penancememes | TEST DRIVE MEME #4

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TEST DRIVE MEME #4

ARRIVAL

You remember a dream.

Or maybe nightmare is more accurate.

It was full of hellfire nipping at your skin and a sensation of being pulled down no matter how much you struggle or cry for help. There's a voice that feels like it's coming from all around you at once. Contrasting with the nightmare unfolding around you, it's smooth as silk. It makes you want to listen with every bit of attention you can muster in the moment.

"Judgement has come upon you, but not to worry. It can still be undone."

The voice promises you redemption for your sins. It promises you a better life and everything you could ever want, if only you just stop struggling so much.

And so you do.

Everyone wakes up in the same room initially. The room is done up in red with a cushy bed, a window, an old TV in the corner on a desk, and a few Hieronymus Bosch paintings lining the wall. There's a bathroom to clean up in and any belongings will be sat around the room to be gathered later. There's a duffel bag provided for your convenience.

After feeling a sensation of falling or dropping onto the bed, characters wake up feeling like they've just slept for a week. Their body will feel heavy and stiff, they'll have a massive headache at first.

They'll quickly notice the list of their sins written with their blood on a bedside table on an old piece of parchment. This will mean the list is tied to them and can't be changed or tampered with. They'll also receive their device to connect with others and the network. It won't be anything terribly fancy. As a matter of fact, it looks like a very old Blackberry type phone.

Once characters are ready to leave the room, they'll head down long, winding halls. They're dimly lit and ominous feeling. They may encounter fellow sinners or demonic staff that will direct the newcomer down to the lobby to get their actual room key to settle in. They may be pushy, they may border on courteous. It really just depends on the mood of the staff at the time and how they're treated in return. Eventually, everyone comes to stairs that lead downward.

Once down to the lobby, you'll notice the front desk manned by a demon who looks bored out of its mind. To the side of him is the door to the kitchen where guests may help themselves. To the right is a small duty free shop that seems to have a surprisingly normal, expected stock of items. Look around a bit further, there will be a tiny bar tucked in through a corner door. It seems pretty well-stocked and best of all, self-serve if you want to get away from your demonic hosts for a bit. Of course there's some seating, bar games, and a jukebox tucked in the corner if you'd rather stay and socialize a bit.

Please note that all the songs on the jukebox are appropriately hell-themed. Hopefully Sympathy for the Devil is universally loved.

STAND YOUR GROUND

Prompt I

It seems like not long after everyone has either returned from the maze or arrived fresh to hell that the storms started yet again. A bit more sporadically and not the constant downpour of the previous month, but it's still blood and fire raining from the skies, along with claps of thunder and lightning strikes that seem far too close for comfort. Fortunately, there's not as much flooding this time. Unfortunately, a particularly loud clap of thunder and lightning that strikes close to the hotel seems to leave it and surrounding establishments in the dark. Quickly, the hotel becomes a cold place, urging all guests to to move to the lobby for some warmth.

A roaring fire will be going and there will be hot drinks and snacks kindly provided by the staff while they try to work on correcting the problem.

Eventually, some rather panicked goblin-like demons come rushing up from the basement. They're half-singed and dirty looking from their adventure, so it doesn't seem to bode well for the power returning any time soon. Guests who listen closely will hear the demons apologizing profusely for 'letting them escape' and much more worrisome than that, about how it looks like there might have been some tampering going on down there. The staff is quick to tell the demons to hush and go, not to worry the guests or let word get back to Lucifer.

Once that whole scene is squared away, the staff will be urging guests to volunteer and pushing them into a drafty, creepy basement with nothing but candles and flashlights to lead the way.

It's okay, they reassure, it's not that bad down there! The lights provided all seem to flicker dangerously though, almost completely going out at times, as you descend creaky stairs to a lower level. Apparently the demons are tired of risking their hide to get the power back on, but they're quite happy to risk all the guests'.

