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!

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[bayhelpers]

NEWBIE DIRECTORY

[bayhelpers]

If you have posted a top level with a new character, please feel free to link it here!

Dollman | Death Stranding 2 | New Character [WILL AVOID ALL SPOILERS]

[horizondreamer]

[[OOC - As one can imagine, Dollman is...Pretty new! His canon has only existed for a week, so I will be avoiding ALL spoilers while I test him on this TDM. Chances are high that he won't be applied until a later round, but this still stands even if I do!]]

[STRANDED ON A BEACH]

[He can feel sand on his cheek.

Feeling is not a foreign thing for him. Not entirely, at least. He's long had to sacrifice the sensation of taste, the ability to eat, but sleep and many other things are yet in his power.

Not walking though. No, his puppet body after all was simply too top heavy for that kind of thing- without the aid of water, it was impossible.

But feeling. That was something that never truly left him, even if it changed. And it's because of how that sense of feeling changed, that he wonders...] ...the Beach..?

[It can't be his own Beach. There is nothing here that speaks to his Ka. Nothing here, in this dreary place, that feels like home.

Someone else's Beach then? It could be possible. Travel to 'any' Beach was possible, with certain DOOMs abilities. But then how? Why?

And... ...Was he breathing?]

...What..?

[It's not quite a jump, that he rises with. The shock is a quiet one. He lets himself breathe in, and out, realizing that yes- indeed, he is breathing. That shouldn't be possible. He's not merely a Ka right now- he can feel the sand against his...skin? He can feel it, so therefore he must be in possession of some kind of Ha, but...

A status check, then. Hands, body, limbs- all of them come to him as wrong. Different. He examines what looks like mitts. He feels on his head, what should have been his somewhat shaggy hair, either as strands or as carved wood, instead as chunks of some kind of flesh. He is, he realizes, absolutely nude.

And yet he looks like he's...wearing something?

The Galarian Mr. Mime rises. This isn't right.

But more importantly, what then happened to-] ...Sam?

[Now, worry comes into his tone.] Sam! Are you here, Sam!

[...Nothing. No one. There are other 'animals', other creatures along the beach, but...]

Ohhhhh....

[Dollman stumbles back as the sand beneath his very feet rises, a confused lump of a sandcastle wobbling about. It stares, unblinking for a moment...and then slowly slides away, off into the distance.]

Maybe this is...just a dream, then, [He muses aloud.

And then almost immediately, after brushing a hand against the ice of his front-]

Ah! ...No. No, it can't be a dream then. ...But then how...

[...Where is this?]

[SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK]

[He's had some time to settle now. At least a little, anyway. It has been....strange. To have a Ha, of flesh and blood again. For that matter to have one that looks so much like a suit without being anything but the Ha itself! As a doll, he certainly came with clothes that were meant to never be removed, but that was a completely different thing to whatever this is!

But with the heat leaving its own blanket of discomfort, and for that matter, the state of the Pokemon around him...it seems that's just normal. It's also however, still just a bit too warm for him to enjoy walking around at high noon, so Dollman finds himself enjoying the beach campfires more than the beach volleyball.]

It's a wonderful night, isn't it? [He'll greet to others there.] The stars are so clear, and you can find all kinds of shapes and constellations. It's the perfect kind of night for a spooky story.

[....somehow the firelight looks quite menacing against Dollman's face.]

...Though of course, it's also excellent timing for some music!

[Oh he looks far less alarming now-]

[ADVANCE TRAINING]

Hmmmmm...it's quite an idylic wood we're training in, isn't it? You can see bits of sunlight through the leaves...and if you listen, you can hear the other creatures that live inside it...

[Dollman isn't one for combat. Not directly, anyway. He's probably said as much, but he's also admitted that he can't just abstain from it entirely. He'll need practice- he'll need to learn how this world works.

And...there's something exciting about it, a new adventure. His friends aren't here, but in his heart, he can tell himself that they're okay. That for now, for whatever reason, he's meant to be here.

...Well, maybe not here specifically, but that's what getting out of this escape room is for right?] It seems like this maze will be one where we can appreciate the journey just as much as the end- don't you think? [he says to the other Pokemon with him.]

Though of course, that doesn't change that we need to find our way out of it! ...Ahh...I don't suppose you have any ideas on what to do first?

Reuben | Lilo & Stitch | Current Player, New Character

[x625]

[A slightly overweight Pawmot with lop-ears and an overbite. He has a Brooklyn accent.]

