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Penance Mods ([personal profile] penancemods) wrote in [community profile] penancememes2022-08-24 10:35 pm
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TEST DRIVE MEME #38

Arrival
"Judgement has come upon you. God has deemed you worthy of Hell. But don't worry, it can still be undone," comes a soothing voice that echoes all around you. The voice promises comfort, hope even.

It may seem like a nightmare at first, despite all of that. Full of hellfire nipping at your skin and a sensation of being pulled down no matter how much you struggle or cry for help. Wretched, unseen hands pull at you, grip tight at your body, tighten on your throat, skeletal fingers grab at your face, slide in your mouth and jab at your eyes as they struggle for purchase. It feels like for a moment, they may snap your neck as they tug and pull. The more you resist, the more phantom hands are added to your struggling body.

It feels like they could tear you apart if you let them. The only thing to do is to let go and stop fighting.

And so you do.

Darkness and nothingness consumes you for a second, And it seems to linger for a long time. There is nothing at all. It must be lonely. But it won’t be forever.

Initially, everyone opens their eyes to a long, dark corridor made of stone. They find themselves in what appears to be a long queue with other sinners, palm bloody.

Characters find their bodies feel heavy and stiff, bruised with odd hand prints here and there that they received during their journey down below. A massive headache throbs behind their temples. They are urged forward to take a numbered ticket and wait their turn in the long line. As they're ushered forward through the corridor, their first stop will be to see Lilith, standing outside her office.

The woman in a smart suit and a friendly smile steps forward to greet sinners one by one. "I'm sorry for your rough landing. We've never gotten it quite as smooth as it was in the past. Please, let me see your hand--"

Once she has the sinner's hand, there's the warm, almost electric touch of magic that soothes away the aches and pains, heals the wound left behind on each sinner's palm. Lilith looks satisfied with her work and gives a nod. "There, all better. Please take your care package and continue on until you reach the stairs."

On their way out, sinners receive their 'package', a contract detailing all sins committed. If they look at the list closely enough they'll notice it's written with their blood. That explains the palm wound then. It's an old piece of parchment despite the freshly written letters upon it. They will also receive a slightly more modern smart phone. Think early generation Android and a pamphlet made by other sinners during their stay here with useful tips.

After that, sinners will be ushered on to a set of stairs where a guard waits. "Welcome to Penance," the demon says gruffly before motioning them on without an ounce of courtesy. "Don't hold up the line."

They seem to go on and wind forever, but eventually, they come upon what appears to be a lobby of a hotel. Once there, they will notice several shops and other areas around the front desk.

The demon at the front desk looks rather bored, but when sinners approach? He seems to snap to attention to offer whatever help they might need of him. He will at least direct to food or rooms to rest their wary bodies, or recommend sights to see around the hotel.


Stand Your Ground
Curiously, every television within Hell seems to be covered with a sheet and wrapped in chains. If one listens closely at night, they'll hear murmuring coming from them. If any curious newcomer should try to remove the coverings, they will find them magically enchanted in some way that makes this impossible, however. If asked, the staff will explain that they're undergoing a cleansing to remove a curse placed upon them by evildoers. If pressed further, they'll hear talks of The Veiled Order.

But not to worry! There's plenty to do. Helluvacup needs to be rebuilt so the coffee demon and his prized hell rat on a harness and leash quit wandering the halls... the staff is rather tired of being bitten! Additionally, it feels like reality is shifting more often to showing what the pristine hotel may actually look like. It hasn't been that long since the buildings were flooded by lava and utterly destroyed. The beautiful interiors were too good to be true, and the veneer is cracking more severely now. At times, the illusion drops to the burnt out husk of a building, to rotting wood and torn, old furniture. Sometimes it's jarring enough to leave one dizzy before it simply flashes back to normal. Unfortunately, whenever these glitches occur, it is entirely possible to find one's self in an entirely different room than they meant. Wanted to grab a midnight snack? Have fun in that blood room. Wanted to take an innocent pee, minding your own business? You may accidentally walk into someone's room.

In which case, it is probably very advisable to not relieve yourself and find a more suitable area. What could possibly go wrong?

At least there does seem to be a break in the heat? Hell is an almost comfortable temperature, but there are already talks of the dreaded Fall coming soon. In Hell, Fall tends to feel more like the dead of winter, bt hopefully, there will be a skip to the usual snow and frigid temperatures.

