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Post by NPC on May 19, 2022 22:52:52 GMT -6
Welcome to the Strength Show Ring!![](https://hxrv2.neocities.org/contesthall/contest_1st_strength.gif) Please remember to include the following: - A copy of your application from the registration thread in your first post - A list of every item, move, ability, trick, and skill your creature used in a each post Keep in mind that everything you intend to use in the show ring will have to be officially trained. Check the tutorial for any extra information you might need! The following are allowed to show in this thread: The Show Ring Ends is Midnight, June 3rd, US Central Time: Countdown
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Star
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Post by Star on Jun 3, 2022 5:14:35 GMT -6
VelvetLevel: 2 | Loyalty: 2 Stamina: 5 Strength: 22 Resistance: 4 Dexterity: 4 Mentality: 5 Special Abilities: Gleam Moves: Nibble, Gash, Shimmer Knows: Pull Buggy (2) ![](https://hxrv2.neocities.org/mansion/wishing/SunkenCrate.png) ![](https://hxrv2.neocities.org/mansion/DraconicWriting1.png) ![](https://hxrv2.neocities.org/mansion/DraconicWriting2.png) ![](https://hxrv2.neocities.org/mansion/DraconicWriting3.png) I waited quietly backstage for it to be my turn to perform. I looked back at Velvet now and then, just to make sure that she didn't seem too nervous. To my surprise, she was holding up well, perhaps because she wasn't fully aware of what would happen next. Sure, we did some practice pushing the buggy around and having her help me load it, but she had never done it in front of people before, and neither had I. "Come along," I said to her, waving my claw in the direction of the stage. "It's our turn," I said. I walked proudly out onto the stage with my head held high. I glanced toward Velvet as she followed along, admiring the way her shell glittered in the exaggerated light. It was exactly as radiant as I had imagined it to be. I grinned, filled with confidence about our chances to score well. 1[15.7, 2.8]
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Star
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Post by Star on Jun 3, 2022 5:24:40 GMT -6
"Greetings," I said, facing the crowd. I bowed slightly, though not deeply enough to lose any dignity. "I am pleased to introduce you all to my Golossle, Velvet."
Rather than spend too much time explaining, I decided to get right onto the show. I had the stage set with a few items and I quickly located the one I was looking for. It was an old trunk that looked like it had already been through several shipwrecks. That was fine, as its appearance wasn't important in this case.
"Here we have an old trunk, and though it doesn't look like much, it's worth its weight in gold," I said, pulling the lid open to reveal it was filled with shining treasures. It wasn't actually gold of course, but it was heavy, and that was the entire point.
"Carrying such a prize home, while difficult for some, would be simple for Velvet. Oh Velvet, could you come help me?" I asked.
2 [15.75, 3] [Using Sunken Crate]
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Star
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Post by Star on Jun 3, 2022 5:30:04 GMT -6
The real key to the trick was the way I tapped on the lid of the trunk, signaling Velvet to come pick it up for me. I snapped the lid shut and waited for her to bend down as we had practiced. I helped her lift the drunk onto her head while making it look like she was doing it all herself, hiding my efforts using one of her legs to shield me from the audience.
"Amazing, she's so strong she can carry an entire treasure chest on her head!" I said as though I was very surprised, despite the fact that we had spend the whole last two days practicing the trick.
"Now, we'll need a way to carry it home, won't we? Oh Velvet," I called, tapping my claws on the cart we were standing next to. Velvet tilted her head, causing the heavy chest to crash down onto the cart with a thump.Perfect.
3 [15.8, 3.2]
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Star
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Post by Star on Jun 3, 2022 5:44:52 GMT -6
Just like we had done with the chest, I had Velvet help me load three replica ancient tablets into the cart as well. Now that all of the heavy objects were in the cart along with some sandbags for added weight, I made sure it was securely attached to Velvet so she could pull it around and show everyone how it was done. We paraded around the show ring with the different angles of the light causing her to change color as she moved. We surely were a stunning pair.
Finally, once we were done showing off how well she could pull the cart, I detached it again and had her turn around to face it. "Now, Velvet, show everyone your true strength!"
