It had been a long while since lunch, Stynth reflected, while nodding off in their office chair. Bustling sounds of typing ebbed and flowed through the door of the large room, where a sign on the door denoted the room as that of belonging to the “Project Marblearth Server Admin”.
It had been four years since the founding of Project Marblearth, the initiative that saw creatives from around the world come together to share the stories of the many athletes around Marblearth, and lots had changed in that time. Of the nine original applicants, the team had grown so much, with contributors leaving and joining and ultimately sharing their own wealth of knowledge, talent and creativity. Stynth looked down their list of current contributors. In fact, only Phoenix and Piney of the original nine still remained, but the team itself had exponentially flourished.
A knock at the door prompted Stynth to look up, just as a marble rolled in, smiling.
“Phoenix!” Stynth greeted them happily as they rolled over to the desk and plopped themselves down onto the nearby chair. “I was just thinking about how much the team has grown in the past four years.”
“It’s crazy, isn’t it?” Phoenix responded, gazing around the room. The office was fairly large, with several boxes lining the wall, half packed with Stynth’s belongings. Phoenix frowned and continued, “You’re packing? We can sort that later, Stynth. Come have some cake- I’ve saved the large one for the party later, but I brought some in just for myself.”
The party. Such an exciting day could scarcely be so difficult to fathom, and yet, it was. Today was the anniversary of Project Marblearth, the day that marked four years of dedicated publishing. But it was also the day of a big change. For Stynth, for the Project as a whole. True, the past four years hadn’t gone without fault, there were moments when the desks in the large office building sat fairly empty, when progress slowed and the world seemed to slow down with it. When the communities around the sports in Marblearth got frustrated and emotional and it could get difficult for the journalists to work. But there has been so much good in the past four years.
It was early 2022 when Stynth had expanded the then small team to include management positions alongside themself with Edu and Phoenix as Managing Directors; Emp, Nonagon, and Smacg as Creative Directors; and Laurent and Piney as Design Directors. But that year had been a difficult year and at the end of the year the Project underwent a huge organizational change.
Project Marblearth now no longer had an Editor-In-Chief, or any of the Director positions. It was an Editorial Board who oversaw the publication workflow, headed up by Stynth as the Server Admin, and Ghost and Phoenix as Board Admins. In that time, the Project had successfully released a RetRollSpective for each team, including addenda for many of them. Marbles who participated in the Marble Rally competitions were beginning to also have their own stories told, while Project Marblearth stood at the forefront of the event journalism game. Series such as Marble Memos and Out of the Rolling captured the details behind Marblearth sports events in a speed and standard that no other group could match. Travelling around the entirety of Marblearth, plane after plane, boat after boat, the writers and designers of Project Marblearth had visited numerous areas and attended many sports events.
“Stynth? You alright?”
Stynth was once more jerked back to attention as Phoenix sat, a look of mild bewilderment on their face.
“Wha- yeah?”
“I asked if you wanted to go out to eat tonight. Ghost is coming too,” repeated Phoenix, a light grin reappearing.
“That sounds lovely, thanks.”
“Awesome! Now, get yourself some cake from my office, and don’t worry about packing until after the party. I can help you then! I’ve got to go and collect the balloons from downstairs, so I’ll see you in a bit.”
Stynth got up as Phoenix left, and peered out the window. It was a beautifully sunny day, and the usual serene picture of buildings and buildings followed by the brightest greenery of parks and trees and fields that cascaded into the distance struck Stynth with a pang, to think they wouldn’t ever see it again. Marbles below the huge windows would look up in awe at the building, pointing up at the ‘Project Marblearth’ sign and stopping to take a picture of one of the most famous buildings in all of Rollkeepsie.
Humming contentedly, Stynth set off to leave the room, noting the small brand new sign by the door which was to replace the current one, and would mark the room as belonging to the “Editorial Board Consultants”. Smacg and Edu, who held this position, were currently situated in the large office that belonged to the Editorial Board itself, but it would be nice to give everyone a little more space. More room for a couch, maybe a few plants. Perhaps a new coffee machine. But that wasn’t Stynth’s responsibility any more, and as they made their way out into the corridor, the humming hesitated as a wave of sadness overcame them once again. Just a little way down the corridor, Stynth stopped at the door that said “Marblearth Administrators – Phoenix and Ghost” and knocked. This sign, too, was new, though the original had been fairly similar – “Editorial Board Admins”.
“Come in?” a voice called from inside.
Stynth rolled in, smiling to the marble behind the desk on the left. It was an even larger room than their own, the home of the two Administrators who had until now worked very closely with Stynth on the running of the Project. At first glance, it was a fairly standard looking office. There was a large window letting in rays of sunshine that warmed the cold, crisp February air; two large desks with computers and folders and lots of paper; a large red couch adorned with cushions; pictures and certificates on the wall. But then, if you looked for long enough, you might notice the keyboard in the corner, the stash of chocolate in a tall shelf otherwise full of books, and a stuffed Llama named Blingo.
