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Penance Mods ([personal profile] penancemods) wrote in [community profile] penancememes2020-07-24 07:26 pm
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TEST DRIVE MEME #15

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, and 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 have an 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. The staff may be pushy, or 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, there's a demonic bartender who seems to know how to mix any drink you can imagine (and a few you can't). Of course there's some seating, bar games, and a jukebox tucked in the corner if you'd rather stay and socialize a bit. There's also a new addition of a karaoke machine.

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 Battle
While the chanting has seemingly stopped for now, guests will awaken to more rambunctious animals invading the Penance community through weak points in the gates. Pained screams come from the stables as the hounds and horses try to defend themselves against the onslaught of ferocious beasts. The demons will be shouting for help, urging sinners to save the community if they want to continue enjoying even the small comforts they've come to expect.

PLEASE NOTE! Most beasts will be aggressive and attack with teeth and claw as animals tend to do There are some that have a poisonous touch that feels like it sends fire through one's very veins. It will be excruciating pain for any who are touched by the boar-like animals. Luckily there is a serum available if you can convince someone to help you! So while painful, the venom is unlikely to cause actual death.

Demons and sinners alike will need to band together to deal with these menaces, however. If sinners show support, this will restrengthen the bond and camaraderie between sinners and demons.

If animals finding weak points to get in wasn't bad enough then the demonic giant thrashing wildly and crumbling parts of the gate certainly isn't helpful at all. He's a violent, dumb nuisance but extraordinarily strong. It will take a lot more than a single bullet or hit with a sword to take him down. He seems to have an impossibly high tolerance toward magical attacks and other such things of this nature. There's very little reasoning skills, hinting that this demon is nothing more than a feral beast itself from where more may still lurk out there somewhere.

But fear not, sinners! For Lucifer returns just in the nick of time on one of his demonic steeds looking more the angel than ever. Clad in gold and white armor, a sword sheathed at his side, followed by a few demonic soldiers dressed similarly but more skeletal than anything else. Together, they'll take on killing the giant along with any guests brave enough to risk their lives. One swipe from this monstrosity can easily snuff a person out.

As the battle wages on, Lucifer will urge sinners to retreat with the assurance that he will finish this job. Rallying his demonic companions, they slay the feral giant along with what beastly demons and animals remain so that life can return to normal. Your bravery is commended, sinners! And shall be remembered.

All are entirely free to watch Lucifer in all of his shining glory. See how he shines brilliant in the darkness. The light bringer, true to his name.


Prompt II: The Aftermath
Lucifer's smile will be absolutely beaming when he dismounts his horse and allows some of the staff to take it to the stables. He maybe covered in a bit of blood, but the prince of darkness seems to be in better mood than he has been for a very long time. When he notices the crowd, he'll greet them with a wave of his hand. "Greetings, guests! I would like to thank each and every one of you for your aid today. Without you, this could have been a disaster. I also want to assure you that I come bringing good news! I have convinced my colleagues to help us further. Watch as Penance continues to grow and become a better community for all of us!"

He announces this proudly, his words reaching everyone as they always do, whether they're here to see him in person or not.

His good mood seems only watered down when Lilith approaches him for a welcoming embrace. Those who are particularly observant will see her whisper in his ear, earning a curt nod. Soon after, they will wander off together. Some demons joke that Lilith is merely giving Lucifer a proper welcoming home, if you know what they mean. Others will complain that's disrespectful and she's merely filling him in on cult activities.

After the excitement of the morning, things will return to relative normal around Penance. The staff go back to work although the electricity may still be touch and go for a bit. Viscera and other gory remains will be scrubbed clean without asking the guests for their aid although they are welcome to help.

The demons will speak among themselves about how good it is to have Lucifer back, "the chanting", and "another big one is coming, isn't it?" for those trying to overhear. Unfortunately for guests, they'll find the demons are still rather cold and uncommunicative toward them if asked for any clarity. A few demons still may taunt guests about how they hope they know they'll be on the Veiled Order's list next because they're certainly coming back. They'll jeer and joke about how they hope the next sacrifice is even more painful than the last.

