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bottlecaplogs2026-02-15 10:30 am
bayhelpers) wrote in bottlecaplogs2026-02-15 10:30 am
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FEBRUARY 2026 EVENT LOG
⋆✩ SNOW MORE WINTER! ✩⋆
As February arrives, the heavy snowfall that dominated and defined most of January finally comes to its end. Little by little, the precipitation disappears, replaced by a gleaming winter sun high above the region. With the sun comes the first signs of the incoming spring as well - slowly, white melts to be replaced with green, and whispers of plans for field planting start to crop up.
It seems that the end of winter is on everyone’s minds! Or at least, it’s everyone’s hope right now.
WHAT EVERYONE WISHED FOR
With the snow finally melting to make way for eventual green pastures, it seems the guilds collectively decide that now is the time to start making headway on any plans that have been sitting on the backburner. For all that they were quick to get on the case of their interdimensional recruits about overworking, the leaders sure do become scarce - Polteageist in particular ends up in meeting after meeting with various scholars to discuss topics of investigation, while both Mightyena and Ribombee become otherwise occupied by their plans involving the regions beyond the Bay.
It’s been a particularly frigid winter compared to the normal as it seems; under ordinary circumstances, they wouldn’t have snow at all in February! With those fears on their mind, they’re working overtime to sort out how far behind they’ll be on necessary harvests and forest upkeep.
But it isn’t all doom and gloom in the town. While the leaders might be running hen-pecked, the Pokemon in Bottlecap Bay’s main town are in a state of anticipation for what they hope will be an imminent change in the weather. While it’s typical for the annual Starfall Festival to begin around this time, there hasn’t been a single meteor shower all week… In fact, not one shooting star can be seen all month! The psychic Pokemon predictions for this year's shower say it will be incredibly late - and while that happens sometimes, some Pokemon get especially antsy, gossiping about the fortunes they hope to receive or even preparing festival foods ahead of time. Just in case.
The influx of social clubs is somewhat more effective when it comes to giving Pokemon things to do in this barren month. Maybe if the astronomy club looks hard enough, they will see those meteors! Maybe the mystery club can investigate the matter, even if they can’t directly go to space. Or maybe, everyone just needs a distraction.
The sports club sure seems excited about the snow melting after all!
The highlight of the club activities comes from the music club, which decides to set up daily music lessons in front of the questboard! Or perhaps it's a low point, depending on who you ask… at any given moment, you might be regaled by a genuinely nice tune, or by an utter cacophony. Spend too long listening, and you'll be urged to join in!
It’s been a particularly frigid winter compared to the normal as it seems; under ordinary circumstances, they wouldn’t have snow at all in February! With those fears on their mind, they’re working overtime to sort out how far behind they’ll be on necessary harvests and forest upkeep.
But it isn’t all doom and gloom in the town. While the leaders might be running hen-pecked, the Pokemon in Bottlecap Bay’s main town are in a state of anticipation for what they hope will be an imminent change in the weather. While it’s typical for the annual Starfall Festival to begin around this time, there hasn’t been a single meteor shower all week… In fact, not one shooting star can be seen all month! The psychic Pokemon predictions for this year's shower say it will be incredibly late - and while that happens sometimes, some Pokemon get especially antsy, gossiping about the fortunes they hope to receive or even preparing festival foods ahead of time. Just in case.
The influx of social clubs is somewhat more effective when it comes to giving Pokemon things to do in this barren month. Maybe if the astronomy club looks hard enough, they will see those meteors! Maybe the mystery club can investigate the matter, even if they can’t directly go to space. Or maybe, everyone just needs a distraction.
The sports club sure seems excited about the snow melting after all!
The highlight of the club activities comes from the music club, which decides to set up daily music lessons in front of the questboard! Or perhaps it's a low point, depending on who you ask… at any given moment, you might be regaled by a genuinely nice tune, or by an utter cacophony. Spend too long listening, and you'll be urged to join in!
RIME FALLS
In the midst of preparations for all the expeditions launching out of Skull Town, a small round bird Pokemon Teleports into the center of town, calling for help. As many Pokemon feared there would be, sooner or later: there's been an absolutely massive avalanche in the environs of Icefall Lake. And unlike the handful of smaller avalanches this season, this one has gone right through a zone heavily inhabited by local Pokemon.
