Welcome to... the second round! Here, we have our lovely contestants-- Marina, Caelus, ██████, and ███ ████! The next round is about to start! It's the trivia section and we'll be splitting you into groups for it. At the end, we'll tally your scores between this round and the last to see who gets eliminated first.
[ the crowd claps! the four of you stand behind podiums, spotlights trained on you. ]
And just so you know, the first group were pretty juicy, so I hope you all can follow up with that! Haha! But moving on...
In the great rap battle between Fiddlion and Ser Jester, who do you believe came out as the victor?
[ ah yes, the great rap battle. the rap battle that was great. the one that happened between those two people that were named. that rap battle. caelus wants to also say something brimming with confidence but is he supposed to know these names?
what have his handlers been doing if not supplying him with correct answers to pageant trivia!!!!
all right, caelus. stay cool. ]
They both put in their all, but I'm siding with Fiddlion. Rapping takes the heart... of a Fiddlion.
[ ██████ and ███ ████ also answer the question (probably. the familiar period of silence followed by an audience response occurred) and the announcer chuckles in amusement. ]
Well, well... I see where your allegations lie there. We're learning so much about you. [ ARE YOU? ] But let's move onto the next question!
Was the death penalty a valid solution after the famed child actress, Sweetie Honeybun, murdered her abusive parents?
No. While I understand there's a need to hold up the status quo and procedures of punishment all around, the decision to sentence her to death was completely over the top with the amount of evidence that pointed to her years of abuse as a cash cow for her greedy parents.
She was just a kid. [ brows furrowing as he considers the question in its entirety. who the fuck was sweetie honeybun? how did she manage to kill both parents? but the word 'abusive' stands out. maybe she couldn't stand being pushed anymore. ]
And her parents were bad to her. It's not right that she killed them, but it probably hurt her the worst both before and after. It's punishment enough to have that weighing over you for the rest of your life. There had to be another way that wasn't fully examined. I don't agree with the decision.
[ he doesn't know about rehabilitation. some psychos remain psychos no matter what you do or say, but, like, don't just kill them back. ]
[ the announcer laughs, although it's difficult tell tell who the response is to. ]
Now, let's see.... Currently in the lead is Caelus! [ cheering ] And the one who is falling behind is... ███ ████! What a shame, right? You should know to keep up!
[ they can both hear the sound of a sickening crunch, and then something hitting the ground, even though they cannot see anything. for a moment, caelus will get the feeling that whatever just happened, it was something horribly bad to someone who cares about.
but then the feeling is gone, like it wasn't there. ]
Next question! If you found the missing fortune of the great thief Rizzoli, what would you do with it?
[ let him be in the lead then! that's fine. boy that sure was... a terrible crunching noise. wonder what that was exactly.
oh well! ]
Return stolen artifacts to museums, preservation societies, or their rightful homes and so on, then the remaining cash can and should be donated to area orphanages in strife to organize cash-to-claim gets messy.
A finder's fee would be nice, but I'd rather see it be put to good use than sitting in someone's stash.
[ don't flashes through him, the sensation, the word. whatever happened, it shouldn't have. it hurts and he clutches a hand over his chest. by the time his fingers curl, he's lost what was bothering him so much.
he's happy, right??? he's in the lead! the natural order restored. ]
Anything powerful or too interesting should go to researchers or museums so we can learn more about them. For the rest, if I found it, I don't see why I can't give it to my friends or random people who might need it. The morally correct thing to do is spread the wealth. How cool would it be if someone was wandering around a park and suddenly got a huge pay raise they weren't expecting?
I would save them. No matter what it took. If I had to sacrifice my own life, it's not worth being around anymore if I can't protect the people precious to me.
[ caelus himself is surprised how much he means that. isn't he a pageant princess? the heck ]
[ the crowd laughs, and you get the sense that they're laughing at you for being so silly there. you are both hit with a deep dread about how stupid you are for being so silly with your answer. the feeling lingers. ]
Next... Have you ever sabotaged other contestants to get where you are?
[ oh good she loves deep internal dread. she pushes a little bit of hair out of her face carefully, smoothing it back like she smoothes over her emotions. boy. that dread's not going away. eugh. anyways. ]
No, I've come too far and I don't have to cheat to get the edge.
[ she sure did cast hurting on someone, just a vague fragment of it and made them puke on their shoes mid-performance right onto the judges panel. it was impulse, a sheer flare up of anger. sometimes a cocky guy literally pulls your pigtails and steps on your cute shoes so you decide he deserves to puke in front of thousands. it didn't earn him a single pity vote.
[ ha ha what's wrong with being a silly, goofy guy! answering in silly manners! silly and funny and--caelus feels wretched and awkward and like he'd love to disappear. shrink down to absolutely nothing. why are all these people looking at him? judging him? he's a harmless introvert that cannot withstand such direct and overwhelming attention--
and it passes. ]
Never. When I win, it has to be by my own power. Sabotaging my competition would make me win by default, not by my ability. That's meaningless.
