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TEST DRIVE 01
⋆✩ test drive 01 ✩⋆
ECHOES IN THE STORM
( CWS: BODY HORROR AND RISK OF DROWNING )
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.
You gasp for breath, and water spills into your lungs, causing your new form to flail out. An assortment of different appendages hinder your ability to swim, if you even had one in the first place, and every sensation returns to you at once in an overwhelming sensory bang.
You are now a Pokemon. But that's hardly the thing to be focusing on right now, as you are also currently drowning in a stormy sea. If you can manage to squint through the pouring rain and the pounding waves, you might spot the beach of Bottlecap Bay, or the cliffs just north of it. An assortment of Pokemon are there, along the shores, shouting at one another.
But as another wave threatens to knock you beneath the sea for good, you recognize just how many of you are stuck out here. Lightning flashes above with an immediate boom of thunder, and something in your chest tells you they are the same as you.
Those who are able to gain a quicker grasp on their new bodies may be able to help with the rescue efforts of their fellow new arrivals. The rest of you will just have to survive.
FOR THE WEARY
( JANUARY 19TH—JANUARY 31ST )
After everyone that can be found is rescued from the stormy seas, Mightyena is quick to offer the Oran Berries base as a place of rest for all new characters while their arrival is being looked into. Pokemon are shoved into any of the room styles without regard for ranking because this is temporary Housing, but will have to share their rooms. All Oran Berry guild amenities will be available to them during this time.
After arranging that, and having each new arrival stop by the Pokeclinic for their own health, characters will be met with a very fair and kind welcome: they are free to explore Bottlecap Bay, make themselves at home, and get used to their new bodies. Dr. Denne loudly and excitedly proclaims that he will be looking into this new, strange phenomenon immediately, and every Pokemon of the city seems to be in agreement: they're afraid and wary of humans, but they're not ones to turn away someone in need. They are willing to trust these characters, and hope their trust will not be broken.
For the time being, shop keepers throughout the city will be offering things to new arrivals free of charge to help them get on their feet.
A. ⟡ SWEETS AND TREATS
One of the best things about Bottlecap Bay is the assortment of delicious food, made for Pokemon, by Pokemon! Now, this might sound intimidating at first, but not to fret — Pokemon food tastes so delicious it's almost hard to believe! Of course, each Pokemon has their own tastes, so some may prefer the sweet while others search for spicy, but rest assured, there's something for everyone.
Unfortunately, as characters are still adjusting to their new bodies, these little snacks are causing trouble around the city with a number of strange, new effects. Some characters may experience the activation of their new abilities upon eating their favorite flavor of food! Try to dodge any stray thunderbolts while you're enjoying the poffins, and beware of bubble at the malasada stand's tables! In addition to this, some new arrivals have mentioned their moods being affected, with some suddenly becoming gloomy, excited, angry, or anything in between.
B. ⟡ AN ATTEMPT AT COMFORT
Various Pokemon clothing shop owners in Bottlecap Bay have noticed that the new arrivals seem very shy about their appearances. Hiding behind walls, covering themselves... It's not like anyone minds if you go around as you are, but they have a solution! New arrivals may have one item for free! That means that they may have one item of clothing without needing to barter for it. This is a rare chance, so make sure you take advantage of it!
However, a naughty little Impidimp has hexed the clothing items, unbeknownst to shopkeepers! Though not every piece of clothing is affected, many shops were hit, and each type of clothing has a different hex to go along with it. When Pokemon put on the item in question, they may experience the following:
HEADWEAR (hats, ear accessories, etc) ⟡ Have the strong urge to overshare about themselves to others. Lying feels difficult.
NECKWEAR (scarves, necklaces, etc) ⟡ Become incredibly cold, and will only be comforted by contact with others. Cuddle time!
TOPS (shirts, hoodies, capes, etc) ⟡ Suddenly become obsessed with their new abilities, and want to battle everything that moves.
BOTTOMS (pants, skirts, leggings, etc) ⟡ Overwhelmed with the desire to make more animalistic noises based on their Pokemon. Meow!
SHOES (booties or anything on the feet) ⟡ Become incredibly clumsy, dropping things, tripping and falling all over the place.
