TEST DRIVE MEME #8

[penancemods]

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 cold is still biting, but the heat is (mostly) working within the hotel and other establishments again. It's enough to take the chill off for the most part. Coats and extra blankets are being passed out to those who need them as well.

Unfortunately, the food shortage that begun a few days ago will continue on for a few more yet! All food will be rotting or covered in maggots and mold, so new and old arrivals alike should probably steer clear of it if they can. If asked, the staff will insist it was entirely unplanned. Totally. Honest.

It will let up before the month is over and then fresh food will more than return! In the meantime, guests are able to bargain for a morsel of food someone else might have hidden back that hasn't rotted or try some of the bizarre fruit sprouting up that ranges in looks from a Durian to Jackfruit.

Just be aware that eating them before they're ripe enough may result in severe nausea and other decidedly not fun issues. Get them when they're perfect though? Unlike their earth counterparts, the insides seem to range from the sweetest, most delicious fruit you've ever had to something that may appear to be human blood and guts to something oddly... pork tasting, and everything in between. Food's food though, right? Don't complain, just eat.

There's increased security around the stables where animals are kept around the hotel, just in case anyone decides to eat Lucifer's prized animals. That will be a firm no. For any guests with pets of their own, there will be small rations of non-spoiled food to feed them, but it has very little nutritional value to humans.

The theatre has also changed the movie lineup to now include: Christmas with the Kranks, The Ref, Jack Frost, Holiday in Handcuffs.

Go forth and enjoy the way the holidays even seem to invade Hell.

The hotel bar's jukebox also seems entirely overrun with horrible festive songs now, pushing holiday shenanigans off the playlist. Try to enjoy it while you get drunk! Or hope someone actually gets up to indulge in karaoke to drown it out. The music has seemed to put the demons in a rather sour mood if anyone bothers to listen to the complaints.

Prompt II

[One day, on the network, sinners will be greeted with Lucifer's face. He'll smile brightly from every phone or computer in Hell, before he speaks:]

I thought it may be fun to include an icebreaker of sorts... Get you lot mingling and bonding with each other before the loneliness eats you absolutely alive. I want there to be something to redeem after all... a shriveled husk of a person is hardly that.

[Lucifer seems to find his own joke amusing at least.]

So, here we go:

What pleasant memories help you through the tough times?

Or alternatively, what are some of your favorite hobbies to distract yourself with?

[Lucifer may not respond, but rest assured that he will eagerly be watching others share their answers and talk amongst themselves]

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

"I know after such a food shortage, all of you may be eager to overindulge and sate your hunger... or even hold food back, just in case. But this isn't the act of a good person. It isn't how someone who is truly selfless, as my Father desires all of us to be, would act. So I ask all of you to turn to whoever is nearest and simply share what you have. It doesn't necessarily have to be food, but it must be an item or act that will make their lives easier," Lucifer's voice rings out, sudden albeit encouraging and warm as always.

Sharing is caring, apparently. The request seems simple enough, doesn't it? Just share a bit of food or anything else that might seem useful to someone else and you'll have done your good deed for the day! Of course, should the guest ignore this request, they'll find their insides burning. It will grow steadily worse until it becomes unbearable. Nothing a guest drinks or eats to soothe it will help either. These feelings will persist a full night or until they cave and do as requested.

FOLLOW ME DOWN

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

The club, as it turns out, isn't quite ready to give up its party from the previous month, but they have put a new twist on it. As before, once a sinner enters the establishment, they'll be greeted with almost entirely nude (to fully) incubi and succubi servers. Their trays are full of aphrodisiac-laced treats that show no rot, as well as drinks and drugs of all sorts. There are dancers and other performers enticing their audience to stay, and plenty of free stages for sinners to put on their own show. Sex machines, bondage equipment, or toys are freely available for these performances.

Poles, cages, and everything else one could want are also on offer.

But this particular party? It's a bit different. No one is allowed in unless they are appropriately dressed in lingerie. Don't worry if you came overdressed! The demons will helpfully provide it at the door and even offer a room for sinners to change in! If refused, entrance will be denied (forcefully, if necessary). If guests aren't sure what to put on, the staff will be more than happy to choose for them (again, with force if necessary)!

