32nd. Tumult
The parties were over, leaving Tumult alone and ashamed. Sleep was elusive— punishment, maybe.
…
They awoke on a racetrack in a meadow, bounded by sunflowers, their surface chipped. The scoreboard loomed, flickering: (1st: HARMONY / 32: TUMULT)
Harmony leaned against a sunflower in faded uniform, smirking.
“Funny. What happened to your League silver?”
‘…I don’t know,” Tumult mumbled.
Harmony rolled closer, eyeing Tumult’s fractures. “You froze under pressure.”
Everything dissolved, and they suddenly stood in Hunluen at sunset.
Harmony’s expression softened. “I’m sorry.”
Tumult couldn’t respond. The city collapsed, and Harmony’s face blurred as buildings crumbled.
Tumult woke, startled. Dawn bled across the sparkling walls.
31st. Ecto
“I’d think this team had enough experience to know stopping on track isn’t a sensible strategy anymore”, a Plasma fan said, frustrated to see Ecto, stranded on an obstacle, be the second marble to leave the tournament.
“It’s disappointing to come here and just come to a halt so early. Our fans were looking for a great show, but we simply aren’t delivering as of late”, Ecto themselves recognized the team has had a rough go since its 2022 Showdown title, as they looked to regroup and use the idle time to plan for this year’s major tournaments.
30th. Shock
Come taste the musubi so good it’s worth getting eliminated for! read the sign, angled straight at the seafront for beachgoing fans to gawk. Groaning, Shock leant back against their hotel pillow
“That’s not what happened,” they grumbled down the phone.
“You did get eliminated. How many did you eat, anyway?” came Wrath’s voice, all the way over in Stormholm.
“Wasn’t counting,” Shock grumbled. “Look, it’s late here, we’ll talk tomorrow,” they added, hanging up before Wrath could object.
In their room, everything was dark. Shock shut their eyes, replaying their battle with Speedy over and over until sleep came.
29th. Sheep
“You’re so heavy, you know that?”
“Rude. Lift higher, please.”
Fudge was beginning to regret going along with Sheep’s request. They’d claimed it was nothing shady, but Sheep wasn’t exactly trustworthy around tracks- and holding a grown marble up over the track walls wasn’t exactly easy.
“You’re eliminated. Why do you care what the next track is?”
“Oh, I don’t want to see it. I want one final race!”
Fudge felt great relief, then horrible panic, as Sheep rolled off of them, down the grassy slope, and onto the track- only to be immediately slammed hard by the bell carousel.
(Photo Credit: Jelle’s Marble Runs)
28th. Rojo Uno
“Seems like the student has become the teacher, or something like that.”
“I know, right?” Gnome added to Rojo Uno’s statement, excited for the upcoming redemption arc that they had going for their team.
Rojo Uno added, “I’m happy for you, don’t get me wrong, but I just wish I could say the same for myself.” Their expression turned somewhat pensive, “I’m a pro at this, I wish I could return to those days…”
“I guess we could invent a time machine for that!” Gnome joked.
Rojo Uno nodded with concerning sincerity. “I wish we could.”
27th. Momo
“You’ll do alright, Momo.”
To not even make it a quarter of the way after finally reaching the highest high of their career? Momomo’s encouragement seemed hollow in retrospect.
Momo watched as a butterfly landed on a bright pink flower. They took a deep breath of salted air and allowed their mind to wander, and it wandered back to that awful colorful track in no time.
It hurt to recall their lethal mistake, but could anyone else say they won the first race of the tournament? With no advantages, nonetheless?
After a bit, Momo smiled. They did alright after all.
26th. Snowy
Their appeal to the race authorities fruitless, Snowy’s time in MSS2 had ended not with a bang, but with a vertical whimper. Late afternoon heat bore down through the stadium’s sweeping shadow as Snowy put the call through to Snoronto.
It rang twice. Apparently, Snowdrift had something better to do.
“Captain.” Snowdrift always called them that.
Snowy took a deep, hesitant breath. “What’s that restaurant you recommended?”
Silence.
“I have the time now.”
“It’s, er…” Snowdrift mumbled, “Tidal Catch.”
