GUESS WHO'S BACK, BACK AGAIN

[these_balls]

THAT'S RIGHT, IT'S ONCE AGAIN TIME FOR...



SO WHAT EXACTLY IS POKEMON PROM?

In a nutshell, Pokemon Prom is an event we ran last year right around this time of year, in which Clair decided she wanted to throw a party and invite everyone in the region to it for the sake of wearing pretty dresses and generally having a good ol' time. Because it ended up being such a smash hit among the playerbase, we're bringing it back again this year for another go, with some new and exciting additions to help keep things fresh and fun in its second incarnation!

If you'd like to read up on the description we provided for last year's prom, you can do so here; if you weren't in the game at that time, we'd recommend looking that post over for the sake of context! However, everything you need to know about this year's prom will be included in this post, so checking that link is entirely optional (but again, recommended)!

FIRST THINGS FIRST: WHERE AND WHEN IS THIS THING GOING DOWN?

This year, Prom will be taking place from April 4 to April 6 — that's three days this year, instead of only two! And like last year, the location will be at Clair and Lance's Super Classy Elite Four Exclusive Vacation Retreat in Scenic Tohjo Falls.

...SINCE WHEN DO CLAIR AND LANCE HAVE A VACATION RETREAT IN TOHJO FALLS?

Since last year, when we totally made it up so we'd have a venue for throwing prom.

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

An excellent question! This year, rather than drafting the gym leaders into doing her dirty work, Clair and Lance will be personally supervising the ferry services that will get player characters to prom. That means this year there'll be Ace Trainers flying out to the Pokemon Center or Gym in every major city, and they'll be the ones tasked with picking up the partygoers and flying them to Scenic Tohjo Falls. 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 on the morning the Ace Trainers arrive. Think of it like a super classy bus service.

WHY IS CLAIR USING ACE TRAINERS THIS YEAR INSTEAD OF THE GYM LEADERS? IS THAT SIGNIFICANT SOMEHOW?

You bet it is. See, last year the Gym Leaders were our super special NPC guest stars.

This year, Clair doesn't want them upstaging her Bigger and Better Super Special NPC Guest Stars, so they're not invited. c:

AW, MAN. I WANT TO MEET THE BIGGER AND BETTER SUPER SPECIAL NPC GUEST STARS, BUT MY CHARACTER WOULDN'T BE INTERESTED IN A PARTY!

Would they be interested in exploring a heretofore-closed area of the universe that people can apparently only access once a year? How about the potential for getting some information on the Elite Four — and our other guest stars? 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.

THAT'S GREAT, BUT THEY STILL WOULDN'T WANT TO GO.

Then, like last year, perhaps their Pokemon can encourage them into it! 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!

In determining what a Pokemon "of excessive size" is, think one Pokemon big enough to ride or fly on, and the rest should be roughly person-sized or smaller. Most dragons, Torterra, Rapidash, and other 'mons like that, for example, will fall under the "excessive size" umbrella.

ACTUALLY, 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. 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 21, 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.)

NOTE: Clair and Lance will not be ICly telling people the identities of the Super Special NPC Guest Stars in the invitations to prom; that will remain a secret ICly until people are at prom in Tohjo and get to see them in person! They will foreshadow that it's a red-carpet gala for some Pretty Important People (So Don't Miss It) and etc, but there will be no indication of who those VIPs might be until prom actually happens.