Tonight is about being daring! Never done drugs off someone else before? Now's your chance!

Never even been drunk? Well, just let the demons help take care of that.

It's also about experimentation with something new. This can be someone who is generally outside your usual preferences, an act you'd never considered in a thousand years, to anything else under the sun.

Guests may also know screens set up around the establishment, but oddly enough, they appear turned off for the moment. If asked, the staff assures they will be back as soon as a few kinks are worked out.

Prompt II


A fall festival seems to roll into town one day overnight, and it seems to be centered around the hell fruit that's springing up on lifeless, dead trees. It's bustling with demons of all sorts and will last one week.

There's a tempting wine that's been made out of the fruit that can vary in taste, but seems to be stronger than most other liquor available anywhere else. It tastes so good though... like the forbidden fruit it most certainly is.

While most will feel just drunk off it, others may find it harder and harder to resist. They may selfishly crave more and even develop a desire to hoard it back.

Much like the apple the serpent tempted Eve with, one may find it offers a certain... clarity into one's situation after they've had enough. Knowledge one may not have wanted, but cannot deny any longer.

Or perhaps it simply just makes others entirely too happy, or too horny, or any number of possible ways. Take a sip and find out where the wine leads you!

Other than that, a few vendors are peddling jams and pies made out of the fruits. There are also a few selling items from earth ranging from electronics to clothes to weapons, and anything in between. Some may be selling actual earth animals as well, mostly small ones kept as pets, but they'll insist they make the perfect meal. They even have areas ready to butcher and cook them right then and there for those who are interested in buying.

If sinners decide to save Fido or Mr. Floppy from their ill fates, they should make absolutely certain that they can care for them though. Pets aren't easy and the demons find them more delicious than endearing

There are a few games to play, as well, reminiscent of the earlier carnival. Darts, tests of strength, and even a dunk tank with a demon who yells embarrassing stuff at the guests that seems oddly knowledgeable. How did they know you wet the bed until five? Probably best to not question it.

Besides that, there's a ferris wheel that provides a nice view of your hellish surroundings (that may occasionally breakdown and trap unsuspecting sinners on it for a while). It could be the perfect place to go to get some alone time with that honey of yours though.

It may all seem like a relaxing thing after starving for so long, but those who linger may begin to feel a need to hoard items. Food, weapons, and anything else they can get their greedy little hands on. Perhaps it's still the starvation talking, but sinners may find themselves feeling almost too irritable if anyone tries to take what's theirs. Potentially, this could even extend to possessiveness over other people as well. Oh, well, hopefully sinners will manage to control all those pesky urges!

When the skies darken to what is probably night in Hell, there will be a special fireworks display taking place. They seem almost magic, taking shapes most people wouldn't think possible. One might see Lucifer's face up in the sky once or twice, drawn in brilliant flames. There are blankets to sit out and watch, plenty of wine or warm drinks to go around, and no end in sight.

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

If you have questions, comments, suggestions, etc., go here.


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Comments

[unpocoloco]

Another bitter laugh. It really did look terrible. And yet people gorged themselves anyway. There was a lot going on to scare him off. It only really got worse.

He shakes his head and lowers Daisy a little ways away from his face. Sorry, little one, this isn't a good time. He pets her head in apology.

The offer he hears should be kind. It just makes him want to run.

"It's okay. Really. It sounds like you've got someone who needs it more than me. And I'd probably just end up wasting it anyway. But thank you."

[defaulthawke]

"Barry's alright now," Hawke assures him. "He's around here somewhere, spending time with one of the newcomers."

His hand comes up to Hector's cheek, feeling the bone's sharpness and how sunken it is. That worried frown just deepens.

"Have you tried the pies? They're amazing. It's all made from that fruit that's been growing. It makes you a bit drunk, but it's really good."

cw: ...trauma? murder trauma???

[unpocoloco]

If Hawke thought he'd seen enough bad signs it's now time for another big one.

It's instinct really. He knows Hawke wouldn't hurt him. (Does he? Does he really know that? He doesn't know Hawke. He thought he knew others. What does he know about anyone?) But it doesn't seem to matter. The moment Hawke's hand comes up to touch him, he flinches.

