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bopbay2025-05-10 10:00 am
bayhelpers) wrote in 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!
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.
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.
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!
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!
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.
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.
✩ 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!
⟡ 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!
the water cycle (boy oh boy sibling angst)
Then you leave home, without her. ]
Oh— [ With a basket half-full, Laios hesitates on where to go when the rain suddenly picks up. The Canopy is too far of a walk back, so he decides to find an awning to stay under a while. The thought of your s̵̫̓i̶͓̓ś̴̥t̷̟͒ȅ̵̟r̴̳̂ sibling eating alone makes your chest feel tight. You decide not to leave them behind again.
The next day, the human died. S̶̝̃h̵̭͘e̸̝͝ ̵̰͐ They died protecting you.
He drops the basket by his feet before shaking off some of the water. Only then does he spot the smaller Pokémon beside him, likely seeking some refuge just as he did. ]
Ah! Sorry! [ He freezes once he fully looks at Flowey, overwhelmed at the rush of too many emotions. ] I’m sorry. I didn’t—it was all my fault. [ His eyes start to water, overcome with guilt and grief, both his and not, all mixed together into one. All he can do is repeat himself. ] ... I'm sorry.
sibling angst!! :D
Sheesh, it's fine, already. You're a total wreck, buddy. Get-- get a grip. [He tries to hide the trembling in his own voice.]
[He remembers the promises he made with his sibling. They would leave the Underground and go to the Surface together. They would visit their hometown and see the flowers again. And then they'd see the world together, to the ocean, to wherever their whims took them.
And he's still here while they aren't.
In one moment, they're a rosy-cheeked kid; in the next, they're a blonde woman with a gentle smile. The images overlap until they're both gone.]
What a town you've got here. It just rains grief down on you. What's next, hail that just kills you?
no subject
For now, anyway. ] It's not normally this bad. Well, there was a mushroom problem last month. The ocean's been dangerous lately, too. [ He rubs his paw against his cheek, as if to keep warding off the mental fog. ] But, you know... hail might actually kill you. You're a grass type, right?
no subject
["The ocean's been dangerous"... grief still lingers on the edges of his mind. It's always there, but it's more pronounced in this moment.]
And what are you supposed to be, a dog? Heh. If I could throw a stick for you to chase, I would do it. [The dog monsters in the Underground loved that.]
no subject
Oh, you must be pretty new, then? Pokémon have all sorts of types based on their species. [ He tilts his head at the thought, a smile managing to make its way onto his face. ] I'm a Boltund, actually, but they are like dogs. A lot of Pokémon resemble animals... or plants.
[ As the rain lessens just a bit, a quieter memory manages to slip out, one of running to the neighbor's with his sister to pick up a new dog. That time, it was a small, white mutt (but not that one), too sweet and simple for its own good. Father won't be too happy about the choice. ]
I don't know about chase, but maybe with my prey drive... [ He's seriously giving this further thought now. ] I did really like collecting them for a quest recently. Huh.
[dogsong in the distance]
Hmm... prey drive? You're not gonna eat me, are you? [With the day he's been having, he wouldn't even be surprised.] What are you people eating, anyway?
laios's favorite beat to yap and/or relax to [1/3]
The memory, uh… rain might not be usual, but showing up here like that seems to be. Me and a few others wound up in the forest last time.
[ That said, he motions to his little basket, filled with a few prepared treats. ] The market has some food stalls. There’s a bakery too, but a lot of people are even fine with just berries.
[2/3]
[ His eyes narrow down at Flowey as he stares for what feels like an uncomfortably long time. Suddenly, the wind picks up again, howling against the buildings until they start to creak. Wordlessly, he moves in closer, too close, nose crinkling in consideration. A flash of lightning breaks through the clouds overhead, and Laios simply licks his lips, a glimpse of his teeth peeking through. ]
[3/3]
no subject
[As Flowey's mind wanders, Laios might have a memory of monsters turning to dust when they die-- nothing left to cook or eat.]
no subject
Often enough, though, I think. Mainly I just like to practice my hunting, but it's been interesting tasting meat without any preparation at all. Ducklett is still my favorite so far, but I’m probably a little biased.
[ Most people would rather not talk about this, so he's fully enjoying the opportunity. A memory surfaces for them both, of Laios taking down his first waterbird with Firepaw as his mentor. It's almost exhilarating, if you aren't a monster yourself, but instead of remembering his first bite, his mouth fills with the grit of dust before it flows away. He face scrunches involuntarily, and he shakes his head. ] S-sorry. I just... ugh.
no subject
Boy, you would've hated monsters where I came from. They just turn to dust, since they're made up of magic. No meat at all. [The memory of the hunt is exhilarating and familiar. A smile is crossing his face... but, it stops when the waterbird turns to dust.
As curious as he is, he can't justify killing again-- even if Firepaw was right and those other monsters are 'different'. His smile fades.]
... You sure do like food, don'tcha?
no subject
Those were— [ And just like that, they begin to vanish, each one turned to dust, just as Flowey said. ] —monsters? [ He almost can't believe it, not when they all looked so scared. ] But being made of magic shouldn't do that...
[ He hesitates at the question, distracted, expression shifting. ] I—well, of course. Shouldn't everybody? [ His nose twitches, the scent of some kind of hotpot somehow filling the air, before it shifts to that of butterscotch pie. ]
cw mentions of cannibalism, suicide (also. sorry he's like this.)