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 upscale garden party! There'll also be a ballroom indoors for more traditionally fancy red-carpet goings-on, but most of the action (and volume of guests) will be found mingling out back.
• GREEN areas are where guests will be staying overnight! Unfortunately, you'll be sleeping-bagging it up, since there's a limited amount of bedrooms in this house and they're all being occupied by Clair, Lance, the Elite Four, and guests who are regrettably way more important than you. However, 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 (and their special guests) 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 prefer the classy elegance of a formal red-carpet gala over the more whimsy outdoor garden party atmosphere in the back. 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 — we've detailed them further right here. 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. There are also pictures of the Elite Four members themselves, though it seems there's been a changeover since the last prom; the candids and Official Portraits™ depict different people entirely now (with the exception of Bruno) and there are a few photos of some sort of ceremony among the others. These photos include Lance being declared Champion of both regions by Professor Oak, while the rest of the Elite Four look on; Lorelai hugging Will and Karen immediately after their promotion to Elite Four; Agatha and Koga having an exhibition battle between her Gengar and his Crobat; all six of them piling into the frame for what amounts to a massive group selfie, etc.

WHAT OTHER EVENT DETAILS DO I NEED TO KNOW?

• This is a red-carpet event! That means a formal dress code is going to be enforced; you don't have to be haute couture levels of fancy, but you can't show up in jeans and a polo, either. (Let us all never forget how brave Morty spent the entirety of prom in the parking lot last year because he wore socks with sandals and got kicked out by Clair.) Naturally, you should bring something comfortable to change into — it's a three-day event, after all — but if you don't have something formal to wear to the Main Event, Clair's likely to boot you to the parking lot, so.

• 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.

• Yes, that is actually a pool in the backyard. You're welcome to go swimming if you like, though we recommend not doing it in your red-carpet attire. (Hopefully you brought a bathing suit; if not, maybe someone will let you borrow one?)

• 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. Drinks are mostly punch and soft drinks, but you are welcome to BYOB if you are of age for it. This is prom, after all.

• Yes, you may spike the punch bowl. One of them.

HEY, THE EVENT IS RUNNING FOR THREE DAYS THIS YEAR. ARE WE LITERALLY SUPPOSED TO BE RED-CARPET PARTYING THE ENTIRE TIME?

Sort of! If you need an itinerary for how the three-day event is laid out, it's going to go roughly something like this:

• Day/Night One: Guests arrive, Clair and Lance put on the big dazzling red-carpet gala for their newly-arrived VIPs, everyone wears fancy dresses and has a big party.

• Day/Night Two: The event NPCs go casual to actually take care of the business that has actually brought them Tohjo in the first place; the PC guests (aka you guys) are welcome to continue partying, socializing, and enjoying yourselves on your own while they go off and be fabulous.

• Day Three: Things wrap up, the Ace Trainers assemble, and everyone leaves.

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. ICly speaking, the Rocket Execs will have handed down the word that they Strongly Frown On™ any disruptive Rocket shenanigans taking place at the event; for one thing it's just plain inadvisable to start trouble with so many flagrantly kickass bruisers there, and for another there's much more to be gained by keeping a low profile and taking advantage of the once-a-year opportunity to infiltrate the Elite Four's digs instead. OOCly, we're once again enforcing mandatory consequences for people who do start trouble, so while we're not outright banning Rocket shenanigans on a small and unobtrusive scale, we won't be allowing massive party-disrupting things, either.

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 guest star NPCs 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.

Also, because of player feedback, this year we'll be structuring the log format slightly differently than we did last year! Rather than having subthreads at given locations and having people post their starters beneath those threads (which, while organized, kept all the comment threads on the first page and made the load times outrageous), this year we'll be keeping the IC log post a free-for-all where people just post their starters, presumably with a location in the header, directly to the post itself.

However, we will also be maintaining an OOC directory post for prom, and this directory will have subthreads with the various locations; that way, people can link their starters off the directory post and hopefully maintain the same amount of organization while increasing functionality in terms of gameplay. And we'll provide the directions and stuff for that again when the posts themselves go up, don't worry!

Since this is technically a three-day event, we'll be having two official logs for it — one for the "red carpet" day of mingling and another for the second-day, less formal mingling and partying. The OOC directory post will reflect that!

