EVENT ✨ Tournaments & Trust

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This is the event log for IC comments only! Ask OOC questions/plot/view event notes HERE or use the FAQ for general questions. Click here to view top-level comments only.

SUMMARY: King Arthur needs to go meet with Queen Elphame. Celliwig holds a tournament to invite other people to come with during the communication and celebrate their newfound friendship. A temporary barrier was put up so the river is currently mostly impassible. After the departure from Celliwig last month, the people of Celliwig have been working hard to make the area around their town safe again from the angered specters. For now, there are makeshift barriers that are preventing anything from crossing the river, dead or alive, except over the Pure of Heart bridge. It will, at the very least, prevent more from coming over and overwhelming the land surrounding Celliwig again. The city is open and, while the Elphame traders have stuck around to help train people in the proper use and treatment of mounts, the safest way to speak to Elphame is through Celliwig's hall of mirrors. King Arthur, Merlin, and a couple of other members of the royal court entered to speak to Queen Elphame directly in order to find out what information she knew about the Calamity and to begin discussion of what it would take to reclaim Excalibur. With the magics of Avalon having recovered significantly enough to not be at risk of falling apart if some of the otherworlders leave while still maintaining the barrier to keep Avalon safe, they need to begin discussing action. At the same time, in celebration of King Arthur's arrival and a royal wedding within Celliwig, a tournament is underway! Celliwig's tournaments work a little differently, however, and focus on a little more than just combat skills-- a modern tournament for the modern person. (Though there is fighting as well, of course.) Celliwig's Top Talents Tourney hasn't been held in a good many years since it's been closed off, so everyone is invited to participate. Invitations have been sent to all of Camelot's residents. The tournament categories are as follows: Cutthroat Cooking - For the chef's out there! Compete against other chefs to show off who has the best culinary skills. All contestants start with 2,500,000G which will be theirs to lose through the course of the tournament. This money can be used to purchase sabotages to use on other chefs throughout the course of the competition. Vicious Vocals - Singing competition. Anyone may participate, there are no auditions. Each contestant will compete solo first, then have to do a competitive duet with another person who moved onto the second round. The final round involves performing and singing at the same time, so you may want to go find friends to give you tips between each round and help you come up with an awesome set-up that will wow the judges! Speed Sculpting - This one's for the artists! Celliwig is really big on art, in particular sculpture. Any decent sculpture can be sold whether it wins or loses. Sculpture form can be made with anything you want-- glass, sugar, and ice are popular choices in Celliwig because of the city's aesthetic, but any materials are possible-- plants, stones, clay, chocolate, fabric, whatever you want as long as it stands on its own after you're done creating. (You can use your magic to sculpt if that's what you want.) Melee Mania - Fight your fellow competitors one-on-one. Weapons and magic are both allowed. Healers will be paid generously for assisting after combat is finished. Familiar Feud - Let your familiar have a little fun and combat each other! They're the star of the show here and otherworlders are only there in a support role. Mario Party - It's literally a series of Mario Party games. If you win your block, you move onto the next round and so on. 4 max players per game. If you don't rage quit at any point, you get free energy drinks throughout the day because this party isn't stopping. Silent Assassin - This competition will take place throughout the course of the tournament. All competitors are kept confidential, but required to wear a hidden body cam so that the experience can be shared online for audience viewing later. All competitors are given fake weapons (paintball guns, rubber knives, and so on) with sensors in them and have to find and "kill" the other competitors throughout the tournament period. Anyone who shows up to either participate in or watch the tournament will receive 50% off a hotel room and a single (Potion) Counter-curse. How the tournament will be run is a little different from an OOC standpoint. Any characters can participate, but in order to determine a winner, we will need anyone who thinks their characters skill is great enough to win to comment to the name of the tournament they are entering HERE! If your character would have canon advantages in a category, write +1 advantage in your comment. (So if you are from an idol series, you'll have a leg up on singing, or if your character is a skilled assassin in their canon, they could gain a +1. It won't guarantee they win, but it will give them a leg up so we're not ignoring their skill!) If you do not think your character has any chance at winning, please do not comment. (Someone who's never cooked a day in their life isn't going to magically win the cooking competition, you know?) If you think/want your character to lose even if they may have skills, we do not need your information. This is only an RNG for potential winners. We will RNG the winners from those who comment for each competition as linked. ICly, anyone who wants to thread any part of it out, go for it! You can thread out watching, you can thread out participating, interfering, anything you want! Thread out having an intimate moment with a healer after a battle, a tearful failure and hurt/comfort consolation, buying a round of vodka flashes for your fellow losers. Whatever you want! Just have fun. SUMMARY: King Arthur & Co. are still in chambers. A woman shows up and claims they're in danger, argues with Glwelwyd that she