penancememes | TEST DRIVE MEME #1

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TEST DRIVE MEME #1

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

The hotel is undergoing some improvements already! Thanks to the new arrival of sinners, hell has a burst of energy and growth available to it. One demand of the demonic staff was the addition of elevators. It gets tiresome having to take the stairs all the time. They'll eagerly implore you to help them test out this new system, even going so far as shoving you right in the nearest available elevator with whoever else is in the vicinity.

Unfortunately, things aren't quite up to par just yet. Press a button and you'll find your elevator gets jammed between floors with very little chance of escape. Oh, oops. This is entirely the hotel's fault and will be fixed as soon as possible. In the meantime, enjoy your company and try to relax a bit.

It's definitely a high priority repair for staff, promise.

Prompt II

Maybe you were looking for the hotel gym to work off some stress or maybe you just took a wrong left somewhere, but instead of what you were expecting, you stumble across what appears to be a very well stocked torture room. There are tables with straps to hold down victims, chains falling from the walls and ceilings to bind them upright, and absolutely every possible torture device you can think of. There's even an iron maiden proudly displayed in the corner. Besides that, there's the normal supply of whips, knives, and any other equipment someone could want to inflict the most delicious pain available.

You're free to check it out or give it a go. You're also free to back out of the room very slowly, but with the knowledge this space will probably come into play at some point.

Oh, and a tip: the gym is to the right of this room.

REACH UP HIGH

Prompt I
Warnings: cutting, blood, torture.

After settling in, it really is only a matter of time until your demonic hosts expect some participation. You can try and shirk the responsibility, of course. But eventually, you may find yourself trapped in a room just off the kitchen that's curiously full of knives. 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 becomes apparently what you're supposed to do soon enough when someone else is eventually shoved in with you. Both of your lists of in will appear in the room on a nearby table 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 one of your sins into the other's flesh. Help them in their journey to be candid with everyone they 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

Well, that last punishment was a bit heavy, wasn't it? Or maybe you somehow skipped out on it all together. Fortunately for you, there's a less horrible one to get potentially wrapped up in along the way. You'll hear that all too familiar voice ringing in your ears as you explore the halls of the hotel or poke your head outside.

"Do one genuinely kind deed for someone and we'll consider it a step in the right direction for you."

This can be helping one of your fellow sinners out with a task or helping them find something. It can be a shoulder or a listening ear towards someone who needs it. You can even offer to help the staff clean up a bit around the hotel, or help a poor hell beast pup out of the hellfire around Penance. Careful though, even they have pretty sharp teeth and an aggressive attitude. It doesn't matter what you do as long as it helps someone else out.

Oh, and one more thing! The longer you resist, the more aches you'll notice. It'll start with a mild headache and escalate from there. You can wait it out, of course, and pills may help you cope with the pain if you really can't be bothered to do one nice deed. Although Satan is still very disappointed in you.

FOLLOW ME DOWN

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

With all the new sinners arriving, this feels like a call for celebration! The bar will be lit up with activity. 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.

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 you've presumably done your atonement for the day, yes? So cut back a bit.

Ask the staff demons very nicely and you may even get less scrupulous drugs. Things that will convince your fellow damned souls to tell the truth or perhaps even things that will make someone so enamored with you, they won't take their eyes off you. How dare they give you the cold shoulder earlier, right?

There are also tables set up for all sorts of gambling and various bar games to entertain yourself with.

Relax and enjoy your first night in hell. 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 kinks.

Much like the hotel improvements inside, all these new sinners seem to have given hell the ability to open a new building just outside the hotel. It happens to be quite a happening sex club from the looks of it. Everything is bathed in obnoxious neon lights when you first enter the establishment. There's plenty of space for dancing, and poles for those so inclined. Mood music fills the air, along with something a little too sweet.

As tacky as it is, something may pull you to stay.

Whether experienced lover or total virgin, once pulled in, you may not want to leave for a while.

There are back rooms people can go for a bit of private fun, full of every type of toy and restraint that you could possibly desire to play with. There's also a rather large room with a massive bed that seems to be fit for any orgies you may want to try to arrange. Hell's not judging and may be encouraging a bit.

There are aphrodisiac laced food and drinks available around the club as well, but these will most likely be marked. If one slips through, ah well. Why else are you here if not for a bit of fun? The drugs will only help that out.

Of course outside, this club is clearly marked for what it is and anyone who would rather avoid it are free to do so.

MISC.

