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Post by NPC on Jun 16, 2023 18:59:58 GMT -6
Welcome to the Summer Solstice Show Ring!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 at Midnight, June 30th, US Central Time: Countdown
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Post by Alma on Jun 18, 2023 14:36:46 GMT -6
All too soon, it was their turn to go up.
Nocturne had been prodding at her sleeve for the last few minutes, Alma gently shoving him away as she tried to distract him with some mild play-fighting. That he had released her arm, and was no longer bobbing around like a panic breed whenever someone came too close was enough to make her smile.
But now it was their turn, the previous contestant gone from the stage, and he followed her up to the stage with his arm-like tendrils crossed over his body, hovering so near her back as she stepped on stage that she doubted any of the audience could see him. She walked towards the inner rings of paper plates hanging from the metal line of wire, the metal clips pinching them firmly in place, and took a jerking step back the way she came, exposing the rage catharion. “This is Nocturne,” was all that she had time to say, his name snapping him out of his paralysis and he darted back behind her. She held her arm behind her, and he grabbed on just as he had before, but this time she slowly pulled her arm back in front of her.
It took a few seconds to aim, and she swore she could see him squish himself tighter around her arm as he saw the lights and the indistinct mass of people beyond them But then her finger was pointing at the nearest of the paper targets, and she said, “Fire.” The first word was the quietest, meant only for him to hear so that the crowd might not figure out this was not exactly what she had planned and practiced with him for, so they would not realize it was a last second idea formed as they waited and Alma realized the catharion was too scared to float and shoot on his own. He did nothing, but she had swallowed her rising panic, already moving onto the second set of words. “Nocturne, fire.” The second pair were tinged with a bit of panic, louder, loud enough that the nearby members of the crowd could hear and giggle to themselves if the catharion continued to be paralyzed by fear, leaving Alma with nothing to do but waggle her arm and leave the stage before she dug a deeper, more embarrassing hole for the two of them.
But he did not shame her. A small flame spat out from his core, burrowing through his gelatinous body to burst free and strike the first of the paper plates. The flame latched on to the chemically-treated paper as the stage lights dimmed, burning blue as it raced upwards and burned fragments broke free to drift to the floor, stopping only when the clip was reached and there was no fuel left to burn. But Alma had already moved onto another target, repeating the order loudly for the crowd to hear as she pointed at the plate that burned red, with a quickly muttered bit of “Good job Nocturne. Keep it up, Nocturne.” after each bit of flame.
There had been ten plates hanging from ten metal clips, split into two groups of five, the nearer plates treated to burn blue and the farther red, and all to burn out quickly. Alma bounced between them, targeting a near then far plate, then a near one again, over and over, finishing with the last far plate that hung in the middle of the line. As a red ember drifted to the floor, winking out a foot above it, Alma flicked her gaze to Nocturne. Did his core seem deflated, his body smaller, his grip weaker? She bowed to the crowd, sliding her other hand across his body to somewhat cover his core, muttering a quiet apology between clenched teeth as she grinned at the audience. Then they were moving off the stage, the ordeal over.
[Nocturne used Fire Burst.]
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Post by Silver on Jun 30, 2023 20:42:03 GMT -6
"Are you ready, Bytor?" Silver asked, leaning against the Estharne and rubbing his head. It was nearly their turn to take the stage for the Summer Solstice contest, and they could feel their heart pounding in their chest as they approached the show ring. Bytor probably didn't feel the same kind of pressure that they did, but they found some comfort in trying to calm him down.
Silver closed their eyes and pictured the routine in their head one last time. It had been the only thing they could think about on the way here. It was a short show, just enough to show off some of Bytor's blazing purple flames. They had based the idea for the show on the Firefly Festival and hoped that connection would go over well with the judges. What could possibly embody summer better than fireworks?
Well, either way, they couldn't change it now. It was their turn and they could feel their brain click into autopilot as they stepped out into the view of the judges.
[148.65, 8.4]
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Post by Silver on Jun 30, 2023 20:50:53 GMT -6
Upon taking the stage, Silver quickly hung up two lanterns that were dimly lit before turning back to face the crowd. They called Bytor to their side and rested their hand on the purple stripe on his forehead. They beamed, feeling more confident now that their creature was there to support them.
"I would like to introduce you all to Bytor," Silver said. Bytor was nervous about being around so many people, so he pulled his ears back, growled low, and lashed his flaming tail. The same way a cat's tail would puff up when they were afraid, the flame grew in brightness and intensity, growing along with his spiking fur.
Silver remained almost too calm while their body became bathed in the purple light of the Estharne's flame. It was something they had gotten used to, but they were sure that members of the crowd would find it to be an amazing sight. How many Estharne had bright purple flames to wave around? Well, only one, as far as they knew.
[148.7, 8.6]
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Post by Silver on Jun 30, 2023 21:19:09 GMT -6
"Alright Bytor, show them your flames," Silver said. They made a hand motion as they spoke indicating to the Estharne that he was supposed to start the routine now. It took him a moment to shake off the surprise of seeing so many people and get what Silver was saying, but Silver was patient and merely repeated the hand motion to encourage him.
Bytor let out a fierce growl and spun his body around, shaking embers off his tail in a dramatic display. Then he leaped up through the space between the two lanterns, shaking his tail so that it touched each one briefly. The magical flames were amplified with the addition of his own otherworldly flame. They erupted with colorful magic fire, causing the light in the room to dramatically change color.
