A WILD EVENT POST APPEARS!

[these_balls]

So! As careful watchers of EV News lately might've noticed, Clair's been getting kind of testy lately, what with so much media attention focusing on other locations in Johto and such relatively few challenges coming her way. (Seriously, they ran a story about Morty going for a walk?) But now, with Amphy getting sick and the beginnings of the No Foolin' Benefit Concert taking shape down in Olivine City, Clair's decided that's the last straw, and it's high time she did something about all this. Who does Jasmine think she is, garnering so much love and support from altruistic citizens of Johto, anyway? Don't people realize Clair totally deserves her moment (or possibly several moments) in the spotlight, too? Clair certainly thinks so.

And so, as a result, she is going to be putting on her very own



Because no one ever said she was subtle.

SO WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN?

Long story short? Clair's planning a party and you're all invited.
Long story long? Being somewhat miffed about what she perceives as being overlooked lately, and wanting to reestablish herself as the Biggest Deal in Johto, Clair is going to throw a big ol' extravagant social event as a way of showing off how cool she is. Originally, she was just going to do it to put herself in the spotlight; when she catches wind of the fact that the idols are putting on a concert to help out Jasmine, that'll just be the icing on the cake (or the fuel for the fire). See, if there's going to be a Social Event of the Season that Gets Everyone Talking™, she wants it to be hers. And you're all invited.

SO SHE'S UPSTAGING THE IDOLS?

Sort of. While the timing of the event is definitely a reaction to what they're doing, the motivation is primarily an attention grab, ICly speaking. She's had enough of getting overlooked in the media and the general gym circuit in favor of some of the other gym leaders, and just decided the time is ripe to do something about it.
(But on an OOC note, a big thank-you to the assorted idol casts for letting us piggyback like this off your plot for ours! ♥)

ALL RIGHT. WHEN AND WHERE IS THIS GOING DOWN?

The party will run from April 5 through April 6 — that's the Friday and Saturday immediately following the concert. The location will be at Clair and Lance's Super Classy Elite Four Exclusive Vacation Retreat in Scenic Tohjo Falls.

HOLD THE PHONE. CLAIR AND LANCE HAVE A VACATION RETREAT IN TOHJO FALLS?

Hey, the Elite Four gotta have a super-secret palatial Hollywood estate to chill out in somewhere. No big surprise why they keep it hush-hush: if everybody knew that's where they went to relax and unwind, they'd have eager trainers beating down their door every minute. Wouldn't you?

DOES THAT MEAN WE FINALLY GET TO MEET THE ELITE FOUR?

Alas, no, they know shenanigans when they see them, so they'll be politely turning down Clair's invitations and making themselves scarce for the duration. They don't really want to get all wrapped up in the middle of one of Lance's cousin's wacky productions at the moment.

YOU SUCK. I WANTED TO BATTLE THE ELITE FOUR AND NOW YOU'RE JUST TAUNTING ME BY DANGLING PROMISES OF THEM WHILE KEEPING THEM FOREVER OUT OF MY REACH.

Life is hard. Also, we'll be honest, we don't feel we're equipped at this time to satisfactorily handle the Elite Four, and we'd rather take a long time but ultimately do a good job with them than half-ass it on a rush job.

WAIT. TOHJO FALLS ARE CLOSED. HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO GET THERE FOR THE PARTY?

Good question! Luckily, your gym leaders are here for you. Clair's already sent out their invitations and made it very clear that they will be attending, and as a result each of the gym leaders will be providing ferry service from their respective cities and towns to help partygoers get to Tohjo! This is completely handwavable and free of charge, so all your character has to do is get to one of the cities or towns and be waiting near the gym on the morning the leaders leave. Think of it like a super classy bus service.

MY CHARACTER WOULDN'T BE INTERESTED IN A PARTY, THOUGH.