Beyond that jerk of motion, he's very still under the feeling of Hawke's hand, something he's welcomed in the past. He doesn't realize at first his eyes have closed. When no pain comes, he forces them open. It's too late now to seem okay. He's not.

"I'm sorry. I can't." He doesn't want to drink. He doesn't trust the drinks. He doesn't trust the fruit. He wants to trust Hawke, he wants to, but his killers are always so, so sweet, come with me, I care about you, just do what I ask... He feels sickeningly guilty.

He lifts Daisy up and away from him. Back to Hawke, for whom he tries to smile. "Here. You should get Daisita somewhere safe. Don't worry about me. I'll get by."

[defaulthawke]

Right, he's definitely not okay. There's something deeply wrong here, something that goes beyond food, and Hawke pulls his hand back in respect to that flinch. Far be it from him to intentionally trigger someone's trauma.

"If you don't trust the fruit, I've got some meat I can give you- I hunted it down in the wilds myself, so it wasn't ever part of the rot-feast."

[unpocoloco]

Some meat. He makes a noise that's not quite a laugh.

He feels all the more guilty, making Hawke let go. He's also not taking the puppy, and so after a minute of having the poor thing squirm in his hands, he draws it back again, close to his chest. He shakes his head.

"Hawke... I don't trust anything." He laughs bitterly. "I got a flask from the market just so I could drink water. I've seen some of the fruits, I tried hunting with Squalo, I've been offered..." He swallows hard. He holds daisy carefully in his arm so he can reach out a hand, his fingers grazing Hawke's as he forces himself to meet the man's eyes. "You're kind. I'm glad to know that. But don't waste your efforts. I don't want to upset you like that."

[defaulthawke]

The longer Hector talks, the more disturbed Hawke feels. This is... this is bad. How long has Hector been in this place? What has Hell done to him to make him so terrified?

He takes the other man by the elbow gently, but firm enough to be hard to shake off.

"When was the last time you ate?"

[unpocoloco]

Not long, relatively. Probably. But still, enough has happened in all such specific ways. And maybe he's just weak. He's been told that enough here too.

He sucks a breath when his elbow is taken but it's careful enough that he doesn't flinch this time. He stays on the edge of panic, not quite tipping over. He pets the dog's head.

"...I don't know. I went hunting with Squalo like I said and we tried some of what we caught but we both got sick after. A friend-" Squalo again. "-offered this thing won from Lucifer. There was fresh food there. But I still have a hard time keeping things down. I saved some of it. Left it out for some of the kids. Someone else offered meat but... but it was bad. We fought. I haven't had anything since."

[defaulthawke]

So many bad experiences with food, no wonder the guy's having trouble trusting. His already concerned expression softens even further into sympathy.

"The meat I have is good. I tried everything I caught before even bringing it in, and only hauled in the animals that didn't make me sick. Other people have had it, too, and they're all fine," Hawke assures him. "The kitchen has spices and some sauces that can't go bad. Come on, I promise it's fine- I'll even have some with you."

[unpocoloco]

Dodger had had some of that meat with him. Dodger who, of course, wasn't bothered by it all. And the Ernesto, sharing a toast... His eyes squeeze shut a moment. The squirming puppy in his hands keeps him here.

"Just animals?" He asks. "You wouldn't-- You'd never..." For a second he can't breathe, let alone say it. "You wouldn't hunt a human would you?"

Can he really expect Hawke to answer honestly if he did? His eyes drop.

[defaulthawke]

"What the fuck?" he blurts in shock.

No.

Seriously.

"What the-" Hawke gapes a little, baffled and disgusted. "Who?"

[unpocoloco]

He winces, shoulders hiking. He knows the judgment isn't for him, but it could've been. It had almost been.

He shakes his head.

"I don't want to talk about it. Please." He hopes that will be enough to get Hawke to drop it. And if that isn't enough, he sighs.

"I'll come with you. I'll try... something. But we really should get Daisita out of here." For the second time, he holds her out to Hawke.

[defaulthawke]

"Let's go, then." He pushes her back at Héctor gently. "She likes you," Hawke asserts, supported rather helpfully by the puppy's loving squirms and attempts to lick his chin.

"Come on, I've got a few things here that might be good for dessert after the roast."