The basement is slightly flooded in some areas, bloody rain making its way through cracks in the foundation. It reeks of dampness and mold. There are things that skitter in the corner of your eye as you venture in further. Rats, bugs, and a few smaller beasts.

No one will be given more to go on than they're looking for a breaker box to reset, and hopefully, that'll get everything back up and running again. Unfortunately, there are so many twists and turns that it gets confusing after a while... How come the basement looks much bigger than it has any right to be anyway?

The basement is also jam packed with boxes just begging to be gone through. Most of them just seem to house an odd amount of clothing and what may be personal items left from previous guests, others hold decidedly more satanic and occult items. But if there's anything you're looking for in particular, from jewelry to a coat to a rad new walkman, you'll probably find it down here.

Keep going and you'll come across a room with a heavy steel door. If anyone should venture inside, they'll see a dungeon inside. There are demons chained to the walls in various ways, strung from the ceiling, or caged up that seem to be wasting away and forgotten. If they notice you, they'll try to plead with you to let them out, bribing you with information on Lucifer that no one else knows, but it's probably for the best you don't. There seem to be a few free spaces waiting for new additions after all... and besides, they've got to be locked down there for a reason, right?

Let them go against all better judgement and they'll most likely just rattle something off while they take off running as quick as they can.

Listen closely enough and you might hear tortured screams as they're presumably killed upon reaching the main floor of the lobby. It was probably inevitably, so don't blame yourself.

Anyway, moving on you keep going past the dungeon, and you'll finally find the room with the furnace and breakers to reset. It shouldn't take long to flip them back, but they'll continue to trip on and off for a while and may require multiple groups to make a return trek down to reset them until the demons finally correct the issues with the wiring that is causing these outages.

Speaking of issues with the wiring and what may have caused them... Hang around the bar or lobby enough, or around any area of the community, and you may hear muttering of something called The Veiled Order from beyond the gates. Some of the demons seem excited, others seem nervous. If asked, the demons may brush guests off. If drunk enough or given proper incentive, they may tell a story about a group of rebellious demons that Lucifer tried to cast out. They were damned to live in the burnt forests outside the gates, but sometimes, they still cause trouble.

Apparently, they thought they could be better rulers than Lucifer and were quite discontent with how he maintains Hell.

Some may say they're worried the Order is causing mischief by messing with the hotel, having had ample opportunity to sneak back within the gates. Others will laugh heartily and insist that it's a dumb tale to scare young demons, nothing more. Certainly nothing to worry about.

Another thing guests may overhear or bribe out of demons around the bar or club is talk about the call of infernal nightmares. If pressed for more info, the demons won't give much beyond the fact that it's a miserable thing, entirely miserable.

Prompt II

Apparently what the goblin-like demons accidentally set free are strange demons that possess fungi, dust, and dirt. They don't seem to quite be from this world, but they're called Coal Tars apparently. They're harmless creatures for the most part, but they do have a love of following around people with dark or sinister natures.

The staff will be offering a reward of a gourmet dinner of the guest's choice if anyone around the hotel will help to capture these little pests and bring them to the front desk. Afterwards, they'll be returned to the basement and locked away again.

Otherwise, people are free to ignore them or laugh at the people who can't seem to shake the little creatures following them around.

Careful though, breathing them in can make your lungs rot. Nasty way to go probably.

REACH UP HIGH

Prompt I
Warnings: cutting, blood, torture.

Whether you've been here for months or you're freshly arrived, your demonic overlord expects some participation. You can try and shirk the responsibility, of course. You can bargain your way out of it for a while. But eventually, you may find yourself trapped in a room just off the gym that's been fondly dubbed the torture room. It has all manner of equipment in there, along with an iron maiden even.

But don't worry about any of that right now. It probably won't be used.

You can try the door, but even with super human strength or every lock picking skill in the book, you won't be able to open it.

It soon becomes apparent what you're supposed to do soon enough when someone else is eventually shoved in with you. Both of your lists of sins will appear on a table that's been placed in the center of the room with two handy knives. You can choose to guard these or not care at all that they're on display.

