The Indigo League (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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victory_road2025-02-17 08:13 pm
indigo_league) wrote in victory_road2025-02-17 08:13 pm
Entry tags:
- !event,
- !mod post,
- beetlejuice (beetlejuice the musical),
- calliope macabre (oc),
- edward elric (fullmetal alchemist manga),
- emporio alnino (jjba),
- envy (fullmetal alchemist),
- fluttershy (equestria girls),
- harry potter (harry potter),
- heather mason (silent hill),
- isabela madrigal (encanto),
- jotaro kujo (jjba),
- jw (oc),
- loop (in stars and time),
- lust (fullmetal alchemist),
- min-gi park (infinity train),
- radley (yugioh 5ds),
- scar (fullmetal alchemist),
- vinegar doppio (jjba),
- wrath (fullmetal alchemist)
Swinub Scurry
Who: Everyone!
When: February 21st-28th
Where: Blackthorn City
What: It's the Swinub Scurry!
OOC Info: here!
Race day dawns bright and early on the 21st. In Blackthorn City, residents are bustling before the Winter sun is fully risen, completing setup for the veritable sea of Swinub-themed stalls and decorations that has been sprouting up throughout the week. The extra advertising has sparked peoples’ competitive spirits, and there’s also an ocean of handmade posters and signs cheering on specific racers.
Understandably, the majority of signs are for locals… but if any characters showed up earlier in the week to sign up, and had their Pokemon out and about, they may have picked up some fans! Is that a cute handmade doodle of their Pokemon hanging off a nearby balcony?
Speaking of racers - anyone who’s stayed in the town since at least last night, or arrived sufficiently early in the morning, will be invited to a complimentary breakfast! It’s simple and traditional, but there’s plenty to go around - rice and miso soup for everyone, and a vast spread of side dishes, including pickled and cooked vegetables and deep fried tofu. This food may be shared with Pokemon, though there’s also lots of high-vitamin Pokemon food specifically available!
Race sign-ups remain open until noon, when racers will be expected to gather up at the starting line - coincidentally, right in front of the big main event stage. As they harness up their Pokemon and double-check their sleds and supplies, the organizing committee for the event will be giving a speech. 30 minutes later, a loud whistle from the committee lead heralds the start of the race, and everyone will be off!
(Glance to your right as you pull away from the crowded stage area - that’s definitely Gym Leader Clair watching!)
Out on the trail, racing trainers and Pokemon will quickly be struggling, but more with the wilderness than with each other! While trainers with less than six Pokemon harnessed up are allowed to bring a regular team to deal with wild Pokemon, trainer battles are off limits during the race. There’s more than enough to worry about as is!
(That’s not to say there aren’t one or two racers willing to stoop to sabotage, provided they see an opportunity where they think they won’t get caught.)
The trail is marked with red streamers on trees and rocks, but they’re few and far between, and there’s intermittent snow showers that make visibility low. Trainers were provided with a map at the race’s start, but this isn’t the city - you better hope you can interpret contour lines and similar-looking landmarks. It’s easy to get lost! These aren’t the nice, trampled-down paths of routes - trainers will find themselves having to dodge around trees, bounce over rocks, and cross frozen streams and rivers! Speaking of frozen rivers… careful, the slushy weather earlier in the month left some of those with a more fragile layer of ice than others…
On top of that, the wild Pokemon out here are higher in level than on the routes! Trainers will find themselves having to fend off large, dangerous Pokemon like Beartics, Lycanrocs, Cetitans, and Hisuian Braviarys.
And then there’s figuring out when to rest. Any veteran racer will tell you it’s a bad idea not to let your Pokemon have a break for at least a few hours, no matter how much stamina you think they have. Dealing with the wilderness takes a lot out of you. (Every race, there’s someone overconfident enough to think they can just keep going… who then ends up staggering into the finish well behind the pack, their Pokemon completely wiped.) But… do you push as far as possible before resting, and hope you can keep your lead? Or do you rest early, and hope to breeze past everyone else while they’re taking their break?
