004 ⟡ JULY TEST DRIVE

[bayhelpers]

⋆✩ test drive 04 ✩⋆

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

STRANDED ON A BEACH

Beneath your body is wet, thick, sand. In the early dawn hours, one would think all color drained from the world. Eyes open to the shadows of distant buildings, with massive cliffs looming ever closely in the faint twinkling of sunlight. Water, for those particularly unlucky, laps at the body to leave a persisting chill — sinking into bones that no longer feel familiar.

It’s impossible to tell how you got here. All you have is those last moments before it felt as if your entire being was being broken down and stretched into this uncanny shape, this thing that doesn’t feel like you. Even the ground itself seems to agree. It shifts, and rumbles. Gathers into mounds, rising up and over with the sounds of dying gasps. But wait.

That isn’t normal sand. That sand is alive. That sand, gathering into shades of pink, of blue, of green, it all forms faces before your very eyes. An enemy, you may think? A monster? A threat?

“OhhhHHhHH…What has happened to us..?”

Or perhaps, someone in the same predicament as you?

“Someone…Someone get Mightyena!!”

Albeit someone who clearly knows more than you do here, on this beach that slowly regains its color.

CASTLES OF SAND

⟡ Severity of dysphoria and disorientation symptoms are entirely up to the player, as is the duration of time these symptoms last.

⟡ The Sandygasts on the beach of Bottlecap Bay are in fact residents of the town by proxy. They are at their most active during the summer, and can thus act as helpful NPCs to help player characters toward the town.

⟡ These Sandygasts are very strange in color. The colors they appear in include — Pink with lilac stones and a blue shovel; Moss green with brown stones and a black shovel; Deep red with black stones and a cyan shovel; Dark purple with white stones and a black shovel. They don’t know how their colors changed either, but they certainly remember being normal Sandygast before everyone arrived.

ii. see the sunset

COPPERAJAH-TONE

With newly arrived Pokemon settling in from the beach, the town quickly moves to adjust existing plans until they’re certain the shores are clear. It only takes a few days before they’re back on schedule however, and every Pokemon including those same arrivals will find themselves with an open invitation to the shoreline.

With the recent successes of Bottlecap Bay, public opinion is at an all time high, which is reflected in the activities pulled together in response. Through much of the Summer season, the beach of Bottlecap Bay becomes a literal hotspot of activity. Beach activities that many will find familiar take part at all hours, with equipment set up at small stands for public use.

A volleyball net is a particularly popular feature of the beach, with a particularly spooky form of gameplay spotted in the evening hours where Ghost types reign. Multicolored buoys float out to section off a safe zone of the water for Pokemon capable of it to swim at their leisure as well, with Bottlecap’s very own Dondozo and Tatsugiri acting as lifeguard.

The most popular game by far however is sand sculpting. Tools of wood and stone can be gathered up to shape the sand into any number of shapes, and some Pokemon may even offer small rewards to those who make especially impressive ones.

Be sure not to accidentally use the sand of one of those colorful Sandygasts however.

Beach Day Breakdown

⟡ During the entirety of July, beginning on the 15th, the beach is open for public summer games.

⟡ While examples listed above are available, Players are encouraged to include their own Beach traditions within reason. If you are unsure, please ask under questions.

⟡ Beach fun will happen during the day and night alike. During the day, the beach is far more active; Pokemon are livelier, and enjoy much more cheerful activities. At night, while many Ghost and Dark type Pokemon enjoy the games, there are also often small campfires where quieter traditions such as apple roasting and scary stories happen.

⟡ Alcohol may be present at the campfires of the evening. Please be sure to mark threads including alcohol with a warning, and remember that characters under the age of 21 may not partake.

iii. mentorship methods

BUDDY SYSTEMS

A whole host of new Pokemon arriving is no longer a fully unanticipated scenario for Bottlecap Bay. While the town has persistently done their best to seek a solution to so many displaced new citizens, they have also come to recognize a growing pattern in their arrival. Every other month, these new Pokemon have appeared.

Therefore, the combination of their recent peace and the local nature of these particular arrivals has given them an easy option for guiding these lost new souls. Rather than any of the Guild leaders seeking out ideal Pokemon among their ranks, those who have arrived from other worlds themselves are tasked with a new assignment. Help their fellow interlopers!

