APRIL 2025 EVENT LOG

[bayhelpers]

⋆✩ SPRING FLING ✩⋆

The sun rises, and a gentle breeze blows. A day like any other arrives in Bottlecap Bay, and for many of the pokemon that so recently arrived it is a now familiar process. Members of the various guilds flock to the Quest Board, in search of tasks to better provide for the town. Others, maintaining businesses of their own within the small settlement, start to open their doors for another day of work.

There is something different about this day however, and it is a difference that defines the next number of them. There is never truly a dull moment here after all, and it’s time to get involved.

---

DONATION DRIVE

As spring fully settles into the bay, the clinic begins to advertise for additional activities on the Quest Board. A call for donors is made- but donors of what? Pokemon arriving in response to the request will find that answer to mean “anything and everything that can be given” - along with potential medical samples to help with further research into the mysterious illness, there are a great many things that can be made from shed feathers, brushed-out undercoat or trimmed horns and claws.

Or even sweat, alarming as that may seem.

Those willing will be given small interviews in which they determine what to donate, and after the process (however involved), be given a small boxed treat as compensation. And of course, they’ll record the contributions with their guild leaders too!

⟡ WHAT NOW?

Donated materials can be used for a great many things, and throughout the later half of April local businesses will be happily showing their relevant crafts off. Pokemon are invited to try their hand at sewing satchels made using Spinarak threads, spinning yarn from Stufful fur, or stuffing pillows with Ducklett down- and perhaps if they donated anything themselves, they can even make something of their own.

Literally.

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NO “I” IN TEAM

With the need to re-evaluate the results of recent expeditions through the surrounding forest before making the move to branch out further, the leaders of the three guilds have come together with some training exercises to better pass the time. Rather than sit and wait between tasks determined by the quest board, the last weeks of April see various events hosted through the city with one goal in mind:

Team Building.

A. ⟡ SHOW-AND-TELL

As part of an effort to encourage understanding and community, the Guilds each host various meet-and-greets in their personal buildings- or in the case of the Lum Guild, the public Archives. It’s a chance for pokemon to show each other where they sleep and eat, to share a little of their lives with their fellows from other guilds.

There are also more awkward sharing activities- tossing a ball in a circle and giving a fact about oneself. Tying each other limb to limb and performing races. Or even gift exchanges with the donor crafts! Nothing says community like a present from the heart.

B. ⟡ STAR LIGHT, STAR BRIGHT

As an extra step from simply showing what each guild room looks like, sleepovers will be encouraged through the remaining month as well. Perhaps it’s time for a repeat of the great Oran Sleep-Pile- or maybe a sequel hosting can be held in the Canopy with the Cheri Berries.

It’s a little trickier with members of the Lum Guild, with each one having their own apartment of sorts, but just ask! Surely a few friends can pile together in their Lum buddy’s house.

C. ⟡ THE GREAT ESCAPE

Polteageist is thrilled with the success of the ‘escape rooms’ from March. As such, the existing courses and challenges have been since repurposed in order to encourage pokemon to work together, improving on the initial project. Once again working in pairs, dangerous (but not lethal!) challenges await those who wish to sign up for them. As with before, there are three different rooms to choose from, and experienced rescue Pokemon will be on call the entire time. Anyone who takes longer than the allotted time will be rescued.

⟡ Ocean room. Two Pokemon are put to sleep and wake up in a small cave beneath the water, with pockets of oxygen for those who need them. Upon waking, they must work together to escape the labyrinth of caves beneath the water and make it back to Bottlecap Bay. Some obstacles along the way may include: a maze-like cave system with misleading routes, paths with less or no sunlight, strange plants that may inflict status effects, agitated or disoriented wild Pokemon, and varying water temperatures/underwater geysers. It has an hour time limit, so good luck!

⟡ Forest room. Two Pokemon are put to sleep and wake up in the center of a dense forest, with tree cover blocking most sunlight. Upon waking, they must work together to find their directions, navigate through thick brush and forest, and make it back to Bottlecap Bay. Some obstacles along the way may include: the fog, collapsed floors into cave systems, sudden steep drops, aggressive Pokemon and plants, vines, thorns, poisons and toxins. It has a two hour time limit, so good luck!

⟡ Cave room. Two Pokemon are put to sleep and wake up far beneath the city, in one of the many tunnels belonging to the mines. Upon waking, they must work together to reorient themselves and find a way out to Bottlecap Bay. Some obstacles along the way may include: unstable sections of mines leading to collapses, a vast assortment of tunnel directions leading to disorientation, extreme temperatures, lava pits, and lessening oxygen levels. It has an hour time limit, so good luck!

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OOC NOTES.

⟡ CWS: body horror, medical imagery

⟡ Though dates specified cover only the last two weeks of April, players may assume continued donation drives and crafting projects to be available through the start of May, though less frequent.

⟡ We of the Bottlecap Bay Help Team would like to extend a sincere thank-you to everyone for their patience during the transition of tasks concerning the upkeep of the game. Current events have been taking a significant toll on many, but we are hoping to finalize Exploration Quest responses within the next few days. Thank you again, and happy threading!

FULL NAVIGATION

Comments

[guilmon]

"But what if they just came up with the same kinds of foods?" He tilts his head, genuine in his curiosity. Your grumpiness does not affect him, pal. Impmon's grumpy, too!