Back in town, the festivities will have kicked into full swing! Food stands abound - in particular, given the weather, there’s endless options for warm bowls - rice porridge (particularly in the mornings), ramen, udon, oden, stew… But for those who don’t want something soup-adjacent, they will find plenty of other treats, like mochi cakes grilled over a charcoal fire, crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, with both savory and sweet varieties.
There’s stands with souvenirs and traditional crafts, too - do you want a textile with a Piloswine pattern? Of course you do. There’s lots of options for accessories for your Pokemon - woven collars and bandannas, scarves… and clothes for you too, if you’re so inclined! There’s little wooden and ceramic Swinub charms - rub their noses for luck - and various wood and papercraft objects. One particularly large stand seems to be doing a thriving business in traditional Spinarak silk soap!
On and around the main stage, there’s always something going on. During the day, there’s a constant stream of updates and commentary, with several large screens streaming video from race officials following the race on flying Pokemon. But there’s more: every day of the race has a few additional events on a small side stage, like a panel with former racers talking through their experiences, or a Pokemon performance.
As it begins to get dark, activity will slow down… but even in the wee hours of the night, the stage will stay open with the next shift of commentators, albeit with a much more sleepy, relaxed atmosphere. (Absolutely no loudspeakers, people are trying to sleep.) Some brave and selfless stalls will stay open all night with hot drinks, and tiny local bars so small they only seat a handful of guests offer a warm, friendly place to stop and relax well into the early hours of the morning. Even Blackthorn City’s onsen is kept open well into the night, offering a steamy soak to people and Pokemon alike.
In the early afternoon of the 22nd, the very fastest racers will start showing up at the finish line! They’ll be met with cheering, as will every racer that arrives afterward - it’s a Swinub Scurry tradition that every racer must be welcomed back enthusiastically, no matter how long it takes them. Yes, even in the middle of the night. (There’s a reason the finish line is located at the edge of the city.)
Trainers and Pokemon will be dragged back to the center of the festivities and brought inside to warm up and enjoy another complimentary meal. They’re expected to stick around the city until the race is officially over - they want their medal, right? - but they’re otherwise free to enjoy the celebration around town! They may have to suffer through occasional excited crowds when they’re recognized, though people will let characters go if they beg off by saying their Pokemon are tired or hungry. On the other hand, being recognized at stalls might mean getting offered some small treats and goodies on the house - particularly for those who performed well in the race!
Shortly after sunset on the 23rd, the race will finally come to a close when old man Junzo comes placidly trundling in with his full pack of Shuckle. The cheers for him are… lackluster, to say the least, but he seems entirely unbothered. At this point, all the racers will be called to the stage, with anyone who completed the race presented with a medal, anyone who participated offered the option of taking a Swinub egg (assuming they didn’t get caught cheating)... and the top three winners particularly hyped up and praised! Hope you wanted to be on TV?
But that doesn’t mean the festivities are over! While the intensity will ramp down over the week, and the stage and performances will have shut down after the 23rd, the stalls and extended local business hours won’t close down until the 28th.
When: February 21st-28th
Where: Blackthorn City
What: It's the Swinub Scurry!
OOC Info: here!
Race day dawns bright and early on the 21st. In Blackthorn City, residents are bustling before the Winter sun is fully risen, completing setup for the veritable sea of Swinub-themed stalls and decorations that has been sprouting up throughout the week. The extra advertising has sparked peoples’ competitive spirits, and there’s also an ocean of handmade posters and signs cheering on specific racers.
Understandably, the majority of signs are for locals… but if any characters showed up earlier in the week to sign up, and had their Pokemon out and about, they may have picked up some fans! Is that a cute handmade doodle of their Pokemon hanging off a nearby balcony?
Speaking of racers - anyone who’s stayed in the town since at least last night, or arrived sufficiently early in the morning, will be invited to a complimentary breakfast! It’s simple and traditional, but there’s plenty to go around - rice and miso soup for everyone, and a vast spread of side dishes, including pickled and cooked vegetables and deep fried tofu. This food may be shared with Pokemon, though there’s also lots of high-vitamin Pokemon food specifically available!