Is that so? When, in group one, the previous contestants all stated that they hope Caelus is humiliated on stage and burnt to death because he is less capable than Marina.
[ wow that sure is a turn of events. marina just rests her elbows on her podium and rests her chin in her hands. she glances over at caelus with a raised brow like "i see." ]
Quite flattered, but no need to burn him for his failures. Better to let him live and learn~sometimes that's the sweetest victory.
marina feels the contact and snaps forward against her podium, feeling it dig into her shoulders. the pain radiates hard from the back of her skull and she yelps actually, because she is just a girl! when it leaves, she reaches up with a hand to touch the back of her head as the crowd gets its laughs in, her face burning in quiet fury.
who the fuck is human centipede? she should totally know this. ]
U-uh... [ oh her head... ] Mmmmm ah - Drummer slept with the lead singer-slash-lyricist's boyfriend who then promptly broke up with him. Their lyrics went to shit after that and they disbanded.
[ wait or was that another band...? no. no she's certain she's right. ]
[ pageant life is so wild sometimes. did someone get beaned with a fucking hammer? a blunt, metal object? to their head? good thing nothing has occurred that would ever make caelus not want to think about that! what matters is it wasn't him and he's in the lead, despite his many detractors wishing for his embalming!!!
get rekt!!!! ]
Two different members decided to switch tracks to neo-funk solo careers. The rest couldn't hack it without 'em.
Haha, I see that some of you aren't really fans... it's a shame, since some of the members are in the audience today!
[ the crowd gasps, and a spotlight is directed towards some people in the crowd. you have no idea who this is, but it's exciting for the audience, apparently.
the announcer continues talking after the commotion dies down. ]
We are moving onto the speed round. There should be a paper and a pen on your podium. We will give you five questions and please answer them discreetly.
[ when you look down, a pen and paper is suddenly there. written on the paper is:
1. Do you deserve to live? 2. Are you willing to do anything to live? 3. Would you kill the other contestants to live? 4. What is the capitol of Germany? 5. Why do you want to win?
[ human centipede is overrated she's more of a c*heed and c*mbria girl. she squints out into the audience briefly before just giving a slight shake of her head, trying to return to her properly poised self. as the pen and paper appear, she glances down at each question. cool.
in her neatest penmanship, with her head aching... ]
1. Yes 2. Whatever it takes. 3. Yes. 4. Bremen 5. To finally be free.
no, i'm kidding. he leans over the paper on his podium, protecting his answers from prying, cheating eyes.
1. Yes!!! 2. I want to survive no matter what I won't kill anyone just to save myself 3. see 2 4. the capitol of Germany 5. If I'm going to compete, I'm going for the grand prize
he's not sure he answered some of these correctly, but he refuses to change anything after his initial cross-out. ]
[ there's an odd way they say the last word, but the crowd cheers anyway.
before them, the paper and pen vanishes, and then the podiums do as well. spotlights shift to shine in the middle of the stage, indicating that they will have to move that new spot instead. ]
For the last part of this round, I need you to each tell a story from your childhood that you believe defined who you are today.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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[ the crowd claps! the four of you stand behind podiums, spotlights trained on you. ]
And just so you know, the first group were pretty juicy, so I hope you all can follow up with that! Haha! But moving on...
In the great rap battle between Fiddlion and Ser Jester, who do you believe came out as the victor?
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[ confidence! watches her get it wrong idk. she just smiles brightly. ]
As for your question - Ser Jester came out on top of that one - though it was quite close.
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what have his handlers been doing if not supplying him with correct answers to pageant trivia!!!!
all right, caelus. stay cool. ]
They both put in their all, but I'm siding with Fiddlion. Rapping takes the heart... of a Fiddlion.
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Well, well... I see where your allegations lie there. We're learning so much about you. [ ARE YOU? ] But let's move onto the next question!
Was the death penalty a valid solution after the famed child actress, Sweetie Honeybun, murdered her abusive parents?
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No. While I understand there's a need to hold up the status quo and procedures of punishment all around, the decision to sentence her to death was completely over the top with the amount of evidence that pointed to her years of abuse as a cash cow for her greedy parents.
[ she does the motion in this edgeworth gif.
who the hell is sweetie honeybun? no clue. does the babygirl have rights for murdering her shitty parents? yeah. ]
Rehabilitation would have been possible had her short life not been wrested from her so swiftly. I rest my case.
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And her parents were bad to her. It's not right that she killed them, but it probably hurt her the worst both before and after. It's punishment enough to have that weighing over you for the rest of your life. There had to be another way that wasn't fully examined. I don't agree with the decision.
[ he doesn't know about rehabilitation. some psychos remain psychos no matter what you do or say, but, like, don't just kill them back. ]
no subject
[ the announcer laughs, although it's difficult tell tell who the response is to. ]
Now, let's see.... Currently in the lead is Caelus! [ cheering ] And the one who is falling behind is... ███ ████! What a shame, right? You should know to keep up!
