victory_road | Swinub Scurry

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Oh! Well, I'm not exactly new," Min admits. "It's been a couple of years now, but I remember how much getting used to it took."

Honestly, he still kind of struggles with the jump in technology despite being fairly on top of it and interested in his own time.

"Heating packs are probably a good idea. Apart from Ice Age they could probably all do with it now that we're back."

He probably doesn't need to specify why a Pokémon named Ice Age wouldn't be so agreeable to a heating pack.

"Ah okay, but yeah, it's absolutely has thrown me for a loop, but it's a fun loop that I'm loving so far. I'm surprised with how clean everything is along with no radioactive waste sites to be seen. Ice Age is an incredibly adorable name, I love it." Cali cheerily said as she fetched six heating packs from the supply rack and placing them onto the counter.

"Here we go, five for your Pokemon and one for yourself to use out on the track. The instructions are on the back of the pack on how to activate them when needed. Between you and me, if you have a hoodie, I like to place the heating pack in the pouch part to warm up the hands that way in one go." Cali goes to show where the instructions are on the heating packs in a sunny fashion.

That gets a raised eyebrow from Min. Even Ry looks a little alarmed.

"Is your world really that dangerous?"

He hadn't expected to get one for himself, but he's not going to complain about the additional source of heat. Min is (at least according to Ryan's teasing) the worst Canadian and not a fan of the cold. He's bundled up accordingly, but he definitely appreciates a heat pack he can use himself.

"Thanks. I don't have any with me, but I'm sure I'll figure something out," he says, tucking them away for now. They can look more closely at who needs one now and what they can save when they get back to their tent.

It had never occurred to Cali that Orion 34 would be considered pretty dangerous, it was something that in her mind was just normal. Sure the lower survival rate to adulthood was concerning as Cali's generation could be considered second to last on the colony, but it was a bit higher compared to the other exile colonies.

"I guess it would be considered that, Orion 34 is an exoplanet that didn't terraform well at all by the exiled billionaires some centuries ago. Weirdly enough, compared to the other exile colonies, Orion 34 is considered to be a higher survival rate for children to see adulthood." Cali said pretty casually as though this was a very normal thing like 'Oh yeah, the snow fall is normally this big in Canada.'

If it was possible, the mask would seem to have a bit of a bittersweet smile on after having to think a bit about it, "It's no problem at all, the next best option would be the fanny pack, that one is a great alternative as well."

Min-Gi isn't sure which is harder to hear: the conditions she's talking about, or just how casually she's doing it. It probably explains the mask, but if that's the case he almost wishes he didn't have the answer to his unasked question.

"That sounds like a tough environment to grow up in," he says, wincing at how much he's complained about his extremely comfortable upbringing in the past. "Let's hope you have an easier time in this place once you start to get used to it."

Surely she should. Even with all the curveballs it can throw, none of them sound as bad as Orion 34.

"I might have one somewhere." He isn't certain, but it's more likely than a hoodie. Even after a couple of years here Min is still a little stuck in the 80s, and they are practical.

The scariest thing though was the fact Orion 34 was the 'better' living situation compared to the other exile colonies. The mask though, oh my, that one is an entirely a horse of a different color...

"Nah, it's cool. It's as my Mom and Mama told me, sometimes you just have to roll with what we got. So far, I'm having a great time here. I have to say, fanny packs are definitely one of my favorites, it holds so many cool things." Cali finished filling out the withdraw form for the heat packs, despite everything, she's somehow still positive.

After spending months on a train that basically put him in a therapy-or-death situation Min-Gi can safely say he wouldn't have that much positivity in the face of adversity. It's surprising, but maybe that's what helps her.

"You didn't have them where you come from?" he asks. It sounds strange, but if she's not even from Earth then of course not everything would be the same.

"Oh we did, but they were pretty pricey and would sell out too quickly. I'm more used to making my own fanny packs and clothes though, it helped with budgeting during med school." Cali answered happily, she was used to making her own stuff due to costs and college.

If Cali had one of her homemade fanny packs (one of them resembling a hamster), she'd absolutely would show some of them off. Cali may make them again once she has a better footing. Things were still similar to Earth on Orion 34, though, one thing they didn't have and Cali would be in awe of were trains. Never once had Cali seen a train before.

"Huh. You almost make it sound normal."

Though it kind of makes sense they would need med school in a place that dangerous.

Maybe it's for the best that Cali doesn't have any of her own with her. Min's never managed to break free from the clutches of dad fashion despite his efforts and he might not be able to appreciate them.

It probably would be for the best since all her fanny packs were remodeled plush toys (save for the one gummy bear one, that one was pure vinyl.) Indeed though, in the world Cali lived in, doctors were in high demand due to how quickly dwindling the colonial population was.

"That's fair and it's a bit weird, but talking about home is a bit nostalgic for some reason." Cali chuckled warmly as she responded before she went on to ask, "So what was your home world like?"

"Nah, I get that," he says. In truth Min's not convinced he'd feel that way if he came from Cali's world, but happy as he is here he does feel nostalgic when he talks about his own world.

"Have you ever heard of a place called Earth?"

Cali perks up big time when she hears the words of Earth, "Holy smokes yes, I heard that place was paradise from the newcomers and the folks that drop off supplies. You're from there? That's super awesome! What's it like?"

He's not sure he'd say Earth is a paradise, but compared to what she's describing... he's not going to argue.

"I think it's probably pretty different to how it would be in your time," he ventures. "It was 1987 when I left. It sounds like you're probably ahead of that."

Most people here are, but in Cali's case he suspects she may be even further ahead than most.