Race sign-ups remain open until noon, when racers will be expected to gather up at the starting line - coincidentally, right in front of the big main event stage. As they harness up their Pokemon and double-check their sleds and supplies, the organizing committee for the event will be giving a speech. 30 minutes later, a loud whistle from the committee lead heralds the start of the race, and everyone will be off!
(Glance to your right as you pull away from the crowded stage area - that’s definitely Gym Leader Clair watching!)
Out on the trail, racing trainers and Pokemon will quickly be struggling, but more with the wilderness than with each other! While trainers with less than six Pokemon harnessed up are allowed to bring a regular team to deal with wild Pokemon, trainer battles are off limits during the race. There’s more than enough to worry about as is!
(That’s not to say there aren’t one or two racers willing to stoop to sabotage, provided they see an opportunity where they think they won’t get caught.)
The trail is marked with red streamers on trees and rocks, but they’re few and far between, and there’s intermittent snow showers that make visibility low. Trainers were provided with a map at the race’s start, but this isn’t the city - you better hope you can interpret contour lines and similar-looking landmarks. It’s easy to get lost! These aren’t the nice, trampled-down paths of routes - trainers will find themselves having to dodge around trees, bounce over rocks, and cross frozen streams and rivers! Speaking of frozen rivers… careful, the slushy weather earlier in the month left some of those with a more fragile layer of ice than others…
On top of that, the wild Pokemon out here are higher in level than on the routes! Trainers will find themselves having to fend off large, dangerous Pokemon like Beartics, Lycanrocs, Cetitans, and Hisuian Braviarys.
And then there’s figuring out when to rest. Any veteran racer will tell you it’s a bad idea not to let your Pokemon have a break for at least a few hours, no matter how much stamina you think they have. Dealing with the wilderness takes a lot out of you. (Every race, there’s someone overconfident enough to think they can just keep going… who then ends up staggering into the finish well behind the pack, their Pokemon completely wiped.) But… do you push as far as possible before resting, and hope you can keep your lead? Or do you rest early, and hope to breeze past everyone else while they’re taking their break?
Back in town, the festivities will have kicked into full swing! Food stands abound - in particular, given the weather, there’s endless options for warm bowls - rice porridge (particularly in the mornings), ramen, udon, oden, stew… But for those who don’t want something soup-adjacent, they will find plenty of other treats, like mochi cakes grilled over a charcoal fire, crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, with both savory and sweet varieties.
There’s stands with souvenirs and traditional crafts, too - do you want a textile with a Piloswine pattern? Of course you do. There’s lots of options for accessories for your Pokemon - woven collars and bandannas, scarves… and clothes for you too, if you’re so inclined! There’s little wooden and ceramic Swinub charms - rub their noses for luck - and various wood and papercraft objects. One particularly large stand seems to be doing a thriving business in traditional Spinarak silk soap!
On and around the main stage, there’s always something going on. During the day, there’s a constant stream of updates and commentary, with several large screens streaming video from race officials following the race on flying Pokemon. But there’s more: every day of the race has a few additional events on a small side stage, like a panel with former racers talking through their experiences, or a Pokemon performance.
As it begins to get dark, activity will slow down… but even in the wee hours of the night, the stage will stay open with the next shift of commentators, albeit with a much more sleepy, relaxed atmosphere. (Absolutely no loudspeakers, people are trying to sleep.) Some brave and selfless stalls will stay open all night with hot drinks, and tiny local bars so small they only seat a handful of guests offer a warm, friendly place to stop and relax well into the early hours of the morning. Even Blackthorn City’s onsen is kept open well into the night, offering a steamy soak to people and Pokemon alike.
In the early afternoon of the 22nd, the very fastest racers will start showing up at the finish line! They’ll be met with cheering, as will every racer that arrives afterward - it’s a Swinub Scurry tradition that every racer must be welcomed back enthusiastically, no matter how long it takes them. Yes, even in the middle of the night. (There’s a reason the finish line is located at the edge of the city.)