“Ghost! I was promised some cake?” Stynth said to the marble who had been sat typing at the computer.
Ghost laughed and pointed over at Phoenix’s desk.
“There’s a slice for you there, but I should warn you: it’s really good…”
“Challenge accepted!”
Happily full of cake, Stynth returned to the corridor and journeyed through the building. First through the Editorial Board office, which was currently empty, where sun basked the many desks lined neatly in the room, and then down some stairs and through the Contributor offices, which were quieter than usual, though the few remaining marbles waved at Stynth as they passed.
At the bottom of the building Stynth came to the reception, which led to a number of additional rooms which included kitchens, staff rooms and a large theatre which was used for meetings. Just as Stynth reached the door, a marble bustled out, laden with paintbrushes.
“Oh, Stynth! Don’t go in yet, I’ve just set some paint to dry by the door!” Piney cried in panic, almost dropping the paintbrushes in their hand.
“Oh whoops, need any help?” Stynth asked, and was soon sharing the burden of paint and paintbrushes back up to the artist studios on the third floor.
It was a couple of hours later that Stynth sat by the reception desk with Phoenix and Ghost, awaiting the arrival of the guests. A party to celebrate the four years since the founding of the project meant the arrival of many former contributors to the festivities, some of whom were flying in just for the celebration. As the time approached celebration time, marbles began to arrive and were let in, as current contributors rushed back and forth, engaging in final preparations.
“Ghostly! Welcome back”
“Roilan, how lovely to see you!”
One by one, the building began filling up as the sound of music soared from the theatre, and after twenty minutes had passed the Admin team finally decided to make their way back to join in. Lights flashed many different colors for the group of marbles who were dancing in the center of the room, as groups of marbles sat on the many seats facing the stage area, catching up with each other. Phoenix showed Ghost and Stynth to a large table in the corner which was filled with cards.
“Some congratulation cards,” they explained, before pointing at a couple placed right at the front. “You’ll like these.”
Stynth reached for one, puzzled, and opened it.
Project Marblearth,
Wish we could have attended the party! Congratulations for your four years, and thanks for always doing our team’s story justice!
Here’s to the next year,
Momo (on behalf of Team Momo)
“Brilliant, Stynth smiled, their eyes glistening with a tear as they reached for the second one.
Project Marblearth,
Congratulations on four years of the Project.
Thanks,
Jelle
Stynth stared at it in shock.
“Does that say Jelle?” a voice came from over their shoulder, as Ramen leaned over. “Impressive!”
Stynth beamed at Phoenix and Ghost and put the card back down, hardly daring to speak. It wasn’t too long after that Stynth found themself in the dance space, boogying along to ‘Here Comes the Swarm’ and then waltzing to a slow orchestral piece extracted from the Strixes Fourth Symphony, Second Movement.
It wasn’t until the music had once again changed to Rolly Marbley’s song ‘One Step, Your Marble’ that Stynth sat down, panting but happy.
A bottle was suddenly passed to them as Mesp, a recent writer and ex-JMRC friend of Stynth’s sat down on the seat next to them.
“D-Cider? Go on, I didn’t bring them just to be looked at.”
Stynth nodded and opened the drink, smiling still. “Thanks. What do you think?”
“Of what? D-Cider? Great. Balls of Chaos? Great. Marblemon? Great. Gaming? Great. Losing… not so great.”
“… the party?”
“Oh.”
Mesp paused, taking a sip of their own drink, before continuing. “A bit crowded, but enjoyable nonetheless.”
Stynth nodded in agreement, “yeah, there are a lot of us now.”
“It’s good though. A big change from when we started. When you started.”
Another marble joined them, holding a large slice of what was clearly the aforementioned party cake.
“What are we talking about?” they asked, taking a seat on Stynth’s other side.
“How much it has all changed from when it was started,” Mesp responded, eyeing the cake with intrigue.
And it had. Many new marbles had joined the team, while many marbles had contributed and moved on to pursue other things.
“I can hardly believe it’s been four years. It both feels like it has been longer and shorter than that,” Stynth said.
“I can imagine. But we all had more time back then, too,” Fouc stated wisely, acknowledging the slight volume decrease in Stynth’s voice.
“We did. And I’m glad I did it. I’ll never stop being glad, but I know that this is the right thing for me to do.”
The music suddenly quietened as Ghost called out into the room.
“Welcome everyone! We’re very glad to have you all here to celebrate how far we have come. It’s been four years, and almost 200 different articles released! And this is thanks to all of you, but it is also thanks to a very specific person in this room who started all of this, and who we would not be here today without. And it is bittersweet to call this their last day, but I want you to know, Stynth, we want you to know that we will carry on what you started with as much enthusiasm and dedication as you always did, and we will make you proud in the years to come. To Project Marblearth!”