"Know that honesty is a good place to start on your road to redemption. Sure, it can be terrifying at first, but that's why you've been given a partner in this journey. Pick up your knives and carve at least one sin into each other's flesh. Help in the journey to be candid with everyone you should meet here!"

The voice echoes all around you again, just like in the nightmare, and once again there's the pull to give in. This voice really does seem like it has your best interests at heart.

"If you need a bit of encouragement, we'll be giving it shortly."

It isn't a lie or idle threat either. The longer you wait to do what's been requested of you, the more shallow cuts that will appear on both of your bodies. Are you really prepared to endure this pain when giving in would be so much easier?

And more than that, are you willing to let another suffer along with you?

Eventually, the cuts will stop if you suffer them long enough, but you'll have failed this challenge and sustained more damage than if you'd just gone along with it. Satan will also be very disappointed in you.

Prompt II

"A generous nature is an important part of being a righteous person. Greed is a sin my Father frowns on quite a bit. What I ask you to do today is to go out and find a gift for that special someone or friend of yours and give them something to smile over."

With the items available in the basement and the shop in the hotel carrying a few new items, Lucifer would like to spread the good will of gift giving. It doesn't matter if you're not well acquainted with each other yet. You don't need to be! Anyone can spread cheer by giving a gift.

And if you don't, expect to be in excruciating pain for a few hours, and struggling for a breath. If you can't share a gift, then you don't deserve to share all that oxygen, do you?

FOLLOW ME DOWN

Prompt I
Warnings: Alcohol and drug abuse, potential non-con/dub-con.

With all the sinners, new and old, the bar will be lit up with activity and absolutely bustling with guests and demons alike. Food and drinks will be readily available and provided by hotel staff (although they might not always know what humans eat. What do you mean, you don't like fried kitten?), music will be blaring, and overall, there will be an energy to the atmosphere that's absolutely contagious. Even if you aren't typically inclined to linger at these sorts of events, there will be a certain pull to stay and have a bit of fun.

You may not get much of a chance to have that in hell after all. So one drink won't hurt, right? Nor will one more after that.

There will also be every sort of party drug available that might tickle your fancy. There's no harm in experimenting, is there? You're already in hell and the staff is handing it out and so helpfully showing you how to use it, or recommending a type that would suit what you want.

You've presumably done your atonement for the day, yes? So cut back a bit, let loose. Hell might be pain and torment, but it's also a nonstop party in the bar.

There's even a brand new stage and a karaoke machine for those feeling brave!

Ask the staff demons very nicely and you may even get less scrupulous drugs as well. Things that will convince your fellow damned souls to tell only the truth for a fun prank, or perhaps even potions that will make someone so enamored with you, they won't take their eyes, or hands, off you. How dare they give you the cold shoulder earlier, right? You've got them now.

There are also tables set up for all sorts of gambling and various bar games to entertain yourself with. Since currency as most are familiar with it doesn't quite exist down here, most of the demons seem to be accepting bits of your soul, if you're in a gambling mood. You may also get pulled into a fun game of strip poker against one of your fellow guests for a few succubi that are having a night out.

Relax and enjoy your night. Coming here and facing your sins is the hard part, so surely you deserve to have a little fun, right?

Prompt II
Warnings: sex, aphrodisiacs, potential dubcon/noncon, potential kinks.

The club within Penance has always offered many options for debauchery, but now it seems they're stepping things up a bit. There are themed rooms for sex machines (the same that were present at the carnival) that can be controlled by a demon or a partner. If asked, they'll gladly set you up on stage to put on a performance for the entire club.

They won't side eye you for any other kink you ask for either, however depraved it is.

But the succubi are handing out potions again, that can be taken willingly or not. The purpose of them is to strip away all of your inhibitions... or in certain cases, your mind as well as your will. It will leave those who take the potion as a perfect little pet or slave for someone.

