Prompt: I'm on the hunt for a legendary ancient artifact.
Your trinity should in some fashion tell the story of the person described in your prompt. You're encouraged to add more detail to the story and explore different emotions the person would feel in the given scenarios.
A reminder that Trinities are made up of three songs with optional descriptions, usually formatted in some fashion. This round, I'm not going to give an example trinity. I want to see how you interpret this, and of course I want to save all the best prompts for the contestants. You don't have to write it like a formal story, nor do you even have to write in first person. If you want and you feel it's a worthy risk, you don't even have to write anything.
***
Prologue
My whole life, I’ve been searching doggedly for the Enchanted Chalice of Talantawazwin.
As the legend goes, anyone who finds the chalice and drinks from it will be reborn as the Supreme Ruler of the Ancient Kingdom of Atrellia. I knew it had to exist, and by God, I was going to find it.
My journey began unexpectedly one night, when I found a map buried between the pages of an old anthropology textbook from 1969. The map led me to a ziggurat-like structure in the most desolate area of the Sahara. At last, my decades of work were going to pay off.
By the way, that temple was a lot bigger on the inside than it looked on the outside. I had to go through what seemed like hours- maybe days- of dodging traps, solving riddles and unearthing secret passageways before I arrived at the final room of the temple.
***
I walked to the end of a long, dank, torch-lit corridor before I was greeted with the sight of two shimmering goblets- one copper, one bronze- on a granite-carved table, and a message carved into the wall behind it.
One of these is the Enchanted Chalice of Talantawazwin. Drink from it, and a life of endless luxury awaits you.
But choose wisely, dear traveler, for if you drink from the decoy chalice, you will suffer an agonizing death.
I was pleasantly surprised to find an ancient inscription that used such direct, straightforward language (in English, no less!), but it still gave me no indication as to which one I should choose.
What should I do?
Take the Bronze Goblet
Take the Copper Goblet
Take Neither
Chill Bill Testament
Hold on, my banner got a little clipped. Lemme resize it.
Sometimes, when I join an ATRL competition for the first time, it’ll take me a while to really get the hang of it. I’ll struggle at first, but then, slowly but surely, I’ll get accustomed to the challenges and prove myself as a worthy competitor by the end.
This is not one of those times.
I got into the #1 spot with the very first trinity I ever submitted. Clearly, I knew what I was doing from the moment I started. That’s not to say that it was smooth sailing for me from that point on; I had to deal with some really tough competition this season, and I had to work hard to prove that my early success wasn’t just a fluke.
But that’s exactly what I did, and the three trinities I’m presenting to you will serve as a testament to that fact.
Writing has always been a strength for me, and I like to think that I have pretty eclectic taste, so a competition like this seemed natural to me. That, and the trinity-crafting process seemed pretty straightforward: take three aspects of my personality, find a song to represent each one, do my best to tie them together, and boom, I had myself a trinity.
In retrospect, it’s pretty impressive that my trinity managed to shine despite its basic formatting, and the fact that I took a pretty conventional approach to the challenge. I impressed the judges on the merit of my song choices and my write-ups alone. I figured that if I just continued doing that, I’d have this competition in the bag.
By the time Round 6 arrived, things weren't looking great for me. Round 5 was the first time I placed closer to the Flop Trinity than the Golden Trinity, and it seemed like the judges were getting less and less impressed with me. Apparently, there are only so many academic essays you can submit before they start to get bored. To make matters worse, the new round was all about emojis, which I’ve always found tacky and lame. There was no way I was going to come out of this alive. Or was there?
I decided to change up my approach entirely and give the judges something they’d never expect from me; an entry formatted like a (deliberately) cheesy advertisement for a new Emoji app. Of all my entries, this one was probably the least literate (for lack of a better word), but it showed that I do have a fun side, and that I can stray out of my comfort zone if I need to.
And it worked! I made the Golden Trinity that round, and from that point on, I only left the Golden Trinity once. The second half of the season was when I proved that I truly deserved to be a finalist- nay, a winner- in this competition. Especially...
I have to admit, I was a little stymied when the challenge was first posted. It was almost too open-ended, and I went through several different trinity ideas before settling on one. Ultimately, though, it turned out to be my best trinity to date, for a few reasons:
▲ Presentation. This was the first trinity I made my own graphic for, in Adobe Illustrator. I figured that it was time to up my game, and there’s only so much you can do with ATRL markup alone. In the process, I learned that creating your own graphics isn’t as hard as I thought it would be.
▲ Content. I chose a subject that I personally find fascinating (monsters in folklore), without choosing one that’s too esoteric for the judges to appreciate (which was the mistake I made the previous round, with my Character Trinity). I also did a bit of research to give my entry just the right amount of detail to keep it interesting.
▲ Prose. As far as I know, it’s the first trinity in the series to be done in rhyme and iambic pentameter. You can’t tell me that’s not impressive.
And those are just the examples that stand out. Over the course of this season, I’ve made it into the Golden Trinity six times. That’s more than half the game. I’m also the only player, other than A Bomb, who never entered the Flop Trinity even once.
