Enzayne

Magicorp: Wizards Gone Corporate

I'm team Stella.

Pokemon: Starlight Dreams

Mags is great.

Pokemon: Starlight Dreams

Threw up my first post, hope its alright 😭

Pokemon: Starlight Dreams

Alex

Location: Beryl Town, Mid-Festival.
Interacting with: NPCs

---

Ugh. Perhaps this hadn't been such a good idea. In the boisterous crowd of young adults, children, and proud or excited elders, the icy determination with which Alex had initially set out, was now thoroughly quelled. None of her righteous anger or thoroughly thought out (it hadn't been) plan seemed to want to assemble in her head now that she stood firmly plopped in a sea of screaming people and some Pokémon, none of whom seemed to have any regard for personal space or personal hygiene. The professor's speech was hard to hear; some knucklehead bumped into her shoulder to knock her out of her lame attempt at paying attention, and it was barely possible to see with some tall yellow bush a few heads in front. Not that she cared, right? Ugh.

The thought of crawling back to Father with a phone call and asking for a ticket home sent a ripple of disgust through her spine. She could handle Father’s matter-of-factly declarations of never having believed in her, and she was already a master at tuning out her brothers glib remarks. The worst part would be her mother. Mother had guilt-tripped her for so long about this, she'd take this opportunity to never let her forget about how she couldn't follow through. If she came back now, she'd probably have to work off all the money they shelled out to fast track courses and tickets, or live with her mother having ammunition for the rest of her life. No. She would do this. It was too late to turn back now.

Alex turned around towards the booths as soon as Stern's speech - that old lady seemed familiar somehow, like more than a celebrity - ended, and hurried to walk up for these gifts that they could collect. Despite hurrying, she ended up at the back of a long line.

”So, you are also striking out as a trainer? Excited for your egg?” someone spoke out behind her. When someone touched her shoulder briefly, she realized they were talking to her. She turned to look; a young man with a bowl cut and thin-rimmed glasses. He wore a slightly oversized white coat, not quite hitting whatever lab tech look he was going for.

”...Uh. I guess so. Egg, though?” Alex muttered, vaguely recalling something about that in the speech. ”I dunno. I don't know much about this stuff.”

”Heh,” the young man breathed with a deeply smug expression, and raised a hand to push up his glasses. ”You happen to be in luck. I am one of the foremost experts in all things considered relevant for a Pokémon journey. I have watched all Institute Vodcasts and happen to have community merit badges in both Battle and Training Theory from the Institute messageboards. You see, Pokémon have a variety of attributes _that-...”

Alex tuned out the guy as the line moved forward, focusing instead on looking ahead at the people handing out eggs. Was she really going to do it? She'd never taken care of a plant, let alone an unborn Pokémon. What if she mistreated it by accident, or didn't like it, or it didn't like her? What if it was gross or stinky or annoying? She exhaled slowly and looked back at the glasses guy.

”...so what you'd want to do in that situation is to figure out what vitamins you need to alter in its diet to maximise the gains of growth, supposing an even curve of training over a period _of-...”

She glanced back to the booth. Down to her phone. Despite her muscles straining to keep still, her hand was shaking ever so slightly. Should she just call Father and admit she was wrong? Alex gritted her teeth and shoved the phone back in her pocket. To the technical droning of the glasses guy in her ear, she tried to push the doubt from her mind.

When it was finally her turn it went by in a blur. They talked a bunch of instructions at her, and lifted an orange and gray egg with yellow marks into her hands. It was extremely light and slightly warm to the touch. Alex felt a strange warmth in her throat at the same time as her brain fired on all panic channels. She mostly just stared at the egg. Damn. Comet had been a gift, but this was hers. Right? She was a Pokémon trainer now. Right? This was for real for real.

She blinked and looked up and noticed the glasses guy had gotten an egg of his own. He said something about Morpheus, and pointed to another booth. Alex quietly followed him, staring at her egg.

This was it. No going back now. No backing out. She held the egg with a little more conviction and stood at the back of the line to a new booth.

Magicorp: Wizards Gone Corporate

Lydia

"C'mon. You're, like, totally overthinking this. Just sign and enjoy your sweet new bling."