MISC (anything that does not apply to the other categories) ⟡ Some of their thoughts will be spoken aloud on accident. Hope you weren't thinking something mean!
C. ⟡ ALL CLEANED UP
Does it feel a little awkward, sitting around and watching all the other Pokemon clean up after this storm? The guild base you're staying in is damaged and dealing with periodic leaks, the storefronts closest to the beach have suffered water damage, and the intense winds have damaged structures throughout the city. Streets are being swept and tidied from blown in debris, injured Pokemon are taking up a majority of the hospital beds, and there's an endless need for construction assistance in both stone and wood parts of structures.
Characters will not be forced or even encouraged to help out, but if they offer, their help will be gratefully accepted! Those who take part in a lot of the cleanup will certainly be remembered by those with more prominent positions in the clean up efforts, such as the guild leaders.
While you have free reign of the city, the guild leaders and Dr. Denne are hard at work looking into solutions and explanations for your sudden arrival. They promise to update you as soon as they have more information, but in the meantime... there's a whole city to explore, and a new body to do it in! Feel free to use the Locations page to come up with different prompts using available locations, if you'd like.
WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS
( FEBRUARY 1ST—FEBRUARY 8TH )
With the large storm past and the clean up and repairs complete, all of Bottlecap Bay can now focus on the upcoming festival! Now, this is a rather small affair, lasting for only one day and night, but to the Pokemon of Bottlecap Bay, it's important. Each year, there is an expected meteor shower, and psychic Pokemon have recently received the date for this year's. Known simply as Starfall, this festival centers around wishes, the unknown, and the future!
Legend says that if you close your eyes and wish upon a falling star, there's a strong Pokemon that can make it come true. The stronger your heart, the more your wish will be heard, though there are additional small superstitions about what you should do in order to better be heard.
For the week leading up to Starfall (which falls on the night of the 9th of February), the city will be decorated in a starry theme, with food and clothing to match! The night life of the city becomes that much more active, with games that you'd expect to find at any festival being played in Pokemon form, friendly sparring battles held on the beach, and fortunes! Farigiraf Fortunes are one-time fortunes that Pokemon pull during the week leading up to the festival to show your luck for the following year. Bad fortunes should be tied on festival decorations around the city in order to dispel the ill fortune. With your new bodies, though, you may just need some help to tie those off.
Throughout the week, feel free to make up your own festival games to participate in for top levels. For the festival food, some of it may make you feel sparkly or warm, reminding you of something distant yet oh-so-close... What could it be?
SOMETHING TWISTING IN MY HEART
( BEGINNING FEBRUARY 1ST )
The city has moved on from the storm, but the truth of the matter is that you haven't. Even if you think you have, can you really say as much? After all, your body still aches at night, your mind still spins when you try to recall that voice, and that void, and you don't belong here. Beginning February 1st, characters may begin to have intermittent nightmares.
These nightmares vary from person to person, but their core is the same: your inner doubts, your worries about the future, the present, and the past all come to a head here. Nightmares cause you to lose sleep at night and lose focus during the day. The more you lose yourself to these fears and feelings, the more you begin to change, your darker traits becoming more emphasized as your ability to talk yourself through situations becomes weaker. You can't do this alone.
Nightmares will slowly increase in frequency and intensity until hallucinations begin to occur even during the daytime. Characters might believe that those around them are out to get them, or are adding to those self-doubting and criticizing feelings. Worries pile on and begin to affect you physically, leading to more body aches and pains, loss of control, and occasional rampages.
In order to break free from this worsening condition, you must share these doubts or feelings with another. Surface level admissions won't count for this. All characters who do not manage this task by the 10th of February, just after Starfall, will find themselves automatically freed from the horrible nightmares. How strange was that? It's like as soon as everyone made their wishes, that horrible feeling melted away completely.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Characters who experience nightmares but do not have them cured by another character, and instead just "time out" at the end of the event, will have plot relevance in a future event. They may experience emotional or light physical harm in the future, so feel free to handwave an NPC helping them out if you'd like to opt out of that.
NOTES.
⟡ TDMs are game canon and act as events for the month they are posted.