[dripdrive]

He's not grumpy! He's just antisocial.

"Maybe. It would be an interesting case of convergent behaviours if that were true," the bird says with a shrug.

[guilmon]

"Conver... Convy... Conv..." Guilmon's snout wrinkles as he tries to make sense of this big, confusing word. "Giru... You must be really smart!"

[dripdrive]

"... It means that unrelated species independently develop similar habits, usually because they live in the same place." Anasui shrugs.

"Anasui. Not Giru. And I just read a lot."

[guilmon]

"Wow! That must mean you're extra smart!" Yes, that's right. The books are an important qualifier. "Guilmon doesn't know much about books... They've got lots of words and stories, right?"

[dripdrive]

Instead of answering the innocent question, Anasui stares blankly at Guilmon for a long moment.

"... Can you seriously not read? How old are you?" Anasui, please.

[guilmon]

Guilmon pouts, snorting out a little smoke. "Guilmon just didn't have books! I had to stay hidden from people because I'm a Digimon. I bet if I had books now, I could read lots and lots!"

[dripdrive]

"Well, after this go to the archives. They have plenty of stone tablets to read here. Some of them are even book length, shockingly."

But Anasui wrinkles his nose (well, his beak) at the puff of smoke and straightens himself up.

"Digimon? Is that anything like a Pokemon?"

[guilmon]

"Those must be big rocks..." Or long rocks. His snout wrinkles a little as he tries to imagine this. "But Digimon are made of data! I guess that's something different... Most of them came from the Digital World, but Guilmon hatched in the real world instead."

[dripdrive]

"They are." Anasui thought the same when he first saw them.

"Digital world... kind of like the concept of cyberspace, right?" Anasui frowns. He's not usually one to ask question but the composition of Guilmon's old body sounds fascinating.

"How does data manifest in a non-data world?"

[guilmon]

"It... realizes. Which is like coming through the Digital World and showing up in a big, Digital Field! There's lots of weird fog when that happens."

...

He'll just take a nibble of his treat now. That seems very important.

[dripdrive]

"Realizes? It gains sentinence to do such a thing?" Anasui does not understand... which isn't new but still!

"... Fog? Same as the one in the woods these days?"

[guilmon]

"Um... I don't think they gain sent... scent... um, whatever that thing is. They just go from the Digital World to the real world, and then fog shows up around them from the Digital World too."

Is it the same? Guilmon did wonder if he was in a Digital Field at first, but...

"It doesn't do anything to your head, though, so I don't think it's the same."

[dripdrive]

Anasui pauses for a long second, milling the words over in his head, before he pulls what can only be described as a sour face.

"... Real-izes. You mean 'becomes real'. It just magically became real." If he had hands, Anasui would rub his temples but all he can do is bristle a little.

This was stupid.

"Right. Got it. Not useful."

[guilmon]

"I guess so, but Digimon are already real... just in the Digital World. But I guess they become real to people in the real world?" His snout wrinkles up as he tries to make sense of these big, abstract concepts.

"Mahhhh... Renamon would probably know how to explain this better. She's super smart!"

[dripdrive]

"You'd know better than me. I've never heard of anything like that..." Anasui would love to study something like that, not that he would admit it.

"Renamon. And you are Guilmon. Are you related?"

[guilmon]

"No. Digimon just have 'mon' in their names." He gives Anasui a puzzled look. Relatives? Hmmm... "Guilmon doesn't really have relatives. Takato made me, so I'm the only Guilmon!"

[dripdrive]

"... Guess we'll able to identify another digimon pretty easily if they end up like you in this world." Thanks, Anasui. "Is Takato your god or something? Did he make every Digimon or just you?"

[guilmon]

"Takato's a person..." He says that like it's a matter of fact, though mostly with an air of confusion. "He made Guilmon with a drawing, but then the Blue Card made Guilmon real! The other Digimon aren't like that, though..."

[dripdrive]

"He could have been a plant for all I know. I've never met him," Anasui retorts. "What's a Blue Card? Sounds important."

[guilmon]

"I don't think plants can be Digimon Tamers..." Though he pouts, the question redirects his attention quickly enough. "The Blue Card's a special card! It helped make Guilmon real and brought Terriermon and Renamon to the real world... Oh! And it helps us Matrix Evolve to our Perfect Levels, too."

[dripdrive]

"... You're good at bringing in new words and not elaborating, huh?" Anasui...

"I heard evolution is a thing in this world too... What's the difference between Pokemon evolution and your Matrix Evolving?"

[guilmon]

"Um..." Guilmon snorts, tilting his head down for a moment. "Digimon don't stay evolved. We get bigger, but eventually we run out of energy and go back to being Child Level. I guess it's different for Pokémon, though, because Guilmon hasn't turned back into what he was when he first got here..."

[dripdrive]

"I see. So Pokemon build up to that strength and then evolve. While Digimon... can evolve and then slip back when they run out of energy?" Anasui frowns. He clearly doesn't see.

There's another long pause as the Espathra looks at Guilmon before he snorts.

"... You don't look an evolved Pokemon." Hey!

[guilmon]

Guilmon was going to answer that question.

Then Anasui said he doesn't look evolved.

Now he's pouting again, cheeks puffing up and deflating. "But Guilmon's bigger than lots of Pokémon..."