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

[loopsiedaisy]

I'm fine!!

[R-right.] They're... this way. [They think.]

[Siffrin bounds one hop in that direction, turning their head to check if Ingo's following.]

[The tent memory tries to reassert itself, and they're back to feeling like they're piloting their body from a distance, like a marionette. Except it's not the right shape. Their legs are way too long. Or is it way too short? Either way, they trip over their own paws, though they manage to just barely stay upright.]

[Why does this (lack of?) memory feel so off?]

[offtracks]

Oh...

[He does, in fact, start to trail along after them. His eyes remain on the ground, though, squinting. This doesn't usually hurt like this, does it...?

But he can't really remember. When he was like this before, though, allowing others to guide him worked out alright. He'll just try sticking to them and see what happens. Though...his reaction to them tripping is belated, like everything's in slow motion.]

Are you...sure you are alright?

[loopsiedaisy]

[Siffrin shakes their head again. Focus, focus...]

[This isn't right. They never had anyone coming to speak to them! They only remembered enough to keep from drinking seawater and to try staying out of the sun, and every few minutes they'd try to think of where they came from and lose time and come back to themself with the worst headache of their life -]

[Ha, as if they could blinding remember any other headaches -]

[- and then their boat washed up on a beach, somewhere. And they staggered out, onto the wrong shade of sand, and there was still no one there. They didn't feel this paralyzed, limbs burning like this, but they were alone, alone, alone.]

This isn't how it happened...! [It's finally a shout, if not a very loud one, flinging the memory back to Ingo.]

[It is... kind of a little late to answer again that they're alright, though!]

[offtracks]

[Ingo shakes his head sharply, reeling a little as...well, he can't say what happened, precisely. Only that something did happen, and certainly the headache is still present. Abated a little, maybe.

That's enough. He obviously needs to get the little Shinx out of this rain.]

Come now - I can carry you, if need be?

[Instinct is telling him to just scoop them up by the scruff with his mouth, but that's undesirable on a number of levels.]

[loopsiedaisy]

[Siffrin's fur is slightly poofed out, despite all the wet, but they breathe in and out and let it smooth down. Ish. They're still very scrungled-looking in general, this month.]

...no, I can walk. And we're close now. [They're at the nicely cobblestoned part of town.]

[But, then... was that... Ingo's (lack of) memory?]

[They kind of want to ask about it. That would be awkward, though, wouldn't it?]

[...]

[They hesitate over it longer, until they're basically at the door of the Archives, before:] Um. Are there... things you don't remember?

[Wait no that still ended up sounding awkward.]

[offtracks]

Hm? Oh, yes, most of them.

[Ingo himself sounds fairly casual about it. Of course his amnesia is a serious and ever-looming issue, but...at the same time, it is something he has dealt with for the entire portion of his life that he remembers. In some ways it's just a normal fact of his life; at any rate, he doesn't mind discussing it.]

Why do you ask?

[loopsiedaisy]

[UM. Forget that second part -]

A-and you're fine with just admitting it?

[That phrasing is a lot more accusatory than it would have been if the question hadn't been startled out of them. But their tone just sounds bewildered.]

[offtracks]

I do not see why it is anything to be ashamed of!

[Maybe he's ashamed, a little, of his continued failure to remember. Of the effects it has on those around him. On Emmet. But, the initial amnesia seems pretty plainly not to be something he managed to do to himself.]

In any case, I forgot my entire life. That's rather a difficult thing to hide!

[loopsiedaisy]

I - not ashamed, no, but, I mean...

[Siffrin hesitates, mouth slightly open. What do they mean? Most of the other options that come to mind are even worse when they play them back in their head. Yeah, sure, just ask someone, "Don't you feel like you're missing some important part of being a person, without your memories?" That sounds so much better.]

[...]

Aren't you worried that it could happen again?

[That is totally an unsubtle subject change, but also a genuine question.]

[offtracks]

I was, for a while. But as the years passed without incident, I suppose those fears faded somewhat. Knowing what I know now...well, I still cannot say exactly what happened, but it sounds as if it was so wildly implausible that it isn't likely to happen twice.

[Though, him getting dragged here sort of...counts...]

[loopsiedaisy]

But if you're not sure what happened... how can you be know?

If you don't even know why it happened, then - then there's nothing stopping it, right? You could wake up somewhere and just have forgotten everything again. Or it could happen to someone you know - or, or everyone, even.

That doesn't... bother you?

[This may be starting to sound weirdly specific and personal.]

[offtracks]

Well, I might also fall off a cliff or get eaten by a wandering Garchomp.

[Weirdly specific examples!]

There is nothing I could do to stop it, so worrying about it does not have much use. That is not to say that I never do, but...best to live the life I have now, I suppose.

[loopsiedaisy]

[Siffrin who has already fallen off a cliff once in Bottlecap Bay is already opening their mouth to object - those are different, you know exactly what caused them! You can just stay away from cliffs and Garchomps!]

[But they fall silent as Ingo continues.]

[...] I guess so.

[They can't imagine it. Deliberately avoiding thinking about it, sure, but the worry is always there in the back of their mind. Creeping through their decisions, or what they think of other people.]

[offtracks]

[you're never safe from garchomp, those suckers are weirdly capable of flight]

Anyway, if I get amnesia again, I shall hardly know it! But what brought this on?

[Ingo's friendly and open enough that he doesn't mind having these sorts of discussions largely at random. His reputation often precedes him in Hisui, and so travelers will occasionally bring it up even without his having told them. He doesn't imagine his condition's a subject of significant gossip here, though; there's far more going on than just one man's poor memory!]

[loopsiedaisy]

[Siffrin shudders, their breath catching, then tries to pretend that they were totally just shivering from the cold and damp. (But that's - that's part of what they're afraid of -)]

[Mmgh. But it probably wouldn't be fair not to admit to this part of it, if it was something of Ingo's... and they've been out in the rain enough that they're pretty confident about what's going on.]

I think I saw one of your memories...? [A memory of a lack of memory. Ha.]

[offtracks]

Oh.

[As easily as he's brushed his own experiences off, it still visibly gives him pause to hear that someone else went through one. His memories of thinking about his own amnesia aren't exactly pleasant.]

I'm...sorry. I hope it was not too bad.

[loopsiedaisy]

[Was it bad...? Well, yes. But any more so than usual?]

...no. Just different.

[Wait, is that a normal thing to say? They teeter, torn between giving in and admitting to their own lack of memory - it's not as if Ingo, of all people, would have room to find it odd - and the nearly instinctual urge to not talk about it, as usual. To stop thinking about it, before it becomes any more painful, both in their head and their chest. Before they blank out in the middle of a conversation and freak someone out.]

[offtracks]

Mmm, well...I suppose it would be.

[He's not totally sure what to make of this, then?]

What was it?