saw it despite that those abilities are not possible right now. Players voted to determine the next course of this prompt. (This section may be skipped for prompts now, but is still posted for reference.) The day after the end of the tournament days, all seems well and peaceful as usual within the city of Celliwig. The mirror hall that King Arthur's party had gone into is still closed shut. The Hall is guarded by a 7 foot tall man with a long, scraggly beard and huge rippling muscles named Glewlwyd IV. (You may have seen him around at past events.) None may enter until negotiations are completed, and it is his sacred duty passed down by his ancestors to ensure that none shall pass his guard. Most in Celliwig won't even try, knowing the futility of such an action, which is why it is particularly peculiar that Gwion can be found yelling outside of the halls that they need to be let in. After an argument and a call to action, some other worlders chose to find Gwion and ask questions. "Listen to me, there's something wrong, you need to let someone in there! Look for yourself! I saw it!" "Time is frozen, the future cannot be seen. A dream is but a dream, not a prophecy. Disrespect from the people of Celliwig interrupting a meeting of the fae and King Arthur's party would spell much more certain fate. After one more failed attempt to get past him, the woman stomps off to a nearby bar to blow off some steam, and ends up posting to the AOL Network instead. The King's party is in danger. No one is allowed in or out, but they're going to die if you don't work together to get past Glewlwyd. You can ask how I know, but it's a real long story and we're real short on time, so I'm kind of going out on a limb here. I'll be at Celliwig's bar if anyone wants more details. SUMMARY: A very close battle ensues in front of the Hall of Mirrors, with the doors eventually being forced open to reveal a dark, possessed hall. Reflects prey on characters' deepest insecurities and anyone who falls victim to them are trapped within the reflections. King Arthur and the Pure of Heart and Brave of Soul Mirror used to communicate with Elphame are possessed by angry specters trapped on Celliwig's side after the river barrier was put up. After the drama caused by Gwion's warning, the city of Celliwig is rather unsettled. There's an air of tension thick enough that you could hear a pin drop, and enough people who thought it was more important to protect the integrity and wishes of the fae than to worry about the unlikely chance that a seer had a vision while time was stopped. A large number of people have shown up to stand by Glewlwyd's side and defend the Hall of Mirrors, a show which will not be forgotten by the people of Celliwig... However, the strength in both numbers and battle goes to those wishing to enter the Hall of Mirrors. The battle is strenuous, a mixture of both Celliwig citizens and Camelot's otherworlders, and anyone wishing to play out part of it should put either defense or offense indicators in their prompt title to clearly attract those wishing to play out the fight. Those who manage to break through the line will make it into the Hall of Mirrors. The first and most notable thing once the door is open is that it's as dark as night. Not at all conditions for a meeting. And it's cold, condensation and fog forming at the door where the freezing night of the hall and the summer heat outside. It is not at all like it was the first time visitors were allowed in to place their Pure of Heart and Brave of Soul crystals in the mirror to communicate with Elphame. There is absolutely something going on, and those on either side of the battle may want to redirect their attention to the Hall. None of the party seems to be seen. Those who dare to venture forward into the hall will find themselves rather quickly at a loss for where the door went. There is a dim light still visible from it, highlighting the other people in the room and the edges of glass and mirrors throughout the hall. An eerie blue glow reflects through the number of the mirrors, but it seems to move about as if passing impermenantly. Those who try to chase it will find themselves further lost from the entrance, until they find themselves face to face with a reflection that doesn't seem to follow their own movements. This reflection will begin to speak with the character's voice, then immediately target the character's deepest insecurities. Every bad thought that they've thought of themself is fair game. If the character can remain calm and keep moving forward, then they will not fall victim to the trap. However, should they react with a burst of emotion, argue, or be unable to move forward when faced with their own insecurities, they will find themselves trapped in the mirror, replacing the reflection. Those who manage to pass the mirrors will find themselves at the Pure of Heart and Brave of Soul Mirror. The communication is still open to what appears to be an ornately decorated, natural throne. The Queen is long since gone, having been escorted to safety to keep her safe from the cursed mirrors. Notably, every crystal lining the edge of this mirror seems to have been infected by the blue, almost spectral color. Approached, a chilling laughter echoes from the possessed mirror, but the laughter is finished by King Arthur himself, back turned and facing the mirror. He turns around and wields his sword, ready to defend the mirror, eyes filled with the same blue as the mirror. As more people approach, reflections of Arthur seem to walk out of the mirrors as well to fight more and more people. It's hard to tell which is the real one, so can you really kill him to get him out of the way and get to the mirror? Fight the small army of King Arthurs and gather enough death mages to exorcise the spirits out of the mirror.. or maybe just smash it. Did you think this was the last choice you'd make this week? Please refer to the plotting post for any additional plotting needs and to check added notes for the third prompt. Timeline-wise, the new/third prompt doesn't start until the 23rd. The poll for it is here.

