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QUESTBOARD
⋆✩ quests ✩⋆
One of the core responsibilities of guild members within Bottlecap Bay is to complete quests from the Questboard. Located in the center of the city, the questboard is a physical board where Pokemon can submit requests for help, resources, exploration, and all sorts of things. Each quest rewards characters with points to not only increase their member ranking, but also raise the guild ranking, thereby having a direct effect on the direction of the game!
QUEST TYPES
LIGHT QUESTS
These quests are simpler, RNG-style quests that are far more straightforward and don't require a summary or a thread! Light quests are available every month, but during TDM months, they are the only type of quest available, meaning that nothing plot heavy or significant will be placed into the quests. They also typically reward 50 points to characters, but occasionally reward 100 points.
HEAVY QUESTS
Heavy quests are more intensive, thread-required quests that often hold bits of plot or more intrigue, and are only available every other month. They are also often more dangerous than light quests, and unlike light quests, are not guaranteed to be completed when submitting for them! Depending on the results, these quests can reward anywhere from 200-300 points each depending on success! Characters may only participate in one heavy quest per month.
PLAYER QUESTS
These are quests submitted by other players, available as players come up with them. A player may submit a quest during any month, and may even post the same quest again on a subsequent month, when it makes sense ICly to do so. They are otherwise very similar to Light Quests; more information can be found below, but as a rule, they reward 50 points to characters.
ALL QUESTS
So what do all quests have in common? They must be submitted by the deadline date on the quest itself, and each character may claim points from a given quest only once, though they may repeat the quest with other teams as many times as they like.
Mod quests in particular will have difficulty levels, determined by the filled in stars on a scale of 1-3, with three filled stars being the most difficult. Difficulty can mean anything from physical danger to intensive puzzles, depending on the quest! Mod quests of both types may also sometimes have claim limits, with the number of teams allowed listed per quest.
Lastly, players can feel free to roleplay any of the NPCs that are not listed on the Locations page under the NPC section! If it's not game breaking or contradicting anything in the information available to players, then we generally play by the "do what's most fun!" rules.
AVAILABLE QUESTS
ICE TO SEE YOU
QUEST TYPE: LIGHT
QUEST GIVER: Spheal
CLAIM LIMIT: None
DIFFICULTY: ★✩✩
THREAD REQUIRED?: No
DEADLINE: Must be submitted by MAY 25th 11:59 PM EST.
We were originally just going to continue to our usual shores, but we heard there’s a place covered in ice right here! Please show us!
POINTS REWARDED: 100 points
EXTRA REWARDS?: A Yache Berry
GUARD TO PORT
QUEST TYPE: LIGHT
QUEST GIVER: Raichu
CLAIM LIMIT: None
DIFFICULTY: ★✩✩
THREAD REQUIRED?: No
DEADLINE: Must be submitted by MAY 25th 11:59 PM EST.
Since we’ve largely had to start from scratch with the teleporter project, I need strong Pokemon who can stand watch over the destination points being tested with items. Please be ready to contact back on your pearls to confirm the arrival of our test goods!
POINTS REWARDED: 50 points
EXTRA REWARDS?: None.
FLOWER POWER
QUEST TYPE: LIGHT
QUEST GIVER: Lurantis
CLAIM LIMIT: None
DIFFICULTY: ★✩✩
THREAD REQUIRED?: No
DEADLINE: Must be submitted by MAY 25th 11:59 PM EST.
Lately, there have been swarms of Floette attacking Pokemon in the Heavy Downmoor area! Locals have requested our aid, so please help fight them off!
POINTS REWARDED: 50 points
EXTRA REWARDS?: No.
SIMMER DOWN
QUEST TYPE: LIGHT
QUEST GIVER: Pidgeot
CLAIM LIMIT: None
DIFFICULTY: ★✩✩
THREAD REQUIRED?: No
DEADLINE: Must be submitted by MAY 25th 11:59 PM EST.
We’re at our wits end with the woods! All efforts to perform the burn-off have ended in failure, and we need to ensure that should the worst happen, the canopy doesn’t go up in flames. Help gather and dispose of any dry, dead wood we can find!
POINTS REWARDED: 50 points
EXTRA REWARDS?: No.