“Right. I’ll-”
“It’s not so easy to replace me, is it?” Snowdrift blurted, only to hang up before Snowy could retort.
25th. Minty Mint
Minty Mint wanted to scream. Kinokolu was supposed to be their getaway.
Beach strolls with Swax and Bonbon were over. The second season had arrived, only to be ripped away.
Aren’t you good at this, Mint?
They paced around the hotel room. Nothing had changed: the cream walls, the big bed, the pretty ocean view— like they’d never left.
Slumping, they grabbed their phone. Scrolling past Fresh’s texts, something caught their eye.
Snowdrift: Hey mint
Sorry about the elimination
Unlucky
Minty Mint’s throat tightened. Snowdrift’s hopeful lucky 13th jolted to mind. Looking back now, they didn’t know how to respond.
24th. Quacky
“Alright, go again. You joined the tournament because…”
“Because Slimelime said you’d be competing..”
“Okay,” Hop replied, lying opposite Quacky on the ‘hang-out couch’. “And I joined because Slimelime told me that you were going.”
Hop watched Quacky’s eyes empty as their sun-taxed brain slowly added two and two together.
“So, um… Slimelime tricked both of us?” they eventually mumbled. “But why, though? Slimelime knows I don’t get along with Rezzy. Just yesterday, they had their towel on a pool lounger at six A.M! Six! And you won’t believe the shouting match we had.”
“Quacky?” Hop groaned.
“Yeah?”
“…Nevermind.”
(Photo Credit: Jelle’s Marble Runs)
23rd. Sea
“Sacrifices had to be made to progress, they said. You have to let go of your dreams for the sake of others, they said.” The words that Sea had disregarded as completely foolish resonated with them after they blasted off the track during the race. They’d blown their perfect record by DNF’ing further up than Tarocco and Radiance.
“But why, Sea?” Tarocco asked them.
“Too vague.” They didn’t even bat an eye at the other marble.
“Why’d you do that for me and Radiance?”
Sea, not knowing how to respond, sighed: “You do realise accidents can have deeper meaning, right?”
22nd. Red Eye
“I just… don’t think MS is for me.”
Red Eye was curled in bed, warm and cozy in a cover cocoon. Green Eye’s soft chuckle came through the phone next to them.
“It’s good you think that. You were pretty upset last time.”
Faintly, Red Eye smiled. “Too many obstacles. I’d rather do bobsled.”
“Hah. Yeah.”
Silence hung between them. Red Eye took a sharp breath.
“I’m sorry I didn’t talk to coach about racer decision more. I know you really wanted this.”
It took a little while for Green Eye to respond. “Thanks, cap. It’s…Just come home. Yellow—we—miss you.”
21st. Slimelime
“So what’s your deal with them?”
Slimelime looked up from their elaborate plate of sushi into the curious gaze of Tarocco. The rookie indicated the opposite side of the café, where a certain Raspberry Racer was ordering at the counter.
The Limer scoffed a little. “You know this. It’s a rivalry.”
“Sure,” Tarocco said. They exaggerated their vowels slightly, injecting an artificial Orlangian drawl into their native Sostevsan accent.
Slimelime took a noisy sip of their tropical drink, as if its cloying sweetness could counteract the bitterness of elimination. “Newbie, it’s just who we are. You’ll get it one day.”
20th. Aryp
“I’m not as beat up about this as I thought I’d be,” Aryp mused, staring out the hotel lobby’s window at the sky. “I got far last time, so I guess I’m satisfied.”
“You got beat up in another way, though!” Palette wailed.
Aryp just laughed. “Really, I’m fine. And I’m tired of sitting around. I’m going to the craft store, whether you want me to or not,” they countered, sticking out their tongue teasingly.
Palette let out a breath. They couldn’t complain. They’re relaxed again now that they’re not captain, they thought as Aryp disappeared through the revolving door.
Photo Credit: Jelle’s Marble Runs
19th. Astron
“What’s next? We become the worst purple space team?”
Astron was in complete disbelief after their last race, where they endured both the Bell Carousel’s wrath and a DNF.
Celeste patted Astron gently. “It’s fine. Hey, you didn’t get eliminated early. You did what you could.”
“Oh. Thanks, coach,” Astron reluctantly responded.