Comments

[letmewin]

My sibling and I used to play all sorts of games together! Mostly pretend. We'd make up a lot of characters.

( He's SO EXCITED to talk about everything - it's evident with how his face almost instantly lights up when he talks about it. )

There were things like tag and hide-and-seek, too... this game sure is different from all of that, but it's still really fun.

What about you? Have you played something like this before?

[letmewin]

Golly, are you staying in the forest?

( He can't help but ask! If they were close enough to hear the noises then maybe they aren't staying in town. )

[mayoninofukucho]

[Hijikata honestly feels a little light-headed after his earth magic stunts. Did it take him that much energy..? It did, because he inadvertently used a pretty advanced technique that's not in the game rules, oops by manipulating the existing soil in the arena rather than summoning his own. He's so bad at this element that he unconsciously made it a lot harder for himself, and now he's drained as a result.

He meant to react to Gokudera's inevitable attack by letting the igloo take the brunt of the damage while shielding himself in a more temporary water bubble, but he can't muster the focus to summon it. A moment later the ice structure is shaken by explosions.]

Crap.

[He does try to duck and roll out of the dynamite attack, but when the smoke clears Gokudera will find him looking twice as bad as after the first bombardment, practically ghost-grey from all the dust, thoroughly scratched up, and coughing his lungs out. He's practically using his sword as a crutch, shaking to not collapse, so things are looking pretty bad on his end.]

Goodness, Goku-- [He coughs some more.] -- Gokudera-kun, you smoke-- [Cough, cough.] -- more than me--

[At this rate his little smack-talk is probably falling flat. He doesn't look like he'll last many attacks longer.]

[colchismagecraft]

[Kadoc seemed a little more grounded when he spoke next- that, and the squeeze of her hand- was reassurance enough for Medea. It felt as if she was actually getting through to him.

She’d keep hold of him until they’d cleared the mirror-chamber if she could get away with it. Just to make sure.]

Good… I’m glad.

… I agree on getting out of this place sooner rather than later. I doubt listening to these things much longer will be particularly insightful.

[She’s definitely giving the reflection the stink-eye over being called a 'dead woman' though. Rude.]

And I imagine smashing the mirrors will only go poorly for us, tempting though it is.

[mayoninofukucho]

...!

[How could she possibly have known???]

But I want you to see how much better they'll taste!

[sos_pilot]

What? No way! It's the total opposite! There's no cute girl that can compare to the thrill of finding ancient treasure or discovering a hidden city!

[ Adventure is her true love. (And Penny. And maybe Selene.) ]

[letmewin]

( Asriel can't help but feel alarmed at what she's saying. This was someone... very sharp, weren't they? Fortunately, Asriel was no longer the naïve and innocent child he once was. He knows that what Chara said was alarming. It's why he had protested to Chara's words as much as he had.

But, he still loves Chara to almost a fault. The idea that they're together again despite what happened to them at home has only strengthened that feeling. )

Chara wouldn't hurt me.

( They're confident in that. And even then, if they did try to hurt them - Asriel would forgive them. At one point in time, Asriel himself has done something horrible to who he thought was them out of selfishness. He'd be no better. )

... I won't let them hurt anyone, either. I promise that I won't. And... even if they have-- it's... not their fault.