PLAYER QUESTS
Player Quests are now open! These are quests ICly posted by your character to any of Bottlecap Bay's quest boards. They may be quests that are meant for the benefit of the city (or outlying outposts, or good relations with local Pokemon), or they may be quests for a character's personal concerns... and even joke quests are very welcome, for CR purposes!
(Just keep in mind IC reactions while devising a quest - guild leaders may choose not to reward points for "come perform a handstand for me," and there may be negative consequences for posting "assassinate my annoying guild coworker!")
Some general guidelines:
- To respond to a player quest, other players may use the same submission form as for mod quests; they do not have to provide a thread, but do have to fill out the summary.
- For all quests, quests may reward 50 points! Points track how helpful a character is overall, so they may be awarded for (reasonable, non-joke) personal quests as well!
- For quests for the benefit of Bottlecap Bay, guild leaders will generally also allow for item rewards from guild resources. These rewards should be restricted to a single item or type of item chosen by the quest-writing player, and can be one of: berries, basic stones, basic accessories (with no special effects), or small furniture items. A character may also offer handmade items that they are able to make/obtain the resources for.
- For personal quests, guild leaders will not allow for item rewards from guild resources... but a character may still offer handmade items that they are able to make/obtain the resources for!
- Characters who are ICly posting the quest obviously cannot join their own quest! However, at mod discretion, posting a quest may result in extra points in the next point tally, particularly if the quest is for the benefit of Bottlecap Bay - the guild leaders will reward someone looking out for the success of the city.
- Quests may not have limited entry slots.
- Quest-writing players will decide whether responses pass or fail. (They may choose to respond with a blurb with more flavor details, or just a note saying pass/fail.)
- Posted rewards will be fully awarded regardless of pass/fail. If a quest says the reward is 50 points and a berry, then even failing teams will get those rewards.
- It is fine for personal quests to have a biased pass/fail outcome for CR purposes, such as a designated team being pre-arranged to be the only one who succeeds. However, this must be made clear beforehand OOCly, and the above point must be followed.
- Players may decide whether their quest is worth 50 points or 0 points. We're trusting players to use their best judgement! (ICly, points are always awarded by the guild leaders, but will still be awarded for non-joke personal quests that take effort. For example: "My important item is missing, please help me search the woods" or "I want to make a feast to cheer up my friend but I don't know how to cook, please help.")
- If a player would like to have their character ICly post a problematic quest and receive consequences from their guild leader, please contact the mods on the mod contact beforehand! (This is for quests that would be viewed as actively harmful, rather than silly ones.)
- Players may not have their own characters, even their other character, submit for a quest that they posted.
SUBMISSION FORMAT
Please use the following format to set up a player quest!
If you would like, you may also use the following format when responding with quest results (but this is not required)!
QUEST SIGN-UP
To claim and sign up for a quest, simply fill out the form below and reply to the current month's thread for mod quests, or to the individual quest for player quests. All quests require at least 2 characters to complete, with no maximum unless specified. Keep in mind that for quests requiring threading, 3 is probably a good number. Multiple quests can be signed up for in one comment.
PLAYERS: Players involved.
CHARACTERS: Characters involved. (2 minimum)
QUEST: Name of the quest you're signing up for.
SUMMARY: (Optional for light, required for heavy or player quests.) How will the quest be tackled? Write a short summary of how the characters intend to succeed and include any relevant details (tensions within the team, particular skills or weaknesses, any relevant triggers to avoid, etc.)
After claiming a quest, a mod will reply with confirmation and/or more details, and may request more information on how the team tackles the quest. For quests that are limited in some way, players who manage a sign up one month will be required to wait for 24 hours after quest posting to sign up for a limited quest the following month.
FULL NAVIGATION
Bottlecap Critics’ Circle: Sweets Edition
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CHARACTERS: Cater, Siffrin
QUEST: Bottlecap Critics’ Circle: Sweets Edition
SUMMARY: Two Pokemon who hate (most) sweets but are both faking not minding them walk into a bar...