.


Reach Up High

Prompt I:
WARNINGS: drills, torture, blood, lobotomy

Part of redemption is suffering, Darlings. That’s why sinners are drawn here. They will hurt, but they will also learn to become better people. One way or another.

The demons who bring sinners here have tied them quite firmly into a contraption that forces them to recline back with their heads trapped in a vice. If they look up, they’ll be able to see the whirring flash of metal from an active drill poised just overhead. They can squirm if they’d like, but it might be unsettling for the person bound behind them. Before they can vocalize any questions, they’ll hear the sound of Lucifer’s warm, soothing voice.

"My dear guests, I’ve done a lot of thinking about what I can do to bring you closer together. Father often says that humans should love their fellow man. Maybe you just need some help building trust. I assure you that you’re both perfectly safe. If you stay still and chat, the drills will cause a little scratch, but nothing you can’t live through. Talk about your sins. Talk about your day. It’ll just take a few minutes before you can leave. Be nice, and whatever you do, don’t move a muscle."
It’s at this point that sinners might notice that although they are rendered immobile from the waist up, their legs are free. They can push back their chairs and avoid the drills which are suddenly moving forward. But since they’re bound to someone else, pushing back will send their partner forward into their drill and surely condemn them to a messy death. If neither sinner moves, they can both survive. The drills will move close enough to tear the skin at their foreheads and perhaps scratch the skull underneath, creating a mild concussion at worst. But if the sinners were unable to make peace and stop themselves from moving, the drill is quite capable of pushing past bone and into the soft flesh of the frontal lobe. You can technically live with the kind of brain damage caused by an injury there, but do you really want to do that to your new close friend?

You have three minutes to figure it out.


Prompt II
For those fortunate enough to escape the unplanned lobotomy, well, there's an easy task for you! As previously mentioned, Helluvacup and the hotel's own pool both need to be tidied up, or rebuilt in some cases. Any sinners who volunteer will be treated to free drinks and snacks, and receive appreciation from demonic staff. Plus, chipping in and helping your fellow sinners (and demons) is something God often encourages! It will be good for one sin removal overall. There will be building supplies, cleaning supplies, and anything else sinners need to push forward!

The staff also won't be put out if sinners would rather do a little bit of cleaning instead...

Besides, it's a rare opportunity to help import supplies to Hell. There are large crates of unnamed items, new furniture items, torture items, clothes, and more. There's also several boxes of nothing but pumpkin spice that veteran sinners, who know what every fall entails, may cringe at the sight of.


Follow Me Down

Prompt I
WARNINGS: fire, disobedience

Speaking of pumpkin spice and torture devices... Well, sinners may find the prime opportunity for a bit of a bonfire if they're so inclined. It seems some demons are not looking forward to the months of pumpkin spice flavored foods or, well, working, really. These are young, reckless demons, but they've decided to help some of these new shipments get 'lost' by starting a large bonfire in a secluded place in Penance proper. They'll be asking sinners to help out. They'll supply the booze as they watch everything burn later!

If questioned about it, the demons will insist that it's just another part of the importing project. Everyone's trying to tell you to grab the crates and haul them somewhere, right? Into the fire is somewhere. Of course it's fine! You get points for being good little boys and girls every time you shut up and do what you're told. Why would anyone lie about that?

Perhaps it will come as a surprise, then, that anyone who participates will receive one sin added to their contract in the form of arson.


Prompt II
WARNINGS: sex, aphrodisiacs, non-con, etc.

Club Penance has new shots for all to try! Eager incubi and succubi stand around with trays of them, eager to pass them off under the strobe lights and pounding music. The air is sweeter than even usual, the demons amping up the aphrodisiacs to ensure everybody has a good time, and there's plenty encouragement to get lost in the atmosphere. These shots all have a unique influence, although that part may have been left out... Oops.

Apple: Causes one to fall lust with the first person they see. They will absolutely be overwhelmed with the desire to have them and do whatever they must to receive their affections.
Cinnamon: Causes one to fall into love with the first person they see. Their heart will skip beats, they'll feel the urge to recite poetry, anything! Your love must be known.
Pumpkin: Causes one to fall out of balance. Just the perfect meet-cute, isn't it? Hopefully you won't fall into anyone in a bad mood.
Sour Apple: Causes one to fall into a rage. Ah, oops. Maybe they didn't think that one out. This one causes aggression and the need to make certain others know you're the top dog around here.