“No problem. Learning is like space, you know,” Celeste said. “Once you know more, you can go further and further.”
“Alright, but what do you mean by that?”
“Because you were able to learn a lot when you were still in. And I like curious marbles.” Celeste smiled.
18th. Tarocco
It took two and a half dial tones for Mandarin to pick up.
Tarocco spoke first. “Howdy!” they chirped down the phone.
“Howdy, ‘Rocco,” came the reply. There was some sort of muffled activity in the background. “One second, it’s real noisy…hosting prep’s a doozy.”
Tarocco had been aware of the hosting planning chaos, but the specifics had eluded them while they were in Kinikolu. There had been a lot that had eluded them. There still was.
“Well, I’ve got some free time now,” they joked. It fell flat. “Need any help?”
“It’s alright. Just enjoy the island for now.”
17th. Speedy
Speedy and Quickly sat on the locker room floor, angst lingering in the chasm between them.
“I’m such a loser.” Speedy’s faint voice cut through the silence.
Quickly sighed.
“You’re not.”
The words echoed around the room.
“It’s okay. You’re strong. Talk to Rapidly after press, ‘kay?” Oh shoot, they were late. “Come on, Speedy. I’m here.” Quickly grimaced, nudging their athlete.
Speedy’s typical recalcitrance had evaporated. They rose, slow and obliging—but stopped.
Quickly gritted their teeth. Almost out.
Speedy wouldn’t meet their eye. “Could we… not call Rap- home? Tonight?”
Quickly’s expression softened. “Sure, Speedy. Come on, let’s go.”
16th. Radiance
“Another top half? Way to go!”
Radiance turned around to see Momo – a captain of a championship team going out of their way to talk to them still felt strange.
“Crazy, right? I know barely making the top half in this isn’t anything life changing, but it’s huge for us!” Radiance exclaimed.
Momo nodded. “Be proud of yourself. Both for your performance and that voice of yours. That was you singing earlier, right?”
Radiance blushed. “Ah, yeah… you wanna hear me with my teammates next time we all get together again?”
Their response was a smile from Momo. “Of course.”
15th. Diamond
The contrast was striking. A surfboard in the corner, a pineapple mascot with sunglasses against the wall, and Diamond in their sleek designer uniform sighing over a sand-encrusted picnic table.
“Gambled and lost,” they lamented. “It’s a shame, but it happens.”
“You were the favorite to win and everything,” Shimmer remarked across from them. Idly, they drummed the table to match the background ukulele. “So, what now?”
“Well, in honor of this year’s hosts…” Diamond separated out four cards, then slid two of them across the table. “Orlango Hold ‘em?”
“Against you? I’ll lose!”
“Only one way to find out.”
14th. Rezzy
“Yes, Rezzy, we’ve heard how you think the tournament was cheapened,” Razzy said, peering down unflatteringly at the screen. “You got a better reason to call during lunch?”
“Yeah- my dignity?! Imagine you’re leading the race, you get stuck, everyone passes you without looking, and- and- there’s no cookies waiting for you at the hotel! Like a loser!”
“Maybe 14th doesn’t deserve cookies,” quipped Razzy through their croissant.
Rezzy winced at the mention of their placement.
“Nah, but really, shipping times suck,” Razzy continued, “or we’d have sent some!”
“Should’ve been three months again…” Rezzy muttered.
“Oh well.” Razzy took another bite. “Woe is you.”
13th. Saucer
In Kinikolu’s downtown were two space marbles on a boba outing. Both of them had been eliminated from competition, but that didn’t stop some light banter between them.
“Did my luck finally run out? Was it the heat?” Saucer questioned Astron.
“Not used to it, huh? Worse than Sheetersburg?” Astron shot a snarky glare at Saucer.
Saucer rolled their eyes at Astron’s mockery. “Oh, shut up. I endured 96 days of the heat.”
“At least we both had embarrassing eliminations.” Astron retorted.
“Loser pays for both bubble teas.” Saucer sipped their taro milk tea, side-eyeing Astron, who returned the look.
12th. Sheet
“Sheesh! Sheer sad sircumstances sink Sheetersburgian survivalists Sheet and Saucer in sunny… Kinikolu. How’s that?”
