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

Beetlejuice | Beetlejuice the Musical the Musical the Musical | Galarian Zigzagoon

[bugbeverage]

_{((OOC: BJ's Ref! | I'm happy playing both prose and brackets! I'll match you!))}

Out of the Woods - Closed to Lusamine

Beetlejuice emerges from the forest on all fours. He squints at the overcast sky and hisses. Until this moment, all of his memories had been squashed down and buried beneath his survival instincts. Eat. Run. Hide. Fight. Scars pepper his snout and burrs cling to his striped fur.

The ocean sparkles in the distance and the murmur of town life can be heard on the wind. It thunders.

"I'm...a person..." he grunts. It all comes flooding back to him. The little house on the hill. The wedding. Being tossed in the waves. His strange new body complete with a beating heart. Something something guilds. Something something Pokeyman. Beetlejuice stands up on his back feet and takes a few unsteady steps before his stomach growls. Donuts. He remembers donuts. "Ough."

He sits and holds his tummy. He feels awful.

It starts to rain.

"Crap," he grumbles to himself.


Rain Rain... - OTA

After finding his way back to critter town, Beetlejuice is bundled away into a bunk he doesn't recognize or care to. He's absolutely soaked and leaves a trail of water as he toddles his way toward the nearest bed. The Zigzagoon flops down with a splat. He smells terrible.

The missing time feels like a hole in his head. Like a lost tooth. He's here for real. He's here forever. His planned afterlife of chillaxing and Mai Tais fades before him like a dream, only he cannot sleep. He lays still for several long moments before starting to kick his back paws in exasperation.

"FUUUUUUCK THIIIIIIIS!"

Wild Card

Feel free to set a scene and I'll have BJ hop in!

Rain Rain

[bladeofnymeia]

[It's hard, being a Warrior of Light and giving a shit even when it's for someone who's yelling obscenities in the middle of the night. It's hard, and nobody understands.

Beetlejuice will feel a miraculously dry felt blanket plop on top of him.]

This will help dry you off, if you put in the effort. Is that alright?

[Firoza just gave up her own blanket that she's found a way to keep dry in this hellscape of wet weather. It's fine if it's not appreciated, but she can't not make the effort.]

[bugbeverage]

[ Beetlejuice stops his flailing when he feels the warmth drape around his shoulders. He sits up and slithers around to face the Nidoran he's bunking with. His wet fur bristles and for a moment he thinks about yelling at her, but he just doesn't have the umph in him. He's never had a cold before, but he swears he can feel one coming on.]

[ He pulls the blanket tight around his shoulders and gives it a little shimmy to dry his fur. ]

Yeah, uh. Thanks, I guess.

[bladeofnymeia]

You're welcome.

[She sits down there and starts grooming herself a bit. The dampness is starting to cling to her whiskers, eugh.]

If we only had a break in the weather - a good sunny day would dry every scrap of fabric I've got. But the longer it rains, the less chance anyone has to dry anything out.

[bugbeverage]

[ He watches her out of the corner of his eye, at least until he brings the blanket over his head and gives his whole face a good ruffle. Having fur everywhere is so annoying. ]

Who'r you?

[bladeofnymeia]

Firoza. And you, ser?

[You sound like a ser, but if she's wrong she will happily be corrected. It's cool.]

[bugbeverage]

[ Finally he wraps the blanket around his shoulders. All his fur is standing up now.]

Ehhh...call me BJ. You a person? A human?

Out of the Woods

[ibalsamina]

As Beetlejuice sits there, enduring the first few droplets of rainfall, he'll hear a voice—mature, feminine—suddenly speak up from somewhere behind him.

"Hello. Is someone there?"

Should he turn around to look, he'll find a face staring at him from under the brush: beady green-and-yellow eyes, a pink nose, and the glint of sharp, white fangs.

[bugbeverage]

Beetlejuice is almost starting to sniffle when he hears a woman's voice. He sits up a little straighter and looks around. At first, he doesn't see her. But then, he catches the eye shine of another weasel.

His heart does a sickening little lurch. He's been seen. People can still see him. But he's...this thing! And he's here! Ugh!

He turns back around to stare at the bay. "Yeah."

[ibalsamina]

Oh, thank goodness! Lusamine thinks to herself. He isn't one of those very rude wilds that live in those woods; it seems she can have a civil conversation with this one. Perhaps he can even guide her back into town. She's in desperate need of a bath, after all, and wouldn't say no to a proper meal...

But when she comes slinking out of the bushes and stands at his side to see him better, she notices the miserable look about him.

Was he crying? It's difficult to tell, now that it's starting to rain.

"... Oh dear. Is there something wrong, love?"

[bugbeverage]

Beetlejuice scrubs at one eye. It's just the rain! He's not crying! He's a cool tough guy who doesn't cry about losing absolutely everything good he's ever had even though he's only had it for like a day!

Love.

Nobody has ever called him that. His prickly ears lift and he glances over, bewildered. Is she...being nice to him? HIM? The worst guy in the whole world? He can't even be weird and creepy about it because she's shaped like a fucking stoat! He's not a furry! This is the worst thing that's ever happened to him!

"I was just hoping for a sunny day, that's all."

[ibalsamina]

Lusamine studies his bewildered expression. Which part of what she said startled him so much? Perhaps he's just never seen a Yungoos before—or is it that he isn't used to anyone speaking to him kindly? He does look wretchedly unhappy, unkempt, and altogether rough around the edges... But he seems to have responded well to her usual, patient tone, so she continues.

"I suppose I was hoping for the same... But the rain cannot fall forever, hm?"