Siffrin's decided they like Mayaka, and Cater just generally wants to keep people happy, so of course they're going to take on her quest. Unfortunately they've separately had bad experiences with overexposure to sweets and sugar... so this is a trial. Watch both of them trying to find something where the smell of sugar won't make them sick (Siffrin) or where they can manage not to make a face when forcing it down (Cater). And then they still have to muster a review and try to figure out if it's something Mayaka would like...
Siffrin's previously had some luck with the more tropical-fruit-filled malasadas or chocolate-y baked goods, but even those are a struggle for Cater. Eventually, though, almost by happenstance, the two find a Golisopod in town who is making... hot chocolate with some spices and Cheri berry juice in! (The actual berries, not the guild.) It gives the hot cocoa a hint of cinnamon flavor and a mild but pleasantly spicy kick, which is enough to balance out the sugar even for poor Cater. And it's still a sweet treat!
The two can whole-heartedly deliver a 5-star review to Mayaka (written just a little theatrically!) ...as well as a small stack of lower-rated reviews that they made their best guesses on a "normal" sweet-lover's reactions to.
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As she goes through their submissions, Mayaka is surprised to find a drink review amongst them. This makes her realise she has far too narrow a view of what counts as a dessert! She reads what they've written closely. The spice present in the hot chocolate really catches her attention as someone who prefers her food to come with some chilli on the side. Then again… should a dessert be judged by the quality of its sweetness, or for its harmonious inclusion of other flavours?
Cater and Siffrin’s unconventional and noteworthy find has given her much to chew on. Could it be a contender for the best dessert in Bottlecap Bay? Only time will tell.
Both will receive 50 points and a handmade bookmark made from pressed spring flowers Mayaka and Dolly picked last month! Cater’s bookmark features peach blossoms, while Siffrin’s is a snapdragon.
no subject
CHARACTERS: oko and eleanor
QUEST: Bottlecap Critics’ Circle: Sweets Edition
SUMMARY: Oko's decided to bring some sweets to the kid to try and cheer her up. There's a good variety in the stuff he's brought - including a russian roulette option of something that tastes horrible! Because it's Oko. Of course he did. It gets a good laugh about Eleanor, even as she gags and grimaces at how bad it tastes. They manage to have a lot of fun, with Eleanor managing to illustrate her reviews with her crayons. They're cute drawings, with the various desserts ranked between 3 and 5 stars (apart from the horrible one, which she gives one solely because it made her laugh). The reviews themselves are written on separate bits of paper, in Eleanor's wonky handwriting. The reviews themselves seem to be written more like a transcription of a conversation, with both parties adding (often conflicting) opinions on each dessert or treat.
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Eleanor’s drawings help Mayaka picture the variety of desserts Oko brought in for review. However, Mayaka is less certain about how she’ll translate these disjointed and contradictory comments on the various sweets into a coherent piece for publication later on…
They’ve managed to sample a good range of sweets, from various breads with different fillings like red bean and custard, to an unassuming fried dough ball whose fluffiness (Eleanor) and crunchiness (Oko) earns it 5 stars! Huh?! Now Mayaka might want to try it just to figure out whose tastebuds are right!
Wait, why does the review include… a piece of moss? It’s the only 1 star rating in the lot. While Mayaka thinks this must be a joke, as the editor of this food critic series, she shouldn’t censor the reviews. Guess it’ll be added to the final publication!
For their taste-testing, both will receive 50 points and a handmade bookmark made from pressed spring flowers Mayaka and Dolly picked last month! Eleanor’s bookmark features primroses, while Oko’s has violets.
no subject
CHARACTERS: Bigby, Shoka
QUEST: Bottlecap Critics' Circle: Sweets Edition
SUMMARY:
Despite being a sweets hater, Bigby is here to show Mayaka support. Shoka, on the other hand, is mostly here just to brag about how good her girlfriend's baking is. Their submission is a review of Noelle's homemade gingerbread cookies—a spicy-sweet treat that she often makes so much of that Shoka can't possibly eat them all herself. So now it's time to share!
While Shoka is absolutely biased, she does genuinely believe these cookies to be the best sweet dish available in the Bay, and Bigby can vouch for Noelle's baking skills as well. It has to be a 5/5 for sure. Or 10/5. If anyone says it's anything less, Shoka will blow this whole place up.