Jet felt Launchpad’s steely gaze burn cold into them as they surveyed the drafted article, due for urgent release the next day.
“Firstly, circumstances begins with a C, so this won’t work.”
“Awwwwwww,” Jet groaned. “This school newspaper stuff is hard!”
“Maybe so,” their editor continued, “but Sheet and Saucer are alumni of Sheetersburg Academy, so as writers, we have to do them justice!”
“Alumni?” Jet squeaked. “What’s that?”
Launchpad paused. “I dunno. That’s what my teacher says when we watch the events in class…”
Photo Credit: Jelle’s Marble Runs
11th. Wispy
The beach was serene. Gentle waves lapped the shore, yet the storm in Wispy’s mind raged on.
Hop studied their sullen expression. “Hey, don’t stress it. Course sucked, honestly. I’d rather be here.”
“Yeah.” Wispy smiled faintly. “We had good runs.”
“Exactly.”
As they talked, Hop heard something buzz.
“Ugh. That’s mine.” Wispy grabbed their phone. Hop struggled upright, rubbing their eyes.
Wispy swiped, and their expression turned strange. Stricken, they set the phone down and turned around. “Spam call,” they murmured.
Hop frowned. Impulsively, they tapped the screen. “Missed call: Wospy” lit up across Wispy’s Helarve national park wallpaper.
10th. Misty
Take care, and congratulations.
Though brief, the conversation lingered in the back of Misty’s mind, tinged with the memories of days long past. There was too much to say, and too little time.
“You okay?”
“Yeah,” Misty answered. They stretched, watching the singular cloud in the sky drift across the blue expanse. “…I could have gone farther.”
Only a fool would expect endless victory, but the losses still stung.
“You were top ten on debut,” their companion said encouragingly. “That’s really impressive.”
Misty hummed. “That goes for the both of us then, right? Coach.” They giggled as Hazy jolted, caught off guard by a still-unfamiliar title.
9th. Hop
“It’s to the north,” Jump had disclosed. “Once you traverse this dense thicket patch, you’ll reach the best spot on the island.”
Hop replayed the instructions in their head as they swatted away a curtain of leaves, revealing the fabled beach. They were just in time. The sky was on the precipice of golden hour.
Normally they were a party marble, but tonight they only wanted the view: to privately bemoan their final eight near-miss, of course, but also because they felt guilty about spying on Wispy’s notifications earlier that day.
Meanwhile, they settled into the sand and waited for the sun to set.
8th. Gnome
Hotheadedness.
The good news is that you’re not alone in it. The bad news is that it’s ruined many an athlete better than you.
“…I move another ten rolls to the left, dismount my pegasus, and end my turn.”
“Alright. Gnome?”
Smokey really didn’t mince their words. Sapphire wouldn’t have dared to say something so boldly critical, but for better or worse, that was the past.
Work on yourself, because I can’t.
“Gnome?” repeated Azure, tinny through laptop speakers. “Sure you don’t want to reschedule?” they cooed, voice thick with concern.
“No, no,” Gnome muttered. “You need me, after all.”
(Photo Credit: Jelle’s Marble Runs)
7th. Fudge
“Seventh and six. Well, could be worse for reserves,” Swax mused, gazing out from the balcony to the distant jungle.
“So much for beating Bonbon, though,” bemoaned Fudge between bites of ice cream.
“Maybe not beating your boss is for the best,” Swax laughed. “Are you still going to push for that promotion? Demoting Cocoa, yeah?”
“It’s pointless now,” groaned Fudge. “Remember? I’d like a word with Wispy for that, honestly.”
“Oh, right,” Swax replied. “Shame…”
“Well, what are you going to do now?” Fudge asked, tossing their wrapper into the bin.
“Me? Go to the beach, I think.”
Fudge blinked. “No, in general.”
“Well…”
6th. Swax
“…and the thing is, Wispy probably doesn’t even have anything to do with that decision, so it’s pointless.”
“Right. Well, there’s never any use in chasing promotions, we know that,” agreed Ace, their nodding gesture and tired voice coming through the shaky beachside internet connection.
“So much for valuing yourself no matter what. Being happy with what you have is a lost art, I’m tellin’ ya,” Swax replied, one eye on the sun’s descent over the horizon. “Woulda been nice having you here, though.”