Full Name: Lydia Thorne / Yviastralanastrinivindrayna

Age: 23

Appearance: Lydia is... not quite normal. Without the help of illusions, she has features commonly associated with demons in human culture, with maroon horns and a pointy tail, pointed ears, and claw-like nails. More commonly, those features are downplayed enough through magic to help her fit in among mundanes. She favours luxurious and expensive fabrics and accessories, and seems to actively seek out where the line for the dress code is drawn by altering her appearance. Her ethnicity is hard to pin down - her features are almost a blend of what is considered attractive rather than distinct markers. She's average height, and just slim enough to fill out a cocktail dress.

Worldview (Personality): Lydia appears to approach society with a playfully challenging ideal. She doesn't always seem to consider the seriousness of a situation or task, and that flippant behaviour and high elevation of her own interests can put her at odds with people who want swift, professional and uncomplicated results. She loves deal making, bets, and false promises through legalese. Her approach to people is more like puzzles to be solved rather than living beings deserving of empathy. As such, her view of others is very arbitrary - she does not necessarily find reasons to help or harm in the same ways others would. Rather, she is interested in novelty, self-actualisation, and squeezing success out of whatever she can get away with.

Position: Marketing and Sales; Lydia is an eternal salesperson, looking for deals and profit where others are focused on clocking out.

Magic: Lydia is skilled in illusions, but has little to no book smarts on the topic and no interest in learning how to develop her talents beyond minor glamours, sound distortions, and blurry imaging. Her real talent is in elemental magic. Her heritage has given her a leg up in channeling some manner of fey fascimile of the infernal, and she can use that deplorable energy to leech lifeforce, spray beams of foul and terrifying energy, or otherwise corrupt and warp the bodies of the unfortunate.

Resume (Background): There are ancient tales of children being swapped and taken, of diabolical rituals to bring a destroyer to the earth, of dark desperate deals made for the future depravity of a firstborn in exchange for salvation or power. Lucy is the result of none of those. Rather she is the result of a notorious fey being, who strongly resembles demonic folklore, getting totally wiped out in a bar and getting absolutely overrun with affection after being sweet-talked by a lonely lady taking a break from her struggles in the fast world of finance.

Initially intending to ditch and never recall such a disgrace on his self-respect, curiosity and something akin to obsession drew him back to the woman, who he found had recently given birth to an adorable abomination. He came clean to his love, and inducted her into the world behind the veil, resolving to stay with his mortal lover and his new spawn.

Lydia grew quickly, and was unstoppable in her advance to take advantage of the world. Her dad couldn't be prouder when she fleeced her classmates of their foiled trading cards for mere trash basics, when she argued her way out of a red card in soccer, or turned an alley cockroach into ashes out of pure instinct (and terror).

But such a peace would not last. Though Lydia's own cheerful ambition was unbeatable, her parents worried she would fit in with neither the regular world - where her odd campaigns for success and appearance would her at risk for attention, nor the truly fantastical - where her lack of talent for truly amazing feats of magical skill and mortal shell would pose a real setback. Instead, they began to seek out a safe place for Lydia to be herself.

To skin the world of all it's got.

Interests (Likes):
- Gambling, betting, wagers
- Games and competition
- MATERIAL WEALTH

Non-Interests (Dislikes):
- Prejudice
- Sticks-in-the-mud
- Cats (it's mutual)

Other Junk (Misc.):
- Uttering Lydia's true name makes her irritated and stressed out. Her dad only used it to scold her.
- She is very good at learning new games, and seems to have a knack for most recreational games. Unfortunately she isn't as good at things requiring luck.
- Totally loves the Panko Chicken Poke Bowl from that place on the corner down the street.

Pokemon: Starlight Dreams

Will work on a post ASAP now that I'm not first out XD
I'm going to go for a fletchling I think

Edit: Vinny is great

Magicorp: Wizards Gone Corporate

Guess I'll throw my hat in the ring.

Lydia

"C'mon. You're, like, totally overthinking this. Just sign and enjoy your sweet new bling."

Full Name: Lydia Thorne / Yviastralanastrinivindrayna

Age: 23

Appearance: Lydia is... not quite normal. Without the help of illusions, she has features commonly associated with demons in human culture, with maroon horns and a pointy tail, pointed ears, and claw-like nails. More commonly, those features are downplayed enough through magic to help her fit in among mundanes. She favours luxurious and expensive fabrics and accessories, and seems to actively seek out where the line for the dress code is drawn by altering her appearance. Her ethnicity is hard to pin down - her features are almost a blend of what is considered attractive rather than distinct markers. She's average height, and just slim enough to fill out a cocktail dress.