Natu is here to beg for help! Lurantis is commendably quick to jump into action in a crisis, yanking everyone off expedition preparations and organizing squads of Pokemon - some of which are immediately sent off on foot or by air, perhaps even carried by other flying Pokemon, and others who are teleported one by one with an increasingly tired Natu.
However you get there, the site of the avalanche is a mess, with the Icefall region's sparse plants uprooted, boulders dragged downhill, and a giant cloud of powder white still not entirely done settling to the ground. One mountainside is stark gray against all the other white peaks near it, its side completely stripped of snow. And, of course: scattered everywhere are buried Pokemon. Some were just in the area, some found their snow dens collapsing and flowing downhill around them, some were at the very bottom and turned to run but weren't fast enough...
The Pokemon that Lurantis prioritizes sending to the scene first are those who have an advantage in finding anyone buried under the snow, as well as Pokemon who can dig effectively and Pokemon who can provide medical attention. And of course, anyone who can transport other Pokemon quickly, such as by flight, will end up enlisted as carriers. The Pokemon local to the Icefall region are generally resistant to cold, and all Pokemon are deceptively hardy, but most still can't survive indefinitely without air - and every moment under the snow is a moment they're using up their air pocket.
Lurantis is quick to follow the immediate response by sending anyone else who is available - can you dig at all, even if you'll never compete with a Drillbur? It's your turn to go. There are still live Pokemon buried by the time this secondary group makes it out, but by this point there's enough hands on deck digging that it's reasonable to find other ways to help too. Perhaps someone could coordinate the groups of local Pokemon that have been unearthed and can help, or comfort the ones sitting around in a state of shock. Some rescued local Pokemon vanish once they've expressed their gratitude and helped where they can, preferring to head right back into their lifestyle in the wilds. But for those who now have nowhere else to go, or are too scared to, someone needs to figure out where to put them. And eventually, once everyone who can be saved has been... well, someone has to deal with the Pokemon who didn't make it.
None of this is helped by the weather in the Icefall region, which is fluctuating wildly between thawing sun and heavy snow showers in periods of time as short as half an hour. Throughout a truly long and miserable day, Pokemon keep glancing nervously at surrounding snowy peaks. But in the end no other avalanches follow the big one. Still, it makes for hours of work that alternate between having everyone overheating from exertion and then shivering in an icy cold wind.
Natu is here to beg for help! Lurantis is commendably quick to jump into action in a crisis, yanking everyone off expedition preparations and organizing squads of Pokemon - some of which are immediately sent off on foot or by air, perhaps even carried by other flying Pokemon, and others who are teleported one by one with an increasingly tired Natu.
However you get there, the site of the avalanche is a mess, with the Icefall region's sparse plants uprooted, boulders dragged downhill, and a giant cloud of powder white still not entirely done settling to the ground. One mountainside is stark gray against all the other white peaks near it, its side completely stripped of snow. And, of course: scattered everywhere are buried Pokemon. Some were just in the area, some found their snow dens collapsing and flowing downhill around them, some were at the very bottom and turned to run but weren't fast enough...
The Pokemon that Lurantis prioritizes sending to the scene first are those who have an advantage in finding anyone buried under the snow, as well as Pokemon who can dig effectively and Pokemon who can provide medical attention. And of course, anyone who can transport other Pokemon quickly, such as by flight, will end up enlisted as carriers. The Pokemon local to the Icefall region are generally resistant to cold, and all Pokemon are deceptively hardy, but most still can't survive indefinitely without air - and every moment under the snow is a moment they're using up their air pocket.
Lurantis is quick to follow the immediate response by sending anyone else who is available - can you dig at all, even if you'll never compete with a Drillbur? It's your turn to go. There are still live Pokemon buried by the time this secondary group makes it out, but by this point there's enough hands on deck digging that it's reasonable to find other ways to help too. Perhaps someone could coordinate the groups of local Pokemon that have been unearthed and can help, or comfort the ones sitting around in a state of shock. Some rescued local Pokemon vanish once they've expressed their gratitude and helped where they can, preferring to head right back into their lifestyle in the wilds. But for those who now have nowhere else to go, or are too scared to, someone needs to figure out where to put them. And eventually, once everyone who can be saved has been... well, someone has to deal with the Pokemon who didn't make it.
