Author's Disclaimer: It should be remembered that I am not my characters. My characters can and will often have different values systems than I do. Not only as relates to Pokegirl rights, but also as relates to issues such as sexism, racism, and other factors actually found in real life. If the protagonist says or agrees with something you find offensive, please remember that the author doesn't necessarily agree with it.
Vikrama Samvat date: 2356, Phalguna Suklapaksa 13.
International standard date: 298 AS, February 19.
Ever since she passed puberty without going through threshold, Sukanta Guragain had figured that she had her life figured out. Both of her parents were human, which meant that, as a human female herself, she ranked pretty high up in who a man would want to marry. It used to be that ethnicity and caste were the main factors in making such a determination, but as a modern Mountain League woman, Sukanta knew better. She was modernized to the point that she planned on bearing the children of a successful man of well-documented human breeding, regardless of what ethnicity or caste he was.
Or at least, those had been her plans.
“If your fertility had been ruined by an accident, that would have been one thing. You would have been innocent. But with an explanation like this? No decent man would want you for his bride! You’ve completely ruined your life!” Sukanta stayed silent as her mother yelled. While part of it was that she didn’t want to risk making her parents angry enough to disown her, her silence was mostly a stunned one. Sukanta received the news at the same time her mother had, and the trip from the hospital wasn’t long enough to recover from it.
As her mother ranted at her about what a horrible choice she had made, Sukanta thought over everything she had learned. The medical symptoms she had been experiencing had been confirmed by the doctor to be a problem called Pelvic Inflammatory Disease. The really unexpected part of things was that it was caused by certain STDs. At first Sukanta had protested that she had never slept with a man, and had limited herself to Pokegirls. Turned out that STDs could be transmitted between human women, and a time she mistook a human for a Pokegirl must have come back to bite her.
Her mother was angry enough at her ‘loose ways’ after all of that had been figured out. Her parents knew she was having fun with her Pidgy pet they had purchased her, but apparently they hadn’t realized she and her pet had been having fun with so many other Pokegirls. Fortunately, female tamers existed in the Mountain League, and society wasn’t quite so uptight about human women having sex with Pokegirls as they might have been before Sukebe. Although given Pokegirls didn’t exist before Sukebe, maybe that was bad phrasing… Anyways, the point was her parents would have probably gotten over it if not for afterwards.
It turned out that PID could sometimes result in seriously scarred tissue in the fallopian tubes. In this case, the disease had progressed to the point that Sukanta had apparently sustained some serious damage there. What was really causing consternation was that it was serious enough that she was mostly infertile now. While in vitro fertilization could probably work around it, her value had been seriously cheapened. No man was going to want that if they could get a woman without fertility problems- and the ones who would accept it weren’t going to be anywhere near as wealthy as what she was used to.
“I just… First, I have to go to work myself, as my shift at the childcare center starts in not too long. When I get home with Ramita, I’m going to talk to your father about this. Let’s figure out what he wants to do about your behavior!” After yelling out that last part, Sukanta’s mother stormed off. As she was left alone, the teenage girl realized she had no idea how to react to the news, herself. Without relying on marrying a rich husband, she was going to have to actually do something herself to maintain her current standard of living as an adult. And given how mediocre her grades in school were, she wasn’t sure if she was capable of that, the way her lawyer of a father had been. She might not be a stupid Bunnygirl, like her older sister had become after thresholding, but she wasn’t exactly a genius either.
As the two family pets entered the room, they found Sukanta simply standing there awkwardly, staring into space. Parbati, her pet Pidgy, entered first, heading towards her mistress. Nageena, her father’s pet Doggirl, entered next, choosing to hang back rather than approach her master’s daughter too closely. Sukanta, noticing her pet approaching her, quickly snapped out of her daze.
“Parbati! Um, how much of the situation do you know?” That was probably the best way to start out. Neither of the pets had been there when Sukanta and her mother were told the news, and they hadn’t been informed after they had come home. However, Doggirls had pretty good hearing. Nageena probably heard her mother’s yelling, and she might have told Parbati what the situation was.
“An STD from a human women has left you infertile, and your mother is angry that you won’t be able to marry as prestigious a husband because of it.” Upon hearing Parbati’s summary, Sukanta winced. It was mostly true, but hearing about how her value had been cheapened was still tough to take. Of course, it was her life now, so she was going to have to get used to being a human woman with fertility problems.