With a little bit of miming and encouragement, Velvet smashed the cart and most of its contents into bits with her scythe-like claws. She hit it so hard and fast that I could tell the crowd would be surprised by the impact.
4 [15.85, 3.4] [Using the Draconic Writing Tablets and Pull Buggy.]
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Post by Silver on Jun 3, 2022 6:02:23 GMT -6
It was time to get started on the strength contest. Silver felt a little intimidated participating in this particular contest. Cute creatures? Garden creatures? Magical creatures? Those things they could do, but strength felt a little out of their grasp. In the end, they decided to show Gen, as he was one of their strongest and best trained creatures, and they could really use the comfort of having him around anyway.
Before they stepped out into the show ring, Silver fitted Gen into his barding. They smiled softly to themselves, thinking that this reminded them of a person wearing a nice outfit to impress someone. "You look handsome," Silver said with a smile. Gen snorted softly and licked Silver's face, messing up their hair just moments before it was their time to go on stage.
"Are you ready?" they asked. The answer to the question didn't matter, as it was time to go. They took a deep breath to stabilize themselves and led Gen out into the ring.
1 [140.95, 37.4] [Using Custom Barding.]
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Post by Silver on Jun 3, 2022 6:08:42 GMT -6
"H-hey," Silver said. Immediately they began to regret trying to say anything. They closed their eyes for a moment that felt like a long time, but in reality it was probably only a second or two. It felt like an eternity with everyone's eyes on them. "This is Gen!" they said in a squeaky voice. 'Oh, don't you sound strong,' their inner voice rang harshly in their ears.
Silver had grabbed the heaviest thing they could find in their spare room and brought it along to the contest. It was an old clay fireplace, and it was considerably heavy. It wasn't lit, of course, as that would be an entirely different kind of show. They awkwardly shuffled over to where it was sitting on a stool, and asked Gen to bend down the same way he would when accepting a rider.
Silver shoved the pot into its place on Gen's back. It was held up using a hand crafted basket they had made for exactly this purpose, and they hoped it would hold.
2 [141, 37.6] [Using Potted Fireplace and Carry Load]
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Post by Silver on Jun 3, 2022 6:13:50 GMT -6
"As you can - as you can see, he's quite strong," they said. To emphasize that point, they climbed up on his back and stood up. Between them, the fire pot, and the barding, Gen was carrying a considerable amount of weight. Silver didn't want to stress him too much, but they knew each other well and they could tell when he was at his limit. Plus, there was no real danger here, so they could quit at any time if they had to.
Silver urged Gen to start walking, then running around the show ring. Gen felt it was strange that they were running inside, but he would never think of not doing what Silver asked. They didn't have long to do their entire performance, but Silver wanted to show that he could not only hold the weight, but carry it over long distances. Gen didn't tire quickly, and they proved that by taking a fast pace around the wing carrying all of the weight.
3 [141.05, 37.8] [Using Carry Rider, Go, Faster/Slower, and Endurance]
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Post by Silver on Jun 3, 2022 6:20:24 GMT -6
Once they felt like they had showed off Gen's weight lifting ability well enough, they hopped down and nudged the fireplace back onto the stool where it had started. It wobbled around dangerously close to smashing on the ground, but ultimately stayed put. They breathed a sigh of relief.
"Now, Gen is also a very strong fighter," Silver said. Did that sound right? They weren't sure, as they usually didn't promote this kind of thing. As long as it was just for show, though, they could do a little bit of a power demonstration.
They had set up a scarecrow as a dummy, as they never could bring themselves to use a more realistic analogue when teaching defensive fighting. "Gen, roar!" they called out as confidently as they could, so they could look tough alongside him. Gen did as he was asked and let out a ground shaking roar. If the scarecrow had a brain, it would surely be terrified right then.
4 [141.1, 38] [Using Roar]
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Post by Silver on Jun 3, 2022 6:23:41 GMT -6
Then with the more subtle signal that followed, Gen led into a full on attack. He jumped onto the dummy, grabbed it with his teeth, and popped its floppy head right off. He almost looked surprised, but did not falter. He went back for a second blow, ripping off one of the arms and snapping the sturdy wood skeleton underneath with his powerful jaws.
"Gen, rend it," Silver instructed. It felt to them like they were shouting given how tense they were, but the truth was that the command was barely audible, especially in the audience. All that really mattered was Gen hearing it.
He leaped forward, giving his claws a chance to sink into the fabric and wadding that made up the dummy. He held it in place with his fangs and shredded at it with his claws. In an instant, it exploded into a pile of scraps and hay that was unrecognizable from what it once was.
5 [141.15, 38.2] [Using Bite and Rend]
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Post by Noa on Jun 3, 2022 15:45:31 GMT -6
Noa didn’t want to be here. Truth be told, he had considered not showing up at all. But he’d signed up, and he had felt marginally less awful this morning… What a spot of false hope that had been. He was nearly seeing double now, and it was an effort to stay upright. The ache in his head came and went in waves. The voices being broadcast through the show ring only made it worse, and he was aware that his turn was coming up. {Are you sure you’re going to be okay?} Rhys asked, hovering worriedly off to the side. He’d been feeding Noa a steady stream of healing energy, which was probably the better part of how Noa had managed to stay upright until now. For a moment, Noa considered again the option of just… not bothering with all this. But they were already here. Wordlessly, he brushed past the Faeron and stepped out into the ring. Azalea followed, then moved out as he urged her in. There were some gasps from the crowd at her appearance, and on the whole the atmosphere was a little perturbed… but also anticipatory. For a moment Noa frowned, trying to puzzle it out, before realizing that they must have been cowed by her appearance. (Azalea displays her Intimidation)
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Post by Noa on Jun 3, 2022 15:46:05 GMT -6
He was around her so often that he had forgotten… Or perhaps it was knowing what her temperament was. Even if she was a Pliathor now, she had pink flowers growing on her. It was hard for him to think of her as frightening, but evidently that wasn’t true of anyone seeing her for the first time.
He was expected to make a speech, probably, but he didn’t have the patience to find words to appeal to a crowd.
“You all know why we’re here,” he said. “If you’ve never seen a Pliathor at work, now is your chance, I suppose.”
A punching bag had been set up, and at Noa’s command, Azalea rammed the side of her body into it, sending it rocking. There were some murmurs of appreciation from the crowd, though not much; a lukewarm response. A harness was attached to Azalea after that, from which a series of weights were hung, so that it took more effort to move. Despite the hindrance, she hit the punching bag even harder this time around -- once, twice, three times. Noa spared the audience a cursory glance, and found that they were paying closer attention now. That was good.
(Azalea uses Bash on command issued via RoT; the punching bag and weight bags are used)
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Post by Noa on Jun 3, 2022 15:46:54 GMT -6
Another wave of pain swept through him. He ground his teeth together, fighting back a grimace. They had to wrap this up quickly. A barrel was brought out next, which Azalea neatly flattened with a slap of her tail. Another smattering of applause. But the murmurs turned into surprised and speculative gasps when the boulders were brought in.
{Can you do it?} Noa asked over their telepathic link.
{I can,} Azalea replied. She sounded confident, though frankly they hadn’t practiced this before, and he didn’t know if it was bravado on her part or what. He could sense Rhys’s anxiety from where the Faeron waited, just outside the ring. But if they failed, they failed. At least they’d shown up. Participation must matter for something, and Noa had no great aims for this particular competition.
{Try and crush them, then.}
With his go ahead, she smashed into the rocks with her body. Once, twice, thrice -- but this time they weren’t sent flying, and only after repeated attempts did cracks start to form along their length. She pulled back, giving herself a distance over which to gather speed, then threw herself into one last run at the rocks, smashing into them with all the power she could muster. Finally, they cracked -- and one shattered completely under the impact.
Noa gave a nod instead of a bow, and even that threatened to be too much to bear. He walked out of the ring briskly, Azalea following in his wake, though it took her a little longer to move her entire bulk out of the space.
He didn’t need to hear the results. He could find out later -- another day. Now that he was done with his portion, he was headed home.
(The barrel, rock, and rubble are used)
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