Trainers and Pokemon will be dragged back to the center of the festivities and brought inside to warm up and enjoy another complimentary meal. They’re expected to stick around the city until the race is officially over - they want their medal, right? - but they’re otherwise free to enjoy the celebration around town! They may have to suffer through occasional excited crowds when they’re recognized, though people will let characters go if they beg off by saying their Pokemon are tired or hungry. On the other hand, being recognized at stalls might mean getting offered some small treats and goodies on the house - particularly for those who performed well in the race!
Shortly after sunset on the 23rd, the race will finally come to a close when old man Junzo comes placidly trundling in with his full pack of Shuckle. The cheers for him are… lackluster, to say the least, but he seems entirely unbothered. At this point, all the racers will be called to the stage, with anyone who completed the race presented with a medal, anyone who participated offered the option of taking a Swinub egg (assuming they didn’t get caught cheating)... and the top three winners particularly hyped up and praised! Hope you wanted to be on TV?
But that doesn’t mean the festivities are over! While the intensity will ramp down over the week, and the stage and performances will have shut down after the 23rd, the stalls and extended local business hours won’t close down until the 28th.
no subject
[But speaking of a certain Cetitan: Uh Oh Emporio.] Oh, are you the one with the whale Gym?
[Yep. That's how Loop thinks of it now. Sorry. (At least they've drawn the connection between "cold weather training" and all this?)]
[Emporio seems pretty young to be running a Gym, but hey, if he can manage out here... and better than Loop can, by the looks of it. They muster a smile.] Well, as long as you don't mind! I'm not really trying to win either, Meeple was the one interested. And she seems... distracted, right now...
[...] Meeple, do you want me to at least take off your harness??
[Meeple ignores them and strikes another pose, with feeling. Can't you see she's too busy showing off for this very Attractive Silvally? It would be so embarrassing to have Loop fussing over her right now!!]
[Loop stares at her for another few seconds, bemused, before registering Emporio's last question. Oh!] Burnoît's not as tired as he looks, he's just always like this.
But I'm sure he wouldn't say no to a snack break. [They scritch the Quilava between the ears, getting a sleepy chitter in response. Burnoît stretches, leaving ashy smears on Loop's shoulders, then lifts his head.]
no subject
He has just turned 17, and he is going to die before he ever reaches majority-]
R...right....Dr. Kujo's Cetitan ad...
[why this
Valentino, meanwhile, seems to be waggling their eyebrows in Meeple's direction. Hey babe-
why this]
Oh- Oh, yeah, I don't mind at all- I mean, I wouldn't have offered otherwise right? Okay...
[Let him just check the stew again...good, seems fine for scooping.] Let's dish up some for everyone, it's going to be kind of light so that no one cramps up on a run from here...
no subject
[It's actually really hard to tell, all of a sudden, whether they're just finding this funny in the moment... or if they expected Emporio's reaction?? Conclusions unclear.]
[Still, they go along with Emporio changing the subject. They'd feel bad just taking his food with nothing in return, but it's too late to contribute to the stew, so -] I can share some marshmallows afterward...? I know they're not the healthiest, but one or two as a treat shouldn't hurt. [A little bit of sugary motivation!]
[They pull the bag out of their supplies, waving it. (Worry not, Emporio - if you glance in the direction of Loop's supplies, the rest of their food seems significantly more practical than the marshmallows. There's definitely less supplies than what Emporio's packed, but Loop only has one large Pokemon to worry about.)]
[Burnoît is now sitting on just one of Loop's shoulders, scratching behind one ear. He perks up at the mention of marshmallows - his favorite! They get roasted over his back and then he gets a Marshmallow Tax. :) :) ]
[In the background, Pokemon flirtation is ongoing. Meeple is slowly and steadily managing to tangle herself in her harness.]
no subject
And hey, they might not be healthy, but they're still full of sugar. A sugar boost is just what everyone needs to get going, [he says, looking for excuses to eat marshmallows.