It's fine. Everything is fine. Lucifer is soon back in his white suit an can be overheard discussing something about an arena and how guests need a chance to blow off steam. If he's asked about The Veiled Order, he'll casually brush it off and promise that he's preparing some additional information to be passed around soon, likely over the network itself.


Prompt III: The Days to Come
Guess where all that meat sinners eat comes from? That's right, a lot of it comes from the beasts outside Penance itself when demons aren't able to import it from earth (and no, they won't tell you how to get there. Quit asking!) But also guess what? The demons are tired of being the sole hunters and providers of it. They'll be demanding that guests step up to help clean and prepare the meat for future storage. They'll insist upon it, as a matter of fact. Never butchered a pig before, let alone a demonic one? Ah, well, they'll show sinners the ropes, don't you worry about that!

If all that animal slaughter isn't for you, sinners will also have the option of volunteering for repairing the damage done to the gates themselves. While they seem to be magically repairing themselves for he most part, they still need a little TLC to help them along. Guests may help place new bricks, repair the entrances, or help out wherever else they may think they'll be useful.

Now that Lucifer is returned, guests will also be allowed to help with the generators to help stop the random blackouts.


Reach Up High
WARNINGS: mutilation, blood, torture.

Lucifer's voice rings out as it always does, compassion and warmth clear despite his words. It lingers in guests' ears even as they're forced into a dark room by demons and shown an ominous looking device just waiting for them.
"Welcome, my honored guests! Since some of your ilk have displayed an alarming tendency towards secrecy and outright lying, I've come up with a way for you to practice frank discussion instead. What I ask of you won't be an easy task, but it will be a lesson that's valuable to learn. When the device before turns on it will display a sin one of you are guilty of. You will be given exactly one minute to begin explaining what happened and how. Do be frank about it, and fair warning: if either of you refuse... you're unlikely to be unhappy about the result."
Guests won't have the option of refusing this daunting task. Demons drag sinners in, easily overpowering even the strongest guest if only for long enough to secure them in the seat and shove their hands into the opening of the device. Once secured, sinners are unable to remove their hands as a typing noise begins sounding out. After a moment, a sheet of paper will then pop out of the top of the device for guests to read. One sin off their list is printed neatly on it. Guests have one minute to begin explaining what it means and how it happened or why it's a sin of theirs.

Should the guest refuse or fail they will hear the contraption start up. An ominous sound of something shifting rings out before a sharp pain shoots up their finger and ricochets through their body. Each time a person fails their turn they both lose a fingernail. this will keep going until they've lost all ten (or however many the guest may have) or they answer a satisfactory number of sins. It really just depends on which sort of torment the guests are content with suffering through and how much they want redemption.

[Note: How many sins characters have to explain to be released will be left up to player discretion!]


Follow Me Down

Prompt I: A Rave For The Ages
WARNINGS: sex, drugs, alcohol, aphrodisiacs, body changes, potential kinks, violence, potential non-con or dub-con.

The incubi and succubi of Club Penance seem to think everyone deserves a little fun after all the punishment that's gone around. Guests at the hotel receive a flyer slipped beneath their door encouraging them to come to a midnight rave Club Penance is hosting.

There will be music, dance, costumes, alcohol, and all manner of party drugs. They also have every intention of it going all night long! The rave will span both the regular portion of the club and the sex-driven side so there will be plenty for everyone!

The club demons assure guests that no one should worry. There won't be any inappropriate conduct by staff at all. All aphrodisiac-laced food or drink is clearly marked throughout and no drugs will be slipped to anyone who doesn't want them. Much to everyone's surprise they keep their word and for all intents and purposes, it does feel like your standard rave when sinners arrive.

There's darkness broken up only by strobe and neon lights, glow sticks are passed out, fog machines keep the floor near obscured from view. The music is pumping throughout the entire club thanks to a rather boorish looking demoni DJ. There's quite a few change rooms for dancers to change into any sort of club or fetish wear of their own as well as a room full of costumes and fetish wear that can be rented on the house. If you're uncertain about changing, a demon may "helpfully" choose something and make sure you put it on.