The room erupted into cheers and echoes of “To Project Marblearth!” and “to Stynth!” as applause bounced around the walls, joy carried like wind into each crevice of the theatre and building. Stynth stared at all the marbles who now looked at them in a mixture of excitement and awe. On the other hand, Stynth felt a little bit embarrassed and both very happy and very sad. As a hush spread across the room once more, Stynth rose and looked around at everyone.
“Thank you,” was all that they could manage, but cheers filled the room once more and the music volume was turned back up. Phoenix approached a few moments later with a plate of cake as Stynth sat back down in silence between Fouc and Mesp, who both got up to dance.
“Ghost didn’t have to say that stuff, about this not being here today without me,” Stynth finally spoke, as Phoenix handed them the plate.
“It’s true, though. And not in a sort of soppy way, but you have made this what it is,” Phoenix responded, matter-of-factly. “And I’m not going to blow you away with ‘It’ll never be the same,’s and ‘I don’t know how we’ll manage without’s because we will- you know we will. But it’ll be… different… without you around.”
Stynth smiled kindly, before looking down at the cake. “It looks good.”
Phoenix laughed. “It is good.”
The party went on for another couple of hours. Greeting people, looking through cards, dancing, eating food. Eventually it was over, and the guests had left and the rooms had been cleaned up before the contributors all went home. It was just Stynth, Ghost and Phoenix left in the building, and they were all up in Stynth’s office, packing the last of their things.
“It’s difficult to say goodbye,” Stynth sighed, taping the final box together and taking one last look around the now deserted room.
“You know you’re welcome back here any time,” Ghost responded, while picking up the box and carrying it out. Stynth shrugged and followed while Phoenix gave the room an extra check over and shut the door behind them.
“It’s time for me to move on, though.”
The group carried the box outside to the car, before locking the building up and heading down the streets and through Rollkeepsie. Past Momo’s Dumplings, and past a tall water fountain they approached a small yellow building with a sign telling them it was “Rolliad Cafe”. Taking seats at a little table near the window, Stynth perused the menu with interest.
“They have more soup than last time,” they commented.
“It’s like they knew you were coming!” Phoenix laughed, looking up from their own menu.
It was after they had ordered a sandwich, soup and a sausage roll that Stynth fell quiet once more, gazing out of the window. This was it. No more planes and trains around Marblearth. No more rushing through crowds of marbles to get to the front, to hear for themself what athletes were saying. No more queuing in the rain for hours, hoping to get into team press conferences. No more panicking that planes had been cancelled shortly before the beginning of a Marble League, or worrying about how to get to the next one. It had been an immensely fun experience, and something they would never forget. But Stynth was glad, for once, that they would finally have a semblance of peace.
“You good?” Ghost enquired, putting down their glass of lemonade.
“Yeah,” Stynth said, quietly at first, but then more assured. “Yeah, I am.”
“We’ll keep you in the loop of course, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Ghost said, but Stynth shook their head.
“No, no. I’m not worried, I trust you all. You and everyone else. It’s just… bittersweet.”
Phoenix nodded understandingly, “Yeah, it would be. It’s been a long time and you put a lot into this. But hopefully you’re looking forward to what’s coming, too.”
“Of course,” came Stynth’s quick response. “I’ve a plane to catch tomorrow, and I’m going to visit my family and teach some music and I’ll have time to do all the things I enjoy.
“And I’ve wanted to do this for a while. You know that. I did so much but I’m just ready to move on now. But I’m keen that both the server and the Project could be active without my involvement, and that I could pass the torch to a team not only prepared and willing, but eager to continue the work I started. For all the stories we’ve created to build the world of Marblearth, the most important thing is that we’ve had fun doing so. And I hope that you will all continue exploring that fun well into the future.”
As Stynth spoke, the sandwich and sausage rolls had arrived, though neither Ghost nor Phoenix touched them yet, listening intently to Stynth speak.
“But it will always be difficult, I really have enjoyed everything I’ve done with you all”, Stynth continued, their voice beginning to choke with emotion. “I couldn’t thank you enough for working with me over the past four years to build Marblearth. I’m excited to see what you all do as you head into Phase 4 and beyond.”
Silence fell as the three sat there, engulfed in emotions of happy memories and new beginnings.
“I’m glad I got to share it with you,” Phoenix finally said quietly.
“Me, too,” added Ghost.
“But you’re just as engraved into Project Marblearth as you ever were, even if you’re taking a very well deserved step back from doing things,” Phoenix continued with a smile. “I want you to know that. Know it, remember it, never forget it.”
“It’s a weird feeling, getting to the end.” Stynth spoke to no one in particular.
“Resinine Onion Soup?” A waiter hovered above them, interrupting the conversation and holding out a tray with a bowl on it. Stynth smiled as it was placed in front of them, and looked back up at Phoenix.
“I don’t know if I like things ending,” they repeated.
“It’s not the end. It’s just the start of a new chapter.”
Credits
- Writer: Phoenix
- Editor: GhostDM
- Release: 21/02/2025
Project Marblearth 