“Almost. In vitro fertilization could fix it, but I won’t be able to conceive naturally, and that fix would be expensive. So I’m basically infertile without expensive medical assistance… Which really isn’t that much better.” Sukanta grimaced as she spoke. “STDs are so rare these days. What with Pokegirls being immune to them, so few humans have any. Given that I tried to stick to Pokegirls anyway, who would have thought something like this could happen?”
Neither of the two Pokegirls responded immediately. Instead, there was an awkward silence as Sukanta’s question was left hanging. Eventually, Nageena was the one to break the silence. “I would have loved to avoid threshold the way you managed to- and that’s all I’m going to say on the matter.” And with that, the Doggirl turned to leave.
“Wha- What’s that supposed to mean?” Nageena didn’t respond to Sukanta’s stuttered question. After the Doggirl had silently left the room, Sukanta and Parbati were left alone.
Suka? The Pidgy thought to her Mistress, using their Delta bond for communication, and Sukanta’s nickname to refer to her. I think Nageena is against you on this one. Given her hearing, she could tell your parents if we said anything she would deem inappropriate. Maybe we should use the Delta bond for discussing things?
Sukanta nodded. Yeah… Although I’m not sure what else there is to say.
And here’s the point at which you become especially glad that I’m not some stupid feralborn Pidgy. I actually do have something to say, and I’d recommend talking to some of your other relatives, such as your brother, in case we have to deal with a worst case scenario.
At Parbati’s idea, Sukanta paused to think it over. What do you mean by worst case scenario?
I mean your parents kicking you out. You’re old enough they’re not legally obligated to support you, and if your father is even half as angry as your mother is, I wouldn’t bet against it.
Sukanta jerked in surprise at her pet’s suggestion. The idea of her parents kicking her out of the house hadn’t been something she had actually considered yet. Of course, she had only been thinking on the matter for a short while, given how recently her newly obtained status as infertile had been revealed. Considering her lack of skills, she wasn’t sure how she’d manage to afford food in that sort of situation- much less housing.
Right. Call Atulya for money if that happens. But that won’t happen, right? I mean… That wouldn’t… As Sukanta lost concentration, the thoughts transferred to Parbati cut off.
We wouldn’t be calling your brother for money. He’s currently making a living as a Mentor Trainer. If we’re kicked out, you becoming a Trainer would be the only way you could possibly make enough money to support the two of us quickly. We’d need to call ahead of time so he can get rid of one of his current students and leave a spot open for us. Unless you want to risk trying your luck with some male you don’t know as a Mentor Trainer and hope you don’t get raped?
No. Sukanta shook her head furiously, before responding in actual speech. “That’s not going to happen. We’re just worrying about nothing, and we have no indication that mom and dad will react that way. They probably won’t, mom will lose her temper, and everything will be okay again. Yeah- that’s exactly what’s going to happen, so we don’t need to worry.”
As Sukanta nodded to herself at her self-reassuring words, she tried to ignore her pet Pidgy’s skeptical glance.
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Vikrama Samvat date: 2356, Phalguna Suklapaksa 14.
International standard date: 298 AS, February 20.
It was the day before the Holi celebration, and if Sukanta had been living her life normally, she would have woken up with excitement over the coming festivities. As it was, she was far too busy worrying about the decision her parents would come to over how to react to their daughter’s new fertility problems. Her religion teacher from school would be annoyed with her for thinking so, but focusing on religious celebrations just didn’t seem helpful.
Last night, her father had come home from work before either her mother or her mother’s Psycat Ramita had returned from their childcare job. Sukanta hadn’t brought up the news of her infertility with him, which meant that she had been able to experience a normal night. However, it also meant that she had no clue how her father would have reacted once her mother came home to inform him of the infertility.
As Sukanta, followed by her Pidgy, slowly made her way into the dining room, the four other inhabitants of the household all turned to stare at her. While she couldn’t read the expression of her mother’s Psycat, her father’s Doggirl pet appeared alarmingly smug. Given how hostile Nageena had been the day before, Sukanta found her smirk alarming. As for her parents… both of them seemed angry. And given the way they were both glowering at her, anyone could tell that she was the cause.
