isleofavalon | EVENT ✨ Tournaments & Trust

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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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Okay, so. There was one thing that was very clear to Monika: Bakugou was a jerk. She would go so far as to say he was a first-class jerk, fit to fight in the world championship for the title of biggest jerk of the year. But people were defined by more than just one trait, right? Even if he was a jerk, surely there were... Other qualities to him. What, she didn't know yet. But she had to give him a chance, like she had with Natsuki.

And why, it seemed the similarities between those two ran deeper than she'd first imagined. Much like her friend, he seemed to have a talent for cooking! It was pretty impressive, to see him doing something so well without being a ball of anger. Maybe cutting all that food had calmed him down enough that he would be... Less angery?

She approached him with a smile. And thanks to Emet-Selch's noble sacrifice, Monika knew better than to try the food. ]

That's impressive. You seem to have a talent for cooking.

[ 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. ]

[ Ah yes. Of course he didn't take compliments well. Gosh, couldn't he take a break at least once a week from being a jerk? For a moment, Monika had to wonder why'd she even come here. Right. He was an actual human being who deserved the benefit of the doubt.

Would that he could think the same towards other people. ]

Um, that's right. But it takes a lot to actually put your mind into something, you know? [She's trying so hard, have mercy and give her a break.] So I think it's still praiseworthy!

[ She then took one of the spare rolls he pointed at her. Wow. That was... ]

That's delicious!

[ Apparently not... Although this time it is because he's a little embarrassed. For someone that wants to be Number One when it comes to heroics, Katsuki doesn't necessary know what to do with positive attention. So he tries to downplay it. Or get prickly. ]

Guess you're right about that at least.

[ That it does take a lot to put your mind to something. For Bakugou it comes as naturally to him as breathing, but he's watched plenty of other people struggle. That doesn't make him better than them. It just takes time to build diligence.

Right now he's working on a spicy ice cream as she tries some of the more mild - but still a touch spicy - rolls. Bakugou is satisfied with the result. ]

As if it'd be anything less. I don't do subpar quality.

. . .

[ At least he was not directly insulting her this time... That said "you're right about that at least" was most definitely a callback to their last encounter. He couldn't help himself, could he? He saw the buried hatched and had to pick it up. ]

I have a friend who's a lot like you. A chef when it comes to cooking and baking.

[ A pain in the ass when it comes to everything else. She didn't finish the sentence because she got the feeling he wouldn't appreciate that part. Okay, okay. Maybe the comparison was unfair. Natsuki wasn't half as bad as him. She could recognize it when she was wrong, after some time to cool off. He couldn't do that, apparently.

She wanted to say that perhaps he should stop with the spice. Even if he liked it, he was ruining his chances at victory by making most of what he prepared literally uneatable for anyone else. But considering that'd earn her a "mind your own business?" She said nothing. But then what was she supposed to say? She hated it when she had to walk on eggshells like that. It was literally impossible to have a decent human conversation with him.

Why was she even here? Frick it. She was going to say it and if he was unhappy, he could go suck an egg. ]

You know... I think you'd have better odds at victory if you didn't include the spice, ahaha...!

[ Wouldn't she be surprised to know that Bakugou isn't referring to their previous encounter at all? If he's going to call her out on it, that would be far more direct. He's not the passive aggressive type. The kind of guy to undercut a potential complement with a dismissive comment sandwiched in? Absolutely!

"A friend who is a lot like you." Is what she says. Yet Monika doesn't really say how they are similar other than the cooking aspect. A lot of people excel in the kitchen so that must not be the defining trait. ]

So what? Does this friend of yours have a difficult personality?

[ Which means he is aware of it in himself at least. There's not much that Bakugou can do to change it right now. There will always be parts of him that will be crass. Brash. Abrasive. He's not like Deku or Kirishima, who actually do have pleasant personalities. People genuinely like being around them and they embrace this willingly. Bakugou's content with the several that he'll allow in and that's that. No one else is really needed or wanted.

He scoffs at her next set of words though. The criticism. ]

Yeah. That's true. If it was purely about victory, I'd make shit that appeals to everyone.