Wildcard/Misc.
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compelledtoprotect: (so embarrassed!)

[personal profile] compelledtoprotect 2022-09-16 11:34 pm (UTC)(link)
[Steve looked thoughtful for a moment.]


I mean, I assume they actually asked a lot more people than just me, but I never saw anyone else from my reality before or after getting to the island. Turned out they were after our genetics, in the most literal sense. Not what I'd thought I signed up for, but there were nice people there, you know? Like here. You meet good people.


[He ducked his head with a blush and a sheepish chuckle.]


Let's just say we were really encouraged to ah . . . exchange DNA. Constantly.
feelsgoodinyou: (have you ever)

[personal profile] feelsgoodinyou 2022-09-17 06:37 pm (UTC)(link)
Hms. You mean you were expected to have a lot of sex? That's unpleasant.

[He's slipping out of his act a bit, but he figures it'll be easily excused with a topic like that. Bakura is no prude, but ever he can imagine how awkward such a situation would be if you didn't consciously sign up for that.]

So, are you strong?
compelledtoprotect: (hahahahahahahahahahahah!)

[personal profile] compelledtoprotect 2022-09-20 04:14 am (UTC)(link)
[Steve made a choked sound and shook his head. It was oddly honest, if against the impression the guy had been giving so far, but he didn't mind. Most people weren't completely honest with strangers, especially in a place like Penance. He knew Bakura wasn't all sweetness and light.]


In a way, yeah. It was . . . a lot. But um, yeah. Yes. I'm pretty strong.
feelsgoodinyou: (Baku: hehehe)

[personal profile] feelsgoodinyou 2022-09-22 12:15 am (UTC)(link)
I see! Then I hope we'll get to be friends~!

[Or Bakura will come up with something very nasty for him very fast. He isn't in the habit of diminishing his resources by acting out rashly though, and the good-will of somebody who is both strong and seems to know their way around this place can be a very useful tool to him.

A vengeful spirit he may be, but his thirst for vengeance and desire for suffering is usually strongly focused on only a selected few people.]


I'm not very experienced when it comes to physical fights, what kind of weapon do you think I could use? I usually play the White Mage in RPGs with my friends, but I don't think that's going to be an option here . . . ?
compelledtoprotect: (do what?)

[personal profile] compelledtoprotect 2022-09-22 02:21 am (UTC)(link)
Because I'm strong? I guess I've had people want to be friends for stranger reasons.


[He was teasing. Steve loved to tease. He looked thoughtful at the question though, giving it real consideration.]


The problem with carrying a weapon is that every potential situation becomes ten times more dangerous. The only thing that goes fairly unnoticed in this place is a knife, but that takes a hell of a lot of skill to use well. I mean, there are people who could give you lessons, but in the meantime, you're more likely to hurt yourself than someone else. I suppose you don't have powers?
feelsgoodinyou: (Baku: Where was my thumb supposed to go?)

[personal profile] feelsgoodinyou 2022-09-23 12:02 am (UTC)(link)
Strong and kind. You saw me stealing and didn't judge me despite of it. You're even helping me now.

[The real Ryou would gobble such a heroic attitude right up. For Bakura, it's just taking Steve's teasing and teasing right back.]

Only if being good at games counts. Where I come from you don't exactly need to know how to use a weapon besides a Duel Disc, maybe. If anything, it'd just make you really suspicious to others.

[It's another bold-faced half lie. Bakura might have said the truth about his host's current time's circumstances, but back when he was alive knowing how to handle a weapon well wasn't all that out of the ordinary. Hell, he even has a nasty switchblade hidden in one of his pockets right now, and he's almost as good with it as he is at handling a khopesh, dark magic and other swords!]
compelledtoprotect: (smug asshole)

[personal profile] compelledtoprotect 2022-09-30 06:44 am (UTC)(link)
Well. Stealing isn't always wrong. I mean, it might be against laws in most places, but it isn't always wrong.


[Legally it was almost always wrong, but morally? Sometimes it was the only way to survive. He and Bucky had done plenty of stealing back in the day, and their efforts had meant their families didn't starve. He didn't always judge people as harshly as he used to. He smiled at the guy.]


What's a Duel Disc? And I like the fact that all you have to worry about is a game. Sort of. Better you don't go around with a weapon, honestly.