It doesn't matter if you're generally strong-willed or not interested in submitting. You'll find yourself wanting to please someone until it's the most important thing on your mind. Maybe until it's the only thing on your mind. It doesn't even matter if you generally hate or adore the person you've attached yourself to, you'll find yourself sinking down on your knees anyway.

This is the perfect time to play out all those daddy kinks, domination and submission scenes, or perhaps a bit of pet play. It doesn't matter what theme of the game you choose, you're suddenly all for it no matter what.

Because you just want to make someone happy, even if what makes them happy is hurting you as much as pampering.

MISC.
Thanks for joining us for our fourth test drive meme, sinners! Reserves are now open for the upcoming app round on August 1st

If you want to speak with Lucifer, you're free to text or pray to him right here

If you let a demon loose in the dungeon, reply here to see what tidbit of info they revealed!

If you have a comment, suggestion, etc. please go here!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Not Peter Parker by any chance?" It wouldn't be the first time Steve had encountered one. They usually seemed to look different too, which was odd. Then again, they came from different worlds, so many he shouldn't wonder about differences. Steve pulled in a sharp breath as the knife slid against his chest, cutting in. He shivered and clenched his hands into fists, squashing everything he was feeling but the pain.

"If you're not a nurse, what are you?"

"No." What a weird question to ask. Peter paused when he heard that sharp breath, watching Steve carefully. Then his eyes flicked to see if this was enough torture yet.

Peter turned his attention back to Steve. "Is that really important?"

"I see. Just Peter then. And kinda yeah. Talking is a pretty good distraction at the moment, and I don't think it's unreasonable to want to know more about the man slicing me with a knife. So, what do you do for a living if you're not a nurse Peter? Do you have a wife? Family?"

The more he was cut, the more Steve's mind went to the wrong places. Any distraction was welcome to keep him focused outside his own head, "You could ask me questions too, if it's easier. I might not answer, but you can ask."

Peter gritted his teeth, his fingers tightening on the knife handle. He was on the other side of a knife once, and knowing his torturers didn't help at all.

"You want to know more about me, go check my sin list," he growled. "See how many times 'murder' and 'attempted murder' are on that list. That will tell you everything you need to know about me."

Steve sighed and fell silent, face blank despite the pain the knife caused, "If you hadn't noticed, an awful lot of my list is dead men as well. You don't need to talk to me Peter, but I wish you would. I'm not upset with you, and I'm not planning to hold a grudge in any way. I asked you to do this. And I know you're paying a cost as well. I'm sorry for that . . ."

How much longer would this take? Steve was sporting so many cuts on his body now. Peter doubted the demons would care that he wasn't really into the torture as long as it got done, so what was the hold up?

"Don't be." He finds an untouched spot on Steve's body and adds yet another cut to his skin. "I don't feel too bad about this. And you're probably making this boring for the demons." He tapped the knife on Steve's face. "You don't even seem to care that you're getting cut up."

He jerked his head away from the knife, lip curling in disgust. In some situations he might actually enjoy the touch of the blade, but not at the moment. The man refused to talk, about himself or otherwise, and he kept trying to make himself out to be a monster. It bothered the hell out of Steve and he wasn't in the mood to trust someone who refused to share anything. He stood in a circle of his own blood that still slowly welled from the new cuts, though older ones had stopped and scabbed over. The pain was intense and almost all-encompassing, but he was used to that. Steve had endured worse and he'd no doubt find new hells the longer he was in the hotel.

"I told you. Someone has to be the canvas or we both suffer. I thought it would be better if it was me since I'm not gonna scar. You won't have to see me some day in the future and read all the things you carved into me. It seemed like that would be a better idea than cutting up an innocent stranger who'd always see the reminders. If you can't keep cutting, stop. It's probably been long enough and we just didn't hear the lock release."

I'm not gonna scar. That caught Peter's attention. Did this guy have an ability like Claire's, then? Without a word he drew the knife away, directing it at himself and slashing across his own arm. He twitched in surprise; the cut actually hurt.

