The Indigo League (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
indigo_league) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
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.
THE GYM STAND
[This scruffy, exhausted-looking fellow racer/Aurora Leaguer regarding the various advertisements!!!]
[She rolled in a few hours ago and still has just enough adrenaline from crossing the finish line that she felt the need to poke around the festivities a little bit before she staggers off to a bed and passes out for twelve hours. Tired or not, though, she's still got a friendly, crooked grin for Emporio when he notices her there.]
Sure, I'll take one.
Congrats on the Gym. You didn't waste any time, huh?
[EVERYTHING LOOKS FAST WHEN YOUR OWN GYM HAS BEEN UNDER CONSTRUCTION FOR LIKE FIVE YEARS.]
I felt bad abt how long it took me to get to tags and then results posted and omg,
The boy was grinning as she approached though, and perhaps that's no surprise; more than likely, that arrival a few hours ago was also right at the tail of Emporio's arrival after all.
Pamphlet handed over- it's a surprise he still has them given the swarming the booth has received after everyone saw the Cetitan ad- he gives a small laugh.] It did go up pretty fast once I actually sent my plans in, yeah...I guess because of what it is maybe?
It's going to act sort of like an outpost and school all in one after all.
[But that's not all he called her for, of course.] You did pretty good out there, by the way- it almost looked like a normal husky run!
[But with such flowing locks...ah, the Mightyena...]
no worries i have been erratic as hell
Believe it or not, the guy who had those big hooligans before me had them fully trained up to do just that... but it wasn't till now that I had a chance to see what they could do. It was... enlightening.
For one, I now know that I am fast enough to catch up with the sled when I fall off of it by accident and they just keep running.
[Because that happened more than once. And more than twice.]
But thanks! You and your crew were pretty impressive too-- I won't lie, when I saw the combo you had going, 'speed' wasn't exactly the word that sprung to mind... but holy shit, you guys were booking.
no subject
No comment on falling.]
Heh, thanks! I was focused on testing the equipment more than making the 'best' speed, admittedly. I'm going to be offering it to new trainers, so I figured the best way to make sure things were consistent was to use a mixed team...not everyone catches six of the same pokemon, you know?
no subject
[Honestly, if it weren't for some kind of cosmic Dog Distribution System, Heather can safely say that's the only reason she'd ever have even one Mightyena. But here she is. Covered in dogs.]
That's cool that you're gonna be offering stuff to the newbies. I still remember staggering up into Cherrygrove all sunburned and bug-bitten like it was yesterday. Having someplace actually set you up with more than just a backpack and well wishes will change the whole game for people!
no subject
[He remembers the bugs...he remembers...] It always seemed strange that we were sent off all seasons with a foraging book actually...Plus the sleeping bag but no tent...
[A wince.] ...I took a lot of notes from experience. Oh- but, if you ever want to see what the place is like, I'm hoping to make sure there's stuff to appeal to everyone who's been here a while too! The main goal of the gym is to teach obviously, but I'm hoping there can be enough of a challenge for everyone else too.
no subject
Right?
Back when I turned up here, it was understandable... nobody had any idea what was going on, people were poppin' out of nothing every five minutes... but that was a billion years ago! They should really be doing better than granola and a sleeping bag by now.
[FORTUNATELY, Emporio is now here to save the day.]
I'll have to make a trip down to see once it warms up a little! Maybe it'll help kick my motivation into gear, hah. Inspire me to finish my Gym sometime in the next century.
no subject
...Man, but that's something to think about though.] ...Huh. You know, I didn't think about what it must have been like when people first arrived. ...I think...Most people knew there was a pattern to it, when I first got here? ...and that was when I was twelve, man that's weird to think about...
[He might still be growing, but he's also seventeen now!!!
Ah, happier things though.] Heh! I'll look forward to seeing you! We'll probably be pretty settled in things by that point too. And, if you want, I could probably lend you the books I used to get to this point..? ...They all got left in my room at Armin's by snorunt the one year, they were really useful. Even if for a while I was still stuck on 'finding a theme'...
no subject
[The inexorable passage of time aside, Heather laughs.]
It was nuts, they had NO idea what to do with us. Didn't trust us with ANYTHING, they wouldn't even let us into Kanto at first. And in all fairness, a lot of us were kind of like bulls in a china shop, so... guess I can't blame the locals in hindsight.
Gym-wise, we've got a theme all decided on and everything, it's mostly just... us getting in the way of ourselves.
[And being determined to do as much with their own hands as possible. Which sounds noble on the surface but actually means that Envy and Heather Mason are being trusted with power tools and anyone who's known either of them ever should find that concerning.]
no subject
You were all stuck with just Johto?? Did they even let anyone challenge the league like that? [he laughs, shaking his head.]
I guess it was harder to keep people from Kanto than it is every other region though, the two are pretty tightly connected...
[Mmm? There's more on that Gym though huh?] Oh yeah? ...Is it a secret, or can I hear a hint?
[He does love a good theme.] I think there's at least one book on construction in that case though...or, well. I'm assuming that's part of it if you have the details picked out.
no subject
We could challenge the gyms, but they didn't start letting otherworlders take on the E-4 for a solid... god, I don't even remember. It was years, though. HUGE big deal when they finally started letting us onto the Plateau, though, I remember.
[The question gets a sly grin-- there's no particular reason to keep it a secret, but secrets are fun!]
Hmm... I guess a little hint wouldn't hurt.
What's intense, sometimes in tents, AND some guy in clown makeup might sell you popcorn and funnel cake?
no subject
[Is this what it feels like when the older generation say 'back in my day'...
Emporio considers the clues. It's a good thing it's been years since he got here, or he'd have to very awkwardly ask what on earth Heather was talking about.
Instead, he slowly beams. And then makes sure to keep his voice down, so as not to give it away to anyone else.] A carnival?
Or no wait, it'd be a circus if there's tents right??