Thank you for checking out

penancerp's first TDM! Please note that all prompts are opt-out and players are more than welcome to come up with their own ideas while exploring the hotel and hell outside.

All that we ask is that you remember to put clear warnings on any potentially triggering content! Warn for sex, including underage or incest, violence, abuse, non-con, etc. Please put these warning in a visible place, either by the prompt itself or in the subject line. This isn't just a suggestion but a requirement to participate in the game.

Now that all that's out of the way, we hope you have fun! Feel free to ask questions under the appropriate comment before or on the FAQ page. Since this is the game's first TDM, we are also very interested in hearing any suggestions you have or ways to improve the game experience.

Since this is a big event, Lucifer himself will be taking a few questions via his device for anyone so inclined down below.

As a final note, don't forget that reserves are open now until May 1st as well!

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"Hm--?" It's the first time someone's called him by name, so he definitely looks up to see who it could possible be-- the fact that it's Steve is...

He's not sure really. He's pretty sure Captain America doesn't belong down here. Bill might, for a lot of reasons, but not Cap.

Not that he says that or anything. Not out loud. "When did you get here?"

And was he from the other place?

He dropped down into a chair and grabbed one of Billy's hands, squeezing it with a soft chuckle of relief, probably too hard. Steve smiled at the man, patting Billy's arm as he leaned in close.

"Thank god. Thank god! I thought I might be going mad! So many of the people here are . . . I mean, it's like the island, but worse! Billy thank god!"

"Right?" Billy feels relief flood through him at the mention of an 'island'. He sits up a bit straighter as he reaches out to squeeze his shoulder.

"Do you-- how did you get here? Do you think this is some trick or did we really take a wrong turn to hell somewhere?"

Steve shook his head and continued to cling to the man's hand, smiling helplessly. He wasn't insane! He wasn't just clinging to a pipe dream that had been some bizarre mix of fantasy and horror! Steve lifted their joined hands and pressed the back of Billy's against his forehead.

"I don't know. I don't know where anyone is but you Billy. There's others here, but so far . . . I was starting to think it was all a dream, but if you were there too . . . Billy, you do know me, don't you? You were on the island, the facility? Zhautaus? You were there?"

He lets Steve keep his hand, finding the contact at least a little bit comforting. Familiar in ways that he appreciates, especially right now.

"Yeah-- yeah. Zhautas. Zenith. I was there." He lets out a helpless sigh and squeezes Steve's hand reassuringly.

"I don't think I've run into anyone here who seems to remember, and I don't think there's any getting back. Whoever we left--"

... He doesn't want to think about that. About any of it. "Kind of unfair, right? We signed on to help save the world and we get a ticket to hell."

He blinked back tears, swiping absently at his eyes as he continued to smile at Billy. The man's words woke the pain again, the regrets, the guilt. He hadn't said goodbye, not to any of them. He hadn't known he should! No matter how logical he'd been about it, doing his best to come to grips with the reality of what his life after the island would be like, it still hurt. So many things still left unsaid . . .

"No I . . . me neither. And I dunno that this is really Hell Billy. I mean, if it were, I think they'd be making us a lot more unhappy." Not that it would be easy in Steve's case. When he wasn't actively pushing the emotions aside, they were crushing, "I think 'Hell' is just what they're calling it, but it's accurate enough I guess. Have you been here long? Are you ok?"

"I don't know if it is either, but-- I'm worried about them making good on the punishment thing." Making it worse. Making it terrible. But he doesn't remember dying, and from the sounds of it, Steve doesn't either.

He squeezes his hand, shifting a bit closer. "I'm-- I don't know. Scott didn't come with me. It's a good thing, but..."

He wasn't really as prepared to lose another boyfriend as he tried to tell himself. "I'm okay though. I'll be fine You?"

"I can take an awful lot of punishment, but I'd worry about everyone else around here if they start running around with pitchforks." It was a weak attempt to make the man smile, but Steve pulled Billy close when he mentioned Scott. He wrapped an arm around Billy's shoulders and tucked the man's head against his shoulder, wishing he could do more.

"Shh. I know. I haven't found anyone else either, and none of my ah . . . I know what you mean about not having Scott around. It's good he isn't here to potentially suffer, but missing him . . . yeah. It'll be ok though, I promise. I'll figure something out. And you know me Billy. I'll be just fine. This is just a little setback. I'll get you back to Scott as quick as possible. Promise."

The joke gets him to crack a smile despite himself -- at least until he's pulled into a hug. It takes a moment, just a bit surprised at the gesture, before he returns it a bit more tightly than he means to.

