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

"Only if I never have to hear you say glowing fist of justice ever again." And John is entirely going to be the one switching the flip in the fuse box. Billy isn't risking electrocution because everything in Hell is shoddy.

He starts walking in what's hopefully the right direction.

"Why do you think they have demons chained up down here anyway?" Because there doesn't seem to be a lack of them around down here.

"Well would you rather they be sharing rooms with us?" Because they're terrible enough roommates to have to put up with without bringing demons into the mix.

"Don't suppose you've gone out for a wander, seen anything past this hotel. We must be in or close to some sort of township. Hell of a journey carting all the food and towels around otherwise." Do demons live in suburbs? Hovels? Slums? Flashy apartments with receptionists and penthouse suites?

"Imagine working all your life running this rat race only to come down 'ere and do it for the rest of eternity. I'd shoot meself."

"No." Kavinsky and John can be bad enough all on their own without adding some zany demonic roomies into it all. Or you know, demons who can't stand humans.

"I got dragged into a maze outside the gates...all I saw was a lot of burnt land." He gives a shrug of his shoulders. "Why, you wanna go exploring a little, Constantine?"

Maybe they can find some flashy apartments for real.

He lets out a short laugh despite himself. "I mean, feels appropriate for Hell, right? I have a feeling the staff around here feel like doing that a lot."

"I just want to get out," he sighs, no doubt echoing the sentiment of everyone else here. The hotel driving him stir-crazy is the least of his worries at this point.

"You know I've thought about it," he adds quietly. "The quicker way out. Only... I think I'll end up here, again." Or somewhere else, more unbearable than this, losing his soul to his last deal and not having any bargaining chips left once he proverbially pulls the trigger.

Nothing good ever comes from taking the quick way out. Not that Constantine is very good at learning these kinds of lessons.

Considering they've been acting like idiots -- he's a little surprised by the confession. Surprised, but there's no particular judgement when he looks back at John.

"Well-- you wouldn't be the first one." Although something twists a little inside to hear John considering that prospect, even when Billy always keeps it on the back burner himself.

"... Me too. More often the longer we're here. Feels better than letting this place continue to chip away at me. My family-- I don't want to end up cracking like some of them have. Going mad and hurting people I might actually care about."

He gives a shake of his head. "But you're right. If we're bound here, nothing says we wouldn't wind up back soon after, or go to our respective Hells. I guess the only thing we could do is test it out, but-- we should probably at least try plan A before plan B, right? Whatever spells we're cooking up first."

He offers a more awkward smile. "Besides, the suite wouldn't be quite the same without you, John... and if you yell at me for being a sap, I'll feed you to one of these demons myself."

Constantine likes to think that he doesn't care about anyone, and he doesn't think of himself as being too dangerous, so it wouldn't matter to him whether he snapped or not. But he doesn't like getting played with. He doesn't like not having anything up his sleeve. This helplessness, feeling trapped, it makes him feel too unsettled.

"You are a sap." He's not yelling though. Actually he's more confused about how they seem to like him when he leaves his shit lying around everywhere, snaps at them sporadically and eats their food all the time.

"But I've still got a couple of ideas to try yet, so don't go screaming and weeping before I'm done," he scoffs.

"Oh my god. Blow me, John." He's not screaming or weeping, thank you.

"Now I want to go back and feed myself to a demon." To be fair though, their entire suite is varying shades of unpleasant to awful at times and yet, they all seem to care about each other at certain points, at least. Well-- excluding the rabbits. They're not all that awful, really.

"We should be coming up on the fusebox soon if we went the right way, I guess. And if we didn't get set up."

"You know, I would if you didn't enjoy it so much," John comments offhandedly. It's not as fun unless one of them's pretending they don't like it.

"Well there's no point setting me up. I'm all skin and bone. You on the other hand," and Constantine makes a point to lower his gaze and fixate his eyes on that shapely arse, enhanced by those ridiculously tight jeans all these young people like to wear.

"There's a reason you're strutting out in front." That's all he's saying.

"Is that what you're into? Next time, don't worry, I'll make sure you know I didn't like it at all."

The fact that they went from talking about offing themselves a second ago to John complimenting his ass has him giving a shake of his head, letting out an exasperated chuckle.

"You know, I'd call you a perv, but that's definitely a reason I like these jeans. I do hope you're focusing a little though. We're in a basement in Hell. That just sounds like the start of a horror movie."

"O-oi. Don't go spreading rumours now." It's true, John loves that element of coercion somewhere in that blurred line between fantasy and reality, but he also doesn't want to come across like some kind of predator or offender even in a place for the depraved like this.

"Lucky for you I'm not too interested in movies." Unless they're the kind that end up with two tongues on his cock fifteen minutes in. Then he's more okay with that.

"Wow, don't be so hard to please, John. Are you afraid of the demons overhearing?" He spins on a heel to look at John, walking backwards. He flashes a grin.

"Don't worry, I'll try to find a balance between enthusiasm and 'Get this guy off my dick'."

There's only one tongue available here, anyway. But he rolls his eyes as he turns back around to watch where he's going. "But you'd be interested if I said this looks like the start of some weird BDSM porn."

"No. Who cares 'bout them?" he scoffs. To his knowledge he hasn't gotten friendly, in any sense of the term, with any demons since he got here. Although there was this one encounter where he was pretty sure a succubus might have been impersonating someone else...

"Do you even watch any of 'at porn, mate?"