Just then, a rain droplet falls directly onto the tip of her nose, prompting her to shake her head with a quiet huff.

"I would like very much to get out of it now, in any case... Perhaps you'd be kind enough to accompany me? I've been alone out here for some time now, and some of the Pokémon in that forest are sorely lacking in manners..." It doesn't feel like she's been in the wilds for very long at all, truthfully, but there is a somewhat disquieting gap in her memory nonetheless. "I would be truly grateful to have an escort back into town."

Were she still in her human body, the smile she gives him then would have been radiant and disarming. In her current form, against her will, it involves many more sharp teeth than she intends it to.

[bugbeverage]

Beetlejuice fixes her with an exhausted look as she continues to talk. On any other day, he'd be thrilled with the attention. He can't even enjoy that. Can't have SHIT in critter land. She's asking a favor of him. He shakes his head to bring his focus back to their conversation.

It's something. He's going to hold onto it.

"Sure thing, babe." He says as he stands to his hind legs again. Next, he gives his whole body a shake over, promptly showering her with droplets. His fur stands on end, making him appear rounder than he already was. Finally, he offers a black paw to her.

Rain Rain (aka- hi fellow dead guy!)

[technusrulez]

"I KNOW, RIGHT?" The creature who's floating above Beetlejuice says. "THEY DO NOT EVEN HAVE PHONES HERE!"

Technus has no idea who this is, but he's relentlessly social.

lmao hellooo

[bugbeverage]

It takes Beetlejuice a minute to unbury his head so he can look up at the thing causing his wet fur to stand on end. Every single Pokeyman in this world looks so different. But they all talk. What is this, a cartoon?

But, this guy seems to be into bitching about the situation. Beetlejuice appreciates that.

"There's no electricity, everybody's in dirt houses and eating berries and shit! This is worse than the 1400's!"

[technusrulez]

"TELL ME ABOUT IT! I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO UPGRADING THE TECHNOLOGY LEVEL OF THIS TOWN, BUT..." He gestures vaguely with his little lightning arms. "IT WILL TAKE A WHILE!"

...This guy doesn't immediately look ghostly, but the mention of the 1400s does draw Technus's attention.

"1400s A.D? IS THAT FIRSTHAND EXPERIENCE, OR...?"

[bugbeverage]

Beetlejuice wiggles a claw in one ear. The capslock, eesh.

"Ah, yeah, I was up to tricks around then. Not my best work, but you gotta start somewhere, am I right/'

[technusrulez]

Fellow ghost! Probably fellow ghost!! (Unless time shenanigans are involved here, but Technus doesn't even think of that.)

"OH, DEFINITELY! THE FIRST TIME I GOT OUTTA THE AFTERLIFE, I JUST STUCK SOME COMPUTERS TOGETHER AND STARTED STOMPING AROUND! THERE WAS NOT REALLY AN END GOAL ON THAT..."

He's buzzing excitedly, waving his little arms. It's been so weird talking to living people, they do things like 'care if you get hurt' and 'not want you to talk about your brutal death.'

[bugbeverage]

His furry ears lift. Afterlife?

"Nooo, stop, you got stuck in the land of the living?" He finally sits up and turns around in his hbed to fully face his new Rotom friend(?) Beetlejuice pats his paws against his chest. "Me too! OH EM GEE, TWINNINNNNNG!"

Wild Card

[friendlyflower]

[As Beetlejuice enters town, a small Sunkern with a big smile greets him.]

Howdy! I'm Flowey! Flowey the Sunkern! [It doesn't sound as good as 'Flowey the Flower', but he's not changing his name to 'Sunny', darn it.] You must be new here, huh? Golly, you must--

[A cloud of caustic scent wafts to Flowey's non-existent nostrils. His eyes begin to water.]

Agh-- [He coughs and hacks.] Hey, buddy, you ever heard of something called a 'bath'? You smell like a locker room where a butt went to die.

[ooc: hi! i love your doodles of beetlejuice's new zigzagoon form! sorry flowey is like this. i thought it would be funny]

[bugbeverage]

[ Beetlejuice stands there on his hind legs and stares at Flowey, dead-eyed, as he freeforms about his unique aroma. ]

[ He reaches out a paw, plants it against Flowey's face, and shoves him to the side. ]

Now now, kid. I gotta find something to eat or I'm gonna puke and then die.

[friendlyflower]

[Oh god. He's going to have to scrub his face with the strongest soap he can find. He doesn't even have arms. Maybe he should just jump in a washing machine.]

How are you going to puke if you have nothing in your stomach, genius? Tell you what. I'll get you some food if you agree to un-stink yourself.

[He hops off and returns a moment later balancing an apple on his head. Where he got it from remains to be seen.] Okay, now fetch! [He hops and sends the apple flying.]

[bugbeverage]

Do you want to find out?

[ His fur bristles. Who does this little seed think he is? But!!! He has suddenly returned with: A Shiny Apple. ]

[ Beetlejuice starts to drool. ]

Yeah sure whatever!

[ He dives for the apple like a champion volleyball player. Beetlejuice grabs it, tucks into a roll, and starts devouring it while laying on the ground, seeds and all.]

[friendlyflower]

Heehee! Good dog!

[Flowey maintains a healthy distance as the stranger eats.] So, uh, what's your story, pal? Just got put in this new body? Did the smell come with it?

[bugbeverage]

[ That apple is GONE in seconds. But not gone so fast that horfing it down doesn't make Beetlejuice do one of those open-mouthed toddler coughs. ]

[ Once he's finished, he turns an eye back to Flowey. He's still here?]

What day is it?