( If Asriel's guessing correctly, then the amount of hurt that another person has caused has directly influenced Chara's way of thinking. But, this is all based on what his sibling has told them. )

I-I know that what they said was scary, but we were apart for a long time. I don't think either of us wants that to happen again.

( If anything, he just wants to make sure that Monika isn't worrying about them. )

[colchismagecraft]

[Yup, it happily took the treat- which got dissolved into the eerie purple energy in it's body. Because that wasn't a weird way to eat or anything...?

And then the Little One happily nuzzled its small head into Asterios' hand, tail wagging enthusiastically at the pets.]

It lasted longer out there than I was expecting...I imagine fighting alongside me has taught it a thing or two about combat.

[nocts]

"I'll take the rocks too," Noct says with crossed arms and a playful smile. "Every good game needs to have challenge. So- sword fighting whilst rocks and boulders are thrown at us." Sounds like a true video game to him.

Noct's life has been 'punch first, ask questions while punching'- most of the time. Especially after Insomnia went down. It was very hard to tell who was on his side when everything was swarming with imperial magitek soldiers.

[wolfhunted]

[The footsteps happen to belong to a very large bear familiar, which makes Robyn's face fall as soon as she sees it. She's already well aware of how dangerous bears can be.]

After seein' what that one looks like, now I'm not so sure...

1.

[nocts]

Noct has been lurking around the grounds where all the familiars are. He's not competing, not with his familiar anyway. Cor should be proud that he got his ass up and actually applied to the sword battle competition. (Also Noct would feel extremely judged by not-present Gladio for not showing off things he taught him).

When he sees Cor, he perks up, visibly, drowsiness disappears from his face and he heads over to him. The very familiar blue fox, with red horn, is wrapped around his neck napping apparently, but big fox ear twitches every now and then at the sound of battle.

"Hey, Marshal!"

[phoenixwiz]

Oh Merlin, this is going to be a tough call with that bear. That things looks so terrifying.

(Harry is now getting increasingly worried for Rowena once he got a good look on the bear familiar in question, he could feel his heart beating faster in shock with not much to say. Hedwig hoots and flaps her wings in horror as she takes a good closer examination on the creature: it does look both strong and scary, while Rose is squeaking in a panic that she nearly fainted just seconds into the match.)

[tantailizing]

"Ugh no. It's too soon to see Simon again." Even if it is playful, Zidane makes a face. Any such mention of boulders being thrown just keeps reminding him of that asshole; and now that delivery quest made it worse since he didn't bother with pants.

"If you find anyone else to throw the rocks, sure, but not him."

[letmewin]

( Luckily, Asriel's had his own run in with a bird this big beforehand. His friend Venti had a bird that they were taking care of just like this not too long ago.

When he finds that Falcon circling above him, he can hear his own familiar making a noise in alarm beside him - the armadillo getting ready to help protect him if needed. Asriel doesn't move, but he carefully watches it.

When Merlin flies onto Royn's arm, Asriel can feel himself relax and offer a smile in response. )

Uhm -- It's okay. Maybe he just flew off because he wanted to try to protect you. There's a lot of people here.

( He looks to-- her familiar perhaps? And offers a small wave. )

Hi there, Merlyn.

[lastexit]

Sometimes finding yourself is hard, because what your looking for changed when you weren't looking. I've lost myself, but- I found this person, and I'm getting used to being her.

[Maya's story is sad and classic. She isn't special, but she is unique. But it means when she lost herself last, she couldn't find herself again. And it took a long time to figure out she was who she was now, and that was okay.]

Needing a little help isn't pathetic.

[Maya turns her eyes on the reflection. Cold and stern. That lingering calm hardening into something sharper.]

Rejecting the help you need is, needing it, on its own. Is just human.

[Once she drops her gaze back to Junko, her face softens, a little warmer than that neutral apathy she started with. And miles away from that glacial wall she was with the mirror.]

Let's go, she's getting all desperate and it's a little sad. If you wanna talk, later, just message me. Okay?

[nocts]

"The guy has a name?" He probably slept through the moment where it was revealed or something like that. Or maybe this guy named him, who knows. It's an oddly fitting name, he'll give him that.

"Anyway, if not him, there's always catapults? Or people with kinetic magic. They can pick up stones and throw them at us."