"I'm nineteen years old and I have internet access... do you really think I haven't watched some odd stuff? Even on accident." Look, when you live at home with your parents still, you don't get much of an outlet unless it's online.

"Plus, the last place I was before I came here? It was full of all kinds of sex stuff... weird demonstrations too. I'm talking alien stuff sometimes." He makes a face. Feels like lifetime ago.

"I even gave you, the other you I knew, a lap dance once. And I was dumb enough to let you hit me with, like-- a switch thing. I don't remember what it was now." Although he doesn't particularly regret it, or sound like he does.

'On accident'. Sure, Billy. Constantine's doing his best not to let his eyes roll out of his skull.

He'd say he didn't want to know, but this 'last place' sounds intriguing. And also he's slightly envious of whatever version of him was in this 'last place' It sounds much better than being in this place.

"You're dumb enough to let me hit you now," is all John points out. And give him lapdances, too. Not that he's going to 'complain' since that might put him on the fast track to losing his lapdance privileges.

"How do you know? You haven't tried." He might let him. He doubts John would hit as hard as the demons with their whips anyway.

Complaining would lose him any future lapdance privileges though. He doesn't hand those out to just everyone -- or entirely clearheaded for that matter.

"And anyway, creepy basements don't put me in the mood."

"Figured we've been hit enough," John says in a quieter tone, but he's clearly putting on a brave front, looking forward and trying not to make eye contact as his eyes dart around for this fuse box. He'd been starting to believe it's a mythical object when he thinks they've spotted it.

"Make yourself useful love and go press some switches." He gives Billy a shove towards the box.

"Yeah... I guess you've got a point. It kind of takes the fun out of it."

Although it's not something he gets a long time to dwell on. Not with John shoving at him. "What--"

Look, he took being shoved at a demon mostly in stride, but this time? This time he plants his feet and turns to tug at John. "No way. Your turn. You go flip some switches."

"I'm not qualified to flip switches. I'm not even a certified magician," he points out as he tries to shrug Billy's grip off.

"Look, do you want your fortnights back or not?"

"What makes me qualified? I'm a nineteen year old who didn't even get to finish high school! I can assure you I know nothing about electricity besides how to cast a spell for it." Like, he's not proud of it and maybe he'd have finished it if he hadn't gotten tossed planet to planet to hell, but he will use it if it means getting out of playing with electric in a shoddy hotel.

"That's not how you say it! And I don't want to be shocked again... the demons already did enough of that!" Yeah, no, he crosses his arms stubbornly over his chest.

"At least offer to do Rock, Paper, Scissors or something."

"I can't even cast a spell for it. What makes you think I'd know which switch to flip anyway?" If anyone's willing to compete for being the most useless person in hell you can bet it'll be John Constantine trying to wriggle and squirm his way out of doing work-- oh, uh, I mean, putting himself at mortal risk.

"And you and I both know that we'll try to cheat at that, so what's the point?"

"Oh, what, like I've got a diagram of it on me? I don't know either!" He narrows his eyes a bit further on John, still set stubbornly in place. It's flipping a switch! How hard can it really be?

"Fine, so what will it take to get you over there to flip it?" If he can't complain his way into not having to do it, then he might bargain his way at least.

John shoots Billy a glare that lasts for all of half a second before he sighs, shoulders drooping. Fine, he'll do it. He is some kind of grossly warped version of an idiot hero, back on his home world. He just doesn't want to admit it nor will he ever truly think of himself in that way.

He doesn't say anything as he flicks his lighter lid open and brings it up close to the fuses, studying the contents of the box. Somehow he'd expected it to be a bit obvious. Maybe one switch is down while all the rest are up, that kind of thing. It's not very obvious at all. In fact there's not really switches, it's the old style with the wires coiled around the metal contacts in a ceramic holder.

Holding his lighter with one hand, John's eyes scan over the contents of the fuse box again before he reaches out for the biggest one which he assumes to be the main one and pulls it out. He expects to be able to turn it around and see whether the fuse wire is snapped, but you know. What does he know about fixing stuff up around a house anyway? Let alone an entire hotel building.

... Oh. Well. That was surprisingly easier than he expected. He can't quite help a smile when John heads over to the fuse box. He follows, of course, peering over his shoulder.

But yeah, no. He's definitely a nineteen year old kid who's never seen anything like that before. "Um, what is that? I thought they were switches."

Those don't look like switches. He does at least cast an additional bit of light for John to see after a moment, holding up his hand and focusing a bit of magic around his hand. It's not much, but it's something.

"They kind of are, but. Old buildings, they have this style of fuses instead." John's squatted in enough of said older buildings to at least know that much. He hasn't electrocuted himself yet which is always a bonus as he starts unwinding the snapped fuse wire and gropes around the dusty, rusty sediments on the bottom of the fuse box interior to find the right amp rating wire to coil back in. The light helps at least, and he can put his lighter away while he works. His enchanted zippo always makes him crave a smoke. Something about his brain making the connection between lighter and cigarette.

"Suppose you wouldn't know." Modern house, decent family. Plus they probably have electrical compliance standards or something.

"I mean I'm not the guy you call when you need handy stuff done, so not really. If I can't fix it with magic, then it usually doesn't get fixed. I'm just lucky that I can make it work on most things... or maybe not lucky and fix is kind of subjective. But you know." He's not sure it'll work on old fuses though, unfortunately, or he'd give it a shot.

"We can't get it working, we should just head back up and let the staff worry about it. Or maybe snoop through more of those boxes for anything that'd be handy to have. Something."

TEST DRIVE MEME #4

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