bottlecaplogs | Dolly's December Catchall!

Mayaka's ears perk up when Dolly mentions the private quarters. It means she'll be able to draw without other Pokemon looking. That is, if she gets the hang of drawing with this new body. There's still a little seed of doubt in Mayaka, but she pushes past it, determined to at least try.

"Aww..." she coos to herself as Dolly stands and points. She's like a cat, but bigger and prettier! And able to hold conversation.

The Sneasel walks up to her front porch as Dolly describes it, examining the furnishings with curiosity. The houses in her Japanese hometown look nothing like this. She's only seen these sorts of townhouses online. It's intriguing, even though there's nothing much out here now.

"What does your house look like?" Mayaka blurts out with curiosity, before catching herself.

"Wait, wait, I shouldn't have asked that when I haven't even introduced myself!" she hops off the porch, resuming her space next to the Sylveon.

"I'm Mayaka. Nice to meet you!" she gives a quick bow, out of habit.

That was too adorable for words as Dolly watches Mayaka's reaction and follow ups. If it had been Cheddarburg, Dolly would've been fully onboard taking her under her wings during the college experience and hope Mayaka would join the mystery solving club. Alas, this wasn't the university, this was the Lum Berry Guild. Upside, they had boardgames now!

That was a bonus, especially with Clue.

"It's wonderful to meet you too Mayaka, people back where I came from called my Dolly." Dolly smiled warmly as she went in to reassure, matching the bow Mayaka gave.

"And it's very much alright to ask. It's looks like a little craft room at the moment with some projects like the plush sugar mice I'm making for the winter season as well as research into this world." Dolly explained cheerily to ease Mayaka. "I'm hoping once things settle a bit more, I could give it a constellations or autumn theme."

Likewise, Dolly was used to the old turn of the century houses that Cheddarburg had with the gingerbread trims as well as the colorful buildings of Doriene. Townhouses were new to Dolly as well, but it was very nice, especially since option two was the dread no roofs of the canopies.

Dolly thinks for a moment and figured it'd be a good time to give Mayaka an idea of what to expect once the snow has melted for springtime.

"I have a feeling once spring comes around, the lower tier is going to look lovely with the plant life they have here. I'm pretty much looking forward to see the first blossoms will look like once they arrive."

A smile touches the corner of Mayaka's lips as the Sylveon paints a quaint picture of spring. It almost makes her look forward to staying here just so she can see what it'd look like in person. But she doesn't have the luxury of sitting and waiting for spring.

"Spring sounds nice and all, but it'd be nicer if we all managed to find our way home before that," the Sneasel says plainly.

Perhaps she is being too ambitious and ignorant. She's aware that a number of Pokemon have been here for months -- almost a year! But doesn't that also mean they've spent all this time gathering information into what brought them all here unwillingly?

"You mentioned research about this world -- did you find anything useful?" she asks Dolly.

Dolly had forgotten, humans tend to view time a lot more slowly than she would. An entire winter would be long, that was something Dolly was realizing. At least Dolly got a smile from Mayaka, perhaps it wasn't too bad of a mention.

"Yes, from what I understood, some of the ruins may have given some valuable information about what's going on from quests going out there. The details I'm not entirely sure about, but, it is a promising direction." Dolly explains to her best knowledge.

"If it helps, we're all in this one together, so you're not alone during this experience. We have each others back."

Dolly goes to offer Mayaka to walk along a bit to check out the townhouses of the Lower Tier, perhaps walking will help with the mood a little bit?

Mayaka can tell that Dolly is trying to lift her spirits, so she doesn't scrutinize her words too closely, or declare that she thinks the Sylveon is being just a tad bit too optimistic about their circumstances. With so many involved, aren't they all bound to butt heads at some point, even with a common goal?

As the two of them move at a casual pace down the row of townhouses, Mayaka decides to nudge Dolly with a question.

"Are there any Pokemon like us who are content just staying here for the rest of their lives, you think?"

"I'm not sure to be honest, but, I won't judge others if they do want to stay here instead of heading home." Dolly looked up at Mayaka as she went to answer that question. Maybe life for them wasn't so great back home? That was a similar case with Dolly, her birthplace, and Earth.

With that said, Dolly wanted to get home, to her familiars, her found family, and the access she had to her batch siblings. How were they...were they holding up alright after Dolly disappeared? Were they alright after the last broad...Dolly drags herself back to focusing on Mayaka. The question didn't come unprompted, maybe there was a reason for it?

"Are you worried about someone preventing everyone from going home?"

"I sure hope not. That would suck," Mayaka declares.

"I just thought that this place seems pretty peaceful and easy to live in. I wouldn't blame them." The Sneasel shrugs, reflecting on how the pace of life has certainly slowed down for her since she came here. No more rushing for school in the morning or stressing about deadlines and homework.

"Then again, there are dormant volcanos, so I'm not too sure about that."

Worst place to arrive in Bottlecap Bay, ever. Except maybe getting dropped into the sea. She remembers Akechi telling her at length about his arrival.

Wanting to focus on nicer things, and on the tour, Mayaka decides to ask: "What's your favourite part of town?"

