It's Time for the Pokémon Snap Contest!

[indigo_league]

Who: Everybody!
Where: Safari Zone
When: September 25th
Summary: It's time to take pics and have fun!



Even before the start of the contest, an excited buzz fills the Safari Zone Centre. Excited zone employees are flitting around like busy Combee, signing up contestants, handing out rental cameras and checking that everybody knows the rules which are posted in various strategic places on the walls of the centre. They won’t answer any questions about what the prizes will be, but plenty of rumours are flying around, everything from riches to species Safari Zone passes (“To where they keep the really good pokemon, you know?”) to the winning picture being published.

Eventually, close to the actual start of the contest, a few employees duck into the back, only to return minutes later with a cloth-covered… something. It’s big and it’s square and that is all you can tell while it is hoisted onto a display table. One of the senior employees climbs onto a chair next to the mysterious cube, a microphone in hand.

“Hi! If I could have everyone’s attention for a moment-- Yes, Yes, Hi, there we are!

Welcome to this first-ever Safari Zone photo contest. We know that most of you usually come here to capture actual pokemon, but we wanted to try something new and see if you are as good at capturing them on film as you are capturing them in a Safari ball. The contest will start in a few minutes at 10 am. I hope everybody has gotten a camera and has read the rules, but if not, please talk to one of our workers in a moment.

Now, before we let you into the park, we wanted to reveal one last surprise to you all. It’s something we've been working on for a while, but now we can finally reveal that this contest will also be a way to introduce a new pokemon to all of you! Some of our staff have travelled all the way to the Galar region for these pokemon, so without further ado--”

With a broad sweep, he pulls the cloth covering of the cube, revealing:



---
The weather seems perfectly suited for a contest like this: it’s one of those last, wonderful days of summer, the sun is warm without being sweltering, a light breeze plays through the grass and the few clouds on the sky make for a lovely backdrop rather than a depressing grey blanket.

The Pokémon of the zone are almost unusually calm -- it’s as if they know that today they don’t need to worry about being caught. They can be seen everywhere, playing in the grass, lazily swimming, or even scurrying through the trees. And particularly patient individuals may catch some glimpses of the newly released pokemon as well -- those are a little bit more shy than the regulars, but they are there.

Honestly, it’s starting to look like your only trouble this afternoon will be decided just what you are going to capture and submit to the judges. That Lapras swimming in the pool, those Cubone sparring? Or will you travel a bit further into the zone and descend into that snowy gorge? Maybe some wintery scenes will help you stand out in front of the judges. Or are you going to do your best to try and find some of these new pokemon?

The choice is up to you!

(OOC: Welcome to the Pokémon Snap contest! OOC information can be found here about the event!)

Comments

Snap Contest Entries

[indigo_league]

Please submit your entries here! Submit the picture your character would’ve taken in the form of one or two lines of text.

Re: Snap Contest Entries

[insidegalra]

This is the very best photo Thace could have taken with his skills and the camera he had. It's a Dragonair happily sunning themself while draped over the mossy trunk of an old fallen tree above a still pool in the swamp.

Re: Snap Contest Entries

[captainash]

Viewed from below, shadowed against the light of the sun: three hovering Spearows fighting over (and severely damaging) a red piece of fabric. Keen eyes that are familiar with Captain Ash may recognize his scarf.

rip emporio the ghosts thought he was 2 neat

[seacub]

It's...A selfie? Emporio has a number of ghost pokemon (Gastly, Phantump, Pumkaboo, Misdreavus...) sitting on him from where he set up the camera. Help!

Re: Snap Contest Entries

[cutesneeze]

Catra's submission is a Beartic exhaling a plume of frozen breath to create an icy path across a stretch of slow-moving stream in the Snowy Gorge.

[tokenelfcharacter]

Runaan was convinced by his Rowlet to submit a photo of the Applin he'd found - all of them having a party rolling down a hill, and looking absolutely delighted.

photos taken seconds before disaster-

[insidescoop]

A photo using her own professional equipment, of a Braviary in the air with the sun behind it; because of how the light passes through the feathers, it's as if the Braviary has rainbows in his wings.

Re: Snap Contest Entries

[fingersandteeth]

The watering hole in the Savannah area of the Safari Zone, where some blitzles, rhyhorns, donphans, and girafarigs are all drinking. As a landscape photo it's great, but the pokemon seem almost like an afterthought.

Re: Snap Contest Entries

[uncutetomboy]

A pack of exeggcute in a forest clearing, that have arranged themselves in triangle formation. They all have different silly expressions on their faces.

Re: Snap Contest Entries

[ohmylord]

A frolicking deerling in its autumn coat, artistically shot.

