Quests & Challenges

[i]The cheering from the spectators was as loud as always as the announcements were made, Clan after Clan receiving their just accolades for their exceptional performances in each Event. Dragons stepped up, accepted their medals, and waved at their adoring fans and loyal Clanmates. Some cried, overcome by the moment, while others could not stop smiling so wide it was a wonder their heads didn’t split. It was a fitting end to a fabulous week of Winter Games and every dragon there--winner and spectator alike--was caught up in the excitement. Though there were some who seemed a little bit more affected then others ….[/i] [center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/4268115][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/350/42682/4268115_350.png[/img][/url][/center] [b]Jasper[/b] lifted his Bronze Medal high, his usual reserved features split in a wide grin. They had done it. The competition had been fierce, and part of him had been severely worried about some of those teams--and rightly so--but the combined skills of all four of them had seen the Curling team to the podium yet again. He glanced to the right at his teammates, noting the beaming smile on [b]Alakazam[/b]’s face as the younger Skydancer waved to the crowd. Beside Al, [b]Bombara[/b] was a bit more reserved, but her happiness and pride for her them all shone in the team Captain’s eyes. Even [b]Nebula[/b] looked far less disgruntled than usual as she fingered the medal on her chest. Jasper chuckled to himself, knowing that the dark Tundra was just as pleased as the rest of them, and turned back to face the crowd again. When all three winning teams had stepped down to make way for the next set of winners, Jasper stepped forward to face the two Clams that had scored higher than his own (@HawkMartian @Tues) and swept them both a deep bow. “Well fought, my friends,” he said in his soft voice, “our team was beaten by worthy competitors indeed. I do hope we will see you both back next year for a rematch?” The old Coatl grinned, showing just a little teeth, allowing a bit of his own competitive streak to leak through for just a minute. Both teams had played well and deserved the medals they wore--but next year might well be another story, and would be, if he had anything to say about it. But that was for next year. For now, both teams deserved their spot on the stage, and Jasper heartily wished them well as the moment they had shared together on the Winner’s Platform came to an end. After receiving like comments from both, he, Bombarda, Alakazam, and Nebula returned to their Clan, preparing to watch the next few ceremonies--especially one in particular…. [center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/5161113][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/350/51612/5161113_350.png[/img][/url][/center] Standing on the Winner’s Platform, feeling the weight of the Silver Medal around her neck, [b]Emerald[/b] still could not quite comprehend that she was here. Since she first tried it out as a young, nervous dragon barely out of hatchlinghood as a way to try to connect to her roots in Ice Flight, the Luge had been her Event, and she had loved every minute of it--even the times (and there had been many) when she had ended up crashing or bruising her tail--but the thought of winning a medal had always seemed like a barely obtainable dream. And yet, here she was. Emerald felt a smile break across her face, that thought echoing through her mind. Here she was, on the stage at last. After years of waiting, she finally had a medal for her Trophy Shelf. Joyous laughter bubbled up inside her, even as tears ran from her eyes. She had won! She had finally won… But the moment did not belong to her alone, Emerald knew. She would to thank Runemaster later for encouraging her to try the Event all those years ago, and Meteor for patiently working with her on ways to improve her speed, and the whole Clan for supporting her for so long…. Her whirling thoughts abruptly screeched to a halt as she saw a very familiar Spiral standing in the crowd, beaming and she let out a soft chuckle as she waved. Yes, she needed to thank those outside the Clan as well, especially those who had wished her luck this year--and that reminded her. Emerald turned to the other two dragons standing beside her, Mineral (@TroubleinSevens), who had won the Bronze, and Mothra (@Magmish), who had beaten her to the Gold, and curtseyed deeply. “Thank you for a worthy match,” she told them both, “I am proud to stand beside you here, today, and I hope to see you both back next year on the track again.” She smiled. “Regardless of what next year brings, this Event is always fun, and I would hate for anyone to miss out on the excitement of the course, especially two excellent athletes as yourselves.” She could see they were slightly surprised by her short speech, but they responded politely enough. Emerald smiled again, shaking their paws. She had meant every word. After years of competing, and watching others before and after her own run, Emerald was quite good at judging her competition, and these two deserved their medals, without a doubt. And there was nothing more important to her than that worthy athletes got a chance to compete in the sport that they loved. Still smiling, the pretty Coatl turned back to the cheering crowd, basking once again in their clear approval of her performance on the track. Tomorrow she would help the Clan break down the camp, and the day after she would be back home, working on her technique, honing her skills for next year…but for now, she stood on the stage she thought she would never see, standing beside worthy opponents who had made her game even more fun, and lived her dream at last. [i]Thanks (again) @JinxMoonstone for a fun and fabulous Winter Games! And congratulations to all the winners, of every Event. I hope everyone had as much fun as I did, and I look forward to seeing everyone next year, at the 10th Anniversary Games. But for now, the Clan needs to make sure that their shell-shocked, deliriously happy female Coatl is able to fly straight on the way home… [emoji=guardian winking size=1][/i]