At minimum, each Guild Leader suggests a few basics to cover, but the methods with which they do this is ultimately left up to them. A tour of the local sights? A chance to test their mettle with brand new powers? Or perhaps simply a listening ear from one who understands the strangeness of these new bodies. The world is truly their Cloyster.

A MENTOR MINDSET

⟡ Each of the Guild Leaders will offer to their existing members few points they consider most vital to teach to the newcomers. Mightyena focuses on making sure the new Pokemon have a place to sleep, and insists that they be taught how best to fight. Ribombee emphasizes a need to show the necessary work ethic of the community, so that an understanding of how much they need to work together is understood. Polteageist in turn, gives a list of necessary establishments to familiarize themselves with, beginning with the Clinic, Archives, and Questboard.

⟡ During much of the month, various Pokemon maintaining stores and eateries within Bottlecap Bay will be offering their own helpful advice to guides and their charges. This trivia is minor, but typically focused on what the food is like, or what the benefits of certain articles of clothing might be.

⟡ Any Pokemon who helps another newcomer will earn 50 points for their Guild! As well, newly arrived Pokemon who put up with the guidance will receive a voucher for a custom, non-magical accessory, such as a hat or scarf.

ADVANCE TRAINING

After considerable research and effort, Polteageist has once again teamed up with Dr. Denne to craft a series of ever popular escape rooms, hinting that participating in them will be very useful in the future. Joining the effort is none other than Cheri and Oran's own Ribombee and Mightyena as well, making it a truly unified project. With so much investment going into these exercises, it's no wonder that every Pokemon from another world, new and old alike, is offered the chance to try at least one when they have the chance.

THE NORTH

⟡ Located just between the Canopy and the beginnings of Bottlecap Bay’s southern coastline, the lush greenery of the Northern Forest's entry has been sectioned off into a training ground. Pokemon are grouped into random pairs, and tasked with finding the end of a hand-crafted maze within this early area of woods.

⟡ While many threats within the Northern Forest are well documented, some may still come as a surprise. Wild Pokemon such as Bug and Grass Types may still be encountered, as well as mushrooms releasing rage spores.

⟡ The Forest itself is also a threat — though it seems to understand these Pokemon mean no true harm, vines and plants will move when not directly looked at, creating added navigational challenges.

⟡ Pokemon who show no signs of escaping on their own after a certain point will find themselves retrieved by a local Grafaiai or Mankey, as enlisted by Bottlecap Bay.

THE MIDDLE

⟡ Located a good distance down the southern coastline of the Bay, a section of the Middle Forest's entry has been carefully sectioned for a training ground. Supervised in part by a recently recruited Bloodmoon Usaluna, Pokemon will be grouped into random pairs, and tasked with finding the end of a hand-crafted maze in this early area of woods.

⟡ Due to the presence of heavy supernatural fog, Pokemon participants are warned heavily in advance of what to expect. The fog is known to literally reach into others, creating visions and hallucinations, as well as a deep loss of identity the longer they're exposed.

⟡ The end of the maze does not lead out of the Middle Forest. Instead, Pokemon must find their way back from the uniquely marked bone pile; because of the fog, this return is far shorter than the journey in.

⟡ Pokemon who spend too long within the Middle Forest while showing no signs of successfully escaping will quickly be retrieved by Ursaluna, whose Mind's Eye grants relative immunity to the Fog's effects.

THE SOUTH

⟡ Far to the south of Bottlecap Bay, beyond the farthest stretch of wooded coastline, the Southern Forest lies shrouded in darkness. While there is no longer a thick haze of fog, its unique dangers mean that numerous Ghost Pokemon have been recruited to monitor a simple challenge within the woods. Specifically, two Pokemon will be paired at random, led a short ways in, and told to find their way out.

⟡ Due to the mechanics of the Southern Forest, nothing within this 'maze' has been crafted personally. Pokemon are sufficiently disoriented by the forest's own ability to alter its surroundings when none are looking directly at them, as well as the significant time dilation that occurs here.

⟡ Local Ghosts who have entered an agreement with Bottlecap's recently recruited Spiritomb will be available as both obstacles, and guides. As obstacles, they will intentionally lead Pokemon astray by joining the team in disguise, playing on the Forest's ability to create inconsistencies in memory and experience both.

⟡ Any Pokemon who spend too long within the Southern Forest with no signs of being able to return on their own will be led home by Ghost Pokemon acting as guides. These Pokemon take care to not shapeshift into anything other than themselves.