I. Arrivals- Stranded On A Beach

[The last thing Reuben remembers is standing by Gantu's side in front of the entire Galactic Council. Gantu had been reinstated as the Captain of the Galactic Armada, and had asked for Reuben to be his galley officer.

The big lug really did care for him after all, huh?

But then, there was pain. Desperately trying to cling to reality, his body changing into an alien form, a gentle voice... and Reuben blacked out.

The first thing he notices when he wakes up?

Two of his four arms are gone.]

II. See The Sunset- Copperajah-Tone

[The beach, at least, is familiar enough to Reuben. He's spent his whole life (minus a few months) on Kauai, after all.

He spends some of his time just laying on the beach, tail having carved a little divot below him in the sand so he can lay on his back properly.

He's got his long ears draped over his eyes to block out the sun.]

Ah, this is the life... too bad Gantu isn't here, he needs the break.

[...He misses Gantu.]

Wildcard- Sandwiches

[Ah, sandwiches... Reuben's greatest love. As soon as he's oriented enough to walk around, he'll be going to wherever he can find food to try and get the ingredients for a sandwich.

You can find him at markets in town, trying to cajole shopkeepers into giving him free food in exchange for them being able to try out his creations when he's done.

Or you can find him at the Cheri and Oran guilds, trying to convince them to give him sandwich materials from their food stocks.]

I promise, I'll make it worth ya while. It'll be the best thing you've ever tasted!

Technus | Danny Phantom | Current Character

[technusrulez]

II. See The Sunset - Copperajah-Tone

[The bright sun bothers Technus, so he isn't likely to be outside much during the daytime. Once sunset and nighttime comes, however, that's another story.

Although he doesn't quite understand the difference between ghosts and Ghost-types yet, he feels at home alongside other Ghost-types. So volleyball with other Ghost-types is just up his alley! He cackles loudly as he spikes the ball off his horn.]

AHAHAHAHA! YEAH, BABY!

[He can also be found sand sculpting, attempting to make a statue of his former ghostly self. He's... not very good at it. The sand keeps collapsing.]

III. Mentorship Methods- Buddy Systems

[If any Pokemon is having extra trouble with their new bodies, Technus is there to try and help. Having gone from humanoid to having lightning limbs, he'll offer advice to anyone whose new forms also lack opposable thumbs.]

IF YOU CAN, TRY TO USE BOTH LIMBS TO GRAB THINGS. THINK OF IT LIKE CHOPSTICKS.
IF YOU NEED TO USE YOUR MOUTH, MAKE SURE TO USE A BASKET OR BAG TO KEEP THINGS SANITARY!

III. Mentorship Methods- Advance Training

[Technus signed up for the escape rooms just to have something to do, but once things start, he finds himself regretting it, feeling uneasy.]

THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS TRAINING METHOD, RIGHT? IT IS NOT JUST ME?

[x625]

It's sandwich boy!

Firepaw | Warrior Cats | Current Character

[firealone]

i. Arrivals

[In the days leading up the the new arrivals, Firepaw was getting ready to risk his life again. That's how it always is - violent, dangerous arrivals, newcomers lost in tunnels or drowning in the ocean. It leaves him... almost confused, when the message gets out that newcomers are just waking up on the beach.

Now full of antsy energy without much idea of what to do with it, he makes his way to the beach and spends a few hours every day, combing the beach and trying to help out anyone he runs across. Each Pokemon he finds will get a gentle prod from his paw, and an inquisitive voice from a little British cat.]

Are you okay? Can I get you anything?

ii. See the Sunset

[Usually, Firepaw struggles to relax during months where newcomers are arriving. He tends to spend all his time out in the wilderness, trying to get as many people as possible to safety. But... he is keeping an eye out, while wandering the beach and finding warm places to nap. He's even gotten a chance to speak to some of the Sandygast who changed colors, although he didn't think they had any more information than he started with - still, it's exciting to think that some day he might wake up with ginger fur again.

Firepaw will often be seen taking long walks along the beach, or else curling up somewhere comfortable to watch other people play volleyball. He may even be seen occasionally making food deliveries - he can't carry anything over two pounds, but he will do his best to find whatever folks are craving.]

iii. Mentorship Methods

[Out of everything he could be doing this month, this is Firepaw's favorite. He's happy to give all of the new folks a tour of the city, or at least of the Canopy, and is eager to help fellow quadrupeds get used to their new bodies. His absolutely favorite thing to teach is sparring - he knows a fair amount of techniques from his brief stay in the forest back home, along with some new techniques he made up himself. And he's especially excited to teach Fire-type moves to those who can learn them!