[ But then Bakugou looks up. Shoots her a glance that's not quite a glare. But it's not filled with scorn or contempt or anything like that. ]

But that's not me.

[ Or, rather, then there's no longer a part of himself in what he makes. ]

[ Huh. That was surprising, she'd been sure he aimed for victory... More in common with that friends of hers, heh? That was actually something she could admire. ]

As a matter of fact, yes. [She smiled.] She is really difficult to deal with. She's aggressive and takes offense at even the most meaningless of things. My first meeting with her was even more disastrous than our own. Her temper is about as explosive as yours and if she were standing in my place, her fist would have probably already landed on your face.

[ Somewhere across the multiverse, a high-pitched voice was screaming Fucking Monikammmmmmmmmmmmmmm. In Natsuki's defense, she was really not the type to go for physical violence. But if anyone was to get her to cross that line? Yep, that was definitely him. ]

She's the reason I decided to approach you again, as a matter of fact. [She raised a finger.] For all of her flaws, she is a precious friend who has helped me see and change a lot of my own flaws.

[ It was a bit bittersweet, speaking about her... She wondered if she'd get a chance to come to Avalon too someday... She missed her. Yet, she hoped not. She didn't want to be cast into their shadow again, she didn't want them to steal her happy ending away without meaning to. That was monstrous for her to think this way, huh? Well, maybe Natsuki could have her own happy ending in another world, right? ]

[ Look, he's learned the hard way that victory comes in many forms. It's also not just about winning itself, but how something is won too. If you sacrifice your morals or your standards to get that "victory" then it's not really winning at all. He probably shouldn't be putting so much symbolism into a damn cooking contest.

But Bakugou'll be damned if he's going to ever take anything lightly. ]

Her fist woulda tried and failed you mean.

[ But man... Being approached because he reminds this girl of someone? That's a new one. Bakugou hasn't heard anything like that before. It makes him stop what he's doing and just give Monika a long, hard look. ]

[ She laughed at that remark because in all likelihood? It was true. She would have missed. Natsuki wasn't the physical type any more than she was, even less so a fighter, especially given how often she'd been bullied. But then, she'd have gotten even more pissed off at Bakugou, accusing him of avoiding a fight... Boy. What a sight it would be. She really wanted to see it, in spite of her worries about any of her friends coming to this world.

And... Huh? What's with that look? She stared back at him for a moment, before speaking up. ]

Um... Is there like, something on my face?

[ Gosh, why couldn't he behave normally for once? ]

[ Oh that's not the case. He doesn't care who is opponent is. If they come after him then they are gonna get what they get from him. Bakugou didn't back off when it had been Ochako in the arena with him. Can't think he'd spare a different girl either. ]

Tch. I woulda been calling you out on that if you did.

[ There's that at least. Bakugou goes back to cooking - once again working on a spicy and sweet dish. ]

Just thinking you're pretty stubborn yourself.

[ Which isn't really an insult. It kind of takes an amount of stubbornness to continue to approach Katsuki. To him that's... That's honestly a positive thing. ]

[ Oh goodness. Was that something that sort of approached being a compliment? That was... Unexpected. And pleasant to hear. She was fully prepared to hearing something that would completely undo this progress within the next fifteen seconds, but that was nice for the time. ]

Hmm, I like to believe I have a lot of drive and determination.

[ She smiled and held her hands together in her back, leaning forward. ]

And I know sometimes you may miss on amazing friendships if you don't make the effort to see past first impressions.

[ It was. Deal with it. :| ]

That's the sort of shit that reminds me of a few people.

[ Determined to give him hell. Or a hard time. Or kind of force their special brand of friendship on him. Sometimes it's like Bakugou doesn't actually get a say on that. From Deku that's constantly chasing after him, to Kaminari just loving to irritate him. Round Face likes to do both and Kirishima? Well that Shitty Hair just seems to be oblivious to Katsuki's rising irritation. Or doesn't care. ]

And I guess there's some truth to that anyway.

[ Oh gosh... She was really going through to him, wasn't she? It was just a shame it was all going to be ruined by that network interaction. But then again, it may get better after he finds her absolutely terrorized as the plants triggered her memories of the hellish digital void.

It's really going to be a roller-coaster with him, huh. ]

Mhm! I'm glad we can see eye to eye on that.