[center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/2236933][img alt="Skald"]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/350/22370/2236933_350.png[/img][/url][img alt="Bronze Medal"]https://i.imgur.com/NGSCtLx.png[/img][/center] It was always a tense wait after the final Speed Skating races, while Clan Diamond Dust's judges compared all of the standings across all of the various size and breed categories to determine who was the actual winner of the event. Skald spent it as he always did: leaning against the barrier next to where his family were seated at the front of the stands, holding his mate Daell's hand, listening to Nera chattering excitedly about the races, watching Kaerr sign with just as much enthusiasm. It was a privilege to see his family so engaged with the sport he loved, to know he had passed on some part of his passion for it to his sons. Suddenly Kaerr's frills flared with excitement and he pointed before flickering signs at Skald rather than at his brother: 'Dad, look!' 'The medal ceremony's about to start!' Nera yelled down his ear, 'Dad, hurry!' Skald chuckled and squeezed Daell's hand one final time before letting go. 'There's no rush, but all right.' He skated over to join the the rest of the competitors on the ice in front of the podium, where Jenara and Wishspell were waiting to announce the winners. He didn't feel nervous or particularly excited, not like his sons -- he had no expectations that he might win a medal, despite his decent performance in the heats -- but he felt proud to once again be standing amongst his fellow athletes. Proud that he was still able to complete alongside them. At the front, Jenara and Wishspell congratulated everyone who had taken part, then another member of Clan Diamond Dust stepped foward with the medals and they began the announcements: 'The Bronze Speed Skating Medal is awarded to ... Skald of the Lundlaevungar, an Arcane clan.' Skald's jaw dropped. For a timeless moment, he couldn't move, couldn't speak, could barely take it in. Eight years, he'd been completing in the Sornieth Winter Games, and in all that time he had never really thought that he would get to take home a medal from his event! Overwhelmed tears flowed from his eyes as he stepped forward, climbed the podium and accepted the medal from Jenara and Wishspell. His eyes were drawn to the stands, where members of the Lundlaevungar were whooping and cheering still, but his gaze unerringly found his family -- Nera wriggling himself into knots in a fit of delight, Kaerr jumping up and down with his frills waving joyfully, and Daell, beaming at him. Though Daell couldn't see him, it was as if he knew Skald was looking, because the moment his eyes landed on his mate, he signed across the distance: 'Well done. We are so proud of you!' A fresh wave of happy tears spilled over Skald's cheeks, which were aching from the force of his grin. He would remember this moment forever. ----- [i]AAAAAA!!![/i] I'm actually kind of emotional about this. Skald's one of my favourite dragons and him competing at the Sornieth Winter Games has become a real cornerstone of his lore - so it feels very [i]very[/i] cool that he finally has a medal after 8 years of trying for one! (Sorry for being sappy about him and his family in this little bit of reaction, they're just really excited for him too!) Can't believe my dragons have managed to get medals in almost all the events at this point, too ... amazing! [emoji=spiral star size=1] Thank you so much @JinxMoonstone for hosting this really fun event once again, for the prizes, and for all the hard work writing daily summaries and recaps as well as the lovely medal ceremonies! I'm looking forward to seeing the 10th anniversary event next year! \o/ Congratulations to the other medallists as well!