Worldview (Personality): Lydia appears to approach society with a playfully challenging ideal. She doesn't always seem to consider the seriousness of a situation or task, and that flippant behaviour and high elevation of her own interests can put her at odds with people who want swift, professional and uncomplicated results. She loves deal making, bets, and false promises through legalese. Her approach to people is more like puzzles to be solved rather than living beings deserving of empathy. As such, her view of others is very arbitrary - she does not necessarily find reasons to help or harm in the same ways others would. Rather, she is interested in novelty, self-actualisation, and squeezing success out of whatever she can get away with.

Position: Marketing and Sales; Lydia is an eternal salesperson, looking for deals and profit where others are focused on clocking out.

Magic: Lydia is skilled in illusions, but has little to no book smarts on the topic and no interest in learning how to develop her talents beyond minor glamours, sound distortions, and blurry imaging. Her real talent is in elemental magic. Her heritage has given her a leg up in channeling some manner of fey fascimile of the infernal, and she can use that deplorable energy to leech lifeforce, spray beams of foul and terrifying energy, or otherwise corrupt and warp the bodies of the unfortunate.

Resume (Background): There are ancient tales of children being swapped and taken, of diabolical rituals to bring a destroyer to the earth, of dark desperate deals made for the future depravity of a firstborn in exchange for salvation or power. Lucy is the result of none of those. Rather she is the result of a notorious fey being, who strongly resembles demonic folklore, getting totally wiped out in a bar and getting absolutely overrun with affection after being sweet-talked by a lonely lady taking a break from her struggles in the fast world of finance.

Initially intending to ditch and never recall such a disgrace on his self-respect, curiosity and something akin to obsession drew him back to the woman, who he found had recently given birth to an adorable abomination. He came clean to his love, and inducted her into the world behind the veil, resolving to stay with his mortal lover and his new spawn.

Lydia grew quickly, and was unstoppable in her advance to take advantage of the world. Her dad couldn't be prouder when she fleeced her classmates of their foiled trading cards for mere trash basics, when she argued her way out of a red card in soccer, or turned an alley cockroach into ashes out of pure instinct (and terror).

But such a peace would not last. Though Lydia's own cheerful ambition was unbeatable, her parents worried she would fit in with neither the regular world - where her odd campaigns for success and appearance would her at risk for attention, nor the truly fantastical - where her lack of talent for truly amazing feats of magical skill and mortal shell would pose a real setback. Instead, they began to seek out a safe place for Lydia to be herself.

To skin the world of all it's got.

Interests (Likes):
- Gambling, betting, wagers
- Games and competition
- MATERIAL WEALTH

Non-Interests (Dislikes):
- Prejudice
- Sticks-in-the-mud
- Cats (it's mutual)

Other Junk (Misc.):
- Uttering Lydia's true name makes her irritated and stressed out. Her dad only used it to scold her.
- She is very good at learning new games, and seems to have a knack for most recreational games. Unfortunately she isn't as good at things requiring luck.
- Totally loves the Panko Chicken Poke Bowl from that place on the corner down the street.

Pokemon: Starlight Dreams

Damn you for promoting gacha gaming with these eggs.

Pokemon: Starlight Dreams

Hell yeah! Let's hate and definitely never ever ever do contests together! I've left her upbringing vague on purpose, but she has appeared in Unova for the old family foothold, and the family is allegedly well known in the contest scene, both backing contestants and hawking merch.

If you have any cool ideas, throw me a PM!

Pokemon: Starlight Dreams

Alex

Source

Name: Alexandra ‘Alex’ de Vries
Age: 19
Gender: Female, she/her/they.
Appearance: Alex dresses with comfort and style primarily in mind, favoring baggy and loose clothes with sharp color combinations. She almost always wears her cap, preferring to hide her expressions and the risk of anyone recognizing her as a media empire nepo baby. With average height and a half-effort to not stand out amidst others her age, she puts on a front that is almost suspiciously ordinary. That goes for all accessories and extras as well, her clothes and trainers are expensive on closer inspection, but purposely picked so as to match current styles on Starre. The real hint is her transceiver, the latest model with a sleek and exclusive black case in a zorua-theme.

Optional Appearance

Contest Outfit: None yet
Swimsuit: Full body one-piece with distinct and eye-catching color combinations of black, white and orange.
Hot Outfit: Usual outfit with jacket tied around waist.
Cold Outfit: Puffy black jacket and thick orange scarf with luxury branding.