That was one thing Dolly was reassured of, Mayaka wasn't worried about something like that happening. "It really is, it's pretty peaceful and comfortable here with only one hiccup back in September when I arrived. I wouldn't be surprised if others decide to live here instead."

Dolly looked a bit surprised as she hears about the volcano. Some of the new arrivals from what Dolly heard came from Furnace Mountain this time around unlike the tall grass she had awaken at.

Definitely not the most ideal place to wake up at no arguments to be had about it.

Oh! Now that was a question Dolly was more than happy to answer as Dolly smiles a bit. "Goodness, I have a bit of a list, but I think its a tie between the Archives, the cafe, and especially the shops, typically gives me an idea of what craft supplies we have to work with as well as what would have to be made. What's your favorite place so far in town?"

"The Archives. It's so much grander than any library I've ever been to. I could spend days there!" Mayaka says this, even though she has in fact already spent a number of days holed up in there going through the materials and tablets. She suspects that Polteagiest only let her join the Guild because he found her reading in a corner, and didn't really know what to do with her.

"What kind of craft stuff do you make, Dolly-chan?"

Edited 2025-12-12 01:18 (UTC)

"They truly are, just I tend to find myself lost in them sometimes. The best part is the clay tablets though. As much as I miss the scent of books, I'm absolutely thrilled to handle clay tablets for reading. It's like the tuppi from ancient Mesopotamia." Libraries and museums like the Archive were much something Dolly loved the most. They were sanctuaries that she could easily find herself being lost in for hours without realizing it.

The question has Dolly's full attention, "I love crafting dolls and making little outfits to go with them. I mainly make plush dolls, but I do make other media of dolls when I get the chance like clay dolls."

As a fellow hobbyist, she can appreciate the Sylveon's craft even if it's a different medium from manga.

"That sound really cool. I'm not very good with crafts. I think it'll be even more difficult now that I have these." Mayaka waves her claws, mindful not to do this near enough to hit Dolly. No more accidental poisonings!

"You have to show me your doll collection next time," she says with a smile, before quickly adding: "only if you want to, of course."

She knows better than anyone that being passionate about something isn't the same as wanting to share it or show it to others.

There's a brighten look to Dolly's eyes as she heard the response. Blame it on the haunted doll genre of horror movies that seem to be popular, but it wasn't often Dolly met someone that thought it was cool. The off white fur on Dolly's face looks a bit rosy from the flattery.

Hmmm...what can be done to help about the claws though? Mayaka brought up a good point and she didn't have ribbon feelers like Dolly had. That brought up a pretty good challenge to figure out.

"I think there might be a way to help you out if you wanted to try crafting, weaving. I've made dolls before using that method and they came out pretty adorable." Dolly offered as she could fix up some sticks to be used for making a warp with again.

Dolly's ears perked up a bit though upon being asked and was she ever happy to share. "I'd love to, I think I can show my homemade dolls over on the grumpearl if you'd like? Do you have any hobbies too?"

"Hobbies"?

Mayaka blinks a few times, considering how to answer this question. Dolly has been incredibly kind so far, and seems to dedicate a lot of time to her craft. If there's anyone in Bottlecap Bay who could understand Mayaka's passion for manga, it might be this Sylveon right here.

"I like drawing. I'm nowhere near as good as I want to be, though," she shares tentatively. She's not willing to go further into what 'drawing' means now. She wonders what it'll be like if she shares her favourite manga with Dolly and what her reaction would be. Do they have manga where Dolly comes from?

"I would love to see your drawings if you ever wanted to show them. I was in the art course back in University, there were so many different art styles I got to see there."

Dolly brighten big time upon hearing that Mayaka was into drawing and art. It was clear, she was pretty excited to learn this and Mayaka was right on the money about Dolly. It really did feel like she was back in Walden University at Cheddarburg for a moment, it was like a warm blanket.

Yep...the grumpearl will likely be coming out soon for art sharing.

"You were in the art course? What was it like?" Mayaka jumps with excitement upon hearing this. It's been one of her goals to study art seriously in university. Though convincing her parents about it has been difficult, as they've always tolerated her manga hobby as long as she kept her grades up.

The Sneasel spots an empty park bench along the path and runs over to sit on it. "Let's take a break here while you tell me all about it," she says decisively.

"It's amazing over there, we have a lot of options there for classes in the art including art history." Dolly was excited too to talk about the art course in Cheddarburg, especially given Mayaka's reaction. That was a good sign and Dolly had a feeling Mayaka would do incredibly well in the art field.

Upon being pointed out the empty park bench, Dolly goes to follow Mayaka along to chat more about the art course in college. "Sounds like a good deal to me, where would you like to start?"

As Mayaka settles on the bench next to Dolly, she has to take a moment to sort through the tide of questions flooding her head. Was it fun? What was the toughest part? What art style did she specialise in? Was it worth it in the end?

Eventually, she manages to decide on one that she'd like to know right now. For all her grand dreams about improving in her art and becoming a manga artist, Mayaka still doesn't know if she'll make the right choice in the end, and whether it'll be for the right reasons.