Would they be interested in exploring a heretofore-closed area of the universe that no one's really had access to yet? How about the potential for getting some information on the Elite Four (since this retreat is where they spend a fair amount of time hanging out with each other)? Or the chance to look at artwork, research, and other information about Pokemon species that aren't readily available anywhere else? Why, there might even be the chance to catch some fairly rare Pokemon from around the Tohjo area. The possibilities are endless.

NO, SERIOUSLY, THEY STILL WOULDN'T WANT TO GO.

Perhaps their Pokemon can encourage them into it, then! After all, this event isn't just for the trainers — it's a get-together for your rosters, too! (Why should the humans be the only ones to have fun, right?) There will be a designated dance floor for accompanying Pokemon to spend time together, play, and interact as well, though for purposes of space, Clair will be requiring that rosters be limited to six, with a maximum of one Pokemon of excessive size. We can find room to accommodate one Wailord; six might be a little too much of a hassle!

WELL, I HATE PARTIES. DO MY CHARACTERS HAVE TO GO?

Nope! This event is entirely optional. Granted, we're hoping that most people will go, and as a result, characters who choose to stay behind will probably find that most of the rest of the nations are pretty deserted for the duration. (Gym battles will understandably be suspended, since the leaders will be off partying it up in Tohjo.) But if you'd rather avoid this event altogether, you're perfectly welcome to.

HOW ARE OUR CHARACTERS GETTING INVITED TO THIS ICLY? DO WE HAVE TO RSVP?

No RSVP necessary! On Friday, March 22, Clair will begin having her dragons do fly-overs of Johto and Kanto. They'll be carrying with them a bunch of little plastic Pokeballs about the size of a Ping-Pong ball, which they'll be scattering from the air as they go. When opened, some of these Pokeballs will have a silver ticket inside! If your character gets one, they're invited to the shindig. (Note that for OOC purposes, there are obviously enough tickets for every character to find one; however, characters are also welcome to bring a date as their plus-one to the party, so you're welcome to play things out that way instead.)

SO WHAT DOES THIS PLACE LOOK LIKE, AND WHAT CAN I FIND THERE?

Well, for starters, it looks like this:

KEY:

• BLUE areas are where the bulk of the party's events will be located! As you can see, the festivities will be taking place largely outdoors, and the grounds will reflect that; there'll be the usual decorations of pretty floral arrangements, little lights, things like that. Think garden party!
• GREEN areas are where guests will be staying overnight! Unfortunately, you'll be sleeping-bagging it up, since this is a house party and not a hotel party, but this is where you'll be given space to leave your possessions, claim some sleeping room, and generally crash for the night once the festivities do you in. (Note: you're welcome to try to sleep elsewhere, but Clair might catch you and disapprove. You don't want that, do you?)
• RED areas are unfortunately off-limits to guests! If asked about them, anyone will tell you that those are the rooms and areas that the Elite Four have claimed for themselves, and they're sealed off tight. Please don't try to break into them anyway; you'll only be caught and punished.

• AREA A is the designated Indoor Ballroom area, for the people who would prefer to class it up a little more than just your standard garden party. There's a big skylight, hardwood floors, tasteful artwork, and classy music — a little more upscale than the shenanigans going on outside, for the people who'd rather that kind of thing.
• AREA B will be the area of interest for anyone hoping to sneak a little Pokemon research on the side: this is the Library/Gallery area of the house. While most of it is your standard "tall shelves of ancient identical books" fare, there are a few points of interest — a sculpture of Lugia, a painting of the Ecruteak City skyline before the Brass Tower burned down, some stone etchings of what might be Fossil Pokemon, and so on. Guests are welcome to look around a little, but burying themselves in research the whole time will be highly frowned upon, and you'll be politely encouraged to leave the library alone and go rejoin the festivities if you hole up in there for too long.
• AREA C is...well, the Parking Lot. More importantly, it's where you take your Pokemon battles if you simply gotta get your battle on; keep it out and away from the house, please, and try not to make too much of a mess. Skirmishes, sorties, and sparring will be tolerated here and here alone. Do it anywhere else and you'll be facing some very displeased hosts.
• AREA D is the Elite Four's Trophy Room. Please be quiet and respectful if you come up here to have a look around; it's a solemn kind of place. Here you'll find various collections of badges, ribbons, awards, and trophies put on display, with one wall devoted to each member of the Elite Four. Of particular note is a glass case with a broken Ultra Ball mounted inside; the brass plaque attached claims it's the ball Lorelei was using when she almost caught Articuno. On a lighter note, there are also pictures of the Elite Four themselves — your standard Official Portraits™, sure, but also some framed candids of them in various configurations hanging out with their Pokemon and engaged in various activities around the house (Agatha making waffles, Lance and Bruno clowning around in the pool, stuff like that).

