The Twenty-Eighth Trial

[joybound]

Who: trialgoers
When: Day 60 all day
Where: the trial zone and elsewhere

[Sometime this morning (morning? there's still no sun, so what's the difference), you feel the call to a new Trial.

The entrance to the Trial Zone is a new one: a tower has sprung up in the clearing, like a bit of a fairytale castle. It's made of a sparkling pink granite and has lovely star-themed carvings -- if you can see them behind the excess of neon and lights its been decorated with. If the fairy godmother made a dance club, this would be it!

Rather than a disembodied "come hither", your call is a video on a big screen above the entrance -- a young man in a masquerade mask and a flashy, witchy costume (including a big hat) stands... on top of the tower?? It's hard to see up there, but on the screen you can tell he's got twinkly star-filled hair and a black cat with blue eyes perched on his shoulder. He's also striking a pose.]

Heroes of Distant Stars, gather 'round! I, the mysterious and handsome witch of love, have a Trial for you! Come into my party tower and prove your love to me! If you're not a weenie, that is...

[Upon entering the tower, you find yourself in a vast ballroom. Lit with rainbow lights, magic sparkles, and an excess of blacklights and glowing things, it really does look like a club. Bubbly electronic pop blares over the speakers, though there are several tables and curtained-off booths if you'd prefer to avoid the dance floor. One table includes infinitely re-filling glasses of fruity soda, which lower inhibitions incrementally as you consume them (though only for positive urges). If you wish to get even more in the mood, there's a changing room with costumes -- all hybrids of fantasy and neon pop, just like the decor.

Time to get your love on!]

Rules ☆ Turn-in ☆ Winners & Endgame

Comments

RULES

[joybound]

When you enter, you immediately know the rules, but they're also printed on a big banner hanging from the wall above the drinks table, in case you forget:

The object of this Trial is to win tokens of love from other Heroes! Different tokens are worth different point values -- the teams with the highest point value in the end will win. Tokens are as follows:

☆ Get a genuine compliment from someone - 1 point

☆ Be gifted a personal item, such as a piece of clothing or trinket - 3 points

☆ Share a kiss - 5 points

You can get all 3 tokens from one person, but you can only get each type of token from the same person once. In other words, you may get a compliment, item, & kiss from the same person, but not two kisses.

You may leave the trial zone at any time during this trial, and actions taken outside it still count for points!

There is a special bonus win condition that will not affect trial winners, but will grant anyone who gets it a unique prize at the end: steal a heart. To win this prize, you have to genuinely, with real feeling, confess romantic feelings to someone and have them returned. It doesn't work for established relationships -- you gotta put yourself out there and hook up!

You must turn in your character's points in the appropriate thread by Saturday, March 14 at 6:00PM PST.

If you have any questions, ask in this thread or ping Cleo on discord!

WINNERS

[joybound]

[The end of the trial is announced by the sudden shut-off of the lights and music. Instead, you have only the screen and Cardamom's voice.]

Aaand that's a wrap! Thanks for doing your best, although it's a little sad no one won the special prize... Oh well!

The winners are Thyme, Senna, & Clover! Together, you showed more than enough love for my spell... Sparkling Love Burst!

[On the screen he does a grand gesture with his magic staff. It makes... a lot of sparkly lights. The castle and NPCs disappear in a shower of pink sparks, leaving the trialgoers in the clearing again. Fireworks blast in the sky briefly, leaving behind the light of new stars in the sky.]

TURN-IN

[joybound]

Turn-in is due by Saturday, March 14 at 6:00PM PST. Under your team's header, please submit your total points -- you don't have to list every token, but you may if you wish.

If you qualified for the special prize, please link the thread and let us know!

GINGER

[joybound]

THYME

[joybound]

SENNA

[joybound]

JASMINE

[joybound]

LICORICE

[joybound]

CLOVER

[joybound]

[ruinatings]

...Yet again I question the suitability of our leadership...

[bestbrotherever]

Would you prefer the bespelled foodstuffs?

[daydreamshimmer]

He's certainly....

Bombastic.

[shintaiprotagonist]

Is this one of them, then?

[malignstar]

Less talking, more kissing.

[bowtiedbones]

[RAISES HER HAND attention attention pick me pick me!]

Okay, who wants kisses!

[daydreamshimmer]

Just jumping right in, huh?

[malignstar]

I will gladly help others earn their 5-pointers.

[daydreamshimmer]

That does seem like the way to go.

[overworker]

[She can already feel her life slipping away...]

Hmmmm... hrrmmmph...

[Please interrupt her. She needs to be stopped.]

[bowtiedbones]

Hmmmmm~?

[terribletwos]

[ Is basically studying that banner in varying degrees of confusion, especially that last bit... ]

That's a weird way to word that...

[daydreamshimmer]

What is?

[misinforms]

...oh? Now you want us to play a game?

[Well, fine. Yuurei will play.]

Someone really has a thing about romance.

[First the heart candies and now this. If anything, she's amused.]

[daydreamshimmer]

Prince is all about go big or go home for affectionate feelings.

[shintaiprotagonist]

Quite an effort they've gone to. Thoroughly in the festival's spirit, or so I understand.

[toying with a glass of soda, then setting it down on empty air]

[daydreamshimmer]

....first thought is telekinesis, but it seems silly to exert a constant effort when there's table.

[Referring to the glass.]

[daydreamshimmer]

[Will be a human because there are POINTS to be had, and it's already gonna be weird kissing humans, she can at least make it not weird for others.]

Witch of love....really. [He's like a kid.] Hey, are you playing, Witch?

[But other than calling out the prince, she is going for outfit change and after some debate between ballroom and club, finds something a bit in the middle. But with a lot more jewelry added, bracelets and necklaces and rings and hair barrettes with little suns and red feathers on them.]

All right, let's do this.

[beeknighted]

. . .

Your dress is pretty.

[dragonheartedgirl]

[ reading these rules and

if she knew what a record was, there'd be a record screech going on in her head. ]

Share a kiss!?

[ Dahlia is

visibly mortified by the mere suggestion. ]

[daydreamshimmer]

Prince seems the type to go all in and not understand societal nuance.

[featherbeaned]

[ Stumble-skips out of the changing room in a vibrantly pink little number, albeit without the shoes, choker and wand. The bow is on (very) extremely lopsided, and her long hair — left loose and flowing — is a mess of fine golden chain and stars. ]

[ She tried. She tried so hard. ]

I've got kisses to give! And trinkets! And compliments!

[overworker]

Oh— what a cute outfit!

[Its absolutely adorable on her. The bow though...]

Oh but your bow...

[Then...]

Ah... what if we exchanged ribbons?

[The blue one Towa always wears wouldn’t be a bad match for her her outfit.]

[bestbrotherever]

[Loki's reading the banner with the rules, smirking slightly, wearing an all-black suit that contrasts with the bright neon.]

I foresee problems arising from that special condition...

[daydreamshimmer]

I wouldn't think a secret crush would last long in this place.

[beeknighted]

[Reading over that special condition]

...You know, I'm fine being a weenie. Compliments and gifts are easy enough at least.

[bestbrotherever]

Ah, but it is fun to push the boundaries of what counts as a kiss for points!

[So he says, but he's also toying with a tiny coin.]