"Oh man, that was like the peak era of music, fashion, and film. Earth in my timeline has been in a huge renaissance of sorts in terms of technology and... other things. Our colony though is a bit behind tech wise, like my phone, the Tuppi, is considered the latest model at over two decades. Since you're from the 80s, I've always wanted to know, was the live Musical Version of The War of the Worlds amazing? It's one of my favorites from the classical music era, but I never saw the footage of it." Cali explained and then happily asked.

"Wait, you know that?"

Tired as he is, that perks Min up in a way that has Ry tilting his head curiously. Ryan's usually the dad who gets more visibly excited, so whatever's she's talking about has got to be good.

"There is no footage. It's a concept album," he explains, confidently wrong. In fairness to him he's still almost two decades away from the birth of the live version. "They made a video game and a highlights album that does not do the original justice, but they never took it to the stage. It's too bad. Freeman's phenomenal. Way underrated for what he can do with a synth. It'd be so rad if they'd toured it."

"Oh man yes! It's hard to find anyone else that knows the album other than my parents and Mr. Freimann. The Synth is absolutely brilliant there, especially for 'Horsell Common and the Heat Ray' and 'Forever Autumn.'" Cali perks up big time upon finding someone else that loves the Musical Version of The War of the World before giving Min-Gi the great news, "It must have happened later, but they did make a live version that's still touring on Earth. From what I heard from my Mom, they built the Tripod from the album art and it gets lowered onto the stage during the performance for 'The Artillery Man and the Fighting Machines'. Apparently it's supposed to have really good pyrotechnics and lasers for it."

Cali is very perked up by meeting another fan of Jeff Wayne's work, it's the first time she's been able to talk about to someone else, "But oh man, I didn't know about the game, that had to be amazing! What was that one like?"

"I remember when it came out," Min tells her. "I couldn't get the album for a few years, but when I started getting an allowance that let me save up for albums I bought it. I bet it's still in my old room back home."

He's happy here, but there are definitely things he misses that just don't exist here. Even if it turned out there was this world's version of it (which if he thinks about it there probably is), it wouldn't be the same as the one he'd first heard back when he was a kid.

"I didn't ever get to play the game," he admits with a shrug. "My parents weren't exactly big on video games so I never had any consoles. I don't think there was a version you could play in an arcade. I bet the live show is cooler though."

"It had to have been amazing to hear it the first time on vinyl when you got it. My Mom's vinyl is on the shelf back home, I think next to one of the autumn leaf confetti she saved from the show." Cali gleefully replied, it was a bit nostalgic to think about the vinyl back home.

"I'm sorry about the game though, we couldn't afford a console either. We did have a makeshift arcade though from cartridges that were brought along or recovered from older times. The show is great though from what I understand, I know that from my Mom, there had been a debate about having it being performed on the Mars colony. I'm not sure what became of that one though." Cali said, thinking carefully back to her own childhood on what she heard.

It would be neat if there was a Pokemon world version of the production somewhere, though Cali would agreed, it likely wouldn't be the same (It's hard to recapture Justin Hayward's performance of 'Forever Autumn.')

"You still have vinyl in your time?" Maybe it's only because it's an older album, but that's still warming to hear. It's not impossible to find new releases on vinyl here, but it's definitely more of a novelty.

"It would be pretty cool for it to be performed on Mars..."

An understatement, really. It's kind of a mindblowing thought that it could ever be a possibility to someone from Min's time period. He's seen some futuristic things thanks to his time of the Train and his years here, but that? Yeah. That's something he wishes he could see.

"We sure do along with VHS tapes, game cartridges, and cassette tapes in specialized packaging. They proved to be the best media for transporting out in space. Digital items like CDs would often get ruined by the magnetic fields during planet entry, vinyls didn't have that issue so they're the main form of music media in both the Earth colonies and Exile colonies." Cali happily explained, the thought that vinyls wouldn't be a common thing never occurring to her.

"It truly would be though, like a performance on Mars would just be amazing in more ways than one for sure. I keep hoping that one day we get a new comer that would have a VHS of the performance if they did go through with the Mars production."

"Woah. I don't even remember the last time I saw VHS."

Maybe in some thrift store, gathering dust. Although he has a record player he hasn't taken as much interest in VCRs or cassettes. The modern alternatives really are superior he's come to find.

"Maybe. I bet someone recorded it. There's got to be a tape somewhere in, like, a loft or something."

"I hope so, like that'd be a treasure immediately if there was one hidden in a loft, a closet or weirdly enough, a shoe box. I managed to find 'The Cannonball Run' in one of them once...though I have to ask, what are DVDs like here? I haven't tried them before." Cali was pretty curious about the concept of DVDs, she had only known VHS tapes her whole life up until now.

"DVDs are great. Sometimes you don't even need them though. You can find what you want to watch on the internet and just click on it."

The future is rad! Though it does seem kind of strange that Cali apparently comes from space and is more familiar with VHS than DVDs. He wonders if they ever did exist in her world.

"Oh man, that's so cool! Orion 34's magnetic field wasn't ideal for DVDs to survive, Usually erases scenes or causes spots, so I never got the chance to experience up to date Earth technology first hand. Do you know if they have Phantom of the Paradise online?" Cali was excited about past stuff, it actually wasn't often to meet someone else into the subject.

"It's doubtful," Min-Gi answers with a shrug. "They might have something similar, but it's never the same. You'd have to luck out trying to try and find something with a similar title."

Some things are easier to guess than others, but most things Min's 'rediscovered' has been through chance.

Swinub Scurry

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)