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Baymod Helpers ([personal profile] bayhelpers) wrote in [community profile] bopbay2025-05-10 10:00 am
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003 ⟡ MAY TEST DRIVE


⋆✩ test drive 03 ✩⋆



The day begins like any other.

Routines, eventful scenes, and boring errands — no matter what you were in the middle of, there's a moment where everything begins to feel wrong. A searing pain tears through your body, so intense that it feels like every nerve has been struck at once. Muscles spasm, joints scream in protest, and as you double over, you find yourself clawing or clinging at anything within your reach. As your attempts to maintain composure fail you, your bones begin to twist with an agonizing force, the pain rising in a crescendo until it becomes unbearable to even breathe. Then, as quickly as it began, everything stops.

For a single, terrifying moment, there's nothing. No sight, no sound, no touch, no taste, no smell — just the weight of nothingness swallowing you whole. The absence of sensation might even be worse than the pain, leaving you adrift in a void you can't escape. Hopelessness threatens every fiber of your existence, and try as you might to fight it, your darkest thoughts begin to surface, flooding your mind in an onslaught of suffocating feelings and ideas.

In the darkness, you hear a voice.

It's faint, a gentle flashing of something warm along the edges of your mind, like sunlight itself. It's a voice, but you can't identify who or what it comes from, how it sounds, or what it means — still, you know it's directed at you. Something tugs at your heart, a powerful ache that throbs once and ripples outwards. You can feel the aches again, like fresh sores throughout your body. You feel off, like something isn't quite right, like you're not where you should be, or who you should be. But the voice continues, whispered just beyond your understanding. The sound is warm like hope, and it wraps around you, distant yet intent, before you wake up.


i. arrivals
FROM TUNNELS DEEP





The scent of must meets your nostrils, perhaps more strongly than it normally would. To open your eyes is to meet the dark — though if you're fortunate it could be that something about this new body, or perhaps the body of another, leaves some faint illumination to see by. Either way it soon becomes clear that where you are is somewhere underground. They are deep and sprawling tunnels, with corners of some unknown civilization storied away in their many carvings and ruined pottery. Portions of the cavern walls even bear the appearance of old structures and dwellings, as if the earth itself swallowed a city whole.

Trickling through the tunnels in quiet streams are tendrils of fog. It's difficult to see, but not in the least hard to feel. The mist is damp and cloying, clinging to every inch it finds on you to the point that it seems to grasp at the very soul; and the longer one lets it have its way, the worst it feels. You begin to question your body. Your mind. Your very memories — are they really yours?

Staying underground may be unwise anyway. Diglett and Dugtrio soon make themselves known to the weary arrivals here, and unlike these newcomers they have had far too long to succumb to the mist. They will attack without hesitation, and the only options are to fight or flee above ground.

The forest above unfortunately is not much better. The fog here is thick, even if some light somehow makes its way through the canopy above. What could have once been helpful landmarks become sources of dizzying misunderstanding, and the gnarled trees seem to move when no one watches. Rescuers from the city will have their work cut out for them once it becomes clear how many could be stranded out there, and time will be of the essence. The sooner that these wanderers can be brought to the clinic to be treated, the better!


CAUGHT IN THE BRAIN FOG⟡ While the fog does not cause illness specifically, it is still incredibly dangerous to spend extended periods of time within it. Disorientation, hallucination, as well as mental and physical dysphoria are all symptoms noted from the fog and it is vital to remove oneself from its presence. Fortunately, the symptoms fade quickly once exposure ends.

⟡ The severity of the above varies; characters may feel that time is moving too quickly, or simply become incredibly aware of their inhuman limbs. Players may increase or decrease symptoms as they desire, at this time.

⟡ In addition to the above symptoms, memories become scattered across characters in the fog. The longer one remains within it, the more memory they lose to it — and the more foreign memories they gain. Players are encouraged to offer memories within their top-levels for others to use, but unlike other symptoms, characters need to come in contact with the memory's source to be free of them.