None of this is helped by the weather in the Icefall region, which is fluctuating wildly between thawing sun and heavy snow showers in periods of time as short as half an hour. Throughout a truly long and miserable day, Pokemon keep glancing nervously at surrounding snowy peaks. But in the end no other avalanches follow the big one. Still, it makes for hours of work that alternate between having everyone overheating from exertion and then shivering in an icy cold wind.
ii. PULLING A HUNT
EVERY LITTLE KINGAMBIT HELPS
When the bounty reports first reach the Quest Board, it’s easy to assume things will proceed much the same way they did almost a year ago. After all, last year, three mysterious Pokemon - only one clearly identifiable - were found to be creating havoc of some kind near Bottlecap Bay. These same Pokemon were tracked down and brought to justice, with all three ultimately coming to their senses and offering their support in recompense.
As the bounties for these new culprits are investigated however, it becomes clear that things are a little different this time; particularly when many of the teams find themselves turning back in opposite directions from where they began. This isn’t a matter of picking away at a fleeing Pokemon. The teams need to find it first.
And that in turn means that they need a lot more support than anticipated. Teams that assumed they would be wandering a forest are now looking at the floodplains of Heavy Downmoor. Those who readied themselves for the extreme heat of Furnace Mountain in the meantime have been funneled right back out into the forest. And as for Icefall Lake…
…well, as it turns out, no one investigating that particular region has found themselves with this problem, but it is also a lot more dangerous than anticipated given the avalanche and snowmelt. With so many Pokemon already at their last wits trying to manage recovery and rescue, it’s no surprise that the number of tasks on the Quest Board begin to increase…and it’s even less surprise when Pokemon local to each region begin to simply stop known guild members in the middle of a task with their own requests.
The Pokemon of the wilderness have taken note of the helpful nature of their neighbors - sure, they’ve started more fights with each other than can be counted, but that’s just a part of being a Pokemon! When it comes to dangers like this, they know enough to put those rivalries aside. Mostly, at least. As such, it’s not just those investigating the trails of mysterious Pokemon being pulled aside to help with clearing debris, or reuniting separated Pokemon - it’s anyone who happens upon their path!
As the bounties for these new culprits are investigated however, it becomes clear that things are a little different this time; particularly when many of the teams find themselves turning back in opposite directions from where they began. This isn’t a matter of picking away at a fleeing Pokemon. The teams need to find it first.
And that in turn means that they need a lot more support than anticipated. Teams that assumed they would be wandering a forest are now looking at the floodplains of Heavy Downmoor. Those who readied themselves for the extreme heat of Furnace Mountain in the meantime have been funneled right back out into the forest. And as for Icefall Lake…
…well, as it turns out, no one investigating that particular region has found themselves with this problem, but it is also a lot more dangerous than anticipated given the avalanche and snowmelt. With so many Pokemon already at their last wits trying to manage recovery and rescue, it’s no surprise that the number of tasks on the Quest Board begin to increase…and it’s even less surprise when Pokemon local to each region begin to simply stop known guild members in the middle of a task with their own requests.
The Pokemon of the wilderness have taken note of the helpful nature of their neighbors - sure, they’ve started more fights with each other than can be counted, but that’s just a part of being a Pokemon! When it comes to dangers like this, they know enough to put those rivalries aside. Mostly, at least. As such, it’s not just those investigating the trails of mysterious Pokemon being pulled aside to help with clearing debris, or reuniting separated Pokemon - it’s anyone who happens upon their path!
iii. RIFT AS AN ARROW
SPACING OUT
In the wake of Pokemon finally being sent out on their investigation expeditions, odd things start to occur in several areas around Bottlecap Bay and Skull Town.
Pokemon going through the Forest are already familiar with the Forest's space and time being all misaligned… but is it worse than usual? It's definitely worse than usual. And there's something new, too: certain spots in the Forest are even more distorted than before. Stumble over a tree root sticking over the ground, fall sideways, and - for a second, you're suddenly in a nightmare, the very air you're breathing burning, the trees around you crackling in the heat, violet and red swirling about you - and then you hit the ground, back in the Forest you know. But you're still coughing, and your paws are scorched.
Pokemon still helping with the aftermath of the avalanche in Icefall Lake will experience similar cracks in space. Trip through a rift, and you'll find yourself frozen alive in a block of crystalline clear ice - you can't move an inch, but you can see that you're trapped in a massive glacier that towers far above your head. It's too bitingly cold for even a Fire Pokemon to melt. Just when you're ready to start screaming, you'll tumble back out into the relatively friendly snow of Icefall. But you're still shivering violently.