Hometown: Diamond City, Starre
Role: Adventurer

Personality:
Alex is a dedicated slacker and under-achiever, often putting more effort into being contrary than being helpful. Despite that rather palpable facade, she has a strong sense of justice and morality. This usually ends up throwing wrenches in her attempts to be aloof and detached, bubbling to the surface in acts of rebellion, teenage angst, and bitter dislike of authority.

She tries to keep others, both Pokémon and people, at a distance, convinced that others are just out to use her for money or connections. Internally, she's fighting a battle between finding where she belongs and fits in, and being a stoic and immovable disappointment to her parents out of spite.

Despite all that, if one can get past the venomous silence and sardonic barbs, they'll find a woman longing for something new and exciting. Maybe even lasting connections.

Background:
Alex is the second child of the current heads of the prestigious de Vries family, a dynasty of producers and starmakers from Unova who emigrated to Starre before Alex was ever born. There they expanded their reach and constructed a media empire built on coached Pokémon Contest talent, sold contest merchandise and variety programs and news in the Pokémon world.

They made their real mark on Starre history by worming their way into the Contest scene as playmakers and entertainment providers, but also played a pivotal role in continuosly pushing the narrative of Cassandra Stern's guilt seventeen years ago. They more or less declared war on Starre’s previous beloved to increase their ratings, and that controversy and media spin dominated much of Alex early life.

Her proximity to her parents made her deeply involved in the inner workings of media at a young age, and without the pressure to learn the business - that burden lay on her older brother - Alex was free to play the part of public darling and even appeared on TV as a child in small programs for children.

Alex grew up with a silver spoon, wanting for very little, and being brought up close to the operations of the media corporation and it's ruthless way of making headlines and stars. She was trained early on to be the next big star of Pokémon. Contests, a homegrown talent for the dynasty. As such, her entire life has been scheduled and predetermined. Her friends and activities have been vetted and optimized for future potential, and every public appearance has been maximised for a future role as a big name in the Starre contest scene.

Alex, however, deeply resents this expected role, and though she has previously made a debut in smaller contests, she avoids them like the plague, resolving to never bow to her parents expectations. It began small with self-sabotaging and acts of rebellion. Ultimately, it spun out in a massive argument where she threatened to leak a company scandal to the public. Her demand? Let her do what she wants.

Surprisingly, her father agreed and apparently wholeheartedly supported her.

Her now sudden debut as a real Pokémon trainer is a ploy from her father to give her more worldly experience, before she inevitably gives in and follows the life-plan her parents have set up for her.

She'll die before she becomes a slave to the contest spotlight. Right..?

Talents/Weaknesses: Alex is trained in academics and business strategy, having a relatively deep understanding of how to make the most out of the connection between pokemon and humans from a managerial perspective. She is also no slouch at either Pokémon contests and media production, although she is extremely loathe to use those talents. Her main weakness is her own stubborn suspicion against others, refusing to put her own skills to use or believe people have her interests at heart. She has also never really cooked a meal by herself, or really formed a connection with a Pokémon. She is not good at it.

Aspirations: NEVER participate in a Pokémon contest.
Other: Alex probably listens to Pokémon grunge music and EDM.
Wallet: 500.

Inventory:

x1 Potion

Comet

Species: Rockruff
Name: Comet
Level: 5
Type: Rock
Gender: Male
Personality: (Brave)
Rocky is a headstrong and brave little guy. He does not necessarily like staying back, and seems to have learned to have a sense of justice from his trainer. He dives in to protect others, sometimes even against Alex's will. He loves running around and challenging both humans and Pokémon, mostly playing around, but he doesn't back down from a real scuffle.
Other: He likes Pecha berry poffins.
Ability: Vital Spirit; Comet is an active and hyper little puppy, and remains awake and upright even when Pokémon try to put him to sleep.
Held Item: Shell Bell, tied around his neck.

Contest Stuff

Sheen: 0
Ribbons: None yet.

Movepool

Battling:

Tackle -
Deals Rank 1 base damage.
Leer -
Lowers the opponent’s defense by one stage.
Sand Attack -
Lowers the opponent’s accuracy by one stage.

Contest:

Tackle - Tough. Appeal; ❤️❤️❤️❤️. Quite an appealing move.
Leer - Cool. Appeal; ❤️❤️. Jam; 🖤. Badly startles Pokémon that the audience has high expectations of.
Sand Attack - Cute. Appeal; ❤️❤️❤️. Makes audience expect little of other contestants.

Movebank:

Comet don't got no moar moves oh no

Eggs