“You have, not through chance, but through consequences of your own irresponsible behavior, gained a status of effective infertility. If your infertility had been the result of a true accident, we would have supported you. In a situation such as this, however, your mother and I have no moral obligation to continue paying for your upkeep. By the time we leave for work you will have packed your belongings and left the house. Do I make myself clear?”
Sukanta froze. This wasn’t happening. This wasn’t happening. This wasn’t… Okay, this was happening. Her father’s little speech made it perfectly clear that the worst case scenario Parbati had suggested to her had indeed come to pass. Ignoring it hadn’t helped change the situation. Which Sukanta would have realized, if she had been thinking clearly instead of with a mind frozen by panic.
“…Parbati’s coming with me.” Sukanta just blurted out the first thing that came to mind. It was probably a stupid thing to say- after all, Parbati was legally her possession rather than her parents’- but right now, she just couldn’t think of anything smart.
“Of course she will. Your Pidgy is one of your belongings after all, and I assume you will be packing her Pokeball.” The response yet again came from her father, and Sukanta had to wonder why her mother was staying so silent. Maybe she had said all she needed to say yesterday, or maybe her father had instructed her mother not to say anything now.
“When do the two of you leave for work today?” The question came not from Sukanta, but from her Pidgy.
“My husband leaves in just a bit, but Ramita and I leave in time for the afternoon shift.” Okay- her mother speaking meant she had been avoiding speaking of her own volition. She had probably just gotten out everything she wanted to say through her venting yesterday.
“…Right. Packed by that time. Got it.” Sukanta spoke numbly. Right now… Right now she needed breakfast. A big breakfast- a huge breakfast- that would prevent her from needing to spend too much on food immediately afterwards.
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Carrying a duffel bag containing basic toiletries and some changes of clothing, Sukanta entered the Pokecenter. She had decided her Pidgy’s advice from before was definitely something she should follow. Becoming a Trainer was her only real option for making sufficient money immediately. Similarly, contacting her brother Atulya was her only real option for finding a trustworthy Mentor Trainer.
After Sukanta entered the Pokecenter, she looked around, wondering where the communications system was. She had never actually visited a Pokecenter before, so she was a bit lost. As she stood there with Parbati behind her, a Pokegirl seemed to notice them and approached Sukanta.
“Welcome! Is there anything I can do for you?” She asked.
As Sukanta realized the Pokegirl was talking to her, she jerked in startlement. “This is my first time in a Pokecenter. My brother is a Mentor Trainer, and I want to contact him, but I don’t have anything with which to do so. Could I use the telecommunications here?”
The Pokegirl nodded. “Certainly. Right this way.” As Sukanta and Parbati followed her, she tried to puzzle out what breed the Pokegirl was. It was a bit surprising for an employee at a Pokecenter not to be a Nursejoy. And while she did see some Nursejoys in the Pokecenter, the breed of this girl was definitely different. While her hair was a light red, it wasn’t pink- not to mention, it was the same color as the fur that covered the rest of her body. That wasn’t even counting her floppy ears or her ugly buck-teeth that made kissing her seem horribly unappealing.
Okay- maybe that last part was just a matter of personal preference. Some Trainers might enjoy the different texture that running their tongue along her bucked teeth might provide, or something. Actually, now that she was thinking of it that way instead of being reminded of a human male who couldn’t afford an orthodontist, the teeth no longer seemed like a dealbreaker.
…And considering she was probably never going to meet this Pokegirl again, Sukanta was perving on what was probably a completely inaccessible girl. Meh- being a pervert was part of being a Trainer, after all. The Pokegirl in front of her stopped, and Sukanta tried to focus on what was in front of her instead of on her lustful thoughts.
“Here’s a basic telecommunications system which you can use for a video chat with your brother, as long as you know his number. Is there anything else you require help with?”
Sukanta nodded. “Just one more thing- what breed are you? I thought it was Nursejoys who worked as employees of Pokecenters.”
“I’m a Tamale,” the Pokegirl in front of her said with a grin. “My breed has a strong tendency to try to learn medicine, even if we don’t have any intuitive aptitude, and helping at a Pokecenter would be a perfect fit for any of us. And if that’s your last question, I’ll go and see about helping some other visitors.”
