bopbay | TEST DRIVE 01

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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!

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But...? A painful-looking shudder passes through her, like she's literally, physically biting her tongue to keep herself from rambling on more. Even then, she can't keep herself from admitting aloud:

"... Y'know, on second thought, maybe I do feel different..."

Very interesting. Hell, this entire conversation made him nearly forget the chills he got from his scarf, even if he still quivers a little from the cold.

More to the point, two cases of oversharing might as well be a pattern. Touching the bottom of his beak with a wing, he squints. "It's curious, isn't it? The scarf alone was already suspicious, but even the extra cold isn't nearly as violating."

It doesn't force him to spill his secrets. A minor setback, comparatively.

Shoka exhales a harsh, irritated sigh. Violating is right, and it's not like anyone here would even have anything to gain from loosening her lips (except, of course, the same sort of cruel amusement she got out of watching Akechi herself).

"Well... I was already planning on tagging along with you anyway—just to make sure I get a front row seat to whatever birdie bloodbath you plan on bringing to the perp's doorstep... But now that it's personal, maybe I'll lend you a hand, too."

This last suggestion is punctuated with a little wave of her ghostly hand.

"Well, if you recall where you obtained your accessory, we could always start there." The cold is annoying. He's still shivering, but that's milder than simply letting secrets fly free.

So he flashes a tiny hint of a smirk, waiting to gauge her reaction.

"I might."

Despite all her earlier, grisly boasting, with the focus turned on her, she seems suddenly reluctant. Like Akechi, she's made no effort to remove her accessory, curse be damned, and it's apparent that she'd really prefer it if Akechi didn't bring his birdie bloodbath to the doorstep of the particular shopkeeper she'd gotten it from.

"Can't say I got any prankster vibes from her though..."

"It's possible that it's a supplier issue as well." He folds his wings in some vague approximation of crossed arms. "However, I know from experience that people can be incredibly two-faced. We mustn't rule anything out."

"... Fair."

She knows plenty about being two-faced herself, after all.

"I do recall, so... C'mon. And try to keep up. Might even help you warm up a little."

With that, she starts to move, shuffling along the ground on the ghostly, snail-like foot of her body. If it wasn't already obvious that most of her visible appearance is only a disguise, it's more apparent now, as the motion causes her hollow, false head to loll back somewhat. Though she warned Akechi to keep up, the pace she moves at isn't especially fast, giving him plenty of time to follow.

"Didn't catch a name, but the shop owner looked like some kinda cat. White, with blue markings—and loads of jewelry. Real fancy."

She'd been sweet, really. Quiet and stern, but patient with Shoka.

To Akechi's credit, he moves fairly swiftly, shuffling along on those little bird legs. There's an unsettling feeling to the way the false head dangles and sways, but he's seen worse.

"It may be more pertinent to lead with a simple inquiry. Choose the right words to gauge a reaction, look for subtle tells..."

It's one of the most pertinent tools in any detective's kit, after all.

"Oh? What happened to being ruthless?"

There's a smile audible in those words; she's teasing, but she agrees with him.

"... Sounds like a plan. I've—just got a feeling it wasn't her. Even if it turns out I'm wrong, rushing in there with guns blazing is only gonna freak the whole market out."

She tilts her false head toward him, one hand cupped behind its crooked ear.

"Did you have an inquiry in mind then, ace detective?"

"I'd rather save the ruthlessness for the most deserving target." It's said nonchalantly. Sorry, but you're not getting a rise out of him so easily now that he's composed himself. "As for an inquiry, it may be worthwhile to ask about a supplier, assuming the goods aren't handmade. Of course, I can see the merits of going for a more direct approach and simply asking about the side effects."

"Works for me. For what it's worth, I bet she'll be more receptive to the latter option. Straight to the point."

She begins to slow shortly thereafter, gesturing to one of the stands ahead of them with a stiff nod of her false head.

"That's the place."

The shop is hard to miss, glittering with a wide assortment of jewelry. The Meowstic shopkeeper is glittering, too, with bejeweled accessories sparkling at her neck, paws, and ears. Though Shoka and Akechi are still far away enough to speak without anyone at the shop hearing, somehow, the Meowstic seems to notice their presence, suddenly lifting her head to stare straight at them through the crowd. It's a steely, cold-looking glare she fixes them with... But honestly, that might just be what her face looks like.

Shoka doesn't seem too perturbed, but still she thinks to check, "Guess I'll lead the charge... unless you're really rarin' to go."

"By all means. This does affect you more than it does me." Unlike the scarf. He still shivers a little, but to his credit, it's easier to ignore the cold when he has a task to hold his interest, so he'll wait for Shoka to step forward before trotting along.

With a roll of her eyes, Shoka starts forward. "Fine by me."

They've hardly made it to the front counter when the Meowstic comes to greet them.

"I must say," she drawls, "I did not expect to see you again quite so soon..." She nods toward Shoka's earring. "Though it is lovely on you. Simple, yet elegant."

"Hey," Shoka mumbles in reply, tugging lightly on her disguise's pierced ear. "Y—yeah... Thanks. Swear I'm not here just to show off though. I have something to ask you. If you've got a moment."