"I'm starting to think I'm really not cut out for relationships, you know?" But he is glad that Scott isn't here for all this. That's something to be happy about. "You really think we're going to get out of here?"

Billy isn't entirely sure he deserves to leave. But-- Cap? He definitely does, no matter what.

"Same. Saying goodbye is a hell of a lot harder than saying hello. But yeah. I think we'll get out of here." He ran his fingers through Billy's hair absently, resting his cheek on the man's crown. Steve's words were soft but intense, and he hoped he didn't depress Billy more than he helped.

"This isn't Hell Billy. Trust me. Hell is wading through bodies that are barely more then skeletons to see if you can find a single survivor. It's watching your best friend fall off a train into an abyss. It's finding rooms full of dead kids. This place? This place is a vacation compared to some of the things I've seen. If this was Hell I wouldn't be sitting here holding you, I'd be suffering. We both would. Wherever this is, it's not Hell, which means we're not dead. Long as we're not dead, we can find a way home."

Billy lets himself relax into the hold, pressing in closer to Steve, keeping his arms around him. It's been a long time since he's let himself be hugged or held -- it had been difficult to take it from Scott, even. But maybe they could both stand some contact right now. He tilts his head and lets out a sigh. "Then I trust you. I'm pretty sure you could do whatever you set your mind to."

He's Captain America after all.

"You can get through it. We both can. It's just-- back when everyone fell through those portals? I went through one and straight into Hell. I was a demon and it was just-- I had to do stuff I hated to survive, you know? The portal closed up and I couldn't find another. It was awful. I don't want a repeat of that."

He stroked Billy's hair, holding the man tightly, "Yeah, I'll get us both out Billy. And anyone else we find who wants to go. And I get it. Some of the things I've done . . . seen. There's plenty of hell on earth, but I know what you mean about those portals. Did you only get the bad ones? I had a few nasty ones, but there were some pretty nice ones too. What about you Billy? Anything fun happen?"

Talking about the island was soothing somehow. It hurt, but it was also a comfort, imagining all the people he'd come to love still safe there. More or less anyway.

"Mm-- Scott didn't mind seeing me like a demon. That was nice. Another world, I was Doctor Strange's apprentice and had my entire family back." That was nice. And not having to be afraid anymore. He shifts slightly in Steve's hold, just getting a little more comfortable. He has no intention of moving just yet until Steve does.

"How about you? What did you see?"

"Mm. Scott wouldn't. He's a good guy, one of those great ones that see the soul, not the package. You sure did pick well Billy."

He continued to stroke the man's hair, mostly because it made him feel a little better. The motion, the texture, it was soothing as hell and he needed that. Desperately.

"I saw some real horrors, but some seriously nice things too. I had one where I got to see a possible future. There were four generations of a family me and P-Peggy had. She'd passed on, but I sat there and watched our family playing, running all over the yard. Sons and daughters, grandkids, great-grandkids. Even great great-grandkids. They were so beautiful Billy, alive and laughing . . ." He'd stumbled over the name a little, but Peggy didn't seem to have made the transition. Neither had Lucas or anyone else from the island, at least not that he'd found.

"There was another where I got to live a few days as a married man, just me and Peggy and the kids, when they were still young. It was . . . it was amazing, you know? A dream come true." He swallowed hard, pausing for a moment to swipe at a tickle on his cheek, not surprised to find his hand damp with tears.

"There was another one. I got . . . got to see L-Lucas's home, or one very like his home anyway. It was . . ."

Steve's voice failed him and he fell silent, just hugging Billy. It was a good hurt, but it was still a hurt. There were so many unanswered questions, things he'd never know, never have. But he could cherish the memories, and that would have to be enough.

"Yeah... I don't know why all the nice guys seem to like me." He's-- not that great of a guy, in his opinion.

But for now, he just listens to Steve talk, rubs his hand up over the other's back in what he hopes is a soothing motion. "That sounds amazing... I'm glad you got to see that world."

Or is that wrong? It's probably a little on the bittersweet side, considering it wasn't his own world. It wasn't a version he'd probably get to go to.

When he falls silent, he shifts a little bit, sits back enough to bring a hand up to brush over Steve's cheek, collecting any other tears left behind. "Hey-- like you said. We'll get back, right? We'll get out of this place... and until then, at least we've still got the memories. They can't take those away, or ruin them."

