bopbay | 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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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Get gotted, Ren. But oh. Hm. That is a little concerning. ]

That is not how it works. I am Emmet. I am a Subway Boss. And proper safety checks are verrrrry important. Battles can and will be ended before arriving at a proper conclusion if the involved parties risk harm to themselves or others.

[ Emmet is not confident in his ability to win without like. Actually risking harming Ren for real and wasting medical supplies, the way the Sprigatito seems to be going. His claws are sharp. He is a lot bigger. That is something he may need to work on later. Hmm. ]

You may have a draw or stalemate if it really matters that much to you.

[ He pauses, before lifting the kitten up to around eye level. That is actually more than a little concerning, maybe. Is what he's saying actually sinking in? ]

Now. If I put you down. Are you going to take the time to conduct maintenance on yourself. Or are you going to rush off to do something silly and ill-advised.

[Hmmm... nope! The lights are on, but nobody's home. Ren blinks- he has no clue what a subway boss is, or what it has to do with anything.]

Hm?

[... Yup, none of this is properly sinking in. Emmet is saying things, but they're not quite landing. Ren blinks once more... it almost feels like being drugged again.

(There's a moment where, when that thought hits him, he starts to panic a little. But as soon as it came, it's gone.)

Then, Ren grins, and crosses his arms- or, at least, an approximation of it, with his little kitty paws.]

I'm Amamiya Ren, and all that just sounds like an excuse to not say that I won. But alright, let's call it a draw, if it makes you feel better.

[He tilts his head, grinning wider.]

And trust me, I've taken worse damage before. This is nothing.

[That may not be as reassuring as you think right now, Ren.]

That this is a repeated pattern for you does not make this better. You know.

[ this is also one of the people who arrived recently, right? not one of the native Pokémon? what in the world was he getting up to before this? ]

I am Emmet. I will not force you to go anywhere. It will do no good and you will probably fight me.

[ even though a part of him really wants to drop the kitten off by the scruff in front of Dr. Dedenne. but in the end they are strangers, Emmet does not have any real authority here, and dragging the kitten there squirming the entire way while trying to also fight off the Leech Seed would probably be a bit much for him. and forcing a stranger to the doctor even if out of genuine concern is definitely crossing the yellow line if the risk of harm isn't grave and or immediate. ]

But I will let you go. If. If you will take yourself to the clinic to get patched up before doing anything else.

Okay?

[Gah, this guy is such a nag. He was having fun before, with the battle, but now? Ren's just kind of getting tired of getting lectured at. Especially when he's still learning his abilities and he's eager to find out more.]

I can take care of myself.

[And he's right, Ren would fight him. Fun as the guy was to battle, he's not letting some stranger drag him off somewhere. He can decide for himself when he's done or going too far, okay?

(Nevermind that he currently really, really can't.)

Speaking of fighting him, though... he thinks this guy should let go of him anyway. He's made his point, and Ren's ready to get out of here. He's been very patient in just letting the other hold him by his scruff, but now-

Well. Fighting in the Metaverse often meant fighting dirty, and Ren's not afraid of doing so. He narrows his eyes, a mischievous glint sparkling in them.

And then, he swings himself forwards, at Emmet's face. With little to no warning, he snaps at his nose with a Bite, intent on forcing the fox to let him go.]

[ Instinctive reaction to attack flying at his face? Not be there to take it.

Which is to say, he's letting out a startled yelp as he recoils, also letting his physical form discorporate as he drops back into the shadows beneath them, which is all really just a long way of saying that he drops Ren without actually meaning to in the moment.

Ah. Whoops. ]

[That's all the opening Ren needs- the moment his paws touch the ground, he jumps away from Emmet's shadow, creating distance between them. He turns around, and glances over his shoulder to give the reforming Emmet a smirk.]

See ya.

[He says it with all the swagger of the Phantom Thief he is, tailcoat stylishly fluttering behind him as he runs off, disappearing around the corner of an alleyway. Even if Emmet were to give chase now, Ren would already be gone through another.]

[ (we can call the thread here, but I won't say no to a second one!) ]

Wait, hold on—!

[ Emmet does briefly scramble to try to follow after, after he manages to reform, but oh. Oof. That's. The effects of the Leech Seed really hitting him now that the battle's well and truly over and he's not riding the wave of adrenaline anymore, isn't it.

With some effort he tries to comb through the mess of fur that is his collar and mane, laboriously looking for the offending seed (should he be using his hind legs to scratch, like some canine Pokemon do? no, no, surely not, he can manage with his hands— forepaws, surely). Eventually he does manage to remove the burr, but he also knows that the Sprigatito will be long gone by this point.

Emmet sighs, the sound coming out as a bit of a whine. Trying to be a responsible adult kind of sucks sometimes, huh ... ]

TEST DRIVE 01

HELP it's amazing, perfect (and sure, he'll let Ren go in a tag or two)

CW: mention of drugging?? just to be safe

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Aaaand that's just about a wrap I believe! Hehe this was a rlly fun interaction

and that's a wrap! I'm glad you had fun with it!