Once again, the succubi are wandering the club, enchanted to look like beautiful women that no one can seem to resist. It's just the natural pull of what they are and the incubi -- males -- seem to have the same effect on everyone. They're holding trays of food, drinks, and drugs that they'll helpfully pass out. They're also dancing on poles or in cages and providing all sorts of entertainment.

For those inclined, these demons will also be putting on sex shows and demos of all sorts. They'll take audience participation rather gladly and play under respectable rules, safe words and all.


Prompt II: Choose Your Poison
As the night drags on, there will be demons who will approach sinners clad in over the top fetish wear and more beautiful than anything anyone has ever seen. They beckon guests to follow and, at the time, it seems like a good idea. These particular demons lead sinners to a table in a back room where a multitude of drinks await. They urge sinners to take a sip from the color that most pleases them for a special surprise. Everyone will have every chance to say no, but should they indulge, they'll find themselves momentarily blacking out for a bit.

When they come to, one of the following will happen:

Red drinks will trigger a feeling of intense warmth in the person's body. While not uncomfortable, it may lead a guest to getting rid some or all of their clothing all together in order to stay cool. Perhaps somewhat contradictory, this drink will also increase the desire to be close to another and share in this warmth. Sinners will crave touch in any and sometimes all meanings of the word. This can be holding hands, intimate caressing, cuddling, copious amounts of sex and everything in between. It will effect them so strongly that they might become aggressive if not violent without this.

Pink drinks will have guests awaking some place in the club with a partner. They're fitted with a sex toy of player choice. Perhaps it's as 'tame' as a collar and leash, something that vibrates, or something that's been put inside of them already. Guests won't be able to remove it until their selected partner decides that they can. Hopefully it's someone they can stand and not that half-goat demon that's been eyeing them up all night. Rumor is he's really selfish in the sack. The good thing is that those who drank this drink have incredible and long lasting orgasms and can experience several throughout the night.

Orange drinks will have guests feeling on top of the world. An incredible euphoria washes over them. All those troubles that were previously haunting them will slip into the background. They'll experience intense happiness and easily express affection towards anyone they encounter. They will also have energy to party all night long if they so choose.

Yellow drinks will give sinners courage to do something they never thought they'd do. They won't be afraid of anything whether it's pole dancing for the first time, a one night stand, or carrying out a nasty murder against that guy that got in their way. Fearless and eager to experience all they desire. Guest's may not want to take no for an answer, but everyone should try to practice some form of self-control...

Blue drinks will have the unfortunate effect of leaving one unable reach climax or even feel sexual excitement. Their body just refuses to rise to the occasion and they may feel sluggish although not in a depressive way but almost like they're heavy and exhausted. It may last for a few hours to a few days. Oh, well. They can't all be winners, can they? Once a guest starts to come out of these effects it will, however, leave them incredibly desperate to please people whether sexual or not before returning to normal.

Purple drinks may not seem to have any sort of effect on the guest. What a bummer, right? Might as well head back out to the rave. It takes a little while to kick in but as the night goes on the guests who drank this liquid begin to radiate an irresistible pull much like the Succubi and Incubi. Other guests and even demons will be drawn to them and grovel for a chance to serve the sinner. The more they attract others the stronger their own desire to be served and to dominate will become. This particular drink seems to last a little longer than the others and can take a few days to fully run it's course.

Green drinks will be for the truly adventurous. These drinks trigger physical changes ranging from temporary demonic features, sex changes, or, in some very rare instances, rapidly increasing or decreasing age. That last one may not always be very sexy at all... who wants to babysit a brat at a rave? Alternatively, maybe grandpa should head to sleep. Anyone deemed too young will be escorted out by the demons at Lilith's insistence.
Of course it is possible to say no to any and all things and enjoy the rave for what it is! An excuse to let go and just have fun for a night. This is a judge-free zone.


Prompt III: Your Average Hotel Night
WARNINGS: Alcohol and drug abuse, potential non-con/dub-con

With all the sinners, new and old, the hotel bar will be lit up with activity. Drinks will be readily available, there's food in the kitchens if anyone wants to bother serving it, music will be blaring whenever there's electricity, 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 may be be a certain pull to stay and have a bit of fun.

