bopbay | 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 MOODS⟡ After 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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[The feeling of this attack is familiar - he still has a fairly fresh memory of his first encounter with a vampire, who dug its claws into his throat and drained his blood through the veins in its fingers. Dio lets out an enraged shriek, and divebombs to Tackle the ugly little creature that has dared to hurt him.]

Useless... [He hisses, his words dripping with an inhuman level of malice.] Go ahead and try to hurt me. Or grovel, if you want to make it out of here alive.

[The Tackle sends him tumbling back through the tunnels like a pinball. It becomes quickly apparent this isn't a fight he can win-- not while he's still so new in this weak body.]

Y-you want me to beg?! What's wrong with you?!

[As if he's one to talk, but the hypocrisy is far from his mind as panic overwhelms him. He could try to run, but he probably wouldn't hop very far before the bat got him. Maybe he could tunnel, but not while his head is still spinning...

Flowey swallows his pride. His voice is shaking. He attempts a smile.] H-hey... this is all just a big misunderstanding, haha... I wasn't trying to hurt you! Just a reflex, y'know? So how about you step off and we start over...?

[Dio has to shriek again to get a good sense of where the Sunkern rolled off to - a loud "WRRRYYYYYY" that fills the tunnel they're in. There it is. He lands on top of Flowey, trying to dig the claws of his feet in. Unfortunately, they're completely blunt, so it bruises more than anything.]

Hmm...

[The Noibat leans down, considering the creature. He can't see a thing in the darkness, but he knows Flowey is small and fragile. Unfortunately, Dio himself is also small and fragile, so he does have to be careful with how much he exerts himself.]

I suppose I, Dio, will allow you to live. I'm sure you understand what a kindness this is.

[As his mind clears up, Flowey processes several key pieces of information. Like other bats, this 'Dio' echolocates. His claws are blunt. Dio isn't actually as big and powerful as he thought, though he's not exactly a pushover, either. All of this is good to know for revenge purposes, but, that doesn't change the fact that Dio could still choose to kill him right now if he wanted.]

Haha... um, yeah! Super kind of you, Dio! I'm Flowey. [He gulps.] You sure are strong, huh? I bet you've killed lots of stronger monsters than me! Maybe even some humans, I bet! I'm not even worth your time!

[The groveling gets a quiet laugh out of the vampire. He has little respect for creatures willing to bow their head, but it does make him feel nice to be submitted to.]

I've killed plenty of things much larger than you... and eaten more humans than you can count. You might be a waste to kill, but you could still be useful to me.

[Dio finally steps off, and gives Flowey a little bit of space. He isn't concerned with Flowey running - his giant ears can pick up every movement even when he isn't echolocating.]

[Great, now Dio's laughing at him. Hundreds of revenge scenarios run through his mind, ill-advised as they are. But then, curiosity- and a mix of admiration and fear- take over.]

You've eaten them? Are you some kind of vampire? [Oh, wait, he gets it. Bat. Vampire.]

You're interesting. Verrrry interesting. Sure, I could be plenty useful to you! I know a lot of things-- I could lead you out of here! What are you planning to do once we get out...?

[He's never come face-to-face with a relentless killer stronger than himself. Maybe he should play along for now, try to get in this guy's good graces-- hopefully that will put him low on Dio's list of victims, and he can do something to stop him before then.]

Something like that.

[In some ways he's more powerful than the vampires he's read about - in other ways he's lacking. But it beats being a human, at the very least.]

Hmm... I plan on resting, and learning what I can about this world. I'm sure somewhere, there is a path to regain my true form - that is my ultimate ambition.

[Going back to his own world is less important. There's nothing in England that he wasn't willing to sell out for a bit of power.]

[He supposes it makes sense that people have forms they actually want to go back to-- especially something so powerful.]

Well, I oughta know the way! Follow me!

[He doesn't feel comfortable turning his back to Dio, but if Dio had wanted to kill him, he could have done it already.

He also doesn't actually know the way out. He just hopes beyond hope that they can figure it out before Dio gets mad. In the meantime, he tries to distract Dio.]

What's it like being a vampire, or 'something like it'? No garlic? Can you turn into a bat normally? Sunlight a big issue? [He tries to sound casual, but it's pretty clear he's looking for weaknesses.]

[What an annoying little creature. But he's useful... at least, in theory. So Dio is happy to follow for now.]

Aren't you curious... I can eat garlic, and I cannot turn into a bat, but I could fly without the need for wings. What sort of creature were you - were you always a plant?

[It seems like a safe assumption. Flowey, like a Flower... although he's imagining a dandelion. An annoying weed, but easy enough to stomp on.]

[If he's being serious, then he has no weakness, Flowey thinks. Well, maybe a cross or holy water...? He saw that in a movie, once.]

Before this, I was a--

[He stops himself short of saying 'flower'. Actually... maybe this is his chance to turn the tide...?]

-- dragon. A venomous dragon with black scales. I guess I was too cool and strong, so the universe turned me into this. 'Flowey' is just a name I made up on the spot. What, is 'Dio' your real name?

[Crap, he thinks, I panicked. There's no way he's going to believe this.]

003 ⟡ MAY TEST DRIVE

cw: body horror

cw: body horror

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