Pokemon in the Heavy Downmoor - perhaps collecting rocks, perhaps busy with something else - run into it too. Step into a rift and your paws will never meet the ground - you've just missed the edge of a high cliff instead of the terrain of the Downmoor that you were expecting. You're falling, head over heels, sky and cliffside and sky spinning past you in a dizzying, terrifying rush. It's too fast for even a Flying Pokemon to recover; you're constantly smashing against the jutting sides of the cliff, bouncing violently off with rocks sent clattering down ahead of you. You don't reach whatever's below before you're spat out back into the Heavy Downmoor - but you're still battered, and bruised, and shaking.
In all these areas, sometimes a rift will send you just a little bit sideways instead - perhaps, for just a moment, you'll just be in a different area of the Forest or Icefall Lake or Heavy Downmoor. There you'll see some of your friends battling against a giant, shadowy figure. React fast enough, and you'll have time to lash out against your friends' opponent with a single attack - then you'll be back where you were, head spinning. Was that real? Are they doing alright? All you can do is wait, and hope.
Pokemon going through the Forest are already familiar with the Forest's space and time being all misaligned… but is it worse than usual? It's definitely worse than usual. And there's something new, too: certain spots in the Forest are even more distorted than before. Stumble over a tree root sticking over the ground, fall sideways, and - for a second, you're suddenly in a nightmare, the very air you're breathing burning, the trees around you crackling in the heat, violet and red swirling about you - and then you hit the ground, back in the Forest you know. But you're still coughing, and your paws are scorched.
Pokemon still helping with the aftermath of the avalanche in Icefall Lake will experience similar cracks in space. Trip through a rift, and you'll find yourself frozen alive in a block of crystalline clear ice - you can't move an inch, but you can see that you're trapped in a massive glacier that towers far above your head. It's too bitingly cold for even a Fire Pokemon to melt. Just when you're ready to start screaming, you'll tumble back out into the relatively friendly snow of Icefall. But you're still shivering violently.
Pokemon in the Heavy Downmoor - perhaps collecting rocks, perhaps busy with something else - run into it too. Step into a rift and your paws will never meet the ground - you've just missed the edge of a high cliff instead of the terrain of the Downmoor that you were expecting. You're falling, head over heels, sky and cliffside and sky spinning past you in a dizzying, terrifying rush. It's too fast for even a Flying Pokemon to recover; you're constantly smashing against the jutting sides of the cliff, bouncing violently off with rocks sent clattering down ahead of you. You don't reach whatever's below before you're spat out back into the Heavy Downmoor - but you're still battered, and bruised, and shaking.
In all these areas, sometimes a rift will send you just a little bit sideways instead - perhaps, for just a moment, you'll just be in a different area of the Forest or Icefall Lake or Heavy Downmoor. There you'll see some of your friends battling against a giant, shadowy figure. React fast enough, and you'll have time to lash out against your friends' opponent with a single attack - then you'll be back where you were, head spinning. Was that real? Are they doing alright? All you can do is wait, and hope.
✩ OOC NOTES.
⟡ CWS: Avalanches, Injury, Implied Pokemon Death, Claustrophobia, Natural Disaster, Disorientation
⟡ While all Light Quests must be submitted by the 25th of the month, Players may submit their own Player Quests at any time before that point! (Though we recommend saving Player Quests for the next month if it is after the 20th.)
⟡ Have any questions related to the event? Ask them 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!
⟡ While all Light Quests must be submitted by the 25th of the month, Players may submit their own Player Quests at any time before that point! (Though we recommend saving Player Quests for the next month if it is after the 20th.)
⟡ Have any questions related to the event? Ask them 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!
no subject
[ With an amused sigh, he simply shakes his head at himself. ]
But like you said. Everyone's always ready to pitch in no matter what. [ As if they're both not the prime examples of such. With another glance towards Neige, he makes sure the bird is ready to hop along before moving on ahead. ] Hm. Been here... almost a year now.
[ His voice gets a little quieter. It's not a long time by his standards normally, but when there's his community back home to take care of too, he can't help but feel the burden grow the more time passes. ]
no subject
A--a year?
[All that optimism can't prevent the shock from hitting him like a truck, and it shows in his voice. It's not that he had particularly expected there to be a hard cutoff time for when they'd be brought back home, but he'd yet to let the possibility sink in that there wasn't, either.]
Oh. Oh, that's...