He is still fairly young - barely a year old, and he sounds like an older teen - but he's an enthusiastic teacher with a surprisingly amount of paws-on experience. Even if... he frequently feels self-conscious about telling older adults what to do.]

ii. See the Sunset

[x625]

[Upon seeing Firepaw delivering food, Reuben calls him over.]

Hey! Ya got any bread and cheese? ...Do they even have cheese here?

Noelle Holiday | Deltarune | New Character, Existing Player (Andrea)

[holidaygirl1225]

[OOC note (because I wrote so much and buried this fact, oops): Noelle is a Winter-form Deerling.]

0. Arrival (Deltarune Spoilers)

[Noelle remembers being in her bedroom, staring out at the stars. She was so excited for the festival tomorrow, she couldn't sleep. A shooting star lit up the night sky. Lowering her head, Noelle made a wish...

... and she remembers pain. Blinding, all-consuming, freezing. She writhed on the floor, struggling to even breathe. She tried to cry for help, but nobody came. She cried for her dad, for her mom-- for Dess.

The rest of the world faded away, and then she was having a beautiful dream. It felt like the night before Christmas. The void embraced her like it had been waiting to for so, so long. A part of her she had been missing slotted in perfectly, the angel on top of the tree. She began to let go and melt into the void.

But as she began to shuffle off this mortal coil, the pretty parts of her faded away and revealed the wretched truth beneath. Cowardly, pathetic Noelle, someone who would do anything to feel just a little stronger. Stupid, naive Noelle, who never was enough to please her mother. She tried to look at her hands before her, but couldn't find them, couldn't feel them-- almost couldn't remember ever having had hands at all, except for the feeling of using them to destroy.

A pinprick of light broke through the dark, and then a voice followed. Limblessly, selflessly, Noelle reached toward it with all her strength--]

I. Stranded on a Beach

[She hears the sea.

Other sensations come back: her face pressed into the sand, seaweed wrapped around a leg, a wet chill deep in her bones. All she wants to do is go back to sleep. But then the sand itself beneath her is writhing, and she jumps to her feet--

All four of them.

Noelle falls onto her side as the green Sandyghast shuffles away. She must still be dreaming. As her vision clears, she can see all sorts of creatures she's never seen before. Not monsters, not humans... this must be another dream, like that one time with Kris.

Kris... the thought of her friends, of home, propels her to try and stand again. She tries to stand on her hind legs, but falls back down again. Shakily, like a newborn fawn, she rises on all fours.]

Okay, Noelle, just take a deep breath... you're going to wake up... now! [She waits patiently to wake up.] Um... now? ... Now?

[That didn't work. She takes a few steps into the water and tries to look at herself. Her hair-- her antlers! They're gone! She does have a cute flower, but...

... startlingly, she's already starting to forget what she looked like before. Was that even really her? Who is she now? And her memories of before are slipping like sand through her fingers. She vaguely remembers her family, and her friends, and Hometown... but it's like trying to look at the world inside a snow globe. Separated by a barrier, never to be part of the little world within.]

... What's going on? Why is this happening?

II. Copperajah-Tone

[Noelle has never been much of a Summer girl. Her fur does nothing to help her with the heat, and there's so few holidays! She'd much rather be decorating a tree and warming up with a mug of hot chocolate-- at least, as far as she can remember.

So while others are going out and having fun in the sun, Noelle stays behind, still trying to orient herself to having four legs. Unable to read (she can't turn pages) or practice her running (she can barely walk now), she closes her eyes and dozes off. She dreams.

She dreams a terrible nightmare. She wakes up shivering and alone. The sun has already set and the stars are out. They're not the stars she remembers; she can't make out a single constellation. The shooting star is long gone.

Noelle wanders out to the beach in a stupor, only stopping like a deer in headlights when she sees the ghosts. The phantoms, they're... playing volleyball?]

Um, that's not so scary, fahaha... [If anything, it's strange enough to snap her out of her reverie. Some other 'Pokemon' (as she's heard them called) are roasting treats over fires and telling scary stories.

It sounds fun... but she's too shy to join. She just hangs out at the edges of gatherings, ignoring the aching homesickness in her chest.]