"I'm not innocent," he said quietly. "And I don't scar, either. This--" He tapped the scar on his face. "This is something I choose to wear. Do me a favor and quit acting like you're saving me from something, because I've been tortured a lot worse than this in the past."

If Steve wanted Peter to talk about himself, he finally got his wish.

If he'd been less distracted, he probably could have stopped the man from hurting himself, and the twitch as the blade sliced into his skin told Steve that it had hurt Peter, and that the man wasn't expecting the pain. How . . . odd. By the time he reacted, however, it was too late and blood was already welling up. Steve swallowed the protest that had never been fully born and just studied the man, ignoring everything else for a while.

"I think we've both faced a lot worse than what's happening right now, but that doesn't mean I can't want to spare someone from pain anyway. If you're not human, what are you?" Because human beings scarred. The only reason he didn't was because the damn serum seemed to see scars as imperfections and healed them to nothing. It was just the way things happened to work for him. The question was blunt and bold and he didn't actually expect an answer, but he had to say something. And he was curious. How could one choose to wear a scar?

"I'm just as human as you." Steve said he didn't scar, either. Peter glanced down at his arm, frowning at the cut. It was healing a lot slower than usual, but it was mending. He let out a snort. He didn't think Hell would make it that easy.

"A geneticist once theorized we were the next stage in human evolution."

"That's the thing though. Humans scar Peter. And if you're talking about genetics, then neither of us is strictly human anymore."

Steve wasn't sure what he qualified as. Technically he was the best a human could genetically become, but he didn't really register as "normal human" and hand't for a good long time. Humans couldn't outrun cars or lift steel girders or survive so many wounds he literally lost count. He was something else, something other, and apparently so was Peter. Steve just didn't know what kind of other the man was. Yet.

"Are there others like you back home Peter? More of the next stage?" Would the man tell him if there were?

"Yes, there are." Peter's voice dropped to something dark and a little angry. "Too many. Some of them, like me, were born that way. The rest... made themselves have those powers."

He wiped the dried blood off his arm, glancing at the door. "We can get out now," he observed. "And talk about this somewhere else."

Steve didn't argue, he just pulled his shirt back on and gave a sharp nod, heading for the door. He didn't care about the fact that the fabric was getting soaked with blood from the various words all over him, or that it chafed against the wounds. He just wanted out. He followed Peter through the door and paused, sucking in a lungful of fresh, untainted air. He could still smell their blood, but they were no longer in a room saturated with the stink of it. Thank god.

He glanced at the man and tipped his head to the left, "This way. I have alcohol and medical supplies in my suite. And it's safe." Because Steve worked very hard to make it so.

It was still strange to him that Hell would provide people with suites to live in. Still, he followed after Steve without argument. That alcohol was sounding particularly appealing right now.

It didn't take long to get to the suite and Steve gestured Peter inside, following the man before continuing on to his own door. He slipped inside but came out almost immediately, a bottle, a case and a clean shirt in his hands. He set everything on the table in front of the couch and went to the kitchen, snagging two glasses. He pointed wordlessly to the couch and bent, filling both glasses from the bottle before pulling off his shirt again.

Steve went back to the sink and started filling it, both to get water to help wash away the blood, and to soak his shirt. So sense not trying to get the stains out after all. As the water ran, he finally spoke.

"Drink as much as you want. It's scotch. Are you hungry? I can heat something up."

Steve really shouldn't have offered that, because Peter instantly took him up on it. He poured a generous amount of scotch into his glass and took a long drink.

"Hm. You feed everyone who tortures you?" Peter said it lightly, though, almost like a tease. "I could eat, if you're offering," he added after a moment, and another swallow of scotch.