[ They have something in common! Y-Yay? ]

[ He probably wouldn't use the term "getting through" at all. At the end of the day Katsuki is Katsuki. He is aware of his faults. Working on them, to a degree.

But he hates people pointing it out. That's all that it is. ]

Are you participating or just here to eat food?

Ah, I'm participating in the singing competition!

[ She seemed pretty happy as she mentioned it. She was proud of what she'd done so far... She didn't think she had any chance of winning seeing how talented some of the other participants were, but it was still a positive experience. ]

We're on downtime right now, so I came to see how the other competitions are doing. Am I bothering you?

[ Why had she asked that last question? She already knew the answer. ]

If you were actually bothering me, you'd know it.

[ Because Bakugou wouldn't be capable of being quiet about it. He's a gruff personality but if he wants someone to get lost, he'd definitely make it a point to ensure that it is a thing that happens.

Monika will eventually learn to read between the lines. Such as Bakugou asking her about her participation - it's an invitation to have a conversation if nothing else. Or she won't. ]

You said singing?

[ That was actually a fair point. With him at least, what you saw was what you got. Loathe as she was to admit it, his whole thing about honesty during their first meeting may have had an inkling of truth to it...

When he asked regarding her singing, she nodded enthusiastically. ]

Yep! Well, I'm not a pro or anything... [A laugh.] But I play piano and wrote a song. I think with practice, I may get somewhere. Little steps, everyday.

Is that what you want to do?

[ Become some kind of pro singer? Or write songs? Kind of sounds like Ears' parents to him. They have the perfect Quirks for the music industry. So does Ears. But she wants to become a pro hero instead.

Ironically, he doesn't mock people for following after their dreams. Not anymore anyway. ]

I'm not sure...

[ Singing and piano felt more like hobbies... Yet again, literature had started as a hobby, too. And the two were connected very closely. Writing lyrics was a form of literature. And when writing a melody, even though you used a language other than words, you were still writing. ]

I'm really into literature. I love writing, mostly short stories and poems. The later in particular have a lot of rhythm and musicality to them. [Poems were meant to be spoken aloud, after all.] I use writing as a way to put my heart onto paper and it feels even more natural with music.

[ But making it a living... That was another matter. She didn't quite have the confidence for the sort of attention singers and musicians brought to themselves if they became successful. She'd started singing for an audience of one, after all. ]

[ Doesn't sound like a problem to him? ]

Lyricist then?

[ So that even if she is not the one out front and singing, someone else is. She still conveys her words with song. Bakugou doesn't see that as a loss. ]

Ahaha, that certainly is an option!

[ She smiled and nodded. ]

How about you? Are you considering a career as a chef?

[ He's pouring his ice cream mixture into one of the handy dandy magical machines that will convert it into the wonderfully cold substance that they all know and love. ]

Career as a chef? Ha no.

[ As if he could do something like that. ]

Gonna be a pro hero.

A hero...

[ Huh. Huh. Hero were usually... Understanding, compassionate, empathetic and caring. Essentially, everything he was not. And being a hero wasn't really a career, was it? Like... You didn't become a hero the same way you'd become a doctor or a writer. ]

But... You can't choose to become a pro hero, can you? I mean, like... Someone who stumbles upon a house on fire and runs in to save its occupants, that's a hero. [A pause.] But someone who purposefully seeks houses on fire to save people, that's different.

[ You're doing it for your own glory rather than for the people, right? Unless she misunderstands him. ]

[ Man... If Monika were to ever meet Endeavor. Or even their teacher. ]

That's not how it works. There are agencies that are assigned to different areas and mostly specialize in different fields.

[ Endeavor's agency does all of it. But then there are a lot of different people employed there. ]

It's not any different than a first responder. A call comes in or you're on patrol and something happens and you just. Go there. Handle the situation.

Ah, I see...

[ It made more sense this way. She still had her doubts, of course, but they were having such a pleasant conversation for once! So she knew better than to voice her doubts. ]

Well if you put in as much effort as you do your cooking, I'm sure you'll be a pro hero in no time!

EVENT ✨ Tournaments & Trust

Cutthroat Cooking

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