Tag Archives: Marble

High Stakes, High Rollers

You see it on every sign and screen at the Kinikolu Resort and Sportsplex: “THE PARTY NEVER ENDS.” Over the past two months, the Marble Survival 100 Tournament host site has lived up to that promise.

Each week, a new obstacle course at the Survival Stadium rises out of a cloud of artificial fog. An athlete from each Marble League team then races day after day to avoid elimination. Those who remain have survived getting battered by rams, smacked four ways by fidget spinners or treated as playthings by the Bell Carousel.

Their reward for this gauntlet will be more than a championship trophy: it will be publicity. Online or on the airwaves, the Elite Eight’s faces are plastered on marketing throughout Marblearth. In the tournament’s first weeks, fans and passersby in Kinikolu could still catch an athlete on the sidewalk or having fun. Now those remaining are hard to access, marbles who seem more like myth on the outside.

As the excitement grows, who is stepping up to the moment while staying true to themselves? The stories over one week, when ten marble survivors turned to eight, tell the tale.

Out of the Rolling – Event 5: A Blossoming Smile

“I thought I’d find you here.” Fenrir looked up to see Sheep rolling cautiously into the room. They looked around at the beautiful foliage and colorful flowers that scattered across the grass. A bright blue sky soared up above them, and the walls were painted with a beautiful background of trees that stretched far beyondContinue reading “Out of the Rolling – Event 5: A Blossoming Smile”

Out of the Rolling – Event 4: Turbulence of Dreams

The silence was louder than any noise could possibly have been. In reflection, the crushing weight of competition only felt heavier now that it was over. Wind ripped through the air like a great shout, and though it wasn’t yet night time, dark clouds covered the world in gloomy shadows. Gloomy as Red Eye felt,Continue reading “Out of the Rolling – Event 4: Turbulence of Dreams”

Out of the Rolling – Event 3: Out with a Bang

Lights glared and flashed in brilliant and vibrant hues of orange, blue, yellow, and pink. Music throbbed through the evening darkness with an unwavering bass that pulsed slowly and steadily like a heartbeat, however there was nothing slow and steady about the atmosphere inside the large building where marbles rolled around laughing, cheering each otherContinue reading “Out of the Rolling – Event 3: Out with a Bang”

Out of the Rolling – Event 2: Onwards and Upwards

“It’s funny, when you’ve been struggling to meet your expectations, and the harder you try, the worse everything crumbles around you.” Gloomo spoke to no one in particular, sheltered in the corner of a dark room with a bottle of water, listening vaguely to the sounds of laughter and camaraderie of fellow athletes the nextContinue reading “Out of the Rolling – Event 2: Onwards and Upwards”

Out of the Rolling – Event 1: No Chance

Darkness crept over the sky, burrowing its way through small gaps between the distant lights of the nearby cities as Azure sat, unmoving, in a small glade that twinkled slightly underneath the lights of the first stars. It had been an hour or so, and Azure had only just begun to notice the chill settingContinue reading “Out of the Rolling – Event 1: No Chance”

Hearts Aflutter and Minds Abuzz

Fragmented rose-pink clouds decorated the orange-yellow sky. A thin morning haze hung over the city streets down below. The moon had disappeared beneath the horizon and the sun, burning the wispy edges of the clouds with its light, had emerged in its place.

The cycle of the heavens was beginning anew, and a new day was breaking over Buzznya.

ML2023 Memo #8: Hanging in the Balance

After a Balancing revenge victory seven years in the making, the Rojo Rollers expected Mellow Yellow to bring it up in the form of showing off the gold medals and constant reminders of revenge from 2016’s very first event; the furthest thing from actuality, which took the form of a party meant to celebrate bothContinue reading “ML2023 Memo #8: Hanging in the Balance”

ML2023 Memo #7: Funnels All the Way Down

To their fans, the sight of the Shining Swarm and Pinkies on the three steps together was a welcome throwback. But they were missing someone. In their post-podium walkabout chat, Sterling, Rosa, and Sheet had been joined by Pulsar, who was content with having advanced out of the heats.  In the midst of a livelyContinue reading “ML2023 Memo #7: Funnels All the Way Down”