You might not get much of a chance to have that in Hell, after all. One drink won't hurt, right? Nor will one more after that, and after that. Ah, sweet gluttony. Why not have a pastry next? There's some delectable sweets available just a few steps away. More of a meat person? Like things salty? Fear not, it looks like someone graciously brought all sorts of snacks and foodstuffs from the kitchens to the bar as the night progresses. Indulge! You deserve it.

Similar to Club Penance, the bar also has every sort of drug available that might tickle your fancy and some you've never heard of. There's no harm in experimenting, is there? You're already in Hell. The staff will offer to show anyone how to use the drugs or give advice for what to try if you tell them what you want to experience. Shockingly, they won't lie! Their advice is good word its just you might not have been exactly prepared for it.

There's a stage and a karaoke machine for those feeling brave or just wanting to torture people with some sweet, sweet renditions of The Devil Went Down to Georgia.

There are 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 or offers to do chores around the hotel. 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.


Wildcard/Misc.
Don't see something you love but still want to get a feel for the game? Check out our extensive list of LOCATIONS and write up your very own prompt however you'd like to! You can also add a "NETWORK" post option to your TL for quick, easy, and fun interactions.



And without further ado: Welcome to our new TDM for the August 1st app round! As always, potential appers and characters already in game are welcomed to jump right in! This TDM counts as an additional game event as well as game canon for those coming into the game. If you app and are accepted, TDM tags become game canon and can be used for AC! Please have fun and don't hesitate to ask any questions you might have down below.

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


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doggish: (drink ⚔ it better not be)

[personal profile] doggish 2020-08-08 04:33 am (UTC)(link)
To see if this place has both alcohol and something to stop the bleeding.

[He walks with purpose, and given RP is a fantasy, we're gonna say he's got a better sense of direction than me and finds the bar pretty damn quickly. And after some further investigation, the items he seeks: a bunch of bar napkins and a bottle of . . . something, it isn't labelled, but it's clear, and that usually means strong.]

Fenris.

[He says it before taking a pull on the bottle. Definitely strong, Maker, he can still taste it on his tongue even as he wets some napkins with it. Putting it against his wounds hurts, but not as much as infection will!]

A warlock is a type of mage, is it not?
ghostlocked: and it is NOT a manic state (hmm • ill play poker w. u)

[personal profile] ghostlocked 2020-08-08 07:06 am (UTC)(link)
[Yeah this is the part where the camera conveniently cuts to them sitting at a table at the bar because, anyway, they got there.]

Uh, I guess? But no one calls us mages. That's more like a fantasy magic term. Mages can casts fireballs and cool shit like that.

[He's jealous, frankly. He watches Fenris tend to his fingers, and then somewhat skeptically grabs the bottle for himself.]

Does this really work? Disinfecting shit with booze? Is it, like, any booze or just the clear ones?

[Whiskey's brown, so it probably has some kind of extra shit in it, right? What about, like, triple sec? He's got a lot to think about, but after sniffing the bottle like that will tell him anything useful, he figures he may as well follow suit.]
doggish: do you really want to call season 7 your favorite (talk ⚔ we-ell)

[personal profile] doggish 2020-08-08 07:27 am (UTC)(link)
I have not made a study of them, as such.

[Is that curt or a dry joke? It's really, really hard to say. But more importantly:]

What can you do, then?

[Or could, perhaps, is the better word, but for once he wins the not-as-big-a-dick-as-you-could-have-been award. The moment Harlan's done with that bottle he's stealing it back, though, and takes another swig.]
Edited 2020-08-08 07:28 (UTC)
ghostlocked: of snacks (chat • i am the michelangelo)

[personal profile] ghostlocked 2020-08-08 08:03 am (UTC)(link)
[He tries the napkin dabbing trick that Fenris did and ow, fuck, that stings. Screw that nonsense. He's just gonna put a bunch of unsullied napkins on his hand and call it a day.

He does take a drink before Fenris swipes the bottle back, which immediately starts him coughing. Alcohol isn't really his vice.]


