was restless and wanted to go somewhere, but she wasn't sure where. She definitely didn't feel like talking to her mother and her siblings were out of the house. [break][break]
Haley deftly navigated the halls of her childhood home, coming to a stop in front of her father's room. She knocked cautiously on the frame of the open door. "Dad?" she asked gently, peeking in and silently praying she wasn’t disturbing him.
Standing at 5’9”, Haley is rather tall for a girl. She has a thin frame with lean muscles. Bright green eyes accompany the refined features of her face. Her noble upbringing fostered a straight posture and she carries herself very confidently. She has long blonde hair that she keeps down unless the situation demands otherwise. When she’d not at work, she usually dresses for a stylish comfort. She doesn’t like the cold and as soon as the weather cools off she begins wearing thicker leggings and sweatshirts.
personality
POSITIVE - Optimistic - Loyal - Enthusiastic - Hard Worker - Moral
Haley is an honourable person. Above all else, she will do what she feels is right. She tries not to lie unless absolutely necessary, and she will stick to her word come hell or high water. If you’re her friend she will be loyal no matter what. Sometimes it’s hard for her to see when the people she cares about are being deceptive. That being said, second chances aren’t something she believes in.
She always wants to see the best in strangers, and tries to find an optimistic outlook on any situation. When given an assignment, she’ll throw herself fully in it and won’t complain unless it’s obviously unfair.
If you ask her outright, Haley will say she’s not better than anyone else, but she has a definite haughty air about her. Others still come first, but she firmly believes that her way is the right way. If challenged, she’ll rarely back down, even when she knows she’s wrong. Often she goes with her gut rather than logic and being stubborn can get her into bad situations. She’s quite picky and has high standards in the foods the eats and the clothes she wears.
abilities
Light Manipulation ~ Advanced ~ Haley has a pretty solid grasp on summoning light. She can form it into barriers or weapons, but that takes more focus. This ability is much more difficult when she’s working in the dark. While summoning light, especially in a particular form, a lot of Haley’s energy is used.
Electricity Manipulation ~ Beginner ~ Haley understands the basic concepts behind Electricity manipulation, but it takes a lot of focus to summon the ability and takes a lot of her energy.
Holy Water Creation ~ Average ~ Haley can make holy water from unpolluted water in a small container, but it takes a lot of her energy and leaves her exhausted.
Healing ~ Expert ~ Healing has been her practice for thousands of years, and she’s developed a near perfect grasp of the ability as it applies to physical injuries. Upon touch, she can close minor wounds and minimize damage on larger injuries. She prefers to rely on medical practices to preserve energy, but in emergencies or cases where the patients won’t recover as well without it she’s been known to use magic.
Wing Manifestation ~ Average ~ Haley can manifest wings and a halo. The process takes 30 seconds in which her defenses are down.
Ward Creation ~ Beginner ~ With concentration, Haley can make weak wards to hold off demonic species.
Blessing ~ Average ~ With physical contact, Haley can give others minor blessings. Her blessings last a few hours, depending on how much energy she put into them. Using this ability on a demon will cause them to get sick.
backstory
Haley was the third born child of a noble family in Ancient Greece. Her father, Peyton Hayes, worked amongst the king’s cavalry while her mother was a fairly standard noble woman. Her mother was very reserved and taught her the ettiquite that accompanied their titles. She absolutely hated the lessons and much preferred the time spent outside with her father, riding and caring for the horses or learning self defense.
As was custom for people of their status, Haley was married off to a noble man when she was of age. She didn’t like the idea of being an idle housewife or living the rest of her life with the man, but it was expected of her and, while she complained to her siblings a fair amount, she never thought to bring up the matter with her parents.
While her life wasn’t 100% what she wanted, she settled into it happily enough. She was fortunate enough to live a life she thought was secure. At least, she did until one day she heard news that her father’s horse had been found dead without any sign of him. He returned a few days later, but it shook her sense of saftey. It would be so easy for the people she cared about to die and then, just like that, the world would be a different place. But life went back to normal. She fell into a rhythm of engaging with polite society and sneaking off to practice sparring.
A few centuries later, her husband died of an illness that, at the time, couldn’t be cured. She may not have loved him, but she mourned his death. Before she was fully over that, her country fell into chaos. The wars surrounding the Fall of Greece took many good men. Unfortunately, her father was (supposedly) one of them.
Although it was a dangerous place to be at the time, Haley stayed near her former home for a few years before moving on. By the time she was ready to leave the memories, she’d lost track of her mother and siblings.
Disguising her noble and Greek heritage, Haley got a job in Rome as an apothecary’s apprentice. The ability to help people in need was always important to her. For several centuries, she travelled wherever the newest innovation in medicine happened to be.
She has been alive through many wars, and when she saw that one side was clearly justified, she worked as them as a medic in whatever capacity they’d have her. This included the War of Traitors. When she was between causes, she tended to lay low. She’d seen a lot of death, and she didn’t want to be hurt by getting too close to mortals.
In 1530, Haley joined the TRS, putting her self defense and healing skills to work as a field medic. She travelled wherever they needed her for a couple centuries. While stationed in Japan in the late 1700s, she met a boy named Kai and fell for him a bit too quickly. She stayed with him in Japan for 6 years before she caught him cheating and their relationship ended in a firey mess. She left the TRS and travelled around more on her own, doing some charity work in poorer regions where they couldn’t afford very good doctors.
Eventually, she settled down in England and enrolled in Cambridge. Surgery and other medical procedures had come a long way and, while she was good, she knew she could be better with the new education. After that was completed, she moved to Manchester and rejoined the TRS as a ward medic. With her dedication, she was eventually promoted to a Secondary medic. After another century of working there, she felt it was time for a change. Upon request, she was transferred to Lorsette.
misc
Likes: Coffee, Sparring, Competing, Reading, The TRS, Sweet foods Dislikes: Rain, Cold, Messes, Alcohol, Not being able to help, Not being in control
Do not use drama to get attention in the chat. Nobody appreciates it.
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A Chatango account is not required, but it is encouraged.
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Please avoid spamming the chat; accidents are understandable.
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You may use the in-character chat prior to acceptance.
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Be respectful to anybody who enters the chat, including guest, fellow members and staff.
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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.