As the Tamale walked away, Sukanta briefly wondered what her name meant. Given that Sukebe was a native English-speaker, most breeds had names based off of English words, which was a language Sukanta didn’t speak. She figured it was a safe bet that ‘Tamale’ was probably a word based off of some horrible sexual pun, and that she could leave it at that.
Drifting out of her idle musings, Sukanta turned on the telecommunications device, quickly typing in her brother’s number to contact him. Just when Sukanta was wondering if the machine would go to voicemail, the screen changed to show Atulya’s face filling the square. As he saw who was calling, he grinned, while his Night Nurse Alpha was predictably stern and scowling.
“Hi! Um, Sis, I’m out hunting for ferals with my students. If you and Parbati could call back later-”
“I’m infertile now and our parents kicked me out of the house. They say it’s my own fault because it was caused by an STD. The only way I can see to support myself is to become a Trainer. If I don’t get you as a Mentor Trainer, I’ll have to get someone I don’t know, and as a female, I don’t think that’s a good idea. Would it be at all possible for you to make room for me?”
Atulya gaped. Considering the explosive info dump she had just given him, it would have been more surprising if he hadn’t reacted with such shock. As her brother regained his composure, he responded. “That… Okay then, I can… Well, my students can hear everything we’re saying, so I’ll go ahead and talk to them about it. In the meantime, have you taken the written test yet?”
“No. I guess I should go ahead and do that?” Sukanta asked. Well, so far this wasn’t a complete disaster. Unlike her parents, her brother actually seemed to be interested in helping her.
“Yes. I’m close to Gangtok City, so I’ll go there and pay for teleportation to Kathmandu once I get things sorted out with my students. I should be there to meet you by tomorrow. And since tomorrow’s the Purnima of the month, that just makes it an auspicious time for new beginnings, right?”
“Yeah.” Sukanta nodded at his words. “Auspicious. It’s always good to have a bit of extra luck on your side. I guess I’ll see about trying to take the test now?”
“Don’t worry- it’s super easy to pass. If you could pass your classes in school, you could pass the written Trainer test. Talk to you later?”
“Talk to you later,” she responded. Once she confirmed the end of the conversation, her brother turned off communications, leaving Sukanta staring at an empty screen.
“So, I guess we could talk to the Tamale about you taking the test?” Parbati gestured with a wing towards the red-furred Pokecenter employee. She seemed to be talking to a Nursejoy at the counter about something.
“I guess.” Having said that, Sukanta stood up and started walking towards the Tamale. As the Tamale and Nursejoy noticed the human approaching them with her Pidgy, they broke off their conversation and looked towards her.
“Is there something else you need?” The Tamale asked.
“Like I said, my brother’s a Mentor Trainer. I just talked to him, and he can make room for me as a student if I become a Trainer. I want to take the written test for becoming a Pokegirl Trainer.”
The Nursejoy and Tamale both looked at her in mild surprise. “Huh. Not often we get a female asking to take the test,” the Nursejoy commented.
“Of course we can provide you with the written test for a Trainer permit! You’ll have to go elsewhere for the psychic evaluation afterwards, though. Would I be able to proctor her test, or do you want someone else to do it?” The Tamale turned to the Nursejoy as she asked.
The Nursejoy- presumably her supervisor- nodded in agreement. “It’s not like those tests take long to complete. Go ahead.”
“Alright. I’ll take you to one of the unoccupied rooms we have. They all have computers which you can take the test on. You can just ignore me when I’m there, as I’ll just be watching to make sure you don’t cheat.”
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A quarter of an hour later, Sukanta had successfully passed the written test to become a Pokegirl Trainer. Half an hour after that, she had managed to get seen by a Psychic-type she had been directed to, despite not having an appointment. Less than ten minutes after that, she had been cleared by said Psychic-type to obtain a Trainer permit. Now, all that was left was to officially register under a Mentor Trainer before she could start her journey. And given she had things all worked out with her brother, that was basically already taken care of.