[ they can both hear the sound of a sickening crunch, and then something hitting the ground, even though they cannot see anything. for a moment, caelus will get the feeling that whatever just happened, it was something horribly bad to someone who cares about.
but then the feeling is gone, like it wasn't there. ]
Next question! If you found the missing fortune of the great thief Rizzoli, what would you do with it?
no subject
oh well! ]
Return stolen artifacts to museums, preservation societies, or their rightful homes and so on, then the remaining cash can and should be donated to area orphanages in strife to organize cash-to-claim gets messy.
A finder's fee would be nice, but I'd rather see it be put to good use than sitting in someone's stash.
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he's happy, right??? he's in the lead! the natural order restored. ]
Anything powerful or too interesting should go to researchers or museums so we can learn more about them. For the rest, if I found it, I don't see why I can't give it to my friends or random people who might need it. The morally correct thing to do is spread the wealth. How cool would it be if someone was wandering around a park and suddenly got a huge pay raise they weren't expecting?
no subject
[ the crowd laughs at the funny joke. ]
You are being viciously attacked by someone you care for who is being brainwashed. The only way out is to kill them. Do you?
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and then: ]
I wouldn't. That's that.
I would simply find another way.
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I would save them. No matter what it took. If I had to sacrifice my own life, it's not worth being around anymore if I can't protect the people precious to me.
[ caelus himself is surprised how much he means that. isn't he a pageant princess? the heck ]
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[ the crowd laughs, and you get the sense that they're laughing at you for being so silly there. you are both hit with a deep dread about how stupid you are for being so silly with your answer. the feeling lingers. ]
Next... Have you ever sabotaged other contestants to get where you are?
no subject
No, I've come too far and I don't have to cheat to get the edge.
[ she sure did cast hurting on someone, just a vague fragment of it and made them puke on their shoes mid-performance right onto the judges panel. it was impulse, a sheer flare up of anger. sometimes a cocky guy literally pulls your pigtails and steps on your cute shoes so you decide he deserves to puke in front of thousands. it didn't earn him a single pity vote.
but no one needs to know. ]
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and it passes. ]
Never. When I win, it has to be by my own power. Sabotaging my competition would make me win by default, not by my ability. That's meaningless.
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the announcer continues, ]
Is that so? When, in group one, the previous contestants all stated that they hope Caelus is humiliated on stage and burnt to death because he is less capable than Marina.
Next question! How does that make you all feel?
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Quite flattered, but no need to burn him for his failures. Better to let him live and learn~sometimes that's the sweetest victory.
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I feel like they're the ones scared of the competition. It doesn't really bother me.
[ it sort of really bothers him. ]
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Alright, let's discuss the recent rankings... In current first place is... Caelus! And in last is our dear Marina.
[ the crowd goes silent.
and suddenly, from behind, a metal hammer comes flying and knocks hard against the back of her head.
once the contact is made, the crowd laughs. ]
Very good! Next question, what is the reason that the boy band Human Centipede broke up?
no subject
marina feels the contact and snaps forward against her podium, feeling it dig into her shoulders. the pain radiates hard from the back of her skull and she yelps actually, because she is just a girl! when it leaves, she reaches up with a hand to touch the back of her head as the crowd gets its laughs in, her face burning in quiet fury.
who the fuck is human centipede? she should totally know this. ]
U-uh... [ oh her head... ] Mmmmm ah - Drummer slept with the lead singer-slash-lyricist's boyfriend who then promptly broke up with him. Their lyrics went to shit after that and they disbanded.
[ wait or was that another band...? no. no she's certain she's right. ]
no subject
get rekt!!!! ]
Two different members decided to switch tracks to neo-funk solo careers. The rest couldn't hack it without 'em.
[ they're just saying words now right? ]
no subject
[ the crowd gasps, and a spotlight is directed towards some people in the crowd. you have no idea who this is, but it's exciting for the audience, apparently.
the announcer continues talking after the commotion dies down. ]
We are moving onto the speed round. There should be a paper and a pen on your podium. We will give you five questions and please answer them discreetly.
[ when you look down, a pen and paper is suddenly there. written on the paper is:
1. Do you deserve to live?
2. Are you willing to do anything to live?
3. Would you kill the other contestants to live?
4. What is the capitol of Germany?
5. Why do you want to win?
well? ]
no subject
in her neatest penmanship, with her head aching... ]
1. Yes
2. Whatever it takes.
3. Yes.
4. Bremen
5. To finally be free.
no subject
no, i'm kidding. he leans over the paper on his podium, protecting his answers from prying, cheating eyes.
1. Yes!!!
2.
I want to survive no matter whatI won't kill anyone just to save myself3. see 2
4. the capitol of Germany
5. If I'm going to compete, I'm going for the grand prize
he's not sure he answered some of these correctly, but he refuses to change anything after his initial cross-out. ]
no subject
[ there's an odd way they say the last word, but the crowd cheers anyway.
before them, the paper and pen vanishes, and then the podiums do as well. spotlights shift to shine in the middle of the stage, indicating that they will have to move that new spot instead. ]
For the last part of this round, I need you to each tell a story from your childhood that you believe defined who you are today.
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