The review is fairly detailed and handwritten to appeal to Mayaka's (nerd!) sensibilities, though Shoka typed it up on her phone first. Fittingly, the review reads like something straight out of a foodie blog, almost like she's done this before...
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The thoughtfully prepared review immediately earns Mayaka’s seal of approval. They seem to know their stuff. The fact that Shoka’s eaten so much of the cookies and hasn’t gotten sick of them is a testament to their quality for sure. Although… it appears the review is basically a detailed blog post of what makes Noelle’s gingerbread cookies so good. The ‘critique’ part of the food review is missing!
The fact that Bigby also agrees that the dish is 5 stars brings some much needed objectivity to what Mayaka would otherwise count as a biased review from Shoka.
Wait a sec! What does it mean when someone who doesn’t like sweets gives 5 stars to a sweet dish? Does it mean that the dish is, in fact, not that sweet? Is it possible for there to be a perfect dessert that can bridge between sweets haters and sweets fanatics? (And is that Shoka hollering YEAH NOELLE’S COOKIES DUH in the background?)
Anyway… both will receive 50 points and a handmade bookmark made from pressed spring flowers Mayaka and Dolly picked last month! Bigby’s bookmark features pansies, while Shoka’s has cherry blossoms.
no subject
CHARACTERS: Tomoro and Catrina
QUEST: Bottlecap Critics’ Circle: Sweets Edition
SUMMARY: Was it ill advise to let Catrina loose again after the heavy quest and then dragging one of the newcomers out for a quest? Probably, but at least it's not a life or death situation like before. Catrina will be taking Tomoro out to town so to speak to try out pastries and rating them, starting with the Bug Type Cafe, if Catrina hasn't been banned from there already. If she is banned, Catrina will likely encourage Tomoro to go into the cafe and get some of the pastries there (and a cup of the nectar...the candle liked it...)
no subject
The pair find themselves outside the Bug Cafe known as Burrow Lounge, and because there’s no one minding the entrance, Catrina is able to enter the burrow easily and blend in among the patrons. Tomoro, on the other hand, is far too tall to fit through the bug-sized cafe entrance. Any attempts to wriggle in will upset the Bug-types who are waiting behind them to enter!
Lucky for him, they do takeaways. If Catrina is able to place and wait for her order without any hiccups, she'll return to Tomoro carrying some pollen-dusted croissants, a cup of sweet nectar, and a cup of mud (the barista's recommendation). It's still unclear whether the liquid is just mud or highly concentrated dark coffee... for the one who decides to give it a sip, they'll realise it's a mix of both!
While the pollen-croissants looked promising, they're unfortunately cold and stale from being left out for too long. Tomoro might get the idea to heat up the croissant using his electricity, or Catrina's candle flame.
As it turns out, the crossiants end up tasting different depending on the method of reheating! The two of them submit their findings to Mayaka, giving 3 stars to the regular croissant, and 4.5 stars to the reheated versions!
Both will receive 50 points and a handmade bookmark made from pressed spring flowers Mayaka and Dolly picked last month! Tomoro’s bookmark features plum blossoms, while Catrina’s has violets.
no subject
CHARACTERS: Akechi, Ren, Maya
QUEST: Bottlecap Critics' Circle: Sweets Edition
SUMMARY: Akechi, being well acquainted with food blogging and having sampled the many wares throughout the city offers his 'humble' guidance. Ren will also contribute to the taste testing before recreating the best one. As for Maya, she'll be trying to put on a professional face, trying to pick out appealing flavors and figure out how to describe them. She may also ask for a comparison between dishes!
no subject
Based on his research, Akechi will surface two clear frontrunners for the trio to visit: Sinistea’s Wonderland Cafe, and Swirlix’s Diner. The former has decorated and furnished every inch of space to fit the dreamy Alice in Wonderland theme, while the latter is a no-frills casual eatery that rings up and dishes orders like a well-oiled machine. Many locals have come to see the two popular establishments as rivals!
Sinistea’s cafe is known for its range of freshly baked and creamy PokePuffs. The group will have a hard time deciding what flavours to pick to taste! Over at Swirlix’s, the Chansey Toast (a stack of fluffy brioche bread fried in an egg mixture before it’s drenched in syrup and covered in fruit) is the clear recommendation amongst cafe go-ers.