[apshot]

[ Speed enhancement... That's fine. Bakugou's not going to be put off by that. He is someone who in engages in zig-zagging maneuvers when needed.

But his hands come up and start to flash! His first move, regardless of who it is he is fighting, is always going to be an attempt to blind. To see what the other intends to do. ]

[letmewin]

... No, it is my fault. ( He can't deny that at all. To deny it would be the same as lying about what he's done. The past might be something frightening to him, but he's not going to run away from it. ) I'm that flower. I... I killed a lot of people at home, just because I could. Because... I wanted to see what would happen if I did.

( His hands begin to shake then, and he can't stop the tears from falling again. )

That's why... Chara's not the one you should worry about when it means others getting hurt. I've done so many weird and horrible things.

( As if on cue, the reflection begins to speak again - the unfamiliar voice nearly echoing through the hall they were in. Asriel looks up, feeling powerless when it speaks again.

What should he do? How should he stop this? And... What would Monika think of him now that she knew? He'd... understand if she avoided him after this. )

You're right, and when you get back home - you'll just do it again! Because you want to see them again, dontcha'? You'll do everything again to make sure that they never leave again!

It's fun, isn't it? To see how things can change just by killing those supposed friends you hold dear now! You know how liberating it is to just do whatever you want, hee hee hee.

[tantailizing]

Yeah, pretty much. The guards and knights handle watching over cities so monsters don't get in.

[Unless intentional.]

[apshot]

[ To be fair, Monika is not wrong about any of those things. However, Bakugou is a boy of many talents. One of those talents just so happens to be cooking. Wouldn't she also like to know what he is one of the top students in the class and a very clean person to boot!

But like Emet Selch and a few others trying his food, he knows that not everyone is able to handle it. That's why he has made a spare couple of rolls and even goes so far as to point them out to her. ]

Anyone can do it if they actually put their mind to it.

[ He um. Doesn't take actual praise well either. ]

[sos_pilot]

I've been battling monsters since before you were born!

[pureyang]

[He gives Souma a curious look when he stutters like that. It sounds like this man has his own struggles as well... though, Chongyun is patient, and willing to wait for Souma to take his time talking.]

It does make things a little difficult, yes. Keeping control of such an abundance of yang energy is difficult, especially when one takes exorcism into consideration...

[He makes a bit of a face, nodding in agreement.]

Yes, Xiangling's cooking is quite renowned even at her age, but, some of the things she makes...

[He shudders a bit, shaking his head. He doesn't care how good it must be, he just doesn't think slime condensate should go in a mushroom stew!]

Well, there are many popular dishes in Liyue. Chop suey, jade parcels, grilled tiger fish, stir-fried fish noodles, fried radish balls, crystal shrimp... My personal favourite is noodles with mountain delicacies, although I altered the recipe to make it a cold dish instead of a hot one.

[pureyang]

Someone replaced your seasonings with spices? Hm... that sounds like an attempt at sabotage against you. I am glad you were able to recover from such an attempt. Though, if such sabotage is prevalent, shouldn't the judges be informed..?

[Sounds like someone doesn't understand the concept of "competitive cooking contest".]

Yes, I've no doubt she would certainly find such an activity enjoyable. Given her ability to put just about anything in a dish and somehow make it palatable, I think she would no doubt do well were she here.

[pureyang]

[Chongyun looks up at Bennett as he talks, and can't help but feel himself resonating with the words. How often had he been called a sham just for walking into a residence and walking around, not really doing anything outward in order to exorcise a spirit that had already been chased off by his yang energy? It had taken quite some time for his own reputation to be taken seriously, just because people didn't understand his condition. Did Bennett go through similar things..?]

[Though, despite Bennett's words, Chongyun can't help but lower his gaze and let out a despondent sigh.]

But it's just... with my pure-yang spirit, it makes it incredibly difficult to actually put my clan's skills to proper use. How am I supposed to be taken seriously as an exorcist if I can't even get close to a spirit to exorcise it? How am I supposed to know what skills to improve if I cannot implement them? Despite successfully performing many exorcisms, I still feel...

[He trails, but his reflection speaks for him.]

Like a cheat. An unorthodox perversion of the true exorcist's way.

[beefaroni]

[ Nodding. That's correct. ]

... Am not good... around people. Better for me. Better for everyone. If I stay... away.