✩ OOC NOTES.

⟡ TDM CWS: Disorientation, Dissociation (Escape Room Prompts), Body Dysmorphia, Possible Pokemon Injury

⟡ 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, they may assume themselves to share rooms within any one of them during the course of the TDM.

⟡ 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

[chewymarshmallows]

[What can she say that's more humiliating than having to look like that every day?]

I'll give you props for the earring and the bow. It does bring some dignity to the fact that, while the rest of us were reincarnated as mutated animals, you had to turn into a dog's chew toy. Actually, I take it back. I'd be embarrassed to let a dog be seen with you.

[telewarped]

Excuse me?

[That response is so out of pocket that Shoka actually has to laugh, just a little.]

Guess I have to give you props on originality! [She's been called plenty of things throughout her life and afterlife, but less than a chew toy is a new one!] But still... Awfully bold words for someone wearing that hat.

[chewymarshmallows]

[She smirks. Touché. She wouldn't have chosen the hat, but she keeps that to herself.] The hat is at least functional in keeping the sun out of my eyes. I doubt your rag is functional at anything except frightening small children. I hate to be the one to break it to you, but it doesn't smell great, either. Have you washed it, or are you waiting to get drunk again so you can redraw that attempt at a face?

[telewarped]

Y'know, crows don't have much of a sense of smell. Sure you're not just smelling yourself?

[Her voice is smooth and casual, sounding perfectly unruffled, but inwardly she feels a prickle of indignation. Instinct has made her so defensive of the disguise rag and what it's hiding that even the vaguest acknowledgement of it being a disguise, let alone an unsavory one, instantly makes her itch for a fight. Luckily for her, she has a good excuse to indulge that urge this time: she is supposed to be teaching newbies how to battle, after all.]

Anyways, if you have any bite to go with all that bark, I'd be happy to show you what this rag can really do!

[chewymarshmallows]

Trying to intimidate me with your bird facts? You're getting desperate, sweetheart. [She's having fun. Maysilee makes note of the fact that it only took a handful of petty insults to make the Mimikyu resort to violence.]

Hmm... no, I'm not training with you. If you want to hit me, you'll have to attack a civilian. Make it count, too. Really shut me up. It'll be a bad look for your guild, though. [She leans in, hiding her nerves with a smirk.] Or are you going to run away and cry yourself to sleep again?

[telewarped]

[Shoka stands her ground, eyes narrowing behind her mask.] And you're trying to tell me how my own guild works when you literally just got here? Kinda sounds like you're the desperate one.

[Maysilee's attitude is extremely grating... but it's also extremely relatable, loathe as she is to admit it to herself. Shoka would be wondering what her damage is if it didn't feel very much like being given a dose of her own medicine.]

I'm in Oran, birdbrain. Giving clueless newbies like you the rundown on how to fight is the whole reason I'm here. I'm sure Mightyena wouldn't mind me teaching you a lesson or two in any way I see fit! [Still, truthfully, Maysilee is right; it would look bad for her to attack a newcomer unprovoked (even if, "Why think through it when you can fight?" is one of the Oran Guild's core values)... So if she does make the first move, she'll have to be creative about it.] But hey, if you can't handle the pressure, I'll give you one chance to flock off right now.

[The jagged skirt of shadows barely visible under her disguise rag shifts. Her claws emerge from it—just enough to give Maysilee a glimpse of their long, sharp ends carving into the sand.]

[chewymarshmallows]

Oh, you're in the guild of miscreants and rejects. Of course you are. [The appearance of the claws makes some of her feathers stand on end. It's even worse than the Capitol's muttations.] If you will attack me, I will defend myself, though you will still be the aggressor here. But just know that I've already died, so I have nothing left to lose. And I did not go without a fight.

[telewarped]

Ya got me. Miscreant reject and proud!

[Already died, huh? Her and plenty others in Bottlecap Bay. Shoka doesn't seem intimidated or even surprised to hear this, because:]

You and me both.

[Well, there is a big difference between them in that Shoka did go down without a fight when she died herself... But that's beside the point.

Shoka shuffles backward a couple of Murkrow-steps, giving Maysilee the space to fly off if she decides to (and also giving herself the space to use the move she has in mind).]

Clock's ticking, sweetie. 3... 2... 1!