Hawke rests a hand on the small of Héctor's back just long enough to guide him out of the market area, moved by a low-lying tension that the man might take off running or get spooked by something. Héctor is a grown-ass man and one of the only people he's ever met who can match him for height, but Hawke still feels like he needs protecting.

Once they're in the hotel, away from everything, he lets go and allows some of the tension to drain from his shoulders. (It's so exhausting, but he keeps going because if he doesn't take care of people, who will? If he doesn't make himself useful, what is he good for?)

"Sorry things have been so shit lately."

[unpocoloco]

It's a very protective gesture. He's never really had someone mind him like that before, not really. Did Ernesto even count anymore? Did he ever?

A brief sorrowed look crosses over his face and then leaves. He lifts Daisy up and presses a kiss to the top of the little dog's head, just to appease her. He doesn't miss the toll this all seems to take on Hawke either, the difference it makes to be inside. He can't relate, he hates this hotel with all his heart, but he makes a note to himself not to make things more difficult for Hawke.

"It's not your fault," He says with a shake of his head. "I mean, it's Hell. It's supposed to be a bad time, right? Worse than this." He shrugs. "I made my mistakes. But what about you? Are you... okay? Relatively?"

The word relatively being key here.

[defaulthawke]

Shrug. "I'm sort of okay. Hell is a lot worse than my last prison world. I still miss Ainmhian..."

He shakes himself a little and reaches over to take Daisy back, bringing her up to his face and shielding his expression in her for a moment. Ainmhian had its problems but it was peaceful, it was lovely, it had businesses and homes and they had jobs and were getting a cottage and it was theirs. His heart still aches.

His heart aches for a lot of things.

"Barry isn't doing well. He's convinced that this is the real, Christian Hell. He's not even religious, but he thinks this is Hell, and can't see that it's just another fucking prison world like the others."

Hawke takes a deep breath. They're nearly to the kitchen now.

"It is, though. I know this isn't the real afterlife from Earth's stories, but he... really thinks we've been damned here."

[unpocoloco]

He doesn't know what Ainmhain is but the guess easily enough what it means. Whether where he was originally from or some place else, it was spoken of like "home". He understands that well.

He lets Hawke take the dog, passing her over easily. It lets him breathe and lets Hawke hide. He listens and lets out a soft hum.

"I can't say if I agree or not," He admits. "It's very convincing in a lot of ways, even if some things don't add up." Those who died before here, those who didn't... or think they didn't. "But maybe hear him out. The worst-case scenario is that he's right. We've been damned. But, it also means that the chance of freedom is real too. We can save ourselves, our souls, maybe... maybe even change the way some things ended. We're not out of chances. Not yet. That's worth something. And that means it's not foolish to have hope."

At least, that's what he thinks. He's got to hold onto that.

"If you're right, we're all even better off," He says. "Barry is your... your boyfriend, you said?" He says boyfriend like he doesn't fully understand the word.

[defaulthawke]

Hawke nods silently. For a moment, it's hard to know what to say. Everything Héctor says... sounds appealing, almost, except for the fact that it's wrong. There is no order, no afterlife, no power here. This is just another playground for another bully to rule. If there is something larger then those crazy scientist bastards at Zenith were the closest to it- because at least they could travel the multiverse on purpose.

"He's how I know," Hawke says quietly. "If he's here, this can't be Hell."

[unpocoloco]

His brows furrow at that. That's not a proof. That's caring so much and feeling in your heart that it's not right. That's wanting better for someone. He's felt that for the kids here. He's felt that so desperately for Nekane that at times it feels bigger than him.

None of those things are proof. Not any more than every person who's told him he doesn't belong here.

"That's not enough, Hawke." He says it as gently as he can. "Have you met any person yet who believes they don't belong here? Putting aside whether they believe in it or whether they think it should exist or even whether they're sorry, has anyone here truly thought they were innocent?" He's willing to bet no. "You're not going to convince him like that. If you've tried, I'd bet he's given you reasons he thinks you're wrong."

[defaulthawke]

"It's proof enough for everyone who knows him. If you knew him, you'd think so, too."