⟡ As many within Bottlecap Bay can guess, the location of all of this is the Southern Forest; which means all the dangers discovered in earlier quests apply. In addition to the disorienting fog, this particular branch of forest is rife with time and space distortions, making it difficult to navigate safely through.



ii. under the weather

RAIN RAIN, GO AWAY



The first thing anyone will notice as the month of May truly sets in, is the rain. Light or heavy, sunny or cloudy, a near constant rain pours down upon Bottlecap Bay and its surrounding areas. There's no escaping it; it pours, and it pours, and it pours ever long, until it becomes impossible to do even basic tasks outside one's dwelling without getting soaked to the bone.

While it's not unusual to receive rain at this time of the year, the amount of rain is unnatural according to the Guild Leaders. To ensure no one suffers any more than they already have, all three are quick to open their doors to these new Pokemon in their midst. Or at least, they're quick to offer other foreigner's doors. Pokemon who originated from other worlds soon find themselves with new bunkmates and housemates, and with the rain as bad as it is there’s no good way to refuse.

It's best to remain in similar company after all, and until there’s time to sort out who fits where, it’s all these newcomers have.


RAIN CHECK⟡ Though the epidemic from earlier in the year has now passed over, Dr. Denne does not let his guard down. New pokemon are herded to the clinic for mandatory check-ups, to be absolutely safe. The clinic will house pokemon exhibiting any sign of illness, but otherwise send them off to rest in their temporarily assigned housing.

⟡ Unfortunately, many of the offered Guild rooms belong to those recently admitted into the fold. At these lower tiers, rooms are often exposed to incoming water. Rain causes floods to rise up within Oran Guild, bringing at least an inch of rainwater along the shared ground. In the Cheri Guild, it pours between leaves and over walls during particularly stormy weather. The only guild with surefire methods to avoid the rain is Lum Guild; all of these buildings are fully enclosed.

⟡ Even if Pokemon are able to avoid getting wet while sleeping, this won’t spare them when they go outside; it is at minimum drizzling at all times for the rest of the month.


THE WATER CYCLE



While Pokemon begin to settle into their new lives at Bottlecap Bay, the rain continues to fall. On some days it’s harder — hard enough to bring sheets thick enough to blot vision, sharp enough to leave unprotected pelts stinging for minutes after retreating inside. Thunder booms, and lightning flashes, a clear message to all within the city when they see it. These storms are bad. Dangerous. And the danger is in more than just the weather itself.

At first the signs are subtle. Those same symptoms from the forest can be felt, lasting only as long as a Pokemon is damp from the downpour outside. Even the gentle drizzle causes absent thoughts, an empty mind staring into the distant grey skies as you forget.

Staring longer still, as you remember. But is what you're remembering actually yours? Something about the concentration of forest mist in the form of raindrops changes the effects as the days go by. The body and mind rebel against what it knows doesn't belong, and it finally comes bursting out with a shout! Those memories you've seen, they aren't yours! They're someone else's!

And the world needs to hear it!


STORMY MOODSAfter May 10th, the rain for the rest of the month is constant. Severity of the downpour is up to the player to decide, but it never stops drizzling at the least.

⟡ While symptoms from earlier prompts can still be in effect, additional consequences are caused by the rain. Light drizzle carries lighter memories; happier thoughts, caring moments. Pokemon capturing these from the rain are drawn to quietly whisper their opinions on such memories, and can pass them to the original owner in this way. Raging storms bring the opposite; Pokemon will inherit despairing, or wrathful memories from another in the rain, and feel compelled to instead shout their opinions to cast the memory aside.

⟡ Despite the above, Pokemon do not need to pass the memory to their original owner to get rid of them. NPCs can be used as well, and it can be assumed the memory eventually made its way home.

⟡ Side effects of the rain carry over into any puddles formed. Sleeping while soaked in water will cause effects to manifest as sleep-talk, and potentially affect their dreams.



iii. the archives

RECORDS KEEPING



The longer the rainfall persists, the more clear it is that staying outside is unwise. Not only is it dangerous to non-water type Pokemon's health for the most part, but the full scope of side effects only increase the risks. After one too many shouting matches caused by vitriolic memories, Polteageist offers a simple but beneficial solution. The doors of the archives are opened up, as senior members in the Lum Guild offer up their time as temporary librarians.

