The Contest Spectacular!

[indigo_events]

Who: Everyone attending the Contest Spectacular! (For more information about this event, check out the info post here!)
Where: Celadon City
When: January 18-20
Log:

It’s finally here… the Contest Spectacular! The whole city of Celadon has been bustling ever since the preparations for the contest began, but now with the addition of all the contestants, their friends, and the general crowds, the town is downright packed. Hotel rooms booked en masse (good luck getting into that big fancy one near the casino-- thank Arceus there's plenty of others!), the Center stuffed with younger trainers who are short on cash but couldn't pass up the opportunity to see the first ever Pokemon Contest in this region, and generally even more foot traffic than usual.

But nowhere is it moreso than in Celadon Center, where massive, colorful tents have been erected. Pink, orange, yellow, green, and blue! There's no missing what they're for-- enormous banners advertising the Contest Spectacular fly from every corner. The streets surrounding the square are packed as well-- food carts and merch stands line the sidewalks, eager to snag a bit of the glory. Teeny tiny portions of hoity-toity restaurant food usually too expensive to buy are being hawked to passersby right alongside Pokeblocks and Poffins of varying quality, in case your Pokemon need a treat (or a little extra oomph before the show starts!). In addition to the stands selling gobs of Hoenn contest celebrity memorabilia (contest nerds might recognize figures such as Contest Idol Lisia and her Altaria, Ali, featured quite prominently!), Celadon City's many fashion boutiques and clothing lines have gotten first dibs on available space, so any contestants still looking for an outfit for themselves or their Pokemon is in luck, because there’s absolutely everything you could imagine for sale if you find the right stall. Opportunistic photographers (some official, some... not) have also swooped in to set up booths with rentable costumes and fun backgrounds, for anyone who isn't performing but wants some cute souvenir pictures of their Pokemon being a contest star anyway.

But of course, for eager audiences and contestants alike, the real attraction lays within the tents themselves. Audience members will have to wait in line for the shows to officially begin at noon on Friday, but for those who entered the contest themselves, well, that's another story entirely!

Stages of all kinds have been arranged to suit most every type of act that’s been submitted, from the more traditional wooden stages to huge tanks to little fields (the oodles of hardworking staff making all of this possible are making good use of moves like Grassy Terrain!), and the Contest Hosts’ voices can be heard presenting acts and cracking jokes about said acts almost all day long.

After registering but before checking into their lodgings (prepaid rooms at the ritzy Celadon Hotel! Lucky you!), contestants and their Pokemon will be shown behind the scenes and made familiar with all the utilities at their disposal-- small refreshments, makeup stalls, a selection of props to make use of (although, as the harried-looking staff will tell them, bringing your own unique items is really the best way to stand out!), lights, camera, and of course action! Unsurprisingly, the entire back workings of the Contest is a flurry of activity-- it's a lot of people, Pokemon, and equipment to manage; and in true, bombastic Hoenn style, there are bright lights and flashy colors everywhere you look! But contestants will still find that no matter how busy or frantic they are, the staff will still find time to help them out with special requests or technical requirements for the act. It is, after all, their job!

But ultimately, the act is on you and your Pokemon. Don't get stage fright now-- the curtain's going up any minute!

~*~

[IMPORTANT: Please submit your contest entries here! For all other activities, feel free to make your own top-levels!]

Comments

Sing me a song~

[rambling_runner]

Contest Category: Beauty
Trainer: Ash Fox
Pokemon: "Scuabtuinne" (Lapras)
Move: Perish Song

Costume: Ash and Scuabtuinne's outfits are quite simple looking; Ash's logic being that Scuabtuinne is beautiful, and trying to doll her up too much would take away from their performance. That and he isn't the main focus, so he just needs to fit the mood and theme they're going for with her appeal.

