BONUS ROUND 1: THROWBACK PROMPTS

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In this round, we'll be using prompts from last year's bonus rounds! You can either come up with a prompt based on the previous themes, fill a prompt from previous bonus rounds, or fill a prompt that's been posted this year!

Here is the tag with all the previous bonus rounds!

Fills can be in any format, and you can fill your teammates prompts, but you cannot fill your own prompt.

You can post as many fills and as many prompts as you want!

for your prompt post title, please use the following format:

PROMPT: TEAM [TEAM NAME]

for your fill post title, please use the following format:

FILL: TEAM [TEAM NAME]

If you're filling from a 2023/2024 prompt, please link to their prompt in your post!

To participate, reply to this post!

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FILL: TEAM OCs

[spectre_writes]

"STEP RIGHT UP, STEP RIIIGHT UP, TEST YOUR SKILL- YOU THERE!"

Lunaeris glances at Kallixenia and makes the 'who, me?' gesture expected of a freshly spotted mark.

It's strange, every single barker they've walked past at the carnival has locked right onto them- possibly because the eight foot tall angel sticks out of a crowd- and yet they all seem to want her to play the games. The test-your-strength guy positively balked at the idea that Kallie might want a try at it. You can only really rig a game so much and still have it look plausibly winnable, they came away from that one with a delightful little stuffed rabbit.

"Yes, you, miss!" The barker continues as they approach his stall. "Tell me, are you trained in the magical arts?"

"I don't know if I would say trained," Lunaeris lies. "Just a few little spells to help around the house."

"All you need!" He assures her, because his game is no doubt perfectly suited to exactly the skill level of whoever he's speaking to at the time. "And this tall drink of water, is she your sweetheart?"

"My wife!" Lunaeris chirps, hugging one of Kallixenia's arms and gazing up at her sweetly.

"Even better!" Says the barker. "And you know, of course, that a big wife-"

He gestures toward the stall's prizes.

"-Absolutely needs a big teddy bear!"

The grand prize of this game is a teddy bear of, frankly, unreasonable size. Damn thing looks almost as big as she is.

She simply must win it for Kallie.

"That she does," she agrees. "So how do I win it?"

"Glad you asked! It's veeeery simple. You see these targets?" He gestures to a series of metal discs on the ground, with paper targets fastened atop them. "They're highly flammable- don't worry, perfectly safe. You're going to take this wand-"

He produces a wand from his sleeve.

"And try to hit as many as you can. You'll know you've done it when they go up like so:"

He likewise produces a paper target and taps the wand to it, and it burns up in an instant, leaving only a puff of white smoke.

"Ten shots a try, two copper pieces a try, five for three. Hit at least five targets, win a prize! Hit all ten, you go home with the big bear! Interested?"

Lunaeris eyes the man shrewdly, and dips her fingers into her purse.

"Alright." She says, handing over two coins.

"Excellent!" Says the barker. "Now, the wand is easy to use- Just focus a little mana through it, it'll shoot a tiny ember. Whenever you're ready, miss."

Lunaeris takes the wand, fires, and predictably misses. The game is a complete roll of the dice; the ember loses all speed almost immediately and just goes wherever the wind decides to take it. By the end of it all she's hit exactly one target, that she wasn't even aiming for.

"Ooh, tough luck. But now you've got practice on your side, how about another?"

"...Three more." Lunaeris says, fully expecting to lose those as well. Which she does. Gets six targets on one of them, but she's here for the grand prize. She pays for another three tries, and on the second she finally makes her move.

The game requires you use the gamemaster's wand because if you let a wizard cast any old spell to play they'll cast one that lets them control the flame. Select the spell for the player, and the game's under your control.

...Unless the player is a pyromancer, who doesn't care where the fire came from, doesn't need to cast a spell to control it, and is (regrettably) a rare enough specialization that the first two points aren't common knowledge.

She fires the ember, and it is hers. She guides it gently, subtly, against the wind and the deflecting wards (she's not the only cheater here, to the surprise of no one), right down to a target.

The next nine are no more difficult, and victory is hers.

"Yes!" She cries, as if this outcome is an exciting surprise.

"...Incredible!" Says the barker, who surely suspects something. "It's not every day someone wins the grand prize!"

He hands over the bear and quickly shoos them away, redirecting his energy into convincing the rest of the carnival goers that they can all be so lucky, if they come give it a try.

"You cheated," murmurs Kallixenia, over the fuzzy head of her new friend.

"So did he!" Lunaeris justifies. "Should we give it back?"

"No. I love it. I love you."