Considering how Animalians are the humanoid physical ideal, it's little surprise that the Beach Bod competition is one of the most popular events in this year's IAC. That is part of the reason why they are drawn out so long. Another reason is that because there are so many competitors, it can be hard to rule out which ones don't make it to the finals. Typically the finalists are the most exemplary, the ones who have honed their already impressive forms into something borderline Olympian. As in the Olympian gods, not Olympic athletes.
Nio had been rather nervous about hir chances here. When shi converted, shi became much larger than average for a jaguar Animalian, even taking into accord that shi was a herm now. Shi had assumed shi would be a shoe-in for bodybuilding competitions and lucha libre matches. But while shi was indeed above average for a jaguar, shi was actually more middling when it comes to Animalians on a whole, specifically for hir new weight class. Even being a herm didn't improve hir chances as there were herm horses and herm bovines competing. (Was a herm bovine considered a bull or a cow?)
Nio's main source of worry was that shi had told hir family that shi would be able to make hir living by competing and shi was now finding that shi wasn't as high-ranked as shi thought. However, a talk with Lexia reassured Nio that shi wasn't as in dire straits as shi thought. Animalia was willing to support hir for room and board until shi was fully on hir own independent feet. Moreover, hir friends with benefits, Milla and Everix, showed up on Mieni to support and cheer hir on. That raised Nio's spirits quite a bit.
It was a good thing that Nio's expectations were reevaluated because shi didn't end up taking first place. But shi still took third, much to hir surprise and relief. There are some people who couldn't stand the thought of being second-best, but Nio wasn't one of those. Shi was grateful that shi won a medal at all, even if it was only bronze. Not only did shi win some prize money, but shi was getting recognition now, a bit more than shi anticipated. For the first, second, and third place winners in each weight class and sex division were also featured in a nude photoshoot on Anka Islet.
==========
"You sure you don't want us in the photoshoot with you?" asked Milla.
"It's tempting, but I want the attention to be focused on me right now," said Nio, "I'm not sure if they'll even let you be in it with me."
"Why not?" asked Everix, "That big ram has his flock posing with him." Though it looked like Hector was more embarrassed by his prize than proud of his winning. The ewes pretty much had to drag him into doing the photoshoot and they certainly enjoyed flirting with Hector. Everix found the flocks rather amusing. Shi just need to give them one sharp-toothed smile and they fled like, well, sheep from a lion.
"Well, maybe in some of the photos. But I want most of them to be about me," said Nio as shi took off hir robe, showing hir nude body. Fully-clothed, shi could easily pass for a tall, muscular female. But in the nude, hir sheath and scrotum were on prominent display.
"And I wouldn't mind keeping some of those pictures myself," said Everix, grinning widely.
"Do I need to arouse myself enough to show my penis?" asked Nio.
"I think they're trying to go for artistic nude rather than full exposure," said Milla, "You noticed how those sheep kept themselves just barely covered."
"Easier for them, they've got wool," said Nio.
"Sheared wool," reminded Everix, "Hector wouldn't have been able to show off his muscles if his wool were too thick."
"So I'll have to pose like this?" asked Nio, sitting on a rock and crossing one leg over the other, allowing hir long black hair to cover the important parts of hir breasts.
"I think that's just perfect," said Milla, "Though these cameramen probably know this stuff better than me."
It soon turned out that Nio was a bit of a natural when it came to posing proactively yet just decently enough in front of the camera. Though it could be argued this might be natural for all Animalians who had fit bodies and a lower sense of modesty. Even so, Nio was able to make some noise with hir success, enough to warrant some real interest in hir. The Animalian School of Modeling offered Nio a course in athletic modeling, something to get hir some lucrative endorsement deals. It was a smaller start to hir career than Nio expected, but shi had a more grounded idea of what to expect now.