III. Buddy Systems

[She used to be a good student, she thinks. With no hands, she can't take notes, but she tries to commit it all to memory-- they're in 'Bottlecap Bay'. They're 'Pokemon'. She's a 'Grass-type'. It's easy to understand, but it still feels like she's going to wake up any second now.]

... Umm. Does this ever feel... normal? [She isn't sure how else to phrase it.]

IV. Getting Stronger (Advance Training)

[She's so confused that it's easier to just accept whatever happens than to question it. Questions only bring about more questions, and eventually, the answers run dry. Nobody else knows how they came here, or why, if they'll ever go home again.

If she lets it, the despair could blanket her like snow, turning the entire world white. So instead, she keeps moving. She finds herself paired with a stranger to do an escape room in the Northern Forest.]

Gosh, sorry if I'm not that helpful, fahaha... If you want to go find another partner, it's okay!

V. Dial Tone (Wild Card Prompt)

[Noelle seems quite lost and confused initially, and she's reluctant to join the festivities. Her memories are quite hazy, and she's struggling to acclimate to life as a Deerling. She can be often be found in her temporary housing, but she seems to enjoy walking around in the evenings, when the temperature has cooled and ghosts come out. It's scary... but a fun kind of scary.]

[holidaygirl1225]

Noelle Holiday from Deltarune is here!

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

[holidaygirl1225]

[At first, she's so paralyzed with fear that she can't manage a single word... and then he mentions music, and she can't help but laugh.]

Fahahaha... you really surprised me! Umm... are you able to find any constellations? I'm having a hard time... [She can see what she thinks is a north star, though.]

Though scary stories and music are also good! Whatever you want to do! [Maybe he knows some carols!]

[firealone]

[Firepaw hops over, and dips his head in confirmation.]

Yeah - Miltank cheese, I think. They sell sandwiches in the market, I can get you one if you want.

[Look at all this human knowledge he's been picking up! He has not eaten a sandwich once in his life, but he does know they're a safe thing to offer to humans, which he presumes Reuben is.]

[x625]

Oh, no, I ain't lettin' someone else make my sandwich. I doubt they know how to make 'em properly.

Besides, I got a little idea of something I might be able to do.

[firealone]

[Oh. He hesitates, and sits down until they've decided on exactly what he's fetching.]

Are you a... [-he can't think of the word, and decides to make one up-] ...a food-human?

[He means cook.]

chara ♥︎ undertale ♥︎ current player, new character

[consequerer]

[ ooc: this is, how you say, the testiest of test drives, please be gentle. but! but but but. you understand why i had to, yes? ]

mysterious place - stranded on a beach (cw: possession?)

* (A golden mask.) * (Someone must have left it here.) * (... Put it on?)
♥︎	Yes		No

Uwa!! So HEATS!!♫ - copperajah-tone

[ They seemingly aren't anywhere to be found during the day, but come out when the others do, apparently, after dusk falls on the beach and the ghosts and dark types make their way out towards the activities available. Even so, they do not actually join in on any of the games, but instead ... seem content to simply watch them as an observer?

Perhaps they're simply unused to their new body? Still, they do not seem to be terribly bothered by the situation as it stands— unknown means of arrival, unknown whether they can return, presumably changed from all that they were and torn from all that they've known. The curl of their arms seems polite, if languid, and their mouth is turned upwards in a soft v if you should approach them. ]

Greetings. Is there something you needed?

Can You Really Call This A Top Level, I Didn't Receive A Prompt To Tag Into Or Anything - Behold! A wild card option.

[ Bring your own prompt! Chara is not exactly the most social, per se, but they can be found around town and lurking on the edges of various social engagements. Or you can grab them for one of the training exercises if you want. Or or if you really want to put on a perfectly normal mask and don't want it to be right there on the beach then we can pretend it's just lying around somewhere. Chara isn't entirely used to having a body of their own anymore, much less one like this, so it's probably not beyond the bounds of imagination to think of them just knocking out and zzzing somewhere odd-- and we can pretend the actual shadowy ghost part isn't there when they're napping at these times because they've retreated to the mask instead or something. Sometimes the spirit is just attached to something golden, hm? Also, a very quick scribbly, terrible ms paint doodle proof of concept, for viewing reference. ]

ii. Copperajah-Tone

[technusrulez]

[When Technus hears Noelle's voice, he turns to face her.]