I'm very persuasive. That's how I'd fly under the radar back home. I'd leave little notes and shit around the crime scene to confuse the cops, get them to lose evidence, whatever. If they still managed to track me down, I could just be like, sorry, wrong guy! They'd buy it no problem.

[He pauses to steal the bottle again so he can take another drink. There's weed around here somewhere and he'll find it eventually, but this substitute is readily available. May as well.]

My magic's on the fritz down here, but back home I could do damn near anything with it. I convinced someone I was Betty White once. I could talk my targets into doing all kinds of sick shit to themselves—like this fingernail shit! I'm gonna use that.

[Hey hi they never really got into the details of Harlan and his "murder" sin, but he's forgotten exactly what Fenris knows and doesn't know. May as well just make assumptions.]

Oh, and did you know I'm legally an active federal agent for the DEA? I got the badge and everything. I figured if Elvis could pull it off, why not me?
doggish: (fight ⚔ pathetic)

[personal profile] doggish 2020-08-08 05:58 pm (UTC)(link)
[Fenris had been still before, but it was a vague thing, semi-relaxed. At ease, if you want to be all military about it. Now, though he hasn't moved an inch, he's gone stiff. Wary, his muscles all coiled tight, his fingers curling against the table's surface. He wishes vaguely he had his gauntlets on; they aren't necessary for killing this man, but they're comforting.

Because sure, he's angry and horrified and (quietly, terribly) vindicated by that speech. It confirms every awful thought he's always had about mages, but on the other hand, what had he expected in actual, literal hell? No, this isn't about being enraged or insulted.

This is about fear. There just for a moment, barely visible and hastily hidden, but there all the same, slicing coldly through his heart, making his breath catch. Danarius had no need to control Fenris through magic, but he'd certainly threatened it more than once. And that's to say nothing of what Fenris had seen him do to others . . .

But this man no longer has his magic. He is not Danarius. And Fenris will rip his throat out before he allows him to degrade or humiliate him.]


Your targets.

[Explain is pretty much the underlying message there. But then, context clues:]

You murder people for sport? Or merely use your magic to torment them?
ghostlocked: is that so much to ask? (chat • i just wanna see a house on fire)

cw torture-related consent issues??? idk hh has some troublesome logic here

[personal profile] ghostlocked 2020-08-10 05:25 am (UTC)(link)
[Oh, dear, it appears he's struck a nerve. Serves Fenris right for being all warlock-racist. Harlan can't tell if the hangup here is the magic or the torture thing, though. There's a lot about what he just said that would rightly offend most people.]

For sport, I guess, if those are my two options.

[Then he pauses because he wants to take this question seriously. It's not often that he gets to explain himself—or at least it wasn't, though apparently his status as a serial killer would not even make the local leaderboards. Jesus, some of the people here.]

I've killed 77 people. I'll pick someone that seems interesting, spend some time getting to know them, and then I wake them up in the middle of the night. The magic part sounds shittier than it is. I get them to think like me, and then the shit I ask them to do is already shit they want to be doing. It'd be worse for them if I cut on them myself.

[He's dropped that casual, almost-joking tone he's kept up through the bulk of their conversation. He's a murderer, yes, but the gravity of that is not lost on him. His targets matter to him. He cares about them... though he's not remorseful, exactly. He sounds more like he's admitting to having done terrible things for good reasons, or because they were inevitable.]

I don't make them kill themselves. That'd cross a line, I think.
doggish: it's a suicide note (incredulous ⚔ of course it's dark)

[personal profile] doggish 2020-08-11 06:50 am (UTC)(link)
[Well, what had he expected in actual, literal hell? And yet it makes his stomach roil. Visions swim through his mind's eye, vivid fantasies of just what Harlan might have done to others. How badly did he torment them? How long did he make them his slave before killing them? Was some tiny part of them aware, or did he sink them fully into a fantasy? He doesn't know what would be worse. He doesn't know what he would do if--

Enough. He doesn't have his magic, Fenris scolds himself, and yanks the bottle back.]


