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

[rindouweed]

Oh! [ Rei makes a little surprised face, her eyes blinking away the sense of shock that came upon her again. ] Children... Yes... I have three sons. A daughter.... You are rather loud, aren't you? Are you okay?

[technusrulez]

...I HAVE VOLUME CONTROL ISSUES. MY VOICE JUST COMES OUT LIKE THIS, UNLESS I FOCUS INCREDIBLY HARD! AND I HAVE FAR MORE IMPORTANT THINGS TO DO WITH MY AFTERLIFE.

[rindouweed]

[ That gets her attention immediately... ] Afterlife...? Are we all dead?

CW: Electrocution, mad science gone horribly wrong

[technusrulez]

...NOT ALL OF US... I THINK BACKPACK BOY IS ALIVE, AT LEAST. BUT I DO NOT HAVE GHOST-DETECTING ABILITIES.

[He waves his little lightning-arms. A memory slips, unbidden, into Rei's head.

A stormy summer night, rain falling just as hard as it has here, lightning cracking through the sky. There's a general feeling of excitement and pride along with the memory, as Technus adjusts a helmet on his head. Wires lead off of the helmet.

He starts cackling with delight as he reaches out and flips a switch--

And then everything goes dark, and that's where the memory ends.]

cw: self harm ment

[rindouweed]

[ From the memory she jolts, slightly, her gaze blurred moments before as she tranced in on the sight to be held.

There is a feeling of success and great pride at what was to be done; she knows and understands what pride is, but finds herself unable to understand why this pride exists. It's strange, she knows it's not her feelings, and as she cycles back to who she is. Darkness brought to her from the memory, she blinks rapidly. Shaking her head and letting it peel away, ]

Backpack boy... Ghost-detecting abilities..? [ For a woman who lived her life mainly sheltered and cut off from society, let alone most media, she finds herself a bit confused. ] I don't have memories of dying, at least, not until just now - so then... [ More confused. ] Why would you do that to yourself?

this is entirely headcanon btw, but i have canon reasons for all the hcs

[technusrulez]

DID YOU- OH.

[The memory comes back to him, his own memory of death, and he grins.]

I INTENDED SOMETHING MORE, SOMETHING FAR GREATER! BUT THE HUMAN BODY COULD NOT HANDLE IT, AND SO I WENT OUT IN A BLAZE OF GLORY! IF IT WAS NOT TO WORK, AT LEAST IT MADE ME SOMETHING GREATER THAN MYSELF!

(˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶) cw: 431+ spoilers

[rindouweed]

[ Rei listens, her eyes growing wide. The backs of her legs shift, and her bottom lowers, allowing her to sit. It's hard for her to feel panicked when she is so determined on this newness, well beyond her understanding.

She thinks hard, trying to conceive any reason as to why someone would be foolish enough to do that to themself. Regarding her son, Toya, he immediately comes to mind because of this - she remembers watching her son burn himself alive out of a want for revenge. For her mistakes, for their families' mistakes. That memory although quick and intense, can find its way into his mind as she recalls it vividly as if it were just yesterday. ]

What... [ She's tense, asking this, wondering nervously with her front paws shifting their weight from one to the other. ] About your family?

[technusrulez]

[...Technus finds himself crying. He doesn't even realize at first, but tears well up in his eyes and pour down his face.]

...I... YOUR SON...

...I DID NOT HAVE ANY FAMILY.

[rindouweed]

[ Rei tenses more, her furs prickling and fluffing up as she half attempts to get up from sitting on the floor. In his broken conversation, Rei feels anxieties bubbling in her stomach. ]

You're crying? [ No Family. It doesn't make sense to her, still, it hurts her in a lot of ways, why would you do that to yourself?</>

If she were calmer, Rei would know better than to impose any of what she feels onto others, but she projects just a bit in the moment. ] Don't do anything like that again, you cannot put your life on the line for something that you want to do - please think of everything around you. How much more important it is that you stay alive -

[ Is that what she wanted to say to him - no, that's not it, but she's confused in the moment and what she said out loud is still how she earnestly feels regarding all of this. ]

[technusrulez]

I, TECHNUS, LORD OF ALL THINGS ELECTRONIC AND BEEPING, DO NOT CRY! IT MUST BE THE RAIN!

[It's the feeling, even through someone else's memory, of a son dying.]

AND I AM ALREADY DEAD, LADY. CANNOT GET MUCH DEADER!

[rindouweed]

[ She blinks, Is he though? ]

But not right now. [ A beat. ] If I am alive, then you must be too.

[technusrulez]

...EVER HEARD OF A "GHOST"?

I GUESS I COULD TECHNICALLY DOUBLE-DIE, AND I WOULD RATHER NOT DO THAT, BUT I DOUBT ANYONE WOULD MISS ME!

[rindouweed]

Not in the ways you might understand no... [ Rei finds herself frowning, her insides churning in agony and sadness. ] When the sun goes away, does it know of every single plant that would miss it? Does it know... How each one soaks in its sunlight when it rises each day.

You might not think anyone would miss you, but the world would.

[technusrulez]

...LADY... I KNOW THE WORLD WOULD NOT MISS ME. I DIED ALREADY. THINGS WENT ON.

[rindouweed]

Naturally, yes... [ Unfortunately, it does, no one will remember her son's sweetness. The world will move on. ] The world has to move on.

[technusrulez]

...I SHALL TRY TO BE MORE CAREFUL.

[Technus normally doesn't care about other people very much. But this woman's memories, the love she clearly has for her children, has affected him more than he wants to let on.

A memory slips out from him- covering up the mirrors in his mother's apartment, sitting with her and praying.]

[rindouweed]

[ Oh! ] Yes, that's very good. You should do that. [ Rei nods her head only slightly, ensuring that the agreeable circumstance was made true. When her mind refocuses, she sees the mirrors covered and a woman with whom she is praying. Rather than bring it up, concerned that they are both seeing things likely best kept within their own hearts. She speaks again, ] Do you know where we can go, to stop this madness from happening again...? I don't want to forget my children.

[technusrulez]

IF WE CAN GET IN FROM THE RAIN, AND DRY OFF, IT SHOULD SUBSIDE.

[He looks around.]

NEED TO FIND SOMEWHERE WITH ACTUAL SHELTER...

[rindouweed]

Okay. [ Rei does not look around, she simply watches him quietly instead. ]

Where will we go?

[technusrulez]

HM... THE ARCHIVES ARE DRYEST, IF YOU CAN MAKE IT HALFWAY ACROSS TOWN.

[rindouweed]

Is that where you are headed?

[technusrulez]

YES! COME WITH ME, WE SHALL GET OUT OF THE RAIN TOGETHER.

[rindouweed]

[ Rei steps forward and tries to move herself beside the other, her eyes look up regarding what was above them with wonder. ]

Do you know anything about this place by any chance?

[technusrulez]

DO YOU MEAN THE ENTIRE WORLD, OR THE ARCHIVES SPECIFICALLY? BECAUSE THOSE ARE VERY DIFFERENT ANSWERS.

[He knows a bit about the world, but not much. The creatures here are still strange to him. The world as a whole is still strange to him. He's still trying to wrap his head around the idea of living people having powers.]

[rindouweed]

Is it...? [ Rei cants her head, uncertain of what he means. ] The Archives have information on everything, do they not? I do mean... The world... And this place. Should I just read then?