“Sorry! I couldn’t say no to Diamond.”
“Well… Maybe next season. In my head, I’m basically there already.”
5th. Shimmer
“I know it’s not original,” Shimmer prefaced, “but I don’t have one yet, so I’m getting one.”
“Stop speaking in tongues and show us,” Glimmer heckled.
With a grin, Shimmer drew out their souvenir. Custom-made by a local craftsmarble, the ukulele featured traditional Kinikoluan patterns spiraling across the wood, even incorporating the team logo into the intricate motifs.
“Diamond recommended the shop to me,” Shimmer said as Sterling leaned in to admire the design. “It’s not just for show either, the sound quality is amazing.” As proof, they began to strum, recalling a tune a local had taught them the other day.
4th. Diego
Fourth.
Diego already had an ugly history with the number. Fourth in 2019, fourth in 2021, fourth now… A proven talent was better than nothing, but losing out from the top stung more than crashing at the bottom.
“You good?” asked Rezzy, bringing another bottle of pineapple juice to the hammock where Diego had begun daydreaming.
“Just sour-grapesing. M1’s a lot of travel, I wouldn’t like the attention…” They took a swig. “How’s the medal going?”
“Good!” Rezzy, the juice, everything in proximity- all covered in glitter and glue. This would be the best 4th-place medal yet.
“I can tell.”
(Photo Credit: Jelle’s Marble Runs)
3rd. Dash
I’m not good enough, Dash thought to themself as they feared the vibrations from their phone. Someone was calling them, and they knew of the chewing out they would inevitably get.
They picked up the phone, but rather than Splinter, they heard Shelly instead.
“Hey, champ! Heard about your medal,” they said mirthfully. Dash, however, could only respond with silent breathing. “Look, Splinter thought you did good,” Shelly continued, concerned but not panicked.
I’m… good enough?
“We’re gonna order some pizza, anything you want?” Shelly asked.
Dash looked to the window, greeted by the Kinikoluan atmosphere smirking back.
“I’m good.”
2nd. Yellah
Fans of every delegation choked Kinikolu from downtown to the beach district, the largest amongst them the Amalantan and Rosakan crowds, who mingled separately yet excitedly in great colour-coordinated masses.
Watching the convocations out of sight from a balcony high above was Yellah, accompanied only by a room service drink and a vintage fan. Occasionally they sighed and gently fanned the heat away, brief relief followed by inevitable frustration.
Something that leaves, comes back, and leaves again… Is there any point in having it in the first place?
Caught in their contemplation, they failed to register the sound of next door’s balcony doors cracking open.
1st. Pinky Panther
“It’s funny, isn’t it,” Pinky Panther said. “All this time, I had no idea we were neighbors.”
Briefly startled, Yellah smiled across the gap. “Me neither. Congratulations, neighbor.”
“You too.”
Yellah idly tapped the railing. “We’re two great arguments for quitting your job, huh? Though I never understood why you suddenly pivoted after you got into the field.”
“It’s complicated,” Panther surmised.
“I’m not going anywhere.”
“Well… I wanted to be a philosopher, but I realised there’s no money in it. I thought about living without money, but I like things too much for that to work. And then I picked forensics because I hoped all the investigating would get me closer to what I wanted to understand.”
Yellah leaned closer. “And what’s that?”
“How people truly are at heart. But suspicion and understanding can’t coexist. If you want to truly know someone you have to accept them unconditionally, and refuse to presume.”
“But why sports?”
Panther thought briefly. “Here, nobody has anything alone. I can only be first because you came second. And so on.”
“Interesting,” Yellah laughed. “Well, I don’t get it. But I hope winning gets you closer to it.”
“Yeah.” Panther paused. “I think it has.”
(Photo Credit: Jelle’s Marble Runs)
Credits
- Writers: EduGJ23, Piney, Toffeeshop, Io Twelve, Steel, Kanzaki, Momoikkai, Millim, Evolution
- Copyeditors/Editors: Millim, Toffeeshop
- Artists: Toffeeshop
- Reference: Elimination Marble Race: Marble Survival S2 ALL RACES
- Release: 09/05/2025
Project Marblearth 