⟡ We will normally have a newbie directory for new characters only! However, since this is our first TDM and everyone will be new, there will be no directory.
⟡ All characters on this TDM are unassigned to any guild as of yet!
⟡ 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!
⟡ Dates listed beneath prompts are meant to be helpful guides for the more time-sensitive aspects (cleaning up from the storm, nightmares beginning, etc), but general city exploration and other ideas like that can be done at any time.
⟡ Farigiraf Fortunes will just be little omikuji fortunes with an included lucky Pokemon and lucky color. You can make up your own, but if you'd like one randomly generated for you, reply here!
⟡ Please be sure to mark for any content warnings in your threads when applicable, such as with the nightmare prompt.
⟡ 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!
⟡ TDMs are game canon and act as events for the month they are posted.
⟡ We will normally have a newbie directory for new characters only! However, since this is our first TDM and everyone will be new, there will be no directory.
⟡ All characters on this TDM are unassigned to any guild as of yet!
⟡ 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!
⟡ Dates listed beneath prompts are meant to be helpful guides for the more time-sensitive aspects (cleaning up from the storm, nightmares beginning, etc), but general city exploration and other ideas like that can be done at any time.
⟡ Farigiraf Fortunes will just be little omikuji fortunes with an included lucky Pokemon and lucky color. You can make up your own, but if you'd like one randomly generated for you, reply here!
⟡ Please be sure to mark for any content warnings in your threads when applicable, such as with the nightmare prompt.
⟡ 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!
Echoes - b
"I'm... not sure. Duel monsters, maybe...?"
Because everyone knows what those are right. At any rate, this creature sounds as disoriented as Dion likely feels - not one of the native creatures, but instead another recent arrival.
no subject
Dion is not one to succumb to fear, but he does not draw too close, lest he suddenly find himself in striking distance.
"'Duel' monsters?" he asks, triangular head tilting and large eyes narrowing in confusion. "You refer to beasts kept for sport?"
It sounds barbaric. Sanbreque would tame and train dragons for battle, but at least they were used for more meaningful purposes than petty duels.
no subject
For now he simply scratches at his false head with his stick. "Hm... you haven't heard of...? Ah, well, they're more... spirits, that can be called on. Or simply playing cards that represent imaginary spirits, if you're playing the vanilla version of the game~."
For some reason he seems to find great amusement in the final comment.
no subject
But then he mentions cards and games, as if it were all meant for children, and Dion's snout wrinkles again.
"Speak sense," he demands, voice clipped. "Are these spirits creatures of fantasy or reality? We are here and we are real, no matter our current forms.
"I am no child's toy."
Says the Dreepy, large eyes narrowed in annoyance and flippers folded awkwardly over his narrow body. Yet the comparison stung Dion's pride too deeply to be shrugged off, as if he were one of Olivier's wooden soldiers... No. No. Absolutely not.
no subject
"Originally, they were real spirits. But then a long time after most people forgot how to really call on them, someone made a card game based off the original idea. It's technically the card game versions that are called 'duel monsters' as that's what most people are familiar with these days... But originally, the spirits were called 'ka', born from within people's own souls."
A simple explanation! That he can't resist adding a bit of (biased) context to: "And then the pharaoh's priests would harvest them off people for use in duels, because of course they did."
no subject
Even their use is painfully familiar.
"A pharaoh is a king of some sort," he begins with, wanting to be sure he has the right idea. It may have been more like Sanbreque's emperor, said to be the goddess Greagor made flesh, if the pharaoh had priests of their own. Which makes the idea of the ka being harvested hit even closer to his heart. "...mens' hearts are too readily turned to wickedness by the promise of power. It stirs a thirst for more, even should it mean stealing it away from the very people one is meant to govern and protect."
no subject
As for the rest... "H-haha, indeed. And if one is judicious enough in who he takes from, he might even be praised by the remainder for it! Our great and oh-so-merciful~ p̶̙̃̏ḧ̵͕̮́a̵͔̞̿r̵̘̐a̴̟͑ơ̷̠h̵̠̳̎..." If the way his voice distorts at the end there is any indicator, the Ring-Spirit might just have something personal against this pharaoh.
