indigo_events: (Default)
indigo_events ([personal profile] indigo_events) wrote in [community profile] victory_road2020-03-20 07:04 pm
Entry tags:

Po-ta-toes! Boil 'em, mash 'em, stick 'em in a... curry?

Who: Everybody! The Snorlax! The Munchlax! The Mystery Guests!
Where: Route 39
When: March 20th and 21st
Summary: Lets cook some curries.
Rating: General.
Log:


Early spring brings with it bright sunshine and slightly chilly air, green shoots of new grass poking up from the earth as farmers survey fields that have laid bare all winter. Across Johto and Kanto (and who knows where else?), windows and doors are thrown open to air out spaces closed up for the winter, the commencement of a mysterious rite known only as ‘spring cleaning.’

At MooMoo Ranch, it heralds an additional rite: the yearly tradition that precedes the tilling of those fields and the sowing of seeds:



THE GREAT CURRY COOKOUT

Let’s just be up front about this: the entirety of Route 38 smells absolutely amazing. Traditionally (you’re going to hear that word a lot here), the curries cooked up by the locals are made of whatever leftovers from the previous year’s harvest that may be found kicking around the various parlours and cellars, but because humans can’t eat the berries that Pokemon can, and because they want to eat too, and because once you let humans at a recipe, they can’t not experiment with it...

If you can imagine a curry, someone has either made it, is in the process of making it, or is preparing to make it right the heck now. There are some dishes that don’t seem too out of place: sausage curries, curries with tinned meat or beans added to the mix, mushroom curries, curries decorated so cutely that they flood your Poke-Instagram page, potato curries, herb-laden curries, spice-tastic curries, coconut curries, curries accompanied by savory burger steaks...these all at least seem like normal curry variants, right?

And then there’s the odd stuff. Curries topped with swirls of spaghetti, boiled-egg curries, instant-noodle curries loaded up next to curries topped with a medley of fried foods, toast slices resting on beds of curry, leeks grilled and whole on curries, apple curries, salad curries, curries with whole bones kept in them to add additional flavor, tropical curries with decorative flowers added on the side, cheese-covered curries, even...whipped cream curries…? Uh...sure, okay! There’s even the rare smoked Slowpoke Tail curry, the tail packages labeled with “CRUELTY-FREE SLOWPOKE TAIL” and seals of legal and bureaucratic approval. Dry, sweet, spicy, bitter, sour - you name it, there’s a curry for it!

It’s a little weird, though, right? All this curry, and, uh, all these Snorlax… and Munchlax… wait, actually, when did those start to show up?! Is this… safe??? The locals don’t seem surprised in the least, but there sure are a lot of them…. did they all really come down from the mountains?

Is this part of the tradition, too?!

Good question!

Lucky for YOU, any trainer (un?)fortunate enough to be caught standing still for one second too long by one of the elderly locals (or walks too close to one, or accepts a curry offering from one) will be treated to a retelling of the story behind both the Snorlax and the curry. Turns out, the salivating Snorlax and the just-as-hungry baby Munchlax are not just part of the tradition -- they’re the reason for it!

Long ago, in the day of so-and-so’s grandmother’s grandmother’s grandmother, the Snorlax and Munchlax were a downright menace. Every year, once the snows would start to melt, they’d start coming down from the mountains to the north in droves, descending upon the farms and fields just as that year’s planting began to sprout like a plague of very hungry caterpies, gobbling up everything in sight until nothing but barren earth remained. They even busted down fences and barns in their pursuit of fresh food! Proper menaces to society, right here.

At first, the farmers tried to battle the Snorlax, but it did not end well. Their Miltank and Tauros herds weren’t meant for battle, and Snorlax are as mighty as their appetites! Then one year, a young farm girl had an idea! (Depending on who's telling the story, it might have been a farm boy. Or just a farmer, gender unknown. It is always, mysteriously, someone in the teller's family tree.) Rather than trying to fight off the Snorlax, this mysterious individual suggested inviting them all to one big dinner. They could cook up all the leftovers from the last harvest, have a big feast out of it and feed the hungry Snorlax so they'd leave the seedlings alone.

And it worked! The Snorlax were happy, the fields were left alone and the fences and barns kept standing strong.

(Well, except that one year with ol’ man Gregory’s barn, but that had very little to do with the Snorlax, and far more to do with ol’ man Gregory’s fierce enjoyment of the special sake brewed by the monks of Sprout Tower, a very terrible bet, and one prized herd of Miltanks and really, if you don’t watch it, you might be stuck listening to that old tale as well.)

Obviously, since the current farms and fields are still intact and going strong, the feast not only worked, but held strong as a tradition. But hey! It’s a fun story, and the curry is good! And oh my ARCEUS, you have heard this story so many times from so many old farming folks you are so tired, please, you just wanted to find a bathroom, yes, thank you for the bowl of curry, you really must be going now-

Only… there’s something weird about this year’s gathering. Something unexpected.

In addition to the Snorlax and Munchlax lumbering down in droves for a good meal, another kind of Pokemon has emerged, lured by the delectable scents, and it’s not one that many folks have seen before. Keen-eyed trainers can spot them just about everywhere: lingering under the eaves of the roofs, peeking out from behind bushes and tree branches, but most of all, slowly drawing close to the source of all those delicious smells, their voices ringing out like clear little bells.

That’s right, Milcery are swarming!