Polteageist's solution is as follows; instead of training their bodies out in the rain, everyone will be training their brains. There have been many questions raised over the last number of weeks, and now is the time for everyone to investigate the mysteries. Entering the Archives means entering a building of clear splendor, filled with couches and beanbags for sitting and beautiful flowers and plants to accentuate the green hues within the halls. The shelves are well stocked with records kept on stone tablets, and the additional guides within the guild are eager to help everyone find what they're looking for.

The illustrious leader of the Lum Berries is well aware however, that not everyone is willing to spend all their time reading. As it would be counterproductive to expect anyone to sit twiddling their thumbs (or tails, or ears) he has thus arranged for a few of the archive meeting rooms to host additional activities. They are simple things; there's classes on recording writings properly in clay before firing, minor history lessons where newly arrived Pokemon can share in what many others already know, and even community building exercises. They're nothing like the escape rooms organized during the last two months, but they're good for passing the time.

And eventually, the rain will hopefully calm down. A few skilled Psychic Pokemon are offering their services to keep others dry until then however, at least so that everyone can get home safely.


SHUSH!⟡ The Archives, while acting as the base of operations for the Lum Berries Guild, additionally acts as a library. Players are encouraged to come up with their own available texts within these halls, but should keep in mind that not all knowledge is publically available. If a player is unsure about whether or not something can be easily accessed, please comment about the topic under questions.

⟡ Examples of available topics include general folk tales and fairy tales (with examples given here), as well as non-fiction matters such as pokemon types, species, and moves. As a note, paradox pokemon and canonically synthetic pokemon such as Type: Null are not included.

⟡ The history of Bottlecap Bay is no different from what is noted within the game's premise; guild members teaching the history will explain that the settlement came about when a number of Pokemon escaped from human lands, seeking refuge where no humans could be found.

⟡ Players may be creative with team building exercises, provided they would not cause damage to their surroundings; examples include bonding activities such as 'two truths and a lie', '20 Questions', and even scavenger hunts within the public Archive limits. The focus is always upon getting to know one another.


✩ OOC NOTES.
TDM CWS: body horror, disorientation, hallucinations, dysphoria

⟡ TDMs are game canon and act as events for the month they are posted.

⟡ New characters can link to their top level beneath the NEWBIE DIRECTORY

⟡ All new arrivals are not assigned to any one guild. However, if they participate in the Archive's bonding activities, they may receive a unique reward.

Remember that at least one thread for your application must come from the TDM! There is no comment minimum, but we will be looking for engagement, as well as for players and characters who take the time to delve into things like character thoughts, emotions, morality, and other deep themes. Take this time to engage with the setting as you would in game!

⟡ As a reminder, reserves and applications are permanently opened. Please see their respective pages for details on processing time.

⟡ Have any questions related to the TDM? Ask here! If your question is more general for the game, please make sure to direct it to the FAQ page instead. Thank you, and happy threading!

FULL NAVIGATION
truthdecided: (perplexed)

[personal profile] truthdecided 2025-05-22 12:15 am (UTC)(link)
[Prison... Curious.

This memory feels foreign. Surely nothing Akechi experienced, yet he finds himself following along, intrigued by the sights, sounds, and feelings...

And the simple act of throwing a ball.]


To think one could find pleasure in something so simple...

[Alone, with nothing but a wall...]
shotinhead: (6;)

[personal profile] shotinhead 2025-05-22 12:26 am (UTC)(link)
Well. [ He doesn't want to make it too deep. ] What's it like adaptin' to paws? I mean, if you didn't have 'em before.
shotinhead: (7;)

[personal profile] shotinhead 2025-05-22 12:28 am (UTC)(link)
Well, they were meant to be protectin' people from the bombs.

[ A beat. ] Uh. Nuclear bombs. Dunno if you have 'em where you came from, but they basically destroyed the entire world. People in Vaults were saved, people outside managed to survive too but lost everything. Or became mutated. Either-or. That was about two hundred years back.