Maya will give her best shot making a fair comparison between the dishes. Both are deliciously sweet: the cream puffs carry light and subtle flavours compared to the rich and dense french toast. Whichever the team decides is the better dish, it’ll be a good challenge for Ren to try to recreate. In the process of making the dish, Ren might figure out what makes it taste so good (even if he may not be able to replicate the flavour exactly!).
The final food review reads more like a longform feature article. It includes short interviews with Sinistea and Swirlix conducted by Akechi, a detailed analysis and rating of both dishes penned by Maya, and a section for Ren’s DIY recipes. Mayaka wishes she could work with this team to produce an equally compelling article for the Classics Club back home.
Akechi, Maya and Ren will receive 50 points each and a handmade bookmark made from pressed spring flowers Mayaka and Dolly picked last month! Akechi’s bookmark features plum blossoms, Maya’s hyacinths and violets for Ren.
no subject
CHARACTERS: Aelita, Dolly
QUEST: Bottlecap Critics’ Circle: Sweets Edition
SUMMARY: Due to reasons Dolly learns that Aelita has never eaten sweets before and takes the dedenne under her ribbons to show her the culinary world.
By baking cakes with Aelita as her assistant and taste tester*. Dolly is aimming to make the classic, chocolate cake with buttercream frosting.
*Aelita has limited experience with food and might consider Spicy Cheri berry and Sour Iapapa berries with cream a 10/10 combo'
no subject
CHARACTERS: Archnemon, Flowey
QUEST: Bottlecap Critics’ Circle: Sweets Edition
SUMMARY: Originally, when Hatenna had intitially noticed this quest, she'd had a few ideas in mind, but wasn't certain what would work best for something Mayaka-chan would enjoy and also be considered "the best" in any category. There's just too many options, and going through them all just seemed unsatisfying, particularly if she didn't know what went behind them being made. Enter: Flowey.
Flowey has a concept in mind for 'Butterscotch-Cinnamon Pie', which in his estimation is the best recipe that no one else in Bottlecap would know, giving them a unique advantage! Unfortunately, it's a little difficult for him to bake on his own as a sunkern.
After Flowey learns that Hatenna has been secretly learning how to bake for several months (mostly just breads, given her housemate Guilmon's love for it), he genuinely suggests that they work together to recreate this recipe, no blast seeds involved.
Hatenna is slightly skeptical as it is an unknown recipe and that she'd need to practice several times to get it "right" without knowing for certain that it's "right" but that is sort of what this process was all about, anyway, and she does like the prospect of finally knowing an unknown secret recipe if the taste works out. The flavors seem reasonable to obtain, and eventually the pair are able to work together to recreate Flowey's vision for what this pie is all about.
Result? It's certainly a sweet-savory treat that definitely feels appropriate for invoking the sensation of the autumn season with its blend of flavors, but likely a change of pace from what's been available otherwise.
Facinating, right? Who knew they'd work so well together for something like this. They wouldn't submit anything less than their best, of course.
Still, in presenting the review with the slice, Hatenna notably doesn't mention that she's the baker involved, but notes that it is a secret recipe with a unique taste not likely to be found anywhere in the bay at this time, but that it's quite scrumptious. Flowey wouldn't submit anything less than S-rank for this recipe.
no subject
CHARACTERS: Neige and Ritsuka
QUEST: Bottlecap Critics’ Circle: Sweets Edition
SUMMARY: Neige and Ritsuka are just two little birds eager to do something nice! While they, at first, do team up to find a dish from a local establishment that is suitable for someone's birthday (Neige, personally, is keen on a berry pie that's not too sweet but just a little bit tart)--they ultimately also decide it would just be really fun to bake something together! Combining Neige's general experience with pies and Ritsuka's with making chocolates, they settle on putting together a chocolate ganache pie. It's good practice for the two of them to get used to doing such tasks with their bird feet, too. Which means it also stands to reason that maybe it's not the most aesthetically pleasing they could've otherwise done, but the heart is there! A wholesome birthday note is included as well from the two of them wishing her a very wonderful special day.