"I feed anyone who comes into my home. By invitation anyway. And you weren't torturing me. You didn't enjoy it and I asked for it." Steve was washing his various wounds, the ones he could reach anyway, with a soapy washcloth, wincing a little at the sting. The bleeding might have stopped, but his healing didn't consider open wounds that big a danger. It worked on the internal stuff first, then the external. The words gaped open still and would for a few more hours, at least the newer ones anyway.

He tossed the bloody cloth into the sink and washed his hands before going to the fridge, pulling out various containers, "Do you care what you eat? I just have leftovers unless you wanna wait for me to cook something."

Peter watched Steve wash himself off. The guy did say he had medical supplies around, so Peter hunted them out. Sure Steve also said he would heal eventually, but those gaping wounds should still be covered up until then. Peter might have stopped being a nurse years ago, but the training didn't go away.

"I don't really care. Sit down and let me patch you up. It's not sanitary to be working with food when you have open wounds like that."

Steve turned and gave the man a crooked smile over his shoulder, setting down the closed containers, "I don't have any diseases, and I even washed my hands. Besides, I'm not bleeding anymore. Mostly."

Even as he said the words, Steve made his way back over and dropped down on the coffee table with a grunt, leaning back on his hands to look at the man, "I thought you weren't a nurse anymore Peter. Feeling nostalgic?" There was a hint of amusement in his eyes as Steve waited to see what Peter would do. He'd been planning to doctor on himself, but he wouldn't turn down help, not when some of the wounds were so hard to reach.

"Mostly," Peter echoed with a roll of his eyes. Steve reminded him way too much of himself. He found the medical supplies, having a seat so he could reach the various open wounds. He started with the ones Steve was least likely to take care of on his own.

"I still have the training," he said, cleaning the wound again-- more professionally, of course-- before putting a bandage over it. "Do you always heal this slow, or is this because of Hell?"

He lifted a brow at the man, "This is healing fast. It's not instantaneous, just a hell of a lot faster than any normal human can manage. And it does the internal stuff first. If it's not life-threatening, the resources go elsewhere first and come back later. Besides, I haven't eaten in a while and my resources are low."

And that was a lot more information than Steve usually gave anyone, but he just wasn't in the mood to mince words or be cagey. He hurt, he was hungry, and he was tired. His stomach growled and Steve winced, a little embarrassed. Healing took a hell of a lot of energy. His eyes strayed to Peter's arm, curious about what shape it was in. Did Peter heal instantaneously? It sure would be a useful trick.

"You call that fast?" Peter snorted. Maybe he was too accustomed to his own ability and Claire's, where major injuries healed within minutes. His own cut was healing slower than usual, but still much faster than a normal human. It was almost gone already.

He noted the stomach growl and rose to his feet. "I'll get the food. You stay there." He moved before Steve could argue, bringing the food back so they could eat.

Steve noted the way Peter's wound was almost gone and sighed, the sound almost wistful, "Yeah, I do. Nothing to yours though I see. Can't say I'd want to lose what I already have, but something like yours sure would come in handy during a fight. Not that my talents are anything to sneeze at . . ."

He watched the man fetch the food with a frown, but he took his own bowl and fork with a nod of thanks, "It's still cold you know. I didn't get it into the microwave. I don't care, but you might. And I think you got the broccoli. I was gonna make you up a plate. There's nothing in there but green stuff." Steve held out his own bowl toward the man. You didn't stick your guest with cold broccoli no matter how grumpy he was, "Here, take this instead. It's meat."

"I'm vegetarian," Peter informed him, taking his broccoli without complaint. There were very few principles he still stuck with after everything, but his eating habits remained one of them.

"I gotta ask: were you born with your power or did you get them some other way?"

"I . . . see. Well then. Hope you don't mind, but I'm starving."

Steve speared a piece of steak and ate it, looking down into the bowl rather than meeting Peter's eyes as he spoke, "Some other way. You said you were born with your power? How? I mean . . . When are you from? What year?" Maybe it was just a matter of timelines. It wouldn't be the first time he'd met someone from farther along who's world was remarkably alien.

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