Dunno if Vault-Tec was thinkin' the bombs would actually drop. My own knowledge on them is a bit biased. [ He has an awkward smile. please don't get him talking about his cult worship of them, ]
shotinhead: (3;)

[personal profile] shotinhead 2025-05-22 12:30 am (UTC)(link)
[ The wet Absol made Courier six pause - was this another person who was still adapting? He looked like he had been out in the storm for far too long.

But his own expression remains warm, kind. ]
Why, it means you won't end up at the hospital, if th'rain causes shit to happen. And that means less work for everybody.
shotinhead: (5;)

[personal profile] shotinhead 2025-05-22 12:31 am (UTC)(link)
[ Oh, another human-turned-Pokemon! He's gonna give a nod, she's not another creature-turned-Pokemon. ] Came from somewhere cold, then? I guess it's like how I wouldn't mind a sandstorm comin' though - just how things are.
shotinhead: (6;)

[personal profile] shotinhead 2025-05-22 12:33 am (UTC)(link)
[ Oh, it's fine. He gives a little grin. ]

Maybe you can tell me more about what I saw on th'way. No offense taken - I bet a lot of people wouldn't wanna think of the place I came from.

[ (If he's hurt, he's hiding it very well. Who'd be homesick for a place like that? For people like that?) ]
bladeofnymeia: (shrugs!!!)

[personal profile] bladeofnymeia 2025-05-22 12:33 am (UTC)(link)
You're welcome.

[She sits down there and starts grooming herself a bit. The dampness is starting to cling to her whiskers, eugh.]

If we only had a break in the weather - a good sunny day would dry every scrap of fabric I've got. But the longer it rains, the less chance anyone has to dry anything out.
shotinhead: (Default)

[personal profile] shotinhead 2025-05-22 12:34 am (UTC)(link)
[ :| ]

I still haven't figured out Earthquake-- but I mean. Why is Dig a move. Isn't it just shit anybody could do? Then again, there's also... Bite.
shotinhead: (7;)

[personal profile] shotinhead 2025-05-22 12:36 am (UTC)(link)
[ She is so small, and he is trying not to lean to look at her! But he gives a shrug. ]

Yeah, there's no guns here. Or I bet I'd have found 'em. [ A little shrug. ] Or if my Mama were 'ere, she would have found them, disassembled them, and figured out how to make them herself.

[ acorn rivers you are famous. but then, a laugh. ]

Usually people tend t'aim them at the wall instead, if they're drunk enough t'play. But it's not too common.
shotinhead: (1;)

[personal profile] shotinhead 2025-05-22 12:38 am (UTC)(link)
[ they are the best bois :3 six of them... even if one is a lizard and one is a naked molerat but big. they're Dogs. ]

...You're talkin' like you've had this sort of thing happen before.

Uh. I got something too. [ He is doing his best to sound polite about it. It's not a delusional thought, he's realised. ]
bladeofnymeia: (where the wild rose blooms)

[personal profile] bladeofnymeia 2025-05-22 12:38 am (UTC)(link)
Desperate, or uniquely capable of facing them and living to tell the tale with their soul unscathed.

[Said so bluntly, it's almost as if she's speaking from direct experience.]
bladeofnymeia: (adjusts gloves before smackdown)

[personal profile] bladeofnymeia 2025-05-22 12:45 am (UTC)(link)
They didn't.

[Firoza that's not reassuring]

The First Dawnservant of Tural, Gulool Ja Ja, with the aid of stalwart allies, was able to ensnare Valigarmanda in a trap for decades. And then, when someone let the blasted creature out to try and cheat his way to the throne...a party of eight of us managed to subdue it. Though to be fair, it was quite weakened by its imprisonment, but I still count it as an incredible feat. Damned thing would swap between fire and ice as if it were nothing...

[If there's one thing Firoza has learned in her fighting, it's that she's damn lucky she can take hit after hit and cling to consciousness when she can't get out of the way fast enough. If there's a second thing she learned in Tural, it's that Wuk Lamat is much the same way.