The Ring-Spirit quiets for a moment, then looks towards a grouping of other pokemon not far off, considering them. "Though I will say, I'd never heard of so many ka just... wandering around, free of both their original soul and priest's tablet. And as 'duel monsters' there is, by definition, a card somewhere... Mn, we might look similar to the spirits I'm familiar with, but there's something else going on in this place."
no subject
As the stranger's focus shifts Dion's does the same, though he quietly pulls himself a little closer as he does.
"The ka you describe bring to mind the Eikons of my homeland," Dion says, watching the distant group. They are gathered around another poor soul pulled from the ocean and to Dion's eyes their behavior is remarkably human, full of concern for the one who had nearly drowned. "If they are, then upon being freed from the wills of those who manifest them, they would be naught more than rampaging beasts."
Dion pauses, drawing a quiet and steadying breath. That is something he is also familiar with.
"Whatever we are now, it is something more than freed spirits, I agree."
no subject
The Ring-Spirit suspects Suddenly Freed Ka would... well, ok, possibly it'd depend on the ka in question, some seemed more civilized than others - but they usually seemed like the sort of creature that would rampage.
He then turns his attention away from the group they'd been watching to more closely examine his wooden stick and soggy cloth covering.
"And I've seen my ka, it never looked like this..." (...Of course that was from before he'd fused his soul with Zorc's, but...) "...even corrupted it didn't look like this..."
If he'd been turned into a ka, surely it'd be some form of his own? Or at least something similar?? Very odd.
Eh, he won't get anywhere just talking to himself, he ought to more properly compare notes with this... green thing talking with him. "So what do you last remember doing? I don't suppose it was 'dying', was it?"
no subject
But then, the Ring-Spirit hits on the most important question.
Dion stills noticeably, his gaze still turned towards the other group but no longer focusing. Finally he takes in a breath, steadying himself, and nods.
"As a matter of fact," he says, lifting his eyes to the stormy skies above. "Specifically I remember falling from a great height after trading blows with a dire foe. There was pain and then a great emptiness...and then the water had me.
"Could this be an afterlife, then?" he asks of the Ring-Spirit, looking over at him.
no subject
"...For my part, I was being cleansed from reality by holy light," he finally admits wryly. "I also did the 'pain, then the void, but then suddenly ocean' combo at the end. This is like no afterlife I've heard of, but..."
He looks out at the stormy sea, then up and down the beach, as if to remind himself what it all looks like. "I suppose continuing to exist after being erased would have to be an afterlife by definition. Metaphysically, it shouldn't work, but... I am here..." he trails off.
no subject
As if Dion has any right to judge, as deep as his own sins are. He lets his suspicion go with a muted hum, though he will remember that comment.
"We are but two of many," Dion cautions. "'Till we learn more from the others it is yet too soon to say for certain. You speak as if the fate you suffered was greater than death...you did not expect your soul to carry on where your body failed?"
1/3
For now, the Ring-Spirit merely makes a noise of agreement at Dion's warning. "This is an awful lot of people to have all suffered the same fate..." ...as himself, he doesn't say yet, but it's implied. (He might be making some assumptions about the sort of death Dion had faced, which is quite rude of him, considering!)
2/3
Dion may or may not continue to have questions about the sort of being the Ring-Spirit had been before, given that whole statement.
3/3
The Ring-Spirit was doubtless something horribly wicked before, but he sounds genuinely shaken and concerned about these souls.
no subject
And yet.
The Pharoah he describes hardly strikes Dion as a noble soul either, stealing the ka from his people as he had. Perhaps the Ring-Spirit is something wicked, spurred to vengeance by a more banal sort of evil. What matters to Dion now is a much simpler question.
"What will you do?" he asks, giving his best piercing look...muted by Dreepy's rounded features, but the attempt is there. "Cut off from your enemy, vengeance beyond your reach...will you treat these innocents with fairness, or seek to cause strife?"
1/2
"I don't know," he says honestly. "Much of my ability to 'cause strife' as you put it, is gone..."
He curls in on himself, the costume drooping around him. "...I don't know what I'll do. Everything that matters is gone."
2/2