[On that last syllable, Shoka lunges—but not with her real body. Instead, she uses Double Team to summon up an illusory doppelganger and sends it flying at Maysilee in her stead. It's only an illusion, incapable of doing any actual damage, but it's definitely convincing, springing at Maysilee with its claws out like a cat and its eyes gleaming with murderous intent.

Shoka's goal is mainly just to see how Maysilee reacts to this apparent attack—if she'll flee, fight back, or just let it happen. Regardless of which option she chooses, she won't really get hurt, and Shoka won't really been the aggressor (by her own logic, at least). If Maysilee doesn't move, Shoka's double will sail harmlessly right through her.]

SotR spoilers

[chewymarshmallows]

[When the doppelganger comes, Maysilee clumsily flies out of the way. It takes her a second to realize the attack was a feint. Every part of her wants to fight back, but the memory of her recent death weighs her down. She had been helpless as the birds tore into her, and now she's been brought back as a similar abomination.

She lands hard on the ground, shivering and clutching her eyes shut so she doesn't give her opponent the satisfaction of seeing her cry.]

You... Damn it, I...

[She waits. Maybe there will come a moment where Shoka comes in to taunt her, or check on her. Once she has the chance, she attempts to rip Shoka's disguise off. If Shoka will humiliate her, she'll humiliate Shoka.]

1/2

[telewarped]

[The doppelganger lurches into the space where Maysilee once was, pouncing on nothing, while the real Shoka stays back, crowing,] Hah! So much for not going down without a fight!

[To Maysilee's credit, managing flight at all is pretty impressive for a newbie—even if she had to make a crash landing. Shoka is fully expecting her to leap right back up and continue their fight, undoubtedly with another slew of insults... But she doesn't. She's just lying there, shaking.

Rolling her eyes with a sigh, Shoka wills her doppelganger to disappear.]

Okay, take it easy. I'm not gonna kill you or anything, you big baby. I didn't even touch you, did I?

[Still nothing from the crumpled bird. Against her better judgment, Shoka shuffles closer, a hint of genuine concern creeping into her voice.]

... Hey. Are you—?

[telewarped]

[She regrets it immediately. Maysilee snaps back upright the second she's close enough, snatching hold of one of Shoka's false ears and giving it a vicious yank. With a sharp gasp of alarm, Shoka tries to pull herself away.]

Wh—hey! [At first, she's just annoyed—but then she feels the disguise rag starting to slide off. A deep, cold horror grips her; her voice becomes panicked.] Wait—Wait, nonono, don't—!

[It Maysilee looks at the part of Shoka that's been revealed by the disguise rag's slipping, she'll find... something. A mass of churning, oily shadows; a flash of what might be dozens of eyes; a spiral of sharp teeth. It's difficult to tell what she's looking at exactly—and perhaps that's for the best, because even this obscured glimpse of it is somehow deeply, inexplicably unnerving, even revolting, enough to turn one's stomach.

She won't be able to look for long, however, because Shoka lashes out an arm then, blindly clawing at Maysilee with sudden violence. This time, she is trying to hurt.]

[chewymarshmallows]

[It's worse than anything the Capitol could ever conjure. It's the sinking feeling she got when her name was drawn for the Reaping; it's every nightmare she's ever had; it's the cold claws of death gripping her as she drowns in her own blood. Maysilee retches, but nothing comes out. She's too terrified to even scream.

Shoka's claws strike true; the attack and the shock leave her knocked out cold. Bloody feathers litter the beach.]

[telewarped]

[It's over before Shoka can even fully process what she's doing. All she can think is, She saw. She saw, she saw, she saw, and Shoka has to do something—anything—to fix it. Her arm moves—and the pulling comes to an abrupt, merciful stop.

Immediately, she scrambles to cover herself again before anyone else can see. That's all her brain can focus on at first: righting the disguise rag and checking it over for any signs of damage. She stays still for a few moments afterward, immobilized by rage, shame, terror—and then shock when she finally comes to her senses and sees the bloody feathers scattered across the sand. Their owner lies in a crumpled heap of pink and red a short distance away. Unconscious. Maybe dead.

That image combined with the sight of her own claws outstretched before her makes it all too easy to deduce what happened. The realization comes with a delayed pang of dread. Some mentor she is. Eventually, after spending far too long staring, Shoka wills herself to move and skitters clumsily to Maysilee's side.