[Just as Laios sees scared monsters turning to dust, Flowey catches a glimpse of monster flesh being prepared over a communal cooking pot. And then-- for just a second, it's almost as if Laios is devouring his sister like a cut of meat...?
His mind flashes back to Chara, and absorbing their soul, and feeling their entire being within his chest-- and then he remembers them eating buttercups by the handful, stuffing their small body with poison. And he remembers humans surrounding him, weapons drawn, hate on their faces, ready to put the monster in its place, and Chara screaming to kill, kill them, kill them all--
--and that hatred for humanity... it isn't the same, but it isn't unfamiliar in the glimpse he gets of Laios's mind.]
... You don't like food like a normal person, do you? Hee hee... in fact, you weren't a 'normal' human at all.
it wouldn't be flowey if he wasn't like this :))) (cw violence & dunmeshi spoilers)
[ It’s all he can manage before his heart starts to beat just a little faster. This isn’t the first time he’s encountered this dilemma—the ancient dragons of Firoza’s home world come to mind—but this feels almost entirely different. Laios glances away, unable to look at the other, much less respond. Of course not, he thinks. That was different. This is different. Yet the words stop short of coming out, his focus shifting to a different perspective: Kill them. Kill them all.
He closes his eyes with a wince, desperate to stop listening to the child's voice in his head. Another chimes in, almost on cue, taunting with the soothing lull of a spider to the fly. You hate humans. Childish memories fill the air, filled with hungry creatures, ripping and devouring the flesh of people, their hate turned to fear. Just pretend, but all stemming from something very real inside him. That's why you're drawn to monsters. He shakes his head in protest, but the voice remains.
After all, monsters kill them.
Suddenly, his eyes snap open, landing back on the Sunkern without much emotion at all. His tone is flat, cold, a stark difference from just moments before. ]
You don't know anything about me.
(continued cws)
[His wicked smile cuts across his face like a knife.] Here's a secret, Laios. There's only one thing I hate more than goody two-shoes idiots: people who aren't stupid and naive like that, but act like they are. You know that being nice only gets you hurt. You ate those monsters because you were strong and they weren't.
[All of a sudden, his mind flashes back to the memory he saw when they first met. It's hazy, now, but he remembers a sister. He can feel remnants of the care that Laios had for her.
But didn't he kill her...? Flowey doesn't understand.]
So why...? I don't...
[The smile drops, and he just looks confused and small. There it is again: the smell of butterscotch-cinnamon pie.]
... do you still hate them? Humans, I mean. Aren't you still mad?
(continued cws)
His gaze settles away from Flowey and onto his basket of treats. ] ... No, that’s not really it. I needed to be strong. Eating monsters was part of understanding how.
[ To be just like them, he thinks, to shed those bits of humanity holding him back. But despite everything, he would always be human. He would always feel fear and love both, no matter how desperately he wanted to swallow those parts of himself until he couldn’t feel anything at all. He suffocated her and devoured the pieces that didn’t belong, all with the faint sliver of hope that somehow, maybe, he could see her again.
That kind of affection and desperation—it's all so deeply human, no matter how he looks at it. ]
Do you, after everything they did to you and your sibling? Or did your new friend change your mind? [ His tone is even with no hint of accusation, if only because he does understand. Even in another world, the cruelty of humans knows no bounds, and yet, feeling the warmth of friend's hug after so long seems to help wash it away, if only for a moment. ] Either way, those kind of feelings... they don't really matter to me, not anymore. I have people I care about and want to make happy. Being mad at humans just gets in the way of all that, and if that's naïve, so be it.
[ He can't bring himself to outright say no to Flowey's question, but his last journey in the dungeon certainly forced him to reflect on those buried feelings regardless. ]
no subject
Unlike you, I wasn't a human. My own failings weren't because of humanity, it was because I was... [Now that the high of terrorizing someone is fading, he just feels pathetic. Does he really still need to act like this, even in another world? He's such an idiot.] ... weak. Stupid. Or whatever.
[For a while, he thought he hated humans. Chara did. And they're certainly different from monsters, who are all warm fuzzies and happy vibes even when they're supposed to be at war with humanity. But hate them? Probably not.
Once, he thought there must be other good humans like Chara-- that's why he hesitated, even when they were closing in to kill him. Now, he wonders, is a human still 'good' if they'd do terrible things for the sake of someone they love? Isn't that why Asgore, monster that he was, killed six human children...?]
... But, no. I don't hate them. I think they're stupid, but so are monsters.
[He's silent for a moment, turning his stare up to the sky.]
Those humans just wanted to survive. Same as you with eating monsters. Is that right or wrong...? I don't know and... it doesn't matter. Whether it's right or wrong, it's real. [He spent too long thinking that the world was 'kill or be killed', that he could 'solve' the world like a game and peel back the curtains to reveal the ugly truth to everyone. It's not so simple, now. Everyone has to eat to live, and most have to kill to eat-- even plants will kill other plants or consume organic material. But that's just nature.] I still think eating other Pokemon is weird, though.
[Flowey looks back at Laios.] Listen. I don't have a soul and I can't feel regret. So if I said 'sorry for tormenting you', it wouldn't mean anything. I'm not really sorry.
But... you're not the type of person I thought you were. Okay? I'll say that.