Makes you feel less bad for bungling into mechanics constantly, when you're not alone.]
shotinhead: (12;)

[personal profile] shotinhead 2025-05-22 12:45 am (UTC)(link)
[ A bit of the look at the drowned rat of a fox. Before shaking his head. ]

I just don't wanna give th'hospital more work. Or have you show up on one of those quests. Do you know how many times I've gone t'the ocean?
shotinhead: (10;)

[personal profile] shotinhead 2025-05-22 12:48 am (UTC)(link)
[ His voice is quiet.

His eyes are closed for once. Both of them. ]


This place won't end up like before.

[ He doesn't quite know what the other saw, but it's clear in what he means. He won't end up causing the destruction of this place. He won't be ignorant. He won't create another Ulysses. ]
friendlyflower: (sadsmile)

[personal profile] friendlyflower 2025-05-22 12:55 am (UTC)(link)
I was not miserable. [... He says, in the tone of someone absolutely miserable.] And I wasn't trying to be; I can't feel anything. And I did do everything I wanted. I killed everyone. I saved everyone. But none of that ended the 'game.'

[Unlike Shoka, he was never brave enough to accept nonexistence. A few times, he came close... but he would impulsively reset each time, no matter how tired he was. Did that mean that one day, he hoped to live differently, too? See new things, go new places? Be with people he wanted to be with, as Shoka put it?

Or did it just mean he was still a coward?
]

You don't get it. The reason I wound up that way...

[His voice comes out small. Pathetic. He hates it.]

I used to be someone else. Someone who still had a soul. My best friend had a plan to free all of us monsters who were trapped underground. They ended their life for it, and... I helped them. I absorbed their soul and went past the barrier to the surface.

[He thought he'd sooner die than tell all of this to anyone again. He supposes that's another lie he's told himself.]

All I needed to do was kill six humans and take their souls so we could break the barrier. But when it counted most... I couldn't do it. Even when my best friend's desire for vengeance just turned into begging me to save my own life, I couldn't. I failed when they needed me most, and we both died for it.

... Do you get it, now? If I had just finished the job, all the monsters could have been free and I'd still have their soul. My best friend wouldn't have died for nothing.

For a while, I wasn't sure if me being the one to come back was some kind of joke. But then, when they all started saying the same lines like NPCs... when it would all be reset in the end...

Then I realized why I came back. It was all a game. And I was going to win.

I could make it for something. I could prove to them that I had learned the world really is kill or be killed. I could... I could...

[He's sniffling. He will not cry. He will not cry. Big kids don't cry. And he doesn't feel anything-- if he can feel, he can regret. And if he can regret, maybe he can care. And if he isn't just a relentless killer because he's soulless, that means he's even worse: he's someone who chose to hurt others. Someone who could have cared, but didn't.]

... it didn't matter. Someone else came along and freed everyone, anyway. I was an idiot to the end. And just when I thought I was going to accept it and stay underground forever, I got sent here. What a joke. What am I doing here? There's no second chance for a thing like me.

[Now she's going to mock him, like before. Whatever. It's the least that he deserves.]

You. You've still got a chance and you just want to throw it away. Me, I'm just waiting for something to finally kill me for good, since I could never do it myself and make it stick.
dunchies: (061)

bad lion @ laios: y'know like, nyah >:3

[personal profile] dunchies 2025-05-22 12:55 am (UTC)(link)
Emporio. [ His name comes out more forceful this time. Stern. Cold. When Laios realizes, his ears fall flat, eyes widening at himself. He shrinks back and away, the urge to run slowly taking over again. There is no destination, no place for him to go — but he can't stay here. Not when he feels himself sinking, deeper and deeper, too overwhelmed to even breathe. Then, suddenly, the voice repeats itself: you hate humans.

But no, that's not it at all.

He moves closer again, tail hanging low as the rain beats down on him. Quietly, Laios sits beside the other, lifting head head over him to take whatever he can of the storm.
]

You shouldn't be out here.
bladeofnymeia: (huh? what that?)

[personal profile] bladeofnymeia 2025-05-22 01:01 am (UTC)(link)
[She's from a world where you can just pick up a random baby enemy and it can be your forever buddy running around with you all over, it's normal. Kind of cool that there's a world you get six of them, though.]