Re: Snap Contest Entries

[questioneverything]

A Deerling being ridden by a Pidgey through an open field. It's a little blurry.

[strings_theory]

No one knows why, but Jolyne has decided on a rather artistically shot (in black and white no less!) picture of the butt of a pidgey about to take off into flight with an angle from the ground.

Don't ask.

[asmywitness]

A Parasect and a few small Paras releasing glowing spores into the air, in the dim shadow of a tree riddles with vines. Sun shines down through a few sparse gaps and makes bright mottled patches on the Bug types' mushrooms, as well as turning the yellow spores a brilliant white. It's on a low, slightly tilted angle; very artistic.

[un_oiseau_rebelle]

The photo Shinobu eventually goes with is a slightly overhead close-up picture of a shy but delighted Toxel playing with Shinobu's own PokeGear while Shinobu looks on from what is clearly just offscreen. Thanks to the Toxel's partial electric typing, he's probably going to need to have the PokeGear looked at later.

(frozen comment) 3:47 PM...?

[indigo_league]

Several hours in and the contest is nearly over. The day has been, if not perfect, then at least very close to it: the good weather has held steady, one of those last bright and sunny summer days before the eventual advent of fall; the Pokemon have been calm and relaxed, basking in the good weather and the attention of various aspiring photographers. As the clock ticks towards 4 PM, many of the contestants have already left the Safari Zone, confident in the picture they submitted. A few stragglers still linger, perhaps enjoying the good weather, perhaps determined to use every last minute to make sure they have found the best picture they can.

With a tick, the minute hand travels closer to the hour; 3:46 PM and all is calm. Relaxed. Normal.

Another tick and hell breaks loose.

It’s hard to pinpoint where it starts exactly. In fact, it almost seems to happen all at once. Suddenly, pokemon that had been relaxing just moments before go stiff, eyes bulging, ears flattening, and then they attack. Entire herds of Taurus suddenly rear, bellowing in anger, before they stampede; formerly friendly Fearow screech, their sharp beaks attacking everything and nothing; even the most gentle and friendly of pokemon are suddenly snarling and snapping their teeth at anyone close enough.

The commotion doesn’t go unnoticed in the Safari Centre; it can’t, not with the cacophony of noise that has settled over the Zone like a thick blanket. Employees watch with shock and horror at the chaos unfolding and the worst part, perhaps, is that there doesn’t seem to be a reason. One moment everything was normal and the next the pokemon went crazy. But the shock and horror can’t last too long. Distressing and terrifying as the current situation is, there are still some contestants inside the Zone! There are pokemon that need to be calmed and taken care of. Yelled orders start flying around, tables set with sandwiches and drinks are unceremoniously pushed aside to create a make-shift triage area, while contestants that have already come inside are busily checked off on lists to find out who is still left inside the zone.

Photo contest? What photo contest? We’ve got more important things on our hands right now.

ooc: check the FAQ for some added questions/answers.

Contest Threads!

[indigo_league]

Want to thread out something at the contest? Feel free to reply to this comment with your prompts!

[strings_theory]

A. What are you even doing?

[For those who might not be aware, which is probably literally everyone other than maybe Carly, Jolyne has taken up a nice weird little hobby. Of taking nice pictures of Pokemon butts. With this expensive equipment between herself and said girlfriend previous, she's done pretty well for herself. Just probably better to not ask why she's just casually moving around the box this little toxel is in.

And trying to find the perfect angle with her camera on this thing's rear end.

Don't question it.]

B. Butts, butts, butts

[If one were lucky enough to not see the display of getting that toxel's butt then there's plenty of opportunities to run across her taking pictures of various other pokemon butts.

Like right now. Where she's on the ground underneath a tree trying to take a picture of some pokemon in the tree. That's not looking at her. In the slightest.]

Just a little farther and I can get the best angle and lighting... [She's muttering softly to herself, not noticing literally anyone or thing else around her at the moment.]

Wildcard

[Want something else? Just hit me up. I swear she's doing more than just taking pictures of butts. Maybe.]

EMPORIO - OTA

[seacub]

[A - Cameras!]

Hmmm... [Emporio has never used a camera, at least not like this- but it seems like a fun way to spend the day, so he and Johnny of course take the UBird over. Taking the equipment and starting off about the Safari Zone however, he ends up frowning and taking a seat- tapping through the buttons on the digital camera and overall looking a bit focused.]

I think...this one is for flash..?

[He might need help.]

[B - Halp]

Uhh... [He had sat down, and set up the camera with the intent to try and get a long-shot of something. Maybe something would pass him, and he'd get it that way. Instead...

There's a lot of curious ghost types, all piling around on him to peer through the camera (or try) as well.] I...I don't think you guys should be sitting on me...

[Helllllp...]