What line could that possibly cross that you haven't already violated? What difference do you think it makes to them after all that you've done?
ghostlocked: mainly tonight i'm just trying to look comfortable in this leather jacket (argue • what's going on with me?)

[personal profile] ghostlocked 2020-08-11 08:15 am (UTC)(link)
Oh, come on. Just because I'm a shithead in one direction doesn't mean I'm automatically going to be a shithead in another. Of course it makes a difference.

[To him, it makes a difference. To the people he's killed? If it were him, he'd want his murderer to do the deed himself. At least then he's taking some real responsibility. That does count for something, even if it's not much.

And anyway, he's clearly being an adult about the whole thing. Fenris wanted to know in the first place! What's up with the sudden high horse?]


You're the one that said murder isn't that big of a deal.

[The best way to win arguments is to twist the other person's words and declare them as Fact.]
doggish: than anyone on the PLANET and YES i'm including starving children (anger ⚔ my life is more difficult)

[personal profile] doggish 2020-08-11 07:07 pm (UTC)(link)
I murder slavers, bandits, and mages gone mad with power.

[And honestly, privately, he's sure some of them were less deserving of it than others. Not the slavers, they can fucking rot as far as he's concerned, but the bandits . . . enhh, there's probably one or two who weren't so bad. But! None of them were innocents. And the mages--

Well. Isn't Harlan just proving his point neatly? Magic corrupts if left unchecked.]


You stalk your victims, enslave them, and then kill them as some twisted act of mercy. Do not compare us.
Edited 2020-08-11 19:09 (UTC)
ghostlocked: and it is NOT a manic state (argue • 133)

[personal profile] ghostlocked 2020-08-13 07:29 am (UTC)(link)
[Oh, well, now that Fenris explains...]

I never said my way of doing things isn't a dick thing do, but—

[Hold on, gears are turning. There's a brief pause, and then he's pointing all excitedly at Fenris.]

You just said! You just said that I couldn't cross any more lines, which means in your mind there's an upper limit to how much of a dick you can be, and once you max out on dick points, it doesn't make a difference. That's what you said! So my murders and your murders, according to your system, are both equally shitty things.

[He slaps the table, all proud of himself. Gotcha!!!

Or not, because he's had a couple shots worth of whatever terrible alcohol that is, and he doesn't hold his liquor well.]
doggish: (anger ⚔ that's just weak songwriting)

[personal profile] doggish 2020-08-13 02:58 pm (UTC)(link)
[He stares at him for a very long few seconds.]

You're drunk.

[It's scoffed out, and he rolls his eyes, redirecting his attention to the bottle for a moment. He's no less horrified than he was a moment before, but there's only so long he can remain in righteous indignation.]

And incorrect, no matter your twisted attempts at logic.

Your magical enslavement of others would be damning enough in my eyes, murder or not.

[He knocks back the bottle again.]

Count yourself lucky you do not have your magic here, mage. Perhaps your redemption can still occur.

[Okay, take like 10-15% off the top there.]
ghostlocked: forget the stupid oven, that's a whole evening, the oven (argue • air fryer life baby)

[personal profile] ghostlocked 2020-08-13 09:09 pm (UTC)(link)
[Harlan pffts. He is tipsy at best, it just doesn't take much to get him to make an ass of himself.]

Whatever. According to my system, what I do is definitely worse, yeah. But magic is different where I come from. I guarantee you that my process without the mind games would be a way worse experience.

[It is, in his mind. He's been on the other side of that coin. The magic sure as shit complicates the aftermath, but then, he doesn't give his victims an aftermath. In the moments that matter, his magic makes it easier on them. It feels like dreaming, without the caveat of having to wake up.

He's never thought of himself as a person capable of redemption, though. Fenris and his dick system are right in one way: Once you cross a certain line, there's no taking it back. Even if he were to immediately change his ways, he'll still always be the guy that tortured and killed 77 people. You don't get to erase that, ever.]


Do you really think I could redeem myself after all that? Can you redeem yourself? There's a sliding scale with murder, sure, but it's still murder.
doggish: no no let's do this (talk ⚔ ah we're talking about emotions)

[personal profile] doggish 2020-08-13 09:27 pm (UTC)(link)
[He stares at the wall a few seconds. His own cheeks are flushing, he knows, the tips of his ears-- it's strong stuff, and he can feel it loosening his tongue, making him more inclined towards both misery and philosophy. It certainly induces honesty.]