The newly registered Student Trainer walked along the streets of Kathmandu, stopping to briefly gaze at the preparations for the night’s celebrations. In the middle of a plaza, the usual pile of branches had already been piled up to create the night’s bonfire. Standing by the pyre was a Pokegirl which any Mountain League citizen could recognize as a Pyrofly Ninsect, dressed in clothing meant to reflect the character of Holika she would play. While any breed immune to fire would work for the role, Vixxens and Pyrofly Ninsects tended to be the most frequently used, just because they were Uncommon instead of Rare.
Resuming her walk back to the Pokecenter, Sukanta ignored the preparations for the Holika Dahan. It wasn’t anything particularly exciting, as the same thing happened every year. She’d pray during the parikrama around the bonfire to boost her luck, but beyond that, she had more pressing things to deal with.
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After returning to the Pokecenter, Sukanta had requested a room for the night. Given that she was now registered as a Trainer (albeit a Student Trainer), she was able to easily get it. And now, as she eyed her now-naked pet sitting on the bed, she was going to have some fun.
“You always like a foot massage to start off with, right?” Without waiting for an answer, Sukanta knelt down to begin her ministrations on Parbati’s feet. It was well-known that Pidgy liked keeping their feet clean, and Parbati was no exception. Shortly after Sukanta had gotten her, the human girl had gotten the idea to use a cloth dipped in aromatic oils combined with a foot massage as a form of foreplay in taming. Not only had Parbati loved it, but the Pidgy had eventually developed a liking for foot massages in general. By this point, Sukanta had a slight suspicion that it might have actually developed into a minor fetish for the Flying-type.
Given the nature of the scaling along a Pidgy’s feet, the foot massage required different techniques than would be used on a more normal foot. Just like a typical bird’s foot, the top was covered in scutes, the sides in scutellae, and the bottom in reticulae. Through trial and error, Sukanta had learned the varying degrees of pressure that Parbati preferred to be used on the various different forms of keratin. Unsurprisingly, it was rather different from the preferences of the various human-like Pokegirls she had enjoyed herself with.
Just as Parbati was arching back and moaning in pleasure from the massage, Sukanta briefly broke away from the activity to remove her shirt. “So- you know how you can reciprocate with your other foot.” Having said that, Sukanta resumed the foot massage.
Parbati, of course, knew exactly what her long-time tamer was referring to when she had taken off her shirt and asked for reciprocation. Taking advantage of her free-jointed hips and knees, the Flying-type maneuvered the leg with the foot not being massaged. By the end of this maneuvering, the foot was right by the hook of Sukanta’s bra. Using her prehensile feet, Parbati quickly unhooked the bra.
With the bra out of the way, the free-jointed Pokegirl quickly brought the leg to her tamer’s chest. Sukanta grinned as her pet- or harem member, she supposed, now that she was a Trainer- brushed her largest toes against one of her nipples. Once the nipple was erect, those same toes pinched down, as the other, similarly prehensile toes massaged her breast. Parbati would occasionally release her grip of the nipple, only to briefly stroke it or minister to it in some other way. Her free-jointed knees and hips, combined with her prehensile feet, meant that the Pidgy could massage her Mistress’ breast from all the directions around it. And in the same way Sukanta had learned how to give Parbati a foot massage she loved, Parbati had learned to simultaneously give Sukanta a breast massage she loved.
When they were ready to move on, they would switch to the other foot or the other breast- and then, once both had been tended to, the foreplay would end and sex would begin.
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After an enjoyable taming, Sukanta and Parbati both left the Pokecenter fully dressed and cleaned up from their taming session. It was now evening- and that meant that Holika Dahan celebrations were about to begin. Originating as a pre-Sukebe tradition, this particular bonfire was always lit on the night before the day of Holi. Holi was a holiday in celebration of the demon Holika’s death at the hands of Lord Vishnu. Holika Dahan simply referred to the bonfire in which the demoness had burned- in pre-Sukebe times, with the addition of an effigy of Holika, and in post-Sukebe times, with a Pokegirl actress portraying Holika.
The fire was lit at the end of sunset, which meant that they were just in time to witness the lighting of the pyre. As Parbati flew overhead, Sukanta walked below her, following the directions relayed by the Pidgy via their Delta bond. They were searching for a bonfire without too much of a crowd, so as to allow for proper parikrama during the customary prayers. It didn’t take too long to find a suitably uncrowded pyre, given how many there were around the city.