"Cause you're a nice guy too Billy. You're all nice guys." His voice was still rough and husky with unshed tears and he gave a slight nod and a watery smile at Billy's reminder of his own words, "Yeah. We're really not dead Billy. This isn't Hell. As much as I hurt, it's nothing to what a real Hell would be making me suffer. We'll go back to them, I promise. Somehow I'll get us back."

He cuddled Billy against him again, burying his face in the man's neck with a shaky sigh, trying to draw strength he didn't really feel from the closeness. His words were much stronger than he believed at the moment. All Steve really wanted to do was curl up into a ball and cry himself sick. It just hurt so damn much!

"We'll work together... You don't have to take on that weight alone," he murmurs, settling back in against Steve. He lets out a shaky sigh of his own, ignoring the sting in his own eyes. He tries not to cry much, but-- if thinking about what they lost isn't doing the trick...

"We're both Avengers, right? We have to have each others' backs."

"I know Billy. At least neither of us is crazy. The odds of us both having the same delusion are pretty low, right?" He kissed Billy's hair, gently wiping away tears for both of them before blinking in surprise.

"Mm? Avengers? You were an Avenger back home?"

"Sorry-- I thought I told you... yeah. I was an Avenger." Not that he'd been doing much superheroing or anything, but he had access to the HQ, was someone Cap trusted.

"I fought alongside my version of you."

"You might have. I can't say my mind is really at its best just now. But you fought with your me, huh? Was he good to you? Treat you decent? Give you respect?"

It was hard to think, what with dealing with a brand new place where most everyone was gone. He cuddled Billy, hungry for the comfort, "Who else was on the team Billy? Was it still the usual lineup with you added, or were there other new people?"

"It's okay... I didn't really get into it with a lot of people. I wasn't much of a superhero back there." And maybe that was for the best, but... "You were great. I mean-- we butted heads a time or two, but you gave me respect. And you more than earned it. One time, I even helped you fly with a spell."

It was kind of amazing, honestly. He shifts a bit when Steve moved in closer, trying to get an arm around him as he considers that. "The Avengers had disbanded when I got into superheroics. I was on a team with my friends... we called ourselves the Young Avengers."

He gives a wry smile. "But then we fought alongside you and the other Avengers. First, there were aliens, and then a civil war..."

Hopefully that never comes to Steve's world.

"Did we really fight? Over what? And I got to fly? How did you know I always wanted to do that?" He was only teasing a little bit, in an effort to cheer them both up. Mostly he was just curious and happy to get Billy talking. They both needed the comfort.

He stroked Billy's hair, rubbing his cheek on the silky strands too, "Aliens and a civil war huh? I think I managed the aliens, if yours came through a portal too, but I dunno about the civil war. Who was at war that us Avengers had to go and deal with it? Was it another country in turmoil? Civil war isn't an everyday occurrence . . ."

"It doesn't matter now." And Billy doesn't want to get into that entire story about his mom losing control, or that people thought he might go down the same path. Besides, it's easier to focus on the rest. He lets out a laugh. "I can't make any promises we'd get some place nice, but I can do the spell here, I think."

He tilts into Steve's hair, eyes drifting shut for a moment as he considers how to answer that, if he should. "... Tony Stark. Others too. The government passed the Superhuman Registration Act. It required everyone to register with superhuman abilities as living weapons of mass destruction. Some heroes supported it, some didn't. You and I-- we didn't."

"Yeah? Ok. But flying. I wouldn't mind doing that again. Or well, for the first time I guess, since I wasn't the Steve that flew . . ." He could tell when someone didn't want to discuss something, and since there was no pressing need for details, he didn't press. He just took more comfort in having Billy close, smiling softly when the guy cuddled him back.

Oh.

Steve went still, taking in Billy's words and making sure he understood them before trying to make any response, "I . . . see. And Tony was for it. Who . . . else?" God, a registration? In a way, he could see the usefulness of something like that, and how it could be a benefit to most people. But he remembered vividly the concentration camps, and how it had all come into being. That was exactly what he'd never support happening again, and if they had a list of everyone that could one day become a danger . . . Just because a hero was hard to kill didn't mean it couldn't be done, and with lists full of names and locations it could be done silently.

"We can definitely fly, Steve. It's a simple spell. We can have a race." He'd like that. It's something fun to focus on for once.

But his expression grows more serious at that, brows furrowing. "A lot of people, but-- it was all a mess. We all made mistakes." Some more than others, but he didn't want to cause anything between Cap and Iron Man again...

"I don't even know if it'll happen in your world."

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