[center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/14867625][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/350/148677/14867625_350.png[/img][/url][/center] What a buzz! Mineral swelled with pride as the bronze medal was placed around his neck. He had practiced hard for the event but he had only found out about luge a handful of months ago. At best he had expected to get a taste of what international competition was about but this was beyond anything he had ever dreamed. As the cheers washed over him, Mineral was already dreaming up ways to have fun with the sport in the off season. Of course the competition luges were standardized as they should be, but perhaps there could be another event to design the fastest non-powered luge... There were definitely interesting physics involved. The sonorous voice of a coatl cut his musings short. Mineral glanced over at Emerald (@Canisa) though she was difficult to see over the gold medal winning aether who took the top podium. "Nothing like the feel of wind against your wings," Mineral replied with a smile. "I'll certainly be doing my best to make it back next year. Though if you're ever in the woods, either of you, swing by. Might not be much of an athlete in the off season but I sure can take you flying!" They shook paws, all sportsman like, and the interaction left Mineral beaming brighter than before. Meeting other dragons with a love of the sport was almost as exciting as the medal, and who knows, perhaps they could give him tips on getting a better run for next year.

[center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/59185702][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/350/591858/59185702_350.png[/img][/url][/center] Tamago sat with the rest of his clanmates during the medal ceremony as the medalists for all of the individual events were announced, watching as one-by-one, each and every one of them fell [i]just[/i] short of placing atop the podium in their respective events. For the most part, they all shrugged it off: [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/73995035]Bartholomy[/url] and [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/3232161]Varelenve[/url] remarking how they both at least achieved a personal best, [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/61065223]Mizu[/url] and [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/67343540]Val[/url] sharing a hug and congratulating each other on a beautiful performance, [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/70883207]Scilla[/url] and [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/62149481]Luciferin[/url] commiserating over their losses, and the rest of his hockey team high-fiving each other, but he could tell from some of the slumped shoulders and sullen faces that the disappointment of coming [i]so close[/i] to medaling still stung. Needless to say, spirits among the group weren’t the highest as they waited for the closing ceremonies where the clan medals would be announced. The competition had been so tough this time around, as evidenced by their lack of success in the individual areas, and the fact that they didn’t even have one medal to their clan for this year didn’t exactly bode well for earning a spot on the main podium. However, Tamago had thought the same thing the year prior, and they still managed to grab the gold based on the strength of all of their performances combined. [i]Surely[/i] that couldn’t possibly happen two years in a row, though, could it? The clan watched on with polite applause at the appropriate times as the bronze and silver medalists were announced. Tamago knew how slim their chances were by this point, with only the top prize being left to be announced, but he still found himself holding his breath in anticipation. “Well, this is a first for us! We’ve never had a clan repeat as the overall winner - until now,” said one of the announcers. [i]No[/i], Tamago thought, [i]it couldn’t possibly be…[/i] The dragons around him erupted into cheers as they heard the name of their clan for the second year in a row. Tamago felt his clanmates push him towards the podium to accept the medal. “It should be you this year,” said Luci, who’d been the one to accept the year before, “There’s no way any of us would be here without your leadership, and you’ve competed in the Games as long as I have!” Tamago couldn’t help the tears from falling freely from his eyes as the medal was lowered around his neck, overflowing with pride for his clan. [rule] i… actually have no idea what to say… i usually have such terrible luck in these rng-based things, being chosen as the overall gold medalist clan [i]for the second year in a row[/i] is mind-blowing!!! despite not being a great writer, i have a ton of fun coming up with how each of my dragons might evolve in their feelings and approach to the events year after year. ALSO, today is actually my 4-year anniversary on FR, so this one feels extra-special :’) [emoji=ice rune size=1] [emoji=tundra laughing size=1] [emoji=firework size=1] as always, thank you so much @/JinxMoonstone for running this event, and i can’t wait for the 10th anniversary next year!! <3

Thank you so much for hosting!! And congratulations to all the winners! [emoji=familiar heart size=1] @Canisa - and thank you for the mention!! Very well-done Emerald! [emoji=coatl star size=1] Mothra doesn’t speak, but she’ll definitely shake Emerald’s paws and hopes to see her again as well!

Out of spoons for an in-character reply, but thanks for the mention @Canisa, and congrats to everyone!! Can't wait until next year's games! [emoji=familiar heart size=1]

[columns][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/150400/15039999.png[/img][nextcol][center]The announcement of the year's victors came about quickly, and excitement built up among the athletes and the public. Names of the victors were listed, and the clans celebrated their clanmates' performances, while the other athletes made sure to congratulate them; it was always a true show of sportsmanship. Fireclaw's name wasn't called as a winner this year, and nonetheless, he was happy to have performed in all the events to the best of his ability; the competition getting stronger only made him more determined to train harder. It was a true delight to be surrounded by such great dragons, and he couldn't wait to come back next year for the 10th anniversary of the games, hopefully with all of his nearest friends with him.[/center].[/columns]