Ringo’s diagnostics—via Berry—were clear; a four out of five—or eight out of ten, Diego reasoned—chance to win, and a one-in-fifty-five-thousand chance to lose their grip on the podium completely. They were under strict instructions to not even consider that as an option, though Diego’s mind drifted naturally to it anyway; what else in their life had such low odds, yet still happened?
Tag Archives: Mellow Yellow
Marble League 2025: Sunrise
By the time they had trudged up the field, Rapidly was completely covered in sand. At their station was a towel—the team was waiting in the stadium.
Though other athletes were frantically drying off, Rapidly lazily slung the towel around themself. Sure, they were happy to medal, but silver was no longer a cause for celebration.
SD2024 Memo #2: Sticking Together
While Rosaka had a karaoke bar on every block and street corner, Glidavik had only one, a small place hidden underneath a busy city street mostly popular with students and the occasional Rosakan tourist. A limited offering wasn’t going to stop the Pinkies from celebrating a win in their usual fashion, however, and in theContinue reading “SD2024 Memo #2: Sticking Together”
The Rainbow Palette
Take Two A visitor to Kinikolu eventually learned one hard lesson—being alone on the beach required an obscure beach or an inconvenient time. On a good day, the sunrise was quite remarkable, however. Yellah was glad that Mellow agreed with them, and was always happy to join them on a stroll across the empty sandsContinue reading “The Rainbow Palette”
ML2023 Memo #13: To Roll and Roll Again
As Snowdrift took a long and deliberate breath the contours of their mind began to sharpen. The fuzzy edges of their frenzied flurry towards the finish line became clearer and cleaner. There was no single fatal mistake, but they simply hadn’t kept up in such a field of four that was enough to guarantee elimination.
ML2023 Memo #11: Lost Ways in the Marble Maze
Under the fluorescent lights of the Superhive’s changing rooms, Kinnowin’s gold medal shone like the sun. Their entire team had gathered to celebrate its acquisition before they’d even made it back to the athletes’ village. “It’s a nice little reclaim, isn’t it?” hummed Tangerin, watching it bob as Kinnowin held it proudly aloft. “Of what?Continue reading “ML2023 Memo #11: Lost Ways in the Marble Maze”
Roll to Survive: The Racers of Marbula 1 Season 5
What unites all these 40 racers is a passion that has not faded. They take on the track for a chance to win – to record their name in history. Project Marblearth looks back at where they come from, along with their hopes going forward.
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.
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”
Project Marblearth 