"What made you decide to study art?"

"Where do I begin? It started around the same time I started learning how to sew. It was liberating, I could express myself in ways that I couldn't before and visualize the stories I heard growing up in embroideries. It became a pretty big part of myself, I couldn't imagine being away from art."

This really was a special interests topic that Dolly didn't hesitate delving into as she explains to Mayaka. It was pretty exciting to talk to another artist and be able to share this information with.

"When I did start college, what made me decide to study art was that warmth it brought whenever I made something and the potential of getting to try new crafts that I otherwise wouldn't have been able to do. Every so often, we'd get a visiting artist that'd set up a workshop to try out their craft for others to try out. I honestly think my favorite was the one that was into reviving the Dada art movement."

She... gets it. She totally gets it!

The Sneasel listens intently as Dolly explains what her embroideries mean to her. She can easily see the connections to her own feelings about drawing manga. Mayaka can't imagine who she'd be without her favourite stories and authors influencing her as a kid, either. To be in an environment like Dolly's college where she could learn about different art movements and explore her own art seems like an unattainable dream.

Maybe because it is.

As much as Mayaka loves manga, and has dedicated most of her free time since elementary school to reading, learning and drawing manga, she's never been truly happy with anything she's created. It simply can't compare to the work of the greats that have inspired her. And when you know that you don't have the talent to be that good, what are you supposed to do?

Mayaka keeps her head down and continues drawing anyway, because she's stubborn like that. But sooner or later, reality will catch up, won't it?

"They're pretty strict about art college applications, aren't they? You've got to be... really good to get in," she says this casually, her voice faltering only slightly.

"It isn't always about the level, a good chunk of it is the motivation and willingness to strive to improve as well as learn. When they go over your portfolio, they're looking to see if you have room to improve and expand if accepted in."

Dolly has seen that look before one too many times in her past. It's something all young artists go through when they get close to college age. Questioning their skills or if they're even good enough compared to others who've been doing it for a very long time. Dolly would know, she had it happen too when she first started sewing and embroidering.

"And I honestly think you have what it takes to get accepted, you have that drive to thrive in the field and believe me, they're going to love what you show them." Dolly goes to reassures Mayaka, she's pretty confident that Mayaka would be a good shoe in for the Arts program she applies to.

Mayaka holds on to the hope that what Dolly says is true. It's not a comforting kind of hope. Rather, it feels desperate, and almost foolish.

"That's kind of you to say, Dolly-chan, but you've haven't even seen my drawings yet." This may come across a bit blunt, but there is no malice in Mayaka's words.

To illustrate her point, she decides to share this fact, which still stings: "Of all the short manga I've drawn and submitted to magazine competitions, only one has been published once so far."

Oh, the competitions, that's what's doing it. Dolly listens patiently as Mayaka explains before finally answering with a question. "May I ask, what did you think about the one that was published compared to the others that didn't get in?"

There was no judgement on the manga, Dolly viewed it as a very valid form of art and expression. Goodness, it did bring back memories of Leonardo De Vinci and Dr. Seuss, both of which didn't see success until much later into their lives. Given the sounds of Mayaka, she's still pretty young and that was simply the first stepping stones into the art field.

Mayaka tucks her claw under her chin.

"Maybe, it was because the story was a bit more unique? I spent so long trying to come up with something that would stand out. But after that, whatever new manga I submitted didn't get published, and I worked just as hard... no, even harder on those."

She turns to the Sylveon and declares: "Some masterpieces are born as masterpieces."

Mayaka thinks about her favourite self-published manga: A Corpse by Evening, created by a pair of seniors from her high school to sell at the annual culture festival. It'd been a shock to learn that those very seniors decided to stop drawing manga after releasing such an amazing piece of work, even though they were so good at it. Why? Well, because it was just a fun side hobby for them. It wasn't something they wanted to dedicate their lives to.

It was the ones they'd inspired with their work who wanted to continue drawing manga, even though they knew they could never match up to a masterpiece like A Corpse by Evening. Fate was kind of cruel that way.

"... I don't think I have what it takes to make a masterpiece, but still, I want to try."

That was a problem, Dolly couldn't disagree on that one. Having the first one get recognition but then the others being ignored would definitely cause heartache.

Masterpieces are born as masterpieces? Dolly wondered where Mayaka would learn something like that from. That would definitely hurt someone's passion for creating. Maybe Mayaka needs an inspiration?

"I'm not sure what your genre preference is, but, how would you feel about taking inspiration here in the Pokemon World? Sometimes unforeseen situations end up being a really good muse for writing and character designing. Maybe this is what you need for your art?"

Dolly hopes this might be helpful, it was suddenly living amongst humanity so long ago that brought inspiration to her own work. Perhaps, maybe this is something that may help Mayaka to? Dolly goes to monitor Maya's reaction, little jellybean toes crossed that it works.

Dolly's December Catchall!

aaaaa the JELLYBEANs...

The fabled jellybeans :'>

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Fun fact, the clay tablets in Mesopotamia were called 'Tuppi' X3 Just the cutest name ever

cute..

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(good to wrap? 🎁)