WHAT DID YOU EXPECT, A SKULL FOR A BALL OR SOMETHING? THAT WOULDN'T BE LIGHT ENOUGH TO PLAY WITH!

iii. mentorship methods

[medicinecat]

[Okay, Jayfeather hates this. Hates all of this. He'd thought he'd just ended up by the lake, somehow, until he smelled the salt and, well. Felt his body.

What in Starclan's name is going on. He's been teetering around since he arrived, not used to the fact that Espurr walk on two legs, not four. He still sometimes tries to scamper around on all fours when we can.

At least he's still a cat.

Speaking of, he's been paired up with another cat (thank Starclan, for all the help they've been) in this mentorship program. As if he's some kind of apprentice! Hmph. But there's something about this stranger that smells familiar under all the ash.]

Okay, let's get this over with. [Jayfeather sits and crosses his arms, a new movement he'd grown fond of. His short and fluffy tail lashes against the ground.] I don't appreciate being shoved off onto a third mentor, so you better not waste my time!

[x625]

Eh, no. I'm an illegal genetic experiment created by a mad scientist.

[Reuben says this extremely casually, as if it's the most normal thing in the world. It isn't, not even in his universe.]

But I do love making sandwiches! I'm the best sandwich maker in the Virgo Supercluster, if I do say so myself.

i. stranded on a beach

[realfriends]

[Don't worry, Noelle, you're not the only one adjusting. A diminutive Umbreon steps up to her, still a bit awkward on all fours. But it's easier than being a horse.]

This isn't a dream. At least, I don't think it is...? [Honestly, Ralsei has NO idea what this is. It's honestly kind of disturbing how little he knows about this world. But this Deerling needs help, and that gives him a purpose!]

Maybe we should go look and see if there's someone who could explain it to us. Can you walk? I can help you, if not!

[realfriends]

[Being in the sun, in the light, feels strange. And it's not just because this world has elected to make him a dark-type. No, this is light from the world of the Lightners, and he doesn't feel right being in it.

So, most of the day, he's stuck to the shadows. Nobody really thought twice about seeing an Umbreon hang back in the shadows. But now that it's night, he dares to venture out a little bit further.

He's also taken up a spot as mostly an observer, just meandering until he accidentally stumbles too close to Chara.]

Oh! Um. [He paws at the sand, caught offguard and embarassed.] Please don't mind me. I was just going to... watch...

[firealone]

[He knows... none of those words, actually. Except 'mad', which gives him zero information.]

Oh.

[Unsure of what to ask in order to figure out what Reuben is talking about, Firepaw just hesitates for a weirdly long time before settling back to sandwiches.]

Um... so, do you want me to get you some bread and cheese? And... some kind of meat and leaves?

[He has no idea what leaves are good, but he knows sandwiches tend to have leaves. Of some sort.]

[x625]

[Reuben grins widely.]

Yeah, sure! Get me what'cha can, and I'll make a couple of sandwiches for us!

iii. Buddy Systems

[quirkynote]

[Noelle gets her answer from a large Pokémon who cranes her neck just to look down at her. Her eyes are wide, unblinking...but not unkind.]

"Normal" is merely a matter of perspective... If normalcy is truly what you desire, then you'll have to look at things at another angle...

[She pauses.]

I could hold you upside down...if you think that'll help you...

[firealone]

[It's common enough to see newcomers struggling on four paws, but it's rare to see them struggling on two - that caught Firepaw's attention before anything else. His attention is drawn even more when the older Cheri member who's introduces him mentions that Jayfeather is also a cat - no further details, but Firepaw is buzzing with excitement.]

I had three mentors too, actually. Well... Lionheart and Tigerclaw shared my mentorship for a few days, and then Bluestar... anyway! My name's Firepaw, I've been in the Cheri guild for the last five moons, and I teach other folk how to walk on four paws - we might have to find someone else to help you walk like a Twoleg, though.

[His language has shifted a little to fit in with the humans, but he's sliding right back now that he has another cat to speak to. And, similar to Jayfeather, he senses some level of familiarity in the other cat.]

//rolls dice to see what he finds...

[firealone]

Sure. I'll probably just pick the meat out.

[Is that rude? Oh well, cats tend to be a little blunt.

Firepaw runs off, and is gone for a good long while. About half an hour later, he finally comes back with a bag clutched in his teeth. There's some sort of sourdough bread, Miltank cheese, spinach and some sort of meat that smells like roast beef. He even found a sauce bottle! It seems to be something akin to mushroom ketchup.]

I think this is everything you need?