Scuabtuinne is wearing a flower crown, made of water lilies and water hawthorns, brought from the shores of Olivine, with seaweed tying it all together securely. Another ring of water flowers is tied loosely around the base of her neck. Her shell has been delicately tended to by Ash, painting white celtic swirls over it in harmony with the shape and ridges it naturally has. As a finishing touch, a very small amount of soft green moss has been selectively added to her back; it doesn't cover up her old scars but flows with them to make it seem like the moss is natural and grew appropriately with her old injuries, and along wih the swirls painted on.

Ash himself is dressed to match her. For clothing, he's chosen a pair of well-made, weathered cloth trousers, tied around his waist with a strip of fabric decorated with celtic knots. Up top he's not wearing a shirt, but instead has a deep green cloak that comes down to his waist that is held together with a round, patterned pin over his left shoulder. The cloak has an ornate hem, decorated with celtic swirls just like Scuabtuinne's shell, and stylised waves. His visible left arm is also painted in those patterns, from his wrist up and over the curve of his shoulder, using white ink that stood out against the tanned colour of his skin. He's barefooted in addition to being shirtless.
Much like Scuabtuinne, his finery is in the painted patterns over his skin and natural 'jewellery'. A headband of flowers and seaweed, very much like the one she's wearing, sits on his head, where his wetted hair lies flat (for once). Another braid of flowers is tied around one of his ankles and there's a thread around his neck, forming a necklace with a vibrant pink conch shell as the pendent resting on his chest, over the cloak. He's brought his accoustic guitar with him, it's wooden look and burned in pattern adding to the natural aesthetic.

Act: The stage is set! There's a large pool of water with hidden depths that aren't on display to the audience. It's decorated with several rocks like hexagonal pillars around the edges and mood lighting; not overly harsh or in bright spotlights but with a softer kind of light, allowing the water to ripple and reflect off the tent walls.

Ash walked towards the pool, guitar in hand. and called out. "Scuabtuinne!" The water rose and parted and there she was, water rolling off her as she faced her trainer, clearly still a little self-conscious. He reached out and touched her neck, murmuring supportively. She nodded, her nerves eased as she listened to him. Ash stepped into the pool, taking a seat on one of the rocks placed along the edge for this appeal, and began to strum. The guitar played a soft, gentle song, almost like a lullaby, and Scuabtuinne turned to face the audience. She began to sing, matching the guitar's tone but with more complexity and depth. Despite her initial shyness her voice is steady and powerful, giving her all to the song.

As she sang, the water began to churn around her. Slowly it rose, rising out of the tank and lifting Scuabtuinne up slightly, before rising up over her and encasing her in a tank of pure water. Under the water her body floated and she shifted her weight as she pleased, more nimble in her element and spreading her flippers as she sang. Her flower crown and necklace swayed and lifted in the water, weightless. (Ash was safe on his rock, unconcerned about the rising tide as he continued to play the guitar for his Lapras, and none of it spilled towards the audience).

Under the water, her voice was transformed. It was still soft and powerful, but now far more ominous. It sounded deeper, more otherworldly, the shifting of the water adding to the song she sang. Her eyes glowed white and the water darkened, twisting around her as if pulled by a tide. She gazed out to the audience, the song reaching for them from the waters. For a moment, it might feel like she's singing words - not words that could be understood or translated, but words that certainly meant something.

As the song reached it's end, the water began to be absorbed into her body through her Water Absorb ability, the 'tank' around her disappearing and bringing the pool back to it's usual water level. Ash stopped playing, hand held over the strings to silence them. Scuabtuinne, resting on top of the water again, closed her glowing eyes and sang the last few notes - what sounded like a promise, a dreadful, heartfelt promise - before opening them again, now back to normal. Ash slid from his rock and took off his guitar, walking to stand beside her with a bright smile. Together, they gave the audience a bow - before Scuabtuinne immediately swam to Ash and nuzzled into his chest, hiding her face shyly now that the performance was done.

(This is the closest match to what I had in mind for the song performed, although Scuabtuinne doesn't use lyrics...for the most part!)