bopbay | 003 ⟡ MAY TEST DRIVE

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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 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

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[ That was so much information at once - although, grateful for it. The woman shakes her head, and her snout suddenly pulls back away from them. ]

... This must be a Quirk then... To teleport someone to another world... [ That's all she can think of at the moment, the term Pokemon sits strangely in her mind. ] My name is Rei Todoroki; thank you so much for telling me all this... So... This isn't a dream, then?

[What the heck is a 'quirk'...? This lady seems pretty quirky, herself, Flowey thinks.]

Not that I know of! I can't exactly pinch myself to test, y'know! [The Sunkern makes a silly face, then turns to start hopping back toward town.] Uh, that wasn't an invitation to pinch me or anything. To be clear.

[A dream... well, it's felt kind of like a nightmare at times already. He's not going to say that, though.] Hmm... Rei, what was your world like? Maybe there's a way back!

[ That got a slight giggle out of her, though it was more a slight huff. Surprised by the responding statement. ]

I don't intend to. [ Rei steps forward and looking over into the distance, ] Is it hard to hop so much? You can sit on my back, you seem tiny enough. That said... I... Don't know what to explain about it....?

[ It's a weird question to ask, ] We don't have these animals in our world, do you?

I can handle it! I'm not tired! [He's breathing a little heavily-- he's clearly getting tired.] If you really want to give a horsey ride, though, I can't stop you.

[Okay, it makes sense everyone would think of their world as the 'normal' one. He'll need to be more specific, he thinks.] And, no, we didn't have these 'Pokemon'... But we had monsters, so, close enough. Your turn to share! What's a 'quirk'?

The only thing is, that I think it is a tad bit cold around me... Even when I wasn't a Pokemon... I tended to have a colder touch. If you're okay with that, you can sit on top. [ It's spoken in a very matter-of-fact way, simply for what it is. ] A Quirk... You don't have Quirks in your world...? [ Even stranger though, as she pads along her head tilting at what he says. ] Why would you call something a monster? Do you mean you have violent animals?

Alright already, sheesh. I'm already freezing, so what's the worst that could happen? [He allows Rei to help him onto her back, huffing indignantly. He's rather big for what looks like a monster based around a sunflower seed, being a few inches shy of a foot tall-- he's on the small side for a Sunkern. Despite this, he weighs little. Flowey can't exactly hold on, given that he has no arms, but he manages to remain steady.] Wow, neat view from up here! I'll tell you the way!

[He's quiet for a minute as he tries to think of the best way to answer her question. The whole 'teleported to another world' thing had been pretty easy for him to accept, given everything that happened to him already.]

Monsters aren't animals in my world, they're their own type of being. You've played a video game or seen a movie before, haven't you? Y'know, monsters? Slimes, skeletons, ghosts and goat-people...?

The big difference between humans and monsters is that monsters are way weaker. Most humans can kill a monster pretty easily if they set their mind to it. Monsters can use magic to make up for it, but it sure didn't do them a lot of good when humans sealed 'em all underground.

[He supposes that warrants explaining.] Before you ask, it was because they were scared. If a monster absorbs a human soul, it becomes crazy powerful. [He would know.] But most monsters are total pushover weenies, so most of them don't even try.

Anyhow, people here come from all sorts of crazy worlds like that. Neat, huh?

[ Rei turns her head to look at the small seedling, and when she notices that it steadies itself and struggles a bit to stay on her back. She takes a moment to mind some of her tails closer to him. Rei is still trying to understand how to control the flow of them, but she can at least curl them inwards, so if the Sunkern had happened to fall over to one side, her tail would cushion the fall. ] If you'd like, [ She adds. ] you can sit more back, it might help. [ To lean against her tails for support.

Rei doesn't hesitate much after that, seeing him settle to move forward following any direction the seedling tells her. She puts her entire trust into him, having no reason to disbelieve the young-sounding person. ]

Slimes... Skeletons... Ghost? Goat-people...? [ She continues walking, listening intently as the other continues on to explain everything that they say. It gives her a lot to think about, but she has concerns over the subject of Monster and how they are perceived within his world. ] I don't understand. What you described to me are just 'people,' it would be racist to call them a monster.

They have Quirks, yes - I suppose....

I think I remember magic being in a game my son used to play, [ Rei tries to recall it, remembering Natsuo and Touya playing on the systems she is thinking of. ] I don't remember what it was really... The magic, though, it reminded me of Quirks, except everyone can learn it if they want to. Quirks are what you are born with, some are born in the way you spoke. There are slime quirks, goat-people, though I don't think I have ever seen mention or heard of a Skeleton or Ghost Quirk. That would be interesting and unique.

