003 ⟡ MAY TEST DRIVE

[bayhelpers]

⋆✩ 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

Comments

The Water Cycle - Let's go for some delishus Flowey angst... >:)

[truthdecided]

[Something is amiss... Memories echo through the stormy air, just like the fog.

They feel... Uncanny. Foreign, yet so oddly familiar.

The feeling of striking down targets, of ending lives... He knows it all too well.

And so this Rookidee falters, guilt bubbling up from within, but is it his? How much of this is real?

Lost in the visions, the Sunkern barely registers.]

Why...?

may I add some Akechi angst? :)

[friendlyflower]

[The memories grow worse with the rain, pouring out of Flowey's mind. Waking up alone, limbless, wracked with guilt. The inability to feel love. Killing and dying just in an attempt to feel something.]

[Meanwhile, the memories replacing the old for him are just as unpleasant. Murdering the innocent, twisting truth to his whim-- it's not unfamiliar, but the guilt weighs just as heavily. That all-consuming desire for revenge, to make it all for something: it takes Flowey back to the lowest points of his life.]

I was so stupid... I danced on that man's puppet strings, as if I were the one in control.

[In his delirium, Flowey bumps into the Rookiedee. He seems to get his bearings a little bit.] Huh? Who's there...?

[OOC: if you would like me to change anything or want to reach out and plot this out more, don't hesitate to ask! :)]

Yess >:] I enjoy sharing the angst

[truthdecided]

[Limbless... no limbs? A flower? But... no. Akechi was never a flower. He's been alone, certainly. He's struggled to connect with others due to his jadedness, but his kills were never purely to feel...

This is wrong.

Flowey may also feel quite out of place. A human, neither monster nor flower, holding a gun in a trembling hand at a yellow-eyed woman pleading to let her live, for her daughter's sake. Twisted feelings, fear and doubt, tangle inside, but it's too late to turn back...

Then a voice cuts through. Akechi feels his wings. His legs. He's... not a plant, but...

That is a plant beside him. He shakes his head, trying to clear his mind, but it's hard. The feelings from the foreign memories are so raw.]

I'm... Akechi, and you must be new.

[It's not a voice, nor a face he recognizes, at any rate, and a plant-like creature would explain the memories.]

happy mothers day wakaba

[friendlyflower]

[Flowey has killed before, but he's never felt so much fear and doubt. He thought once that would be a gift, but now- his finger trembling over the trigger- he realizes his mistake in thinking so.

With one bang of gunfire, the woman screams and then goes silent. And then he can't hear anything but his raspy breathing and his ears ringing. Somewhere, a child will grow up without a mother because of him. He took something away from another-- for once, not the other way around.

His stomach lurches. His vision is spinning. And then a manic laugh bubbles out of his throat.]

No-- that one wasn't mine, that was--

[The little Sunkern startles, locking eyes with Akechi. The memory runs from his mind like blood down the drain. He can still smell copper.]

-- it was yours, wasn't it? Hah... you can call me Flowey. You... You're just as twisted as me, aren't you...? [He attempts a smile, but there's venom in his words-- whether it's directed at Akechi, himself, or both, it's unclear.]

POOR WAKABA... alas.

[truthdecided]

[Twisted...

Yes, that's one way to put it, isn't it? A little flower, killing and killing... Far more chaotically than even Akechi at his worst.

Not that he plans to rebuke Flowey's claims. He has no business doing so, really.]

Well, I'm certainly not innocent. But those memories... clearly, there is more to it. Missing pieces.

[A weak grunt of laughter escapes him.]

Secrets kept close to the chest, freely exposed for all to see... I can't say I'm fond of this weather.

[friendlyflower]

Boy, you're telling me. It's like a confessional out here. Here I was hoping to make a good first impression!

[The memory has slipped from his mind, but he knows that Akehci has killed before, just like him. At least he doesn't have to put on his nice guy act. He's tired of being someone he isn't.]