Héctor's right, of course. Barry can always come up with reasons why he belongs here, but Hawke isn't entirely sure that he's been thinking about this rationally. There's nothing rational about the journey they've gone on.

"Damned clever, going after people with guilt complexes," he says bitterly. "Getting people like you and Barry convinced that you deserve torture."

[unpocoloco]

He sighs softly but doesn't argue. Maybe it's true. But it's still not the point.

"With due respect, Hawke, for as... intimate as we've been-" He smiles wanly for a brief second. "-You don't really know me." They've shared names. Hawke has made him feel things no one ever has, made it so his body felt like it was coming apart in the best way and that colors his cheeks even now. He knows little things about Hawke, like the dogs for one. But, not really much more. And he's told next to nothing of himself.

"I don't think anyone here deserves torture. But that is the method of which God has chosen to have us repent. And repentance is something that I do, very much owe, regardless of what anyone thinks." Just maybe not to God himself. He shakes his head.

"Our reasons to believe are just as good as anyone's reason not to. Neither of us has proof. What matters is more is what we do with what we think."

[defaulthawke]

"I have proof," he says softly, opening the hotel's front door for Héctor. "I met someone who..."

Sigh. Hawke looks down and thinks about the things he's learned, the things his friend Dorian told him about the future, about their world- about Corypheus.

"There's a... he was a man, once. He and his fellow magisters used powerful blood magic to tear open the veil between worlds and cross into Heaven. They found the seat of the Maker, of God- and the throne was empty."

His gaze stays trained on the hall ahead. One foot in front of the other.

"The Maker abandoned us long ago."

[unpocoloco]

He listens. He's silent through the whole explanation. He can understand that this is all difficult for Hawke. But he still can't help but sigh. Where does he even begin?

"Were you there, when this happened? Do you know that story is true? How do you know it was really heaven that you found? How do you know that God would be or stay only there? How do you know that this Maker is the true God?"

He doesn't expect answers for all of those. He's not trying to tear Hawke down.

"In my world, there were many gods before He but no true throne has been found for any, just many prophets and prophecies for each. For that matter, my world is not yours. This place is more proof to me than it is against. I am sorry for whatever pain that brought you, if it did. And I am sorry you're here now. But if these topics were so simply unraveled there would be no wars over them."

[defaulthawke]

He listens quietly, unsure of how to respond. Héctor isn’t exactly wrong, but who can say if he’s right? More importantly, does it matter? Religion seems immaterial here, divorced and distant as he is from the whims of q god who can’t seem to touch even His own world let alone any other. More immediate is the sweetness and kindness coming from the other man. It makes him itchy. Héctor is a good man, and the day will inevitably come that Hawke gets ripped away from this world and never sees him again. He can’t afford to keep forming these attachments.

“I’ll leave religion to the priests,” he says with a wave of his hand. “Let’s get you something to eat.”

They’re at the kitchen now, and Hawke lets Héctor go in first. If Héctor doesn’t have a bad reaction to being there, he’ll go to the fridge and get the roasted meats out.

[unpocoloco]

In truth, it's a nicer thing to hear. Some tension leaves his shoulders.

"I could live with that," He says with a soft laugh. "I've had enough talks of faith with the Sisters to last me eternity, I think." Uncomfortable ones even.

Though, to speak of food is another kind of discomfort. He stops at the door to the kitchen, freezing in place. It's a good minute before he can move ahead, forcing himself and standing by, rigid and watching.

[defaulthawke]

Hawke catches that, though- when Héctor freezes in place and doesn't follow, Hawke turns at the cease of footsteps and sees the other man staring a little wildly. It's a look he knows well.

"Héctor?" he asks gently, approaching the man slowly. His hand very, very slowly reaches out to Héctor's shoulder, but he's watching Héctor for signs of a reaction before making contact. One can never know what someone is thinking, what memories they're reliving, what is causing that look behind the eyes. "You alright?"

[unpocoloco]

There's a split second in which he flinches, a small and subtle shift in his face. But, he forces it away by the time Hawke touches him. It's fine he reminds himself.

"I'm fine," He says. "I'm just not good with kitchens." He clears his throat and looks down and away. "Not every demon waits for torture rooms."

Even if Dorian hadn't truly been a demon, for the moment, he'd been made one.