That said, [ She doesn't seem to turn her head around when she speaks she is trying to make sure she knows how to walk right though. ] I've never heard of soul quirk abilities, they do say that the Quirk is connected with a concept similar to a soul, but it has never been proven.

Oh, you know, in fact, if I remember right, those with animal quirks like the Goat-People or Slime Quirks tend to be more powerful than someone with a quirk like mine or others. At least physically... How strange... Your world is so....

[ A beat. ]

It feels wrong.

[ Another pause, before she asks. ]

Are you what you call a monster?

[He's truly baffled for a few silent moments. How does he respond to that? Nobody's ever questioned the foundation of his very world before, much less rejected it.]

Uh.

[Finally, letting himself lean back against her tails, he responds.] You're just gonna have to take my word for it. That's just how it was. But, hey! The monsters all got freed and live together with humans now, so it's not all that bad. I'm sure they're all just as happy as can be back there, now. [Notably, he describes it as if he hasn't experienced it.]

Anyway... your question... [He usually would say he wasn't a monster, but not a human, either-- he was a flower that was brought to life in a freak experiment using the dust of a dead monster. But, he feels like the nuances of this will be lost on her.] I was a monster. Doesn't matter, now.

[He perks back up again as his attention turns back to Quirks.] So these 'Quirks'... they're like a magic that you're born with? And humans can be born as animal-people and that makes them really strong? Wow! To me, your world's pretty weird. But, to each their own!

Yours was ice, huh...? [A certain someone he knew would immediately go for the low-hanging fruit joke, "that sounds pretty cool", or something. Ugh.] How'd you like it? Bet you could freeze anyone who bugged you if you wanted to, hee hee!

Oh, that's good... They should never have been underground; I am sorry for them. That's a real thing even in our universe, I believe stuff like that happened in other countries... I don't know anything deeply about that, unfortunately. [ Rei picks it up, just a bit, she is still pretty confused by it. Sometimes, the way younger people talk is strange, especially to someone like her who has not spent much time out in life. She keeps it in mind, but does not question it as she doesn't seem to know much about the other yet. ]

Somewhat. [ Rei answers plainly. ] People born with physical quirks are often physically stronger in different ways.

[ His last question gets a firm but gentle, ] No, you cannot just use your Quirks freely. There are laws in place; the only ones who can freely use quirks are those who have their Hero License.

Whaaat? Hero License? You have to sign up with some registry just to use a power you always had? That's like if you needed a hand license just in case you punch someone. [His voice is a little bit incredulous.]

Wait, were you a superhero or something? Did you fight crime? Did you wear a costume?

Quirks can be very dangerous things. [ She states, finding his disbelief pleasantly amusing in a silly but sweet way. ] No, my husband was, and my son Shoto, he's a Hero. [ She adds. ] My Hero.

Do you like knowing about where other people came from? I don't want to bore you. I don't know too much.

Trust me, it would take a lot more for me to get bored. [This new world is so big, with so many new people-- he almost craves the familiarity and power of knowing everything. Almost.] I only just found out these 'other worlds' exist too, you know.

[His voice is a little smaller when he speaks next.] Shoto, huh? ... Tell me about him.

[ It reminds Rei of someone extremely young, they always ask so many questions. The world is their oyster, and so bewildering to them. Every question always came with another, and every new piece of information made their tiny world that much bigger. She loved that about them, they were precious moments - ]

It's a bit overwhelming to me, the world is already a big place... Trying to learn that there are more worlds, means there are more things we don't know. [ Not that knowing was ever anything she cared about, but in this moment, she can't help but wonder if in another world. Would her family have been safer? ] Shoto... [ Rei's voice becomes light hearted and warm. A touch of life coming into it as she speaks - ]

When he was a young kid, [ Which is mainly what she remembers. ] he loved watching TV, mainly when he could watch his favorite Hero, Allmight, appear on the screen. He loved how he smiled, loved how he saved everyone, and as he watched that man on TV. Shoto really wanted to be so much like him.

I'm not sure when he gained such beautiful stubbornness, but even when he was young, he always knew what was right from wrong. Was it because of Allmight? [ Was it because his father did what he did, and Shoto knew, never to do anything like that? ] No, now that I think about it, as I talk to you, it was his friends... His friends are very kind, and because of them, he was able to become so much better than I ever could have raised him.

Sometimes the family you find along the way can be just the thing you need. [ There is a solemn touch in what she says, but the earnestness in how she speaks. Exists plainly between her words. Rei is happy that Shoto could find people to surround himself with.

There's a small draw of silence as she pads her way continuously through. Listening intently to the world around them. ]

Do you have friends? Or family to go back to?

[Flowey listens very quietly to everything she has to say.]

Sounds like he was a great kid.

[He doesn't say anything for another few moments except when he's directing her. The thoughts of childhood and 'family you find along the way' are clouding his mind.