And by suitably uncrowded, Sukanta meant that the crowd wasn’t packed like sardines. Once the bonfire was lit, there would thus be enough room for the various supplicants to properly perform their prayers around it. This particular pyre had a Vixxen atop it, already in character. She was interacting with the various children and Pokekits yelling insults at her, cackling in an over-the-top villainous fashion as she mocked their ‘puny opposition’. Not to mention a number of other choice words, as well as a liberal amount of declarations of her superiority over Lord Vishnu. As she did so, she interspersed it with telling the story of the events prior to the demoness Holika’s death, all from Holika’s point of view.
As the sun started setting, however, a priest stepped forward, signaling for the elaborately dressed Vixxen to cease talking. As he called for quiet in the audience, the children, often aided by their parents, went (mostly) silent. With the sunset coloring the horizon, the priest began reciting the story of Holika’s defeat from a more neutral point of view. Once he finished the story, he then gestured grandly to both the pyre and the Vixxen actress atop it.
“And so- just as Lord Vishnu used fire to defeat Holika, we shall have fire consume the one who portrays her. Against the gods of our region, true evil will not be allowed to prevail!”
“No! The Lord Vishnu shall never defeat me! I am the mighty Holika! I-” The Vixxen began shouting. Then, to any adult who had watched the ritual before, an entirely expected turn of events happened. Judging by the youngest children’s and Pokekit’s reactions, however, it was entirely exciting for them. Using her pyrokinetic abilities, the Vixxen ignited the pyre upon which she was perched. Sukanta wasn’t quite sure which attack the Fire-type had used, but it did its job of making the fire give the illusion that it mysteriously originated.
“No! This cannot be! Aaaagh!” The Vixxen cried out. The Pokegirl, as immune to fire as her breed was, proved to be an adequate actress in pretending otherwise. Or at least, that’s how she would appear to anyone who didn’t ruin their suspension of disbelief by asking why she didn’t try jumping out of the bonfire that had been lit around her. As the Vixxen cried out anguished pleas of mercy, the children and Pokekits cheered at the sight of the supposed ‘demoness’ being defeated by Lord Vishnu’s power. Sukanta remembered in past Holika Dahans, some children and kits would become confused seeing the actress behaving normally and happily leaving unharmed once the ritual was over.
And now, as the Vixxen slowly quieted down as she slid deeper into the bonfire, where she was no longer visible through the flames, the celebration truly began. The various onlookers rejoiced in various ways- from singing songs of religious praise, to dancing near the fire, and, as Sukanta had been planning, praying around the fire. Most of the devotees using this opportunity to pray had purchased the proper incense to burn as they performed the parikrama and muttered the traditional prayers to the gods. However, there were some who, like Sukanta, were going without the costly incense and were instead only performing the parts of the ritual that didn’t cost money.
As Sukanta began the circumambulation that defined the practice of parikrama, she began muttering the prayers long ago established for this specific festivity. Her prayers would be more effective with the incense, but even without it, they would still have some level of positive impact if the gods chose to listen. As tomorrow was the purnima, she also would have the benefit of beginning her Trainer journey on the most auspicious day of the month possible. As far as good fortune went, she ought to have plenty with which to start off her journey.
Name: Sukanta Silwal
Age: 18
Licenses: Trainer Permit.
Harem:
Pidgy (Parbati). Level 7.
Notes:
Alpha: Parbati. (By default).
Author's Note: If you're wondering how I managed to determine the Vikrama Samvat date, I found a resource on the Internet that allows you to determine when a future day of various Hindu calendars falls on the Gregorian calendar. If you're wondering what 'Vikrama Samvat' even is, then it's a complicated real-world thing from northern India which can be learned about through a Google search. Hindu holidays such as Holi often have differing annual dates on the Gregorian calendar because they instead rely on this sort of lunar calendar. Anyways, here's the link to the resource I used, if you ever want to write a story in this League and desire to include some of the holidays and festivities on the proper date: http://www.cc.kyoto-su.ac.jp/~yanom/pancanga/
Be warned- figuring out how to actually use it requires an understanding of the Hindu calendar you're using, which in turn requires study. If you don't want to use it, it's perfectly fine to just ignore the League's various celebrations and just focus on other parts of your story.