The experience is similar to an ability I have at home. It's a bit of a poetic description, but it sort of...lets me pass through the barrier's of another's soul, to see the events of their past. Just briefly, and I don't have control over what I see or when it happens, but it's similar enough.

[She perks up when he mentions he got something too, though.] Oh - gods, if it was frightening, I apologize. The last time someone received an Echo from me, they became...very agitated.

[You are simplifying Fordola's existential crisis, honey.]
wolfcut: <user name="onlylovedherself" site="tumblr.com"> (pic#17853776)

1/3

[personal profile] wolfcut 2025-05-22 01:17 am (UTC)(link)
… Fuck off, Big Bird.

[ He’s only half-listening to Anasui, too focused on curling up into a little ball. As if the physical pain wasn’t enough, now he’s getting lectured at like some child. He grumbles to himself, frustrated, before finally unfurling to stare up at them both. A look of defeat crosses his face. Two against one, not to mention the obvious size difference now — he’d be an idiot to even try.

But between the bruised pride and hurt ego, catching that arrogant little cat in the act pushes him over the edge. His claws dig into the dirt as he pushes himself back up on all fours, grimacing. Mind clouded, he still manages to stop himself, wondering what the point of this even was. He just smelled what he thought was food, but suddenly now it felt personal. Was it even worth it?
]
wolfcut: <user name="unification"> (pic#17853762)

2/3

[personal profile] wolfcut 2025-05-22 01:18 am (UTC)(link)



[ Fuck it. ]
truthdecided: (Default)

[personal profile] truthdecided 2025-05-22 01:19 am (UTC)(link)
I did come from the surface, so yes.

[He turns around, peering over his shoulder. He won't leave until he's certain Till is ready, as that's rather contradictory to the rescue work his guild expects from him.]
wolfcut: <user name ="proverbially"> (pic#17856297)

3/3

[personal profile] wolfcut 2025-05-22 01:19 am (UTC)(link)
[ He runs at full force past Anasui, keeping enough distance until quickly skidding to a stop to launch himself at his low tail feathers. Only able to hold on with his good arm, he bites down for leverage, eyes locked on Firepaw as he tries to scramble up after him. He’s desperately clinging on, knowing he won’t have this chance for long. ]
seacub: (oh look rain on my face)

me whispering to the wind *i can make this worse*

[personal profile] seacub 2025-05-22 01:25 am (UTC)(link)
[It's a ghost of a memory. It fades just as they make contact, thoughts settling into the minds they're meant for, even while the other speaks. Backpedalling in time perhaps, or moving forward in it, huddling against a wall in human form as tears run down the face and-

I'm alone again.
]

I c...

...I couldn't move... [Comes the whisper aloud, a quiet admittance among the rainstorm.]

...it felt like I was alone again...
seacub: (AND NOW A PIPE TOO??)

[personal profile] seacub 2025-05-22 01:41 am (UTC)(link)
...You didn't seem insane to me?

[No comment on the madness of isolation though, he thinks that's probably exactly what would happen if Stands weren't more like extensions of a person's souls. Something, something, Persona- in fact it's where persona got the idea

The cubone blinks.
] ...Did you think you..weren't sane?
seacub: (AND NOW A PIPE TOO??)

[personal profile] seacub 2025-05-22 01:44 am (UTC)(link)
Well, the archives are huge. They have to be, because it's a library for everything that's been recorded, and a lot of pokemon are enormous.

...at least compared to something like me, [The boy mutters to himself.]

For the same reason though, there's a lot of beanbags instead of chairs, so you could probably hole up a lot easier there than out here.

At the very least, you stand more of a risk of being attacked here than inside the archives...
loopsiedaisy: (⚡ I'm thinking of a way to explain)

[personal profile] loopsiedaisy 2025-05-22 01:48 am (UTC)(link)
[Oh! It's definitely good that she gave them that hint, because they were definitely only thinking of physical objects, but...] ...is it really fair to you if you're helping me this much?

[...anyway!]

So, something like a concept...?