. . . I don't know.

[Said surprisingly softly.]

I do not know if I am worthy to be redeemed, or if this was . . . [his mouth twists up, a bitter parody of a smile] inevitable. I have known worse than me, but I have known better, too-- and I have seen what others can excuse, if only they've enough justification.

[Danarius, sure, but he's also thinking of Anders right now: Anders and his devotion, Anders and his manifesto, Anders and a plan that had devastated Kirkwall . . .]

But I suspect regardless of the answer, we shall both be here for a long time to come. Redemption, if it can occur, cannot be easy.
ghostlocked: it's part of my charm, i'm like an outdoor cat (chat • i come and go as i please)

[personal profile] ghostlocked 2020-08-13 11:56 pm (UTC)(link)
[To his great surprise and delight, Fenris takes the question seriously. Atta boy! Although, hm, somehow Harlan hadn't quite considered his situation in those terms. He probably will be here for a while, won't he? Indefinitely, maybe. He does not do well with indefinite anything, let alone life in one form or another. At least when he was properly alive, there was some measure of exit to look forward to. His worst nightmare in some ways was to end up as a ghost, destined to haunt a sole location for years and years until slowly going insane from the burden of immortality. Is this the same idea in a different skin?

Hm. Troubling. Best not to dwell on that until he has a better grasp on this place.]


That's how it should be. Making up for the shit we've done has to be a brutal process, or else what's the fucking point? Cheers to getting our asses kicked for being shitheads in life.

[He steals back the bottle to take another drink, bopping Fenris in the shoulder with it in lieu of separate glasses.]

How many sins are on your list? I've got fourteen.
doggish: and note the fucking shift in my tone (talk ⚔ i say again what)

[personal profile] doggish 2020-08-14 02:09 am (UTC)(link)
[He glances over at him at that first cheerful proclamation. He hadn't expected that, and it's . . . odd. Not something so positive as endearing, but at least curious. This man is curious, a being seemingly full of contradictions.

Glancing over at him also means Harlan gets to see Fenris flinch as the bottle lightly knocks against his shoulder. It's over in an instant, a barely-there reaction, but still.]


Nine. Some more grievous than others. Though a few-- hurt feelings and the like-- I have little idea how they intend me to fix.
ghostlocked: spoilers: they will not! (hmm • will they ever get along???)

[personal profile] ghostlocked 2020-08-15 07:07 am (UTC)(link)
[Harlan vaguely notes the flinch if only because he'd likely react the same, but he chalks it up to Fenris' general uptightness. Maybe still he's sweaty over the "mage" thing or something, who knows.]

I've got plenty of stupid ones, too. Do you really think the expectation is that we'll right wrongs and that kind of shit?

[He has a tenuous grasp on the rules of this place. He'll figure it out as he goes, he's sure.]
doggish: what an aesthetic (talk ⚔ stressed out librarian)

[personal profile] doggish 2020-08-16 02:32 am (UTC)(link)
I think the expectation is that we will be unrelentingly miserable.

[And given that, he reaches back for the bottle. Nabbing it with a surprisingly deft motion of his hand, he gets to his feet.]

Prepare yourself in whatever way suits you best. I am finishing off this bottle.

[Annnnd he super means it, clearly, because he's heading out the door, up towards his room. Bye? Do we not say good-bye? Apparently we do not! Apparently we just leave, rudely.]
ghostlocked: put kiwi slices in with the desserts? disgusting (wtf • who the fuck)

[personal profile] ghostlocked 2020-08-16 03:20 am (UTC)(link)
What? Hey.

[He scoffs as Fenris yoinks the bottle out of his grip and fucks off mid-conversation. What the hell! Harlan wasn't done hanging out yet?

He's tempted to just follow Fenris to wherever he's off to next, but he decides to let it lie for now. They'll run into each other again soon, he figures. They're both gonna be here a while.]