[He almost stumbles in the snow before managing to correcting himself. He thinks about the school he's already missed, the jobs lined up that he might not make, the potential for a public media explosion surrounding his disappearance--but most of all, almost entirely, on the dwarves. How will they get on without him to take care of them? How will they manage in the wake of something like this? They were probably already panicking, not knowing where he is.]
no subject
[ The tug of the scarf gets him to stop before he realizes what's happening. Feels like just yesterday since he had a similar reaction to people saying they've been around for months. Only it wasn't yesterday. Not anymore. He leans a bit more into Neige until he's steady on his feet again. ]
Deep breaths, kid. We're not in a rush. [ He frowns, already knowing he's not the best at this sort of thing. ] I know it's a lot. Tell me what you're thinking.
no subject
Oh, no, no, that's really not necessary. It's just a bit much to take in, that's all! I'm sure every one of us have people we'd really like to get back to, so--
[It's not necessarily that he's the type to totally diminish his feelings or his struggles, but it didn't feel particularly fair to burden anyone with them considering they were all more-or-less in the same boat.]
I'm just a little worried. I don't know how they're going to take care of themselves without me--not, not because they aren't capable, but, they--well, I don't know if you've ever met dwarves before. I don't want to make them sound like children, or anything. I'm sure they'll be fine!
[He has to believe that they'll be fine. For the sake of the deep breathing, and all that.]
1/2
Almost feels like he's already been through this before actually, after everyone escaped the Homelands. ]
No, I get it. I really do.
[ Pausing to re-adjust the scarf around them, he waits before continuing, in case Neige has anything more to add. ]
But all of us knowing how it feels means we can help each other get through it. Remember that, alright?
2/2
Wait, hold on. Dwarves?
[ The ones he knows about are anything but childlike. ]
no subject
I will, thank you. There's no use in catastrophizing what's out of my control, anyway.
[If the rest of them have manages to lean on each other and persevere...all he could do was take the hands offered to him, and offer his own in return to those who came after.]
Yes--that must sound strange. Back home, I live with seven of them.
[Some Snow Whites sure have it worse than others. If only he knew.]
no subject
No, it's not— ... well, it is strange, but only because the ones I know aren't exactly, uh.
[ It doesn't sound like Neige is happy to get away from them. Quite the opposite actually. Still, Bigby treads carefully, voice quietly sympathetic. ]
How did that whole living situation... happen?
no subject
[Neige falters, but ultimately brushes off Bigby's initial confusion with the world has all kinds and there are sure to be some dwarves out there that are a bit less easy to deal with than his own. After all, he certainly does have one grumpy one in the mix. And bickering isn't uncommon, as it is.]
Goodness, I'm realizing I don't really talk about it much. It's been a long time.
[Not that he's ashamed about his roots--the press just loved to go a little overboard, so he tried to avoid making that a focus in interviews. Neige hums slightly, as if trying to decide exactly what he wants to say. If nothing else, for all his fretting, the reflection does seem to be redirecting that line of thinking.]
When I was younger I didn't exactly, ah, have anywhere else to go. I guess I sort of stumbled into their little house one day looking for somewhere to sleep, thinking it was empty.
no subject
[ He already knows where this is going, even if he shouldn't. The mundy version of her story is popular enough, but hearing it straight from someone else is completely unexpected. His ears flatten, eyes staring straight ahead. For a brief moment, it looks like he's seen a ghost, but he quickly brushes it off with a small huff. ]
You cleaned up the place, only for them to come back home?
[ Bigby is trying to keep himself composed despite his thoughts going a mile a minute. Maybe this is where the similarities end. The dwarves are already different enough.
Then again, it's not like multiple worlds — multiple versions — couldn't co-exist together. He already knew that even before winding up at the Bay. Of course, this being about her just adds a whole other layer he'd rather not think about. It couldn't have been another version of himself to deal with here?
(Actually, he'd hate that too. There's no winning.) ]
no subject
Why, yes. I suppose...does that seem predictable of me?
[Maybe he really just comes off as the kind of person who would start cleaning up any time he sees a mess. That doesn't sound too far fetched.]
no subject
You do seem the type. [ He shakes his head, trying to bring back a small smile again. ] Really, you just reminded me of someone. She'd do the same thing, I'm sure.
[ Tidying up messes. Keeping things in order. Taking charge of a group in need. Sounds about right. ]
See? Hard not to think about people. All the more reason to stick together while we're here.