[WILDCARD]

[Got ideas? Shoot!]

OTA

[tokenelfcharacter]

1) FOREST
[He's only here to get away from it all. Away from the horrid place called "Goldenrod". Taking images of these creatures seemed as good an excuse as any, provided it was a solo activity. Sure, it seemed there was a contest of some kind... with one of the creatures being sold as a prize. Typical.]

[He disliked being unable to bring his own small band with him, and disliked confining them to their little prisons even more, but there was, apparently, no other choice.]

[He can first be found in the forest, contemplating a pair of Deerling rolling in a patch of ferns. Anyone approaching will be met with a furious stare and hissed warning - how dare you disturb these two deer children?]

Make a sound, and it shall be your biggest mistake.

[Runaan, how.]


2) MEADOW
You... are fruit.

[Local elf man makes a valiant attempt to figure out why all these Applin are gently rolling around, and staring at him with their big ol' eyes.]

[He nudges one with his foot. Very gently. Very carefully. And it goes rolling away, squealing in absolute... glee? It's back before long, with the rest of the apple herd. All of them bouncing at Runaan's feet, squeaking. So he indulges another, nudging it until it rolls away.]

I see. You're enjoying yourselves then. Carry on.

[... did he just smile?]

[ota; prose or brackets is fine]

[un_oiseau_rebelle]

I

Shinobu may not have the same levels of insight into stories that Tyler does, but everything about this screams 'Things are going to go very, very wrong at some point.' Still, he's here anyway, which he supposes doesn't say very good things about him. Honestly, a lot of it is for the change of pace; he feels like he's been spinning his metaphorical wheels lately. But also, he can't help but want to be there to witness it if something does go wrong. There's a reason his fetch is such a good occult detective, after all; he'd gotten those detective instincts from Shinobu himself.

II

Shinobu's not the best photographer, but he does manage to get some decent shots while he's in there. It helps that he can communicate his intentions to the pokemon; they're a lot more willing to let him take pictures once they know that's all he's doing. (A few of them try to investigate the camera; Shinobu obligingly shows them how it works.) Thorne would no doubt be comparing him to various Disney Princesses by now if she was here.

...Somebody's probably going to get a picture of that, aren't they.

[firstonesexpert]

Entrapta... isn't actually here for the contest. There were UBirds and everyone was going and she was curious as to where and now she's here...

So, you know. Why not go and enjoy the Safari Zone? She's a scientist and there are so many Pokemon for her to go and observe! So many specimens to study and get really up close and personal with!

Unlike most Trainers present, she's smuggled one of her own Pokeballs in (it's amazing how unwilling people are to frisk hair that looks like it'll frisk back) and even though she doesn't really like lying it's worth it to have Leslie, as a fully grown Grimmsnarl about half a head shorter than her, helping carry her currently overstuffed satchel filled with her tools and other assorted supplies, as she army crawls low to the ground to sneak up on Pokemon.

She explores through all the areas, but when she comes across the Wasteland biome she lets out an irrepressible little shriek of delight and scuttles down from the cable car station and into the wilds. She lives here now bye.

Post 3:47 PM threads

[indigo_league]

Helping!

[questioneverything]

[Romelle didn't have enough badges to go in and help her friends, but she was standing dutifully in the main building, helping to care for anyone who came back injured, and handing out supplies like potions and other things for anyone who was headed in to help calm things down.]

Inside

[worthallthis]

He hasn't even managed to take a decent picture yet when things go all to hell. Winter stops short at the way the Houndor suddenly went rigid like that, taking a step back automatically. It's good instincts, because the pokemon just as suddenly breaks into a snarl and lunges at him.

He's got a metal arm, so all it does it rake long holes in his sleeve and break a tooth. Winter hurls it away, drops the camera, and bolts.

It'll take him a while to get back to the entrance and his pokemon, all safely with Thace outside and probably going a little nuts waiting for him, and by the time he does he's had to use his very illegal steak knife four times, his three layers of shirt are in tatters around the metal arm, and he's been bitten twice. But he's in better shape than a lot of other people, and may have tried to collect anyone he ran into along the way to help protect them...

Inside

[un_oiseau_rebelle]

On the plus(?) side, Shinobu is there to see that thin fog permeating the area. He's also savvy enough to realize that now is a very good time to back away and get the hell out.

On the minus(?) side, he's alone in here without any pokemon, which could be very bad for him. Then again, if he had had his pokemon, it could conceivably be worse; there's no telling whether bonded pokemon are immune or not. Not that he really has time to dwell on it right now, since he's trapped in here with a bunch of unnaturally angry pokemon and no way to defend himself. Retreat it is.

While he does so, he can't help but wonder if any of those new pokemon are having the same reaction... or if they're the cause of it.