You know, most people who learn the truth about me tend to run away screaming. Are you a masochist or just dumb? You definitely saw me killing for fun. [Of course, he is just a Sunkern. A bird like Akechi could probably pluck him up and eat him. So his words aren't exactly a threat-- just more curiosity that Akechi is sticking around.]

[truthdecided]

That is a defining difference between us. I never killed for fun.

[Well, ordinary Shadows, certainly. Those were always cathartic to tear through. He took pleasure in killing Okumura, of course, but the man had it coming. He had used Akechi just like every godforsaken piece of filth in Shido's inner circle...

Yet he remains oddly nonchalant. Something about the memory struck him...]

Although, it seemed as though some of those kills repeated themselves. How odd.

[Either the memory is distorted, or there's more to it...]

[friendlyflower]

Hmm... you're a perceptive type, aren'tcha? Then I'm sure you can figure it out! There's very few ways you can kill the same person more than once, you know! [He makes a silly face, as if trying to hide his annoyance at the entire situation.]

Here, since I'm so nice, I'll even give you a hint: it didn't involve necromancy!

[There's not much to go off of except a feeling-- that nobody around him is real. That it doesn't matter, because it's all just a game that he controls.]

[truthdecided]

...Time travel.

[It's the most logical explanation for the repetition, even with the variation in those repeated moments.

He's savvy enough to know genre conventions of fantasy and soft science fiction...

Though, clearly, this isn't fiction.]

That, or parallel realities, I suppose, but time travel or temporal manipulation strike me as more feasible.

[friendlyflower]

Hee hee... got it in one! You sure are a boy genius! [A toothy grin splits the little Sunkern's face.] I killed them all over, and over, and over. And you know what? I enjoyed it! I liked it! I don't even feel bad! Isn't that just sick? Those morons are off living a 'happy life' somewhere, none the wiser, and I... I...

[The toothy grin fades.] I... um...

[He takes a shaky breath.] Well... I'm here now. Thought I'd start over, but that was a dumb idea-- this place sucks! So, here's the real question: what are you gonna do now that you know the truth?

[truthdecided]

[Akechi watches Flowey's behavior, head cocked to the side. It's not exactly unfamiliar.

The engine room, where he clawed, kicked, and screamed about how he didn't need friends or connections, how he'd kill Ren, all the Thieves...

Only for the mask to shatter and his true feelings to leak through the cracks.

There's something more childish by comparison with this little seed, but the behavior us uncannily familiar. Pushing back, driving a wedge...

Nonetheless, Akechi remains calm.]

What's there to do? By the sound of it, your crimes were undone, a luxury I cannot afford. Moreover, you are in a new world, surrounded by strangers who know nothing of your past.

[friendlyflower]

And I'm just supposed to believe that from another killer? You're just gonna let me go free and kill again? You're not even gonna blackmail me to keep your mouth shut? Give me a break! We saw into each other's hearts. We know what we really are.

[Flowey's voice has grown more frantic-- it almost sounds like he's begging for Akechi to do something to him.]

[truthdecided]

Someone, despite all comprehension, saw fit to accept me. I nearly killed him, and even that wasn't enough.

[There's an air of exasperation to his words, but nothing more. Despite Flowey's expression, despite the franticness in his voice, Akechi sees no reason to fret.]

Besides, even if you attempted anything, I have a type advantage, and the others like me have had more time to adapt.

[friendlyflower]

[Flowey turns away, remaining silent for a long moment.]

... Alright, fine, you win. I believe you. I don't get it, but, I've met someone like you before. The forgiving type. Even though I don't deserve it because I can't feel bad for what I did.

[He's calming down, now. He appreciates that Akechi didn't talk down to him or try to act overly comforting.]

I, uh. I shouldn't have freaked out on you. This whole 'have your secrets exposed' thing is really new. Before recently, I was always the one in control. Now, I feel so... exposed. [It's almost like having feelings again or something, he thinks.]