"Surely you aren't unsatisfied..." The feline's golden eyes move to focus on Akechi. "Something for your friend, then, perhaps?"

"Maybe later." Some birds like shiny things, after all, don't they? "For now, I just wanted to ask if you've heard of any of these things having... side effects? Other than the usual retail therapy effects, I mean... Since I put this on, I've been—way more talkative than usual. Like, to a suspicious extent."

Which... still makes it sound like it just gave her a boost of confidence. Beyond a narrowing of her eyes, Meowstic doesn't react, so Shoka continues:

"My friend here's dealing with something similar. I mean, you can see that scarf's doing nothing for him, right?"

"He wears none of my accessories," says Meowstic with a slow tilt of her head. Her eyes remain on Akechi. It seems she might be waiting for him to explain their predicament with his own words.

"No, but the scarf I wear has left me with an unwavering chill that defies all logic." He prods at the scarf with a wing for emphasis. "Could it be an issue with the supplier? Or perhaps someone tampered with your goods behind your back..."

Hopefully the Meowstic will feel less affronted this way. It'd be reckless to make too pointed of an accusation.

For a long, tense moment, Meowstic says nothing, but the brief, agitated lashing of her twin tails betrays her offense—less at Akechi's wording and more at the mere thought of what he and Shoka have revealed to her. Her goods—tampered with!

"All the jewelry you see here is my own design," she eventually replies. "And I have worked with the same metalworkers for many years now, with no issues at all. I trust them implicitly. However..."

Her eyes narrow even further to golden slits.

"I have heard of similar pranks befalling others here as of late... Truly strange, poor excuses for jokes. To think that those fiends would dare to tamper with my work... And now, of all times..." She gives a low, vengeful growl.

"All right, take it easy," Shoka pipes up. "Any idea who it could've been?"

"None, I'm afraid... But I can assure you that I had nothing to do with it. I wanted only to give you a small gift of my work, as we have all agreed to do for our new visitors. Had I known..."

She trails off there, seeming genuinely distraught.

"It isn't your fault." It's clear from hearing the Meowstic speak that she puts her passion into her craft. No, more than anything, she's a victim of a greater issue.

An unidentified culprit.

Blowing a small sigh, Akechi takes a chance and says, "It's my intention to investigate the matter further. Clearly, this issue not only negatively impacts prospective customers, but the businesses as well. It would be a shame for you and your peers to suffer as a result of someone else's malicious actions."

Is he channeling the Detective Prince a bit more than he'd like to? Perhaps, but it is a mask he's refined over time. A useful demeanor for public interactions.

"My thoughts precisely," Meowstic concurs. "However, the responsibility is hardly yours. Why, you've only just arrived here, haven't you? I must advise that you leave the investigation to us and our guilds. Whoever was capable of doing these things to you... They could very well be capable of far worse deeds. It is clear to me that they have a mastery of hexes..."

Shoka has been quiet, studying them both as they speak (and mentally identifying Akechi as a glutton for punishment—nearly the opposite of herself, who is already starting to get tired of investigating), but now she thinks to speak up again. "And hexes are something that just any 'mon can do, or...?"

"Oh, no, certainly not at this level. But Ghosts such as yourself can learn... As well as Fairies." Meowstic's expression doesn't change from its usual, serious frown, but there might be a hint of amusement in her tone when she adds, "Again, such as yourself."

"Um...?" Shoka isn't sure how to take that. It didn't sound like an insult, at least...?

Akechi chuckles at the confirmation. "My. Imagine if this was all just a ruse, so she could shift the blame onto others..." There's an air of sarcasm to his words. Obviously, he doesn't believe it to be so.

But as for Meowstic's concerns... "At any rate, I'm not one to act complacent. Rather than sit and spin my wheels, I might as well make use of my investigative experience, even if that comes at a risk."

Everything in his life has been risky. Why should now be any different?

"Imagine if I turned you into a pincushion for my next trick," Shoka counters without missing a beat.

"In any case," Meowstic continues. "I know that neither of you have the skills necessary to perform any of these 'tricks' as of yet."

"Gee, thanks..."

"And I suppose I cannot stop you... But do take care. Doubtless you will need it if you are to encounter the culprit."

"I appreciate your concern, and I'll be certain to spread word that these cursed items are the work of an outside force." He does a little bow, as best he can in this body. "Hopefully your business will continue thriving in the face of this adversity."

"Same," Shoka adds—lazily, but genuine.

Meowstic returns Akechi's bow with a nod of her head. "How kind of you. You needn't worry, but I do appreciate it."

"Just one more question, since it seems like you know a few things about these hexes... Any way we can get rid of 'em? Are we just stuck like this, or...?"

"Hmm... Assuming you are right to assume that the accessories are at fault... Have you attempted to remove them?"

Shoka gives an almost imperceptible wince.

"Regardless—" Meowstic continues without waiting for a reply, as if she had sensed Shoka's embarrassment "—if these are like the other tricks I have heard of... They are likely to wear off on their own, with time. I certainly hope they do—for the sake of fashion, of course."

"Yeah... Thanks. That's all I got. And thanks again for the earring, too, obvi, even if..."

"You are most welcome. Should either of you have any other questions, I am more than happy to answer."

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TEST DRIVE 01

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