WHAT OTHER EVENT DETAILS DO I NEED TO KNOW?

• It's an unofficial masquerade! You won't get in trouble if you opt not to wear one, but there'll be cute little masks with Pokemon-inspired designs available for partygoers to pick up and wear — knowing Clair, probably a fair number of Dragon-themed ones, but be creative! Guests are also welcome to bring their own if they'd rather, but everyone gets to keep theirs afterward as a souvenir! Yes, even the Pokemon. If you're looking for examples, think something like these!
• The music will be more classical/orchestral stuff indoors and more upbeat, pop dance stuff outdoors. Feel free to make requests of the DJ; if you're lucky you might even be able to persuade her to open up the microphones for some impromptu karaoke.
• Refreshments suitable for both humans and Pokemon will be available, with enough leftovers that people are welcome to steal some to take home with them afterward. Coincidentally, it seems Mom might've inspired some of the catering — a couple of those desserts look conspicuously like the ones she's been rolling out lately.
• Yes, you may spike the punch bowl. One of them.

I'M A ROCKET AND/OR OTHERWISE EVIL PERSONAGE. CAN I ATTACK THIS EVENT?

We're willing to entertain suggestions for player plots and other small shenanigans taking place during the party! However, there will be no massive attacks or huge displays of chaos this time around. Clair's got pretty kickass security and there are going to be a lot of gym leaders around, so any attempts at mischief will get shut down pretty fast, and also fairly quietly. But like we said, if you have ideas of things you want to do or contribute, please let us know and we'll see if we can accommodate you! Just be advised that consequences are mandatory here — no scot-free escapes.

...DID YOU SAY THERE ARE GOING TO BE GYM LEADERS AROUND?

That's right! We may not be rolling out the Elite Four just yet, but we on the modteam are going to use this event to try out an experiment: making the gym leaders temporarily interactive NPCs for the duration of the party! We hope that you'll be patient and bear with us as we give the idea a test-run and work out the kinks of how to best handle having them interact with players (and each other!) like real people.

SO CAN I CHALLENGE ONE OF THE GYM LEADERS TO A BATTLE?

That will depend entirely on the gym leader! Some might be more receptive than others to your challenge. Feel free to discuss it with us and we'll see what we can work out!

YOU MEAN YOU'RE ACTUALLY GOING TO TRY TO GET EVERY CHARACTER IN THIS GAME TAGGING AROUND IN A SINGLE OPEN LOG?

Arceus (and Dreamwidth servers) willing. However, while we will be putting up an event log in route_1065, that doesn't mean the log post is the only place you can play and thread! We highly encourage players to make their own posts set in and around the Elite Four's resort, the same as you would any other city or town in the game. The gym leaders will only be available in the main log post, though; we want to make sure we can keep their involvement manageable for everyone concerned, so we don't end up dropping NPC threads all over the place because we got overwhelmed.

YOU PROMISED ME COOL AND RARE WILD POKEMON. WHAT ARE THEY?