In short, I’ve proven myself as an outstanding competitor this season. To deprive me of a spot in the winning trinity, after all I’ve shown you, would be outrageous.
lovesong Choose-Your-Own
In alignment with my Create-Your-Own trinity, my Choose-Your-Own trinity is meant to be like a playlist. The goal of this trinity is to take you on a wild, trippy journey through music!
Flying Lotus is known for his trippy productions, and his mastering of eclectic sounds and styles into unconventional yet stunning ways. In this song, which is also probably the most conventional song in my trinity, Flying Lotus' signature sound blends well with Kendrick's fast-delivered rap to make a super trippy song that constantly goes one way when you think it will go the other.
James Blake too is known for his experimental approach to his productions. In this song, the tripping comes from using a variety of samples, most notably Kelis' iconic "Caught Out There" which is interloped throughout the song. By using all this found audio and mashing it together, you get this crazy audible experience that is hard to really pinpoint.
Lastly, is Jacob Collier's incredible cover of "Danny Boy". Jacob is like a genius when it comes to music, with a signature in using inventive methods with his music. This cover's best parts come from the expert use of a vocoder to give the song this crazy feel that is simultaneously dark, yet airy. This is a song I am obsessed with because it feels like the type of music that would narrate some kind of crazy adventure through a futuristic landscape, just like the other songs, where you expect the music to go is switched up constantly - leaving you in surprise!
lovesong Testament
testament trinity
After three two incredible seasons in Holy Trinity, I have finally made it to the finale. As a result, for my trinity, I wanted to demonstrate not just my creativity and growth in this season, but in the game in general. For me, consistency was my biggest accomplishment. Aside from one recent slip up into the Flop Trinity, I have been in the Golden Trinity or at least right outside of it (#4) for almost every round. I would definitely say that each round I tried my best to either top my previous entry or at the very least show a different approach, aiming to never really repeat myself. Although I was usually the bridesmaid of the game, I still felt very proud of what I had done in this game, and I definitely think the good outweighs the bad.
First is the Scene Trinity a personal favourite in terms of challenge concept as well as entry, this allowed me to show my creativity in putting together a trinity. What I loved the best about this challenge was that we could focus on the "sound" or the "feel" of the song, and not just the lyrics. In order to make my entry stand out, I wanted to go a step further, not just explaining why the songs fit, but creating a story in the form of a poem that could allow the judge(s) to immerse themselves fully into my scene. They were meant to be read while hearing the music in the background, to fully grasp the concept of "garden".
The next one is the Iluminati Trinity. A sort of controversial challenge, that in my opinion generated the best entries across the board. What I loved about this challenge was that it was much more carefree and lighthearted, which allowed for me to take a more humorous approach, once again helping to make my entry stand out. In this particular round, most people ended up trying to do some sort of #expose which created some really fun results. However, this was the round where I really thought outside the box and did something completely different. I thought my brochure concept was a perfect way for me to interpret the challenge differently as well as allow a funnier side of me shine through.
And then lastly, and recently, the Create Your Own Trinity really showed how much I've grown and how my attention to detail has improved. In this trinity, things were a lot more open, but I had my idea from before anyways. This trinity was supposed to allow players to create their own playlist for any event or situation that would call for music. It could very well be implemented in future seasons, since it's easy to do, fairly open for creativity, and ultimately fun. When I say I have improved, I would say that this is low-key one of my most well thought out entries and certainly my most focused.
testament trinity
Anyway, that's a little bit about me and why I deserve to be one of the three winners LOL.
Also it may not come into your decision but I'm the #2 poster in this thread, and I think many of you would agree that chatting in the thread and trying to build a community this season was one of the things I was known for.
I hope that this shows some of the growth that I have accomplished and demonstrates the diversity in approaches to the challenges from this game! Good luck to each of the other contestants, like I've said in this thread before, the last few rounds have been difficult what with so many strong players in the game. I've had so much fun creating these entries and reading other's entries too!
A Bomb Choose-Your-Own
- seasons trinity -d.
Ah, finally summer is here! Great, right? No. Imagine every time you walked out of your house and took even one step it felt like standing in an oven set at 400 F. The heat stealing your life force little by little. Now, you have to make your way to your car to run an errand. Knowing full well that car is at least the same temp. as the surface of the sun. Sweat beings to trickle down your back as the heat haze makes your car appear farther than you remember parking it. After a few minutes, in the blistering heat, you make it to your car. You rush to turn it on and put the a/c on full blast! Unfortunately, it’ll be at least 8 minutes before your car begins to cool down. You avoid touching any part of your car’s scorching leather interior, but you have to steer your car somehow. You begin alternating hands to avoid having your palms melt into the steering wheel. This is summer in Vegas. Blinding, Sweltering. And unrelenting.
Hot summer streets
And the pavements are burning
I sit around
Trying to smile but
The air is so heavy and dry
Ways to beat the heat? Chill inside during the hottest parts of the day. Comfortably with the a/c blasting. This sounds just evokes the emotion of staying indoors, during the vicious sun rays. Doing all types of activities within the cool confines of your home. *swoons* This is how summer should be. Playing Brawlhalla with ppl you’ve never seen in person. :smitten :