Out of the corner of his eye though, he does spot Meeple.] ...Maybe we should unharness everyone for the time being though...
[gurl oh no]
no subject
[Loop drops off the marshmallow package next to the fire, then forges through the snow over to Meeple.] Here, let me just... unsnap you...
[At this point they will have to fully unharness her to get her detangled, rather than just unclipping her from the sled traces. Welp. Might as well get started on it.]
[Meeple gives them a look of deep betrayal, then turns a long-suffering expression on Valentino. (How is this communicated through the mask? Don't worry about it.) Trainers, right? Always getting in the way of a date?]
no subject
And ah yep, Valentino immediately takes advantage of being unharnessed by posing. Adore them.]
Hahhhh...
...well, at least by the time we're done here, Valentino will probably be done too..?
[Is Valentino even using Attract right now?? Oh God,]
no subject
[Attract probably did happen at some point, but it doesn't seem to be necessary anymore...]
Maybe? I've never seen her like this...
[Admittedly, they have only had her around since the beginning of this month.]
[Loop drops to a seat next to the fire, where Burnoît hops off their shoulder. They busy themselves undoing the remaining knots in Meeple's detached, but still pretty tangled, harness.]
no subject
[Don't worry, Emporio has an idea on what this is.] This is...Valentino's fault, sorry.
They, uh....
[This always sounds so bad!!!] Hahh...Valentino can't fight, but somehow they have 'Attract'?
And it just activates at random...
[And, well.
Emporio just gestures to the two, before putting his face in his hands. Why this.]
no subject
So it's like a status condition...? I guess we do just wait it out.
[Unbeknownst to the two trainers, Meeple has absolutely snapped out of her attraction at this point. It's now all her, baby. Womp womp.]
[But, hmm... can't fight. And Valentino does look similar to Meeple at second glance - just, without the gigantic mask, and definitely a bit less... patchworky.]
Is Valentino from Silph Co, maybe?
[Loop finishes detangling the harness, setting it aside next to them.]
no subject
[oh god
no one can escape now]
Hn?
Oh, yeah- Valentino's a Silvally now, but when I first got them, they were a Type: Null like what you have. It can take a bit for them to evolve, but since it's not power-based, they can.
no subject
I thought you might've just gotten their mask off.
[They open their mouth, as if to add something... and then clam up before they actually say it.]
[It's probably easy to guess, though: they totally tried to take Meeple's mask off, even though Silph Co. presumably told them not to. It just doesn't look comfortable!]
no subject
[loop no] Evolution is the only way the mask comes off, it's true, but it's also essentially part of them until then as a result...kind of like a beetle's shell I guess.
[PLEASE DON'T TRY TAKING MEEPLE'S MASK OFF LOOP-]
no subject
[Needless to say, though, they did not succeed.]
[Loop considers this. On the one hand: very weird. On the other hand, when are Pokemon not weird?] I wonder if Orrery will also... shed? At some point.
[It's not like they're going to pry her open to find out! (Though they don't clarify, they're talking about their Metang.)]
[Burnoît, meanwhile, serenely slinks over to peek at Emporio's cooking. He pushes himself up onto his back paws and streeetches vertically to inspect the stew - until very recently, he was a Cyndaquil, and he is enjoying the novelty of being Long.]
no subject
[What pokemon is an Orrery, friend-] You'd have to describe what she looks like first.
[Cooking should be done though! He'll just lower the heat on this camp stove, get himself the bowls to serve this up...]
no subject
She's a Metang. She looks... kind of like two plates stuck together? [They demonstrate, the next time their hands are free.] But with eyes and arms. And some spikes.
no subject
Definitely don't try to take that off, [He says immediately, passing out some folded spoons next.] Metang is naturally metal like that- actually, if you see a pokemon with metal, it's normally a good indication it'll be steel type. That's not always the case, but it's a pretty clear sign for most!