Unfortunately, the Snorlax and Munchlax don’t seem too keen on sharing their special once-a-year treat. Hangry tempers are starting to flare up, the bubbling of many pots and pans joined by low grumbling as the Snorlax and Munchlax are starting to stake claim against these strange newcomers. In fact, someone should probably get out there and try and calm the situation down.

Which doesn’t mean take out your pokemon and start any battles! Anyone trying to do that will get a right scolding by one of those inescapable geriatric storytellers. Do you want to cause some sort of stampede here like what claimed ol’ man Gregory’s barn? No sir! (Who’s sir? We’re unclear.) There will be no battling here. Put on your best smile! Break out that cheery personality, and try to actually peacekeep. Or if that isn’t your thing, maybe try and help out with the cooking. With this many cooks around, there is always someone who needs an extra hand to peel some potatoes or dice some carrots, right? If you got a particular hankering, why not claim one of those may pots and pans for yourself and start preparing your own prized curry?

Because judging by the mass of Snorlax, Munchlax, and Milcery? We are going to need a bigger curry.

joekid: (☆ seven.)

[personal profile] joekid 2020-03-22 07:56 pm (UTC)(link)
[[ johnny has been partaking in so much curry. a joyous occasion, indeed. and yet, when he's ordered to come over and try some, he finds himself a bit hesitant.

he'll just. stand where he is. several feet away. instead of listening to the demand, he opts for calling over: ]]
Might want to work on your sales pitch. Just a little.

[[ it does smell good, though... ]]
thedifferencebetween: (hiya cupcake)

[personal profile] thedifferencebetween 2020-03-22 08:03 pm (UTC)(link)
My pitch says everything it needs to! Awesome curry, you want it in your face. Plus it's free, so...

[Why would anyone not? It's great stuff, and he enjoys the boost of people telling him it is. Everybody wins in this scenario!]

Come on, grab a bowl. What have you got to lose?
joekid: (i think he just shit his pants.)

[personal profile] joekid 2020-03-22 08:10 pm (UTC)(link)
Saying I want something 'in my face' sounds more like a threat than anything else... [[ and yet, he finds himself approaching. it is free! he doesn't have anything to lose! everybody does win!

he ain't eating it just yet, though. he looks at it, sizing it up. ]]
What'd you put in it? [[ he doesn't actually care, he's been shoving mystery curries in his mouth all day, he just wants to know if he'll get a straight response. ]]
thedifferencebetween: (princess we talked about this)

[personal profile] thedifferencebetween 2020-03-22 08:37 pm (UTC)(link)
Fine, in your face hole! You know what I mean.

[Jack rolls his eyes. Obviously the intention was clear, and no one else has complained. What's this one's problem?]

What's in it? Ingredients! It's got potatoes, tomato, meat, seasonings, rice...it's a classic curry. Just try it, sheesh!
joekid: (☆ eight.)

[personal profile] joekid 2020-03-23 01:02 am (UTC)(link)
Calm down, Jesus, I'm eatin' it. [[ how persuasive! he takes a bowl for himself and starts to get a well-balanced spoon full together. ]]

Do they not call 'em 'mouths' where you're from? [[ he takes his first bite and... oh! ]] Hm, this is pretty good.
thedifferencebetween: (hiya cupcake)

[personal profile] thedifferencebetween 2020-03-23 03:43 pm (UTC)(link)
You don't sell things.

[Jack snorts, but he's grinning. He's good at selling things, be it actual products or ideas or, in this case, free curry.]

You came over, didn't you? I got your attention. It's all about grabbing attention. There's dozens of people hawking curry, I'm the only one yelling 'put it in your face'. Makes me stand out!

And that's your free lesson in the wonderful world of competitive hawking!
joekid: (maybe your new years resolution)

[personal profile] joekid 2020-03-24 03:16 am (UTC)(link)
[[ he just stands there, eating as he listens to his free, impromptu lesson. this guy is a trip. he chews slowly, and swallows before waving the spoon lazily at him. ]]

You're also the only one yelling at all right now. But, guess you're right: you do stand out. [[ for better or worse. at least he got johnny to eat the curry, so he technically wins the debate anyway. ]]

Thanks for the tip, although I ain't got much interest in sellin' anything. I assume you do this a lot, though, huh? You seem like the type.
thedifferencebetween: (hiya cupcake)

[personal profile] thedifferencebetween 2020-03-24 04:55 pm (UTC)(link)
The loudest voice is the voice that gets heard!

[And no one is louder than Handsome Jack. He lives his life as largely and loudly as he possibly can.]

Yeah, I run a company I founded here years ago. And before that I ran the largest corporate empire in the galaxy. And that's not some kind of cute way to say my company was huge and rich, I come from a corporatocracy. Which means I was president of the galaxy, but also a salesman! And one of the best. Here!

[With a grin, Jack produces a business card reading 'Hyperion Greeting and Novelties'.]

Ya ever need post or greeting cards, you come to me. Handsome Jack!
joekid: (☆ four.)

[personal profile] joekid 2020-03-27 01:06 am (UTC)(link)
[[ johnny takes the card, flipping and examining it as he responds. ]]

President of the galaxy? [[ he's getting a little sick of folks just dropping earth shattering revelations on his lap. this guy is from 1891, according to quick internet searches, they didn't even know there was anything beyond the milky way back then. such a casual declaration would probably get this guy beaten up for being a loon, were he back home.

but all johnny can do is arch a brow as he tucks the business card away while juggling his curry. ]]
That's a tall claim, ain't never heard anything like that before. Safe to assume you're from one hell of a year.