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

Because this is an event, and your esteemed hosts 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:

Electrike, Castform, Frillish, Rufflet, Vullaby, Shuppet, Pawniard, Roggenrola, Makuhita, Huntail, Gorebyss, Foongus, Poliwrath, Kingdra, Throh, Sawk, Gothita, Beldum, Swalot, Quilfish, Relicanth, Lotad, Slakoth, Spoink, Bibarel, Carvahna, Dwebble, Mantyke

There will also be Bloobers (Goomy), obviously, and a few tragically lost Bronzong milling around as well!

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

YOU PROMISED ME SHELVES OF INTERESTING BOOKS AND ART AND OTHER INTRIGUING KNICKKNACKS. WHAT ARE THEY?

They'll be primarily Johto and Kanto regional works, with the occasional mention of the other regions here and there. The "Gallery" portion of the Library/Gallery in particular seems to be displaying the best Johto has to offer in terms of history and lore. There are large statues of Lugia and Ho-Oh in the center of the room, and a few stone etchings of Fossil Pokémon; one of the walls is dominated by paintings — there's one depicting the Ecruteak City skyline before the Brass Tower burned down, and another of the Legendary Beasts standing atop what looks like a mountain peak, watching over the region and generally looking majestic, as they do.

The books that can be found in those tall shelves set against the other walls are a combination of pure research material, mythology and history; there are books to be found about Dark-, Psychic-, Fighting- and Poison-types in particular — several of which seem to have been written by the Elite Four themselves, if the title pages are any indication. There's also at least one book that looks like it's a scrapbook of sorts — a compilation of cut-out news articles, scholarly writings, photographs, and handwritten notes speculating about the work being done at the Pewter City digsite. Given that it's found near a stack of other volumes that all seem to be about ancient civilizations, it looks as though someone's been doing some research lately...

(Of course, there are a few things in there that seem to be purely fiction: one of them appears to be a highly sensationalized retelling of how Red, the former Champion of the Kanto region, rose to glory. Rather than the straightforward tale that most NPCs in the region seem familiar with, there's a lot of talk of false prophets, a messiah figure, and a central clash between democracy and anarchy in this one. Strange.)

Aside from the assorted bookstacks, though, there's one corner of a writing table that seems to have been claimed for someone's scholarly endeavors; given the amount of dragon-themed books scattered around (and the fact that half the pages of the "manuscript" are really just doodles of dragons breathing fire and such), it looks like this might be Lance's little authorial domain. Several of the books are recently-published scientific journals, all of which have been bookmarked on pages with articles debating the hypothetical existence of Pokemon that are immune to Dragon-type attacks. Most of these articles have been subjected to Lance's scathing critique, penciled into the margins — it seems he has some particularly strong thoughts on that possibility, most of which amount to "Inconceivable!"

I WANT TO BREAK INTO THE OFF-LIMITS ELITE FOUR AREAS ANYWAY! CAN I DO THAT?

Well, you can try, but you're not likely to succeed, since that's where our Super Swag Ultimate Guest Stars are bunking and Clair and Lance would really rather they not be disturbed by the riffraff intruders.

For people who decide to attempt a break-in, the consequences could range anywhere from a stern admonition of "HEY! GET AWAY FROM THERE!", to being actually dragged back downstairs by one of the displeased Pokemon on duty charged with keeping people away from there; you could hypothetically get shooed into the kitchen and put on dishwashing detail as a punishment, or sentenced to sleep outside rather than in one of the indoor areas. Or, if you're really gunning for a severe punishment, Clair could blow her stack and do something like convincing the gym leaders to temp-ban the person from challenging a gym for the next few weeks afterward.

Or Lance could Hyper Beam you into a wall. He does that sometimes.

Basically, if you want there to be consequences, we can get creative and work with you! All it takes is some idea of what you'd like to happen.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE PARTY'S OVER?

That's when the other perk of coming to Clair's big shindig kicks in! The Ace Trainers will be ferrying people back to the cities and towns across Johto and Kanto, but you do NOT have to go home with the same Ace Trainer 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 (OR BACK AGAIN), THAT MEANS THEY CAN FIND THEIR WAY BACK, RIGHT?