Because this is an event, and Clair and the Elite Four would really prefer it if the mass of incoming trainers didn't poach all the native wildlife from their lovely Tohjo hideaway, we will be capping the number of Cool And Rare Wild Pokemon™ that guests can encounter and capture at one apiece. That said, here's the list of what you're welcome to find, either in the forested areas surrounding the estate or down by the Falls themselves:

Golbat, Bidoof, Raticate, Rattata, Zubat, Slowpoke, Woobat, Bibarel, Goldeen, Magikarp, Seaking, Foongus, Rufflet,
Sunkern, Clamperl, Huntail, Swalot, Banette, Drifblim, Castform, Cryogonal, Dewgong, Poliwrath, Frillish, Kingdra

[Wild Pokemon will all be levels 20-30.]

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE PARTY'S OVER?

That's when the other perk of coming to Clair's big shindig kicks in! The gym leaders will still be ferrying people back to their respective cities and towns in Johto and Kanto, but you do NOT have to go home with the same gym leader that you arrived with! So if there's a particular gym you've been meaning to get to, or you've been looking for an excuse to get into Kanto or Johto but can't afford the train ticket, or otherwise just want to get somewhere or meet up with people that you haven't been able to before, we highly encourage you to use this opportunity to move your character around the world! Call it a freebie, on us.

HEY. SO ONCE MY CHARACTER'S BEEN TO TOHJO, THAT MEANS THEY CAN FIND THEIR WAY BACK, RIGHT?

Sorry, but no. OOCly, we're opening up Tohjo as a location solely for this event and only within the boundaries specified; they can't take off and leave the area mid-plot, either. ICly, we're asking for some leeway and suspension of disbelief as to why your characters won't remember the way back afterward — maybe the flight was too complex to follow, or they fell asleep on the ride, or some other excuse you're free to come up with yourself. Once this event is over, Tohjo will go back to being closed, just as it was before.

THIS ALL SOUNDS GREAT, BUT LET'S BE REAL: ISN'T THIS REALLY JUST A FLAGRANTLY OBVIOUS EXCUSE TO MAKE YOUR CHARACTERS FLOUNCE AROUND WEARING PRETTY DRESSES AND DOING CHEESY SLICE-OF-LIFE THINGS?

Sure is.

I HAVE A QUESTION THAT YOU DIDN'T ANSWER YET!

No problem! Just ask us right here in the comments of this post. Operators will be standing by to take your call. o/

Please feel free to use the comments of this post to discuss ideas, lay out plans, and plot things with other players!

Comments

[usedswift]

tl;dr? twinbuns at the party, willing to socialize(/battle with some convincing)~

Tenten will be absolutely thrilled to go, once she realizes that her party-mates are going. It's a big social gathering where she can at least try to get the downers of her group read: Sasuke and Shino if she can find him to be a little social and maybe even have some fun while they're at it. She'll be wearing this dress, modified to make absolutely certain she can move in it, with this mask. Of course, she'll be sewing compartments and other things to hide the knives Vanitas made her in there. Wouldn't be twinbuns without hidden weapons.

That said, she's definitely willing to speak with wallflowers and try to coax them onto the dance floor, too! She's still technically in-hiding thanks to Sasbutt's nonsense, but with the size of the venue and the masks, she'll be a lot more willing to engage with people.

For battling purposes she'll be bringing along Feng (Skarmory) and Jinwu (Murkrow), just in case she and up to two other people need to flee the venue, with Hibuchi (Vulpix) and Mei (Lopunny) as backup. She'll most likely be walking around with one of her (many, but she's only bringing two) baby Pokémon, either Riolu or Ferroseed.

[aburame]

... If he was aware of Tenten's plan to make him DANCE, he'd stay hidden if he can help it.

[usedswift]

Sorry bro, not an option. She'll go offscreen and find you, bro.

[ghostytrainer]

john would be more than happy to do a little face-to-face socializing with Tenten. He thinks she's a pretty cool gal even if they don't know ech other all that well yet.

[usedswift]

That would be great! All this technology is pretty cool, but Tenten doesn't find it nearly as fun as in-person meetings~ She thinks John's a little odd, but fun to talk to, and she could use the kind of light-hearted distraction what with how stupidly serious her friends comrades are.