She's still breathing, if nothing else, but Shoka isn't sure that an Oran berry will be enough to heal those wounds. She needs to get her to the clinic.

This would be much easier if they weren't about the same size as each other (including the added bit of height Shoka's disguise-head gives her). Depending on when Maysilee reawakens, she may either find Shoka at her side, still trying to figure out how best to move her... or she'll find herself already hoisted awkwardly up onto the top of Shoka's disguise, being carried at a brisk but uneven pace toward the city proper.]

[chewymarshmallows]

[She has a dream about her name being drawn. She has a dream about being pried apart from her twin sister by a Peacekeeper. She wakes up with a start.]

Merrilee- [Her voice comes in a desperate gasp. No, she's still here, never to see her family again. When she realizes she's being carried, she unleashes as many Pecks as she can manage.

They won't do much to Shoka; she's still only a low-level Murkrow, despite her big talk, and she has little strength in her.]

Are you happy now? [She shakes herself off Shoka's head and to her feet. She can barely walk, but she can limp.] You got me.

[telewarped]

[She lives. Shoka feels a wave of relief (tinged with trepidation; after all, if it were her, she wouldn't exactly be happy to find the same thing that knocked her out carrying her around)—and then a series of (mostly) ineffectual jabs against the head and neck of her disguise.]

Okay, okay, take it easy! [Resisting the urge to throw Maysilee off of her again, Shoka comes to a halt, giving Maysilee the chance to clamber down herself. Shoka instantly shrinks away from her, giving her space, as if afraid her disguise rage might be in danger of being snatched again—or just afraid that she'll attack the already injured Murkrow again.] You really don't know when to quit, do you?

[Shoka isn't happy, though her drawn-on face continues to smile like always. She feels... more drained than anything. Unnerved and a little violated. She decides immediately that it's something to box up and not talk about if she can help it.]

... You first. Sure you should be walking?

[chewymarshmallows]

[She looks like she's about to make a scathing retort- but then she closes her mouth, turns up her nose, and continues limping away. As much as she probably doesn't want Shoka to follow her, it might be inadvisable to let her go alone.

I've already died once. This is nothing.

[Shoka said something like that too, but she doesn't think twice about it. As far as she knows, this is her reincarnation. A punishment, it seems; not only is her new form hideous, like the mutated birds that killed her, but this world has also shown her it's perfectly capable of letting her feel pain and humiliation.]

I don't know what you are, but stay away from me. You sicken me. [Her past insults had a playful lilt to them, like she enjoyed roasting Shoka, but this is cold and tinged with hurt.] Sorry for trying to remove your stupid rag. It really is fitting for you, after all. You try to hide it by acting all cool and cute, but underneath, you're more of a monster than a person. You don't even know what you are and it scares you.

[telewarped]

[Generally speaking, Shoka doesn't mind being a Mimikyu—just like she doesn't mind people disliking her. She's used to both. Even so, those words sting, because they're still true. Shoka doesn't mind being a Mimikyu most of the time, but moments like these—when instinct takes control, puppeting her body without her consent—do scare her (not for her own sake, but for the sake of those who make the unwise decision to be around her), and those rare moments that she has the will to really look at the reflection of her unmasked form in the secluded pools hidden in the Spire's tunnels, she still can't even tell what she's looking at, like her brain can't bear to process it.

She masks the hurt by laughing under her breath and continuing to follow Maysilee, undeterred.]

Uh-oh! Sounds like someone's projecting.

[Accurate as it was, that was a very specific string of insults, after all, and she's fairly certain that Maysilee doesn't even know the name of her own species.]

Anyways, you'd better get those scratches looked at. [She gives her long, jagged fingers a menacing wiggle.] I may be infectious.

[chewymarshmallows]

[Maysilee manages about two more steps before she collapses.]

I knew what I was. I didn't let the Capitol use me or break me. I died with my head up. [She says this more or less facedown on the ground. Her vision swims. So much for this world- maybe the next will be kinder. Or maybe this is all she gets. She's tired of it all; she's ready to welcome nothingness.] And I'll do it again.

[telewarped]

H—hey!

[Shoka is at Maysilee's side again in an instant, ghostly arms unfurling to scoop her up once more. Shoka has no idea what the Capitol is, and she can't tell if Maysilee is even conscious anymore, but the returning, creeping dread starts to make her ramble anyway.]

Well, your head's down right now, dummy... So you can't die. Got it?