[truthdecided]

I wouldn't call myself forgiving, but I also have no personal stake in your past crimes. If they ceased to exist, then you have a far greater luxury than me and should make the most of it.

[But he does notice the shift in demeanor. Volatile, unstable... these are familiar traits to Akechi as well. His breakdown in the engine room immediately comes to mind...

But no matter, really. Akechi blows a small sigh.]

I'm all too familiar with losing control, and this world is quite fond of that, it seems. Many of the residents have lost control of themselves, be it through rage-inducing spores or hallucinogenic fog. This weather is yet another inconvenience, but it can be avoided if you stay indoors.

i didnt realize how tiny this icon was when i uploaded it

[friendlyflower]

... Just because they don't remember it doesn't mean it didn't happen. Nobody's above consequences. That's why I didn't go with them, once it was all done. Would you chum it up with that lady with the yellow eyes if she came back, good as new? [Flowey doesn't seem to understand the 'metaverse' concept from Akechi's memory.] Even if you swore never to kill again or whatever, you know what you're capable of.

[He sighs. Talking about this is exhausting him... and he's sure Akechi is eager to move on from the subject, too. But, the memories are fresh in Flowey's mind.]

As soon as I can get indoors, I plan to stay there until this whole thing blows over.

A lil' tip! Upscale to 200% with nearest neighbor, and you can throw a border on there, too. o:

[truthdecided]

Well, no. Obviously no one is above consequences. I cannot undo the harm I have done. I can only move forward.

[It's an understandable feeling. Old habits die hard. Can people truly change, turn a new leaf, without having their hearts forcibly changed?

He pauses for a moment to shake off his feathers. There's an umbrella nearby; he must have dropped it when the memory hit.]

However, someone I betrayed and nearly killed saw something in me I'll never understand. So, perhaps there are those naive enough to give you second chances as well.

oh! thank you for the tip!

[friendlyflower]

Naive... heh.

[Akechi may glimpse a memory of a young human embracing him-- though he isn't in the form of a flower this time.]

I thought that about them, too, but I don't know if that's it. Maybe believing in me helped them out in some stupid way, too. [After all, why did they climb that mountain that nobody returns from...?

... He knows he'll never see them again. It's fine. They have their own life to live-- and for once, now, it seems like he might have one ahead of him, too.]

Anyway, thanks, or whatever. I was, uh, a little embarrassing back there. So next time we meet, let's just pretend this whole thing never happened...?

no prob! I'm a pixel artist, so I'm used to resizing stuff xD

[truthdecided]

[Heh... Akechi can understand the need for secrecy. The need to preserve his dignity, though a wry smile lines his beak all the same.]

Very well. I know the value of keeping secrets.

[...]

But it would seem I neglected to properly introduce myself. You can call me Akechi.

[friendlyflower]

Uh. 'Flowey'. [He thinks they traded names already, but maybe they're starting over. That's fine with him.] Nice to meet you and all that.

[... Now that they're done talking about the crap they went through, he's not sure what to say.] Mind sharing that umbrella? You're gonna have to hold it.

[truthdecided]

Well, I am trying to be a more righteous person these days.

[So, yes... Just let him scoop that umbrella up and flutter into the air. At least he can angle his talons so it covers them both.

He'd have a much harder time with his beak.]

You'll likely fund the Lum Berries guild more accommodating. Fortunately, they're rather close to the clinic.

[friendlyflower]

Oh, yeah? Lead the way then, righteous hero! [He hops along underneath Akechi's umbrella. The 'hero' quip reminds him of when he was a kid, drawing characters in crayon like the 'absolute god of hyperdeath'. Or how, for a while after being brought back as a flower, he thought he could just fix everything.

Stupid of him. But, the past is the past. There's a new world for him to explore, and he'd much rather focus on that instead.]

[truthdecided]

[Him... a righteous hero. That earns a snort of amusement from Akechi, but he leads the way, not moving too fast, of courses. It can't be easy to move about without limbs.]

My child self would have been ecstatic. Alas, I'm far more jaded these days.