[ghostytrainer]

People thinking John is odd, must be a day that ends in y.

Don't worry, Tenten he understands. Serious people need to learn to lighten up a little. IT'S POKEMON WHO CAN BE SERIOUS AND UPTIGHT HERE?

[usedswift]

LOTS OF PEOPLE APPARENTLY including her. They should pull some kind of shenanigans at the party to lighten up the mood. :|a

[ghostytrainer]

Tenten that's not good for you They should, yes. Did you have anything particular in mind? :|a

[usedswift]

Hmm... :|a nothing too particular, but if John has anyone who he'd be keen on making sure they're not taking everything Too Seriously, she'd definitely tag-team them with him, if nothing else!

[ghostytrainer]

So far it's just Dave and Jane on his end so far who's straying close to wallflower dumbdumb territory but yes. John would be more than okay with tag teaming in that sort of scenario.

[usedswift]

We'll see what happens, then! Either way, these two are great~

[gunkonmyboot]

Someone needs to drag him.

[usedswift]

I VOLUNTEER!

No really, she can give him a call after invitations go out all are you going to this thing you'd better be going to this thing come on let's go to this thing it'll be great c'mon 17 let's go.

[gunkonmyboot]

YES, do it. Give him reasons to go. He'll bring his team too.

He's keeping the damn bandana on!

[usedswift]

yeaaaah! She'll be more reluctant to battle with Pokémon just because WHAT IF BOWSER ATTACKS but she'd be willing to go one round with him/be interested in seeing his team now that they've had some time apart.

But this means you're dancing with her, not!bro. Tenten will only be leaving the dance floor for in her super-secret plot to get Sasuke to dance with her to get food and drag other people onto the dance floor with her so. Hope you cyborgs can dance. :|

[gunkonmyboot]

Yes, battle! Rematch and he'll win! He's thinking ahead. He'll even save 'Thingy' for much later cause lvl 100 haha.

Maybe street dance, lol. He probably can do a better slow dance than Sasuke anyway. /shot

[usedswift]

Using Thingy is cheating! DX but no she's not going to want a full-scale battle if she doesn't have access to a PC because of the latest attack (she got to throw a knife in a Machamp's eye! Are you proud of her, not!bro?), so the most he would get out of her would be using Hibuchi (Ninetails now!) or Mei (Lopunny) against him. Gotta save the Flying types for in case the ninjas have to ollie right on out of there.

That would be so cool, she'd be so impressed! You know he probably is a better dancer but shhh she's crushing pretty hard on Sasuke due to post-Tsunade reasons.

[gunkonmyboot]

Don't worry, he won't use Thingy. Thiny is only for emergencies and for people who deserves it. (PFF He would so add a pun to that and be proud of you! 'Bulls eye!'). I gotta decide what to use, most likely will be his Lucario and someone else. Steel/Fighter def a yes!

PFF, he saw that, he be eyeing Sauseboy more.

[usedswift]

(HAHA cute~ hopefully she doesn't get arrested for it tho whoops)

Just imagining them both going 8| at each other through the whole prom. Just don't think any less of her if you spot her grabbing his hand and leading Sasuke away from the crowded areas, they're off to do adorable things have adventures with Carmen Sandiego.

17 and Joonhee should bond over being Tenten-not!bros.

[gunkonmyboot]

Joohee and him will join brotherly forces and stalk the kids. Perfect way to spend your night at the prom, night vision goggles and camo wear.

[usedswift]

sob Joonhee won't stalk her she hopes. Seventeeeeeen don't interfere she's a big girl! Help I keep giggling because this is adorable

[brbmakingfriends]

Be glad he won't try to kill him! If it was his way, point the finger and watch a light beam pass through him. Nope! Can't help you there cause I'm evil like that.

[usedswift]

SEVENTEEN NO let the girl have some fun. It's the girl pursuing the boy, after all~

This is going to be fabulous.