He sure hopes Frisk is happy back there. They deserve it.]

So did Shoto ever become a hero, himself? Did the ice magic-- Quirk get inherited?

[He does not answer her question.]

Shoto is... I wish that you could meet him. I think he would love to be one of these animals. [ Rei doesn't think anything of it, sometimes, people just don't want others to know things about them just yet. She's older and understands that. Takes no offence, and finds herself answering what he says - ]

He's still in school right now; he has another year before he graduates, but he has his license and does Hero work part-time, and yes, his Quirk was passed down from both me and his father. He can use Fire and Ice. Exceptionally well, I might add.

Fire and ice... he can do it all. [He says, dryly.]

... You don't sound upset. Don't you know you might never go back? People are looking for a way to return to their worlds, but there's no guarantee they'll find anything. You'll never see your son or his father again. Maybe.

[ Rei hears his dry comment, listens to him as he speaks.

She even stops when he addresses the fact that she may never be able to go home again. Quiet, silent, her mind wanders over to her children and husband. Careful as she thinks of them, with love and appreciation. If she were missing, it wouldn't change anything between them. Rei is certain of this; if anything, perhaps Enji would be lost as to what to do without her.

The air is damp, and it is evident that it will surely rain soon. She can hear the sounds of living creatures scittering around; Rei wonders if it is so bad to live the rest of her life here in this strange dream. Wonders halfheartedly if the tiny seedling is here to judge her livelihood based on this question. That maybe he is messenger of God, and she is to be judged based on how she speaks. ]

That might be for the best in the end.

[ IThis is her reflective understanding. That there is nothing she can give to the world after she has birthed all she had. Nothing she can offer her children, any more than the little she gave. If this is her Hell, then it is a far kinder place than she was prepared to be in.

Moving forward, with that statement placed between them. She goes silent. ]

[He opens his mouth to make some type of snarky comment, but stops. He feels like it would fall on deaf ears... and he doesn't need to burn the bridge with one of the few people he's had something of a normal relationship with.

Still, her words bear an incredible weight he can't hope to understand-- not exactly. But it does bring up memories of a cavernous underground, and hearing it go silent as everyone left him behind, and accepting that they're better off without him.]

... I had family, yeah. [Maybe he'll just answer her question, finally. That seems... fine.] A long time ago. A mom, a dad... an adopted sibling. We were all perfectly happy, until...

[Until I screwed everything up, he thinks. Some days, he's glad he's out of that facade. What a joke. Now, he never has to be that stupid person who invited harm into his life again.

He never can be. He never will be, even if some days, he'd give anything to go back. Even for just a moment.]

... it doesn't matter. They're gone. I already said goodbye to them a long time ago. Anyone else I left back there is better off for it, too.

[He sits with that for a moment before perking back up, a forced cheer in his tone.] Not many people get a total fresh start! Might as well make the most of it, y'know? [It's unclear if he's talking about his own situation or giving her advice.]

[ It doesn't matter, she thinks those words are important. Whether it is because he is not ready to say them or he doesn't care for it. Either way, she is old, and she knows enough about life to infer from the tone of his voice, down to the things that he continues with there after. There is so much to take from it, from them being gone, from it being long ago, and leaving them back there, to it being better off for them too.

Much of it she could understand, and much of it she could relate to. It was weird to hear it come from something so small, though. ]

If I know moms. [ The silence breaks and idly speaks lowly in a tone that only the two can hear within the forest. ] As a Mother. [ Although a title she does not feel she deserves. ] She would want this for you.

[ Rei would want something like this for him, too. ]

Make it your new start. [ She then adds, wistfully. ] I will, too. That way, you aren't alone in trying all over again.

[He doesn't know what to say. She wouldn't be nice to him if she knew any better. And it can't comfort him-- he's soulless. He can't feel anything.

And yet...]

... Yeah, fine. Whatever. [He tries to play it off as if he doesn't care, but his voice is wavering a little.

A few raindrops begin to fall. From somewhere, it almost sounds as if a music box is playing. Maybe it's just a trick the rain is playing, or maybe a memory is being shared.

He almost wants to say something about how his mom replaced him a long time ago, but he can't think of a way to even get close to saying that without sounding pathetic and pitiable.]

Town is just up through that tunnel there. It really went by fast... I didn't slow you down by hopping.

[ Rei's ears are adept as a Ninetales, and it's her ears that listen to the world around them. Accounting for it, but she focuses on the path ahead, afraid of what that lovely sound could mean. Especially, with how uncertain this new world was for her. She continues onwards, and rather than focus on anything negative. Rei simply says, ]

I wouldn't know what to do if I could only hop.

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003 ⟡ MAY TEST DRIVE

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we can end this here/soon if you like? o:

wrapped🎀 we can end here!