Sorry, but no. OOCly, we're reserving Tohjo as an event-only location where trainers have to stay within the boundaries specified; once they're in, they can't take off and leave the area mid-plot, either. ICly, we're once again 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. (Until next year...?)

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?

We do not deny it.

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

No problem! Just ask us in this thread here. Operators will be standing by to take your call. o/

☆ IMPORTANT PLOT INFORMATION FOR THIS YEAR'S PROM ☆

OKAY, ENOUGH SUSPENSE. WHO THE BLAZES ARE THESE SPECIAL GUESTS, ANYWAY?

Remember that Bloober Swarm we had about a month ago? Well, as we mentioned, their migration led them toward Tohjo Falls, where they've lately been infesting the waterfalls, playing in the standing water, and generally having a good ol' time all over the Elite Four's phat palatial Pokemon estate. And naturally, the Elite Four have as little idea about what the Bloobers are as anyone else, so they did what any normal person would do when faced with a weird thing they'd never seen before and no idea what to think of it.

They started texting their friends and family about it.

You can thank Koga for setting the whole thing off, initially; he made a passing remark to Janine about the Bloober infestation at Tohjo during one of their regular check-ins. And of course, that was hot news, so Janine told her buddy Falkner, who bumped the word on to Brock, who floated it to Misty who ended up telling Whitney and then it got to Jasmine, and that's where things got interesting.

Jasmine ended up bouncing the news to Volkner, who naturally had no damn idea what was going on with Bloobers either, but clearly news of a weird and unprecedented Pokemon invasion in Johto/Kanto was news enough to bear repeating, so Volkner mentioned it to Flint who figured it'd be the kind of thing Cynthia would be interested in (and rightfully so). And then Cynthia got excited and told her grandmother who promptly forwarded the word to her old buddy Professor Rowan, and it was such hot news that of course Rowan had to get his contemporaries, Professor Juniper and Professor Sycamore, in on this business.

And naturally, when you tell a story that many times, the fine details get blown way out of proportion, so a fair number of these people are now of the belief that Tohjo Falls has been infested by some kind of ridiculous new mutant species of Pokemon with all the freakish and outlandish attributes that a gossip chain usually attributes to baseline facts.

Consequently, when a lot of these people heard a story like that, they packed their bags and booked travel plans to Tohjo, wanting to see these mysterious Bloober things for themselves. And so, for the final link in this telephone chain, when Lance found out that a bunch of elite superstars from the surrounding regions were coming to Tohjo to check out the Bloobers, he naturally got excited and raved about it to Clair, and wouldn't you know it, now she's throwing them a red-carpet welcoming gala.

HOLY SHIT.

I know, right.

YOU'RE TELLING ME THE NPCS ARE POKEMON CHARACTERS FROM THE OTHER REGIONS?

Yes they are, for a limited time only. And yes, they will be available for player interactions during prom; like last year, we'll each be taking a few of them and tossing them into the event log for people to hang out with if they'd like!

...Assuming you can catch them when they're not nerding out about the Bloobers, that is.

OKAY, SO WHO ALL IS COMING TO THIS THING? GIVE ME NAMES!

Currently on the NPC Guest List are:
• Professor Sycamore
• Professor Rowan
• Assistant Professor Bianca
• Champion Cynthia
• Champion Diantha
• Champion Lance
• Gym Leader Crasher Wake
• Gym Leader Clair
• Apprentice Shauna
• ?????

WOW, THAT IS A LOT OF FAMOUS PEOPLE.

Bloobers are a big deal!

I STILL HAVE QUESTIONS!

We still have answers! Ask us here.

ALSO I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT I AM SO EXCITED.

So are we!

And we just can't hide it.

In fact, we're about to lose control and we think we like it.

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

QUICK LINK:
EVENT QUESTIONS THREAD