The Esthanre landed on his feet, flared out his wings, and let out a rumbling roar. He flapped his wings and lashed his tail, showing everyone in the crowd that he was nothing to be messed with.
[148.75, 8.8] [Bytor displays Intimidation, using Indigo Lantern and White Lantern]
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Post by Silver on Jun 30, 2023 21:24:54 GMT -6
"Now for the finale," Silver said under their breath. This was the part they were worried about. It required them to fire a weapon, something they seldom did. They pulled the fireworks shooter out from its holster and pointed it at the ceiling. They closed their eyes with their ears laying back and fired it into the sky. Just as predicted, the shooter shot off a small firework erupting with a bang into a display of bright green sparks and light that fell to the ground.
Hearing the firework, Bytor knew what to do next. He jumped back through the space between the lanterns toward the crowd and unleased a torrent of flame. Two sparklers had been laying there unlit for the rest of the show and they suddenly blazed to life with colorful sparks shooting off in every direction. Bytor sat proudly next to his work, smoke trickling from his nostrils as he stared smugly into the crowd.
[148.8, 9] [Bytor uses Breathe Fire, using Fireworks Shooter, Purple Sparkler, White Sparkler]
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Star
Full Member
Posts: 160
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Post by Star on Jun 30, 2023 21:50:45 GMT -6
Once we arrived at the contest hall, I pulled the items we would need out of my bag and carefully went over them to make sure everything was ready for the show. I held a necklace up against Aramis, imagining how it would look hanging from a few places before settling on one.
"Please do not melt this," I instructed as I lifted the necklace to his head. Hopefully he wouldn't be doing a lot of acidic oozing while the show was going on, but I never could be too sure with something so precious. The necklace would not fit around his neck, so he would need to wear it as a ferronnière. I wrapped it around the back of his head very carefully, making sure it did not get tangled in his long ears or tentacles. Once I was sure that it was secure enough to make it through the show, I let it rest next to the gem naturally set in his forehead.
[18.95, 12.4] [Using Onyx Necklace]
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Star
Full Member
Posts: 160
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Post by Star on Jun 30, 2023 21:57:20 GMT -6
The technology of the city came in handy once again, as the contest hall was able to accommodate a tank large enough to house Aramis for the show while still being visible for the crowd. I was pleased that such a thing was possible, as I was not sure his delicate skin would fare well on a dry stage for the entire show.
"Good afternoon, ladies and gentleman," I said, taking a bow as I entered the stage. "I am Star, and I am here today to show you the ultimate summer companion, Aramis!"
I gestured to the tank next to me so that the crowd could take their eyes off me and onto Aramis. He was swimming in wide circles in the tank with his various bioluminescent parts glowing brightly in the dark. With his dark skin, it almost looked as if he was only a collection of glowing, flowing tendrils.
"I, for one, love to cool off on a hot summer evening with a dip into the river, don't you? Well, Aramis is here to guide the way and keep those halberd sharks at bay."
[19, 12.6] [Aramis displays Bioluminescence]
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Star
Full Member
Posts: 160
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Post by Star on Jun 30, 2023 22:02:54 GMT -6
"Now Aramis is a versatile companion, not limited to a swimming partner," I explain. I floated up into the air and perched at the edge of the pool. I stood tall, proudly displaying as many of my glimmering scales as possible.
"Perhaps you are interested in a bit of stargazing," I said. It was impossible to hold back the smirk I gave myself for the clever pun. I pushed the everdrift plank into the center of the pool, and when Aramis saw it, he climbed up onto it to show himself fully to the crowd. Now they could see his entire body, not just the glowing parts.
"Aramis is amphibious, which means that he can breathe fully both in the water and on the surface." I could not be sure everyone was familiar with the term, so I added the explanation for those unfamiliar with species like Tilvander. As I explained, Aramis was getting ready for the next part of the show by climbing out of the tank and flopping wetly onto the stage.
[19.05, 12.8] [Aramis displays Amphibious, using Everdrift Plank]
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Star
Full Member
Posts: 160
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Post by Star on Jun 30, 2023 22:09:48 GMT -6
"But as you can see," I said, landing on the stage next to him, "Aramis has a protective layer of moisture on his skin." Snot. It was pretty much snot. But I wanted to make it look good for the crowd. I gently rubbed my palm against his skin, then holding up the sticky goo to show the crowd. Thank goodness this stuff wasn't the corrosive variety he was also well known for.
"Without this protective layer, he will bein to dry out which would make him very ill," I explained. "Thankfully, he has just the trick for that, don't you Aramis?" I asked. With my tail I pulled a parasol close to the two of us for him to take.
As he had been trained to do, Aramis grabbed the parasol and held it over my head. Then he looked up into the sky and croaked loudly a few times. Oort. Oort. Oort! Instantly, clouds formed in the show ring and they began to drip water over the both of us and some of the closest members of the crowd.
Soon the slow drizzle escalated into a full on downpour with water running down over the edge stage and into a drain on the floor.
"Ah, what a perfect summer shower," I said beaming from under the parasol. "I hope you've all enjoyed meeting Aramis!"
[19.1, 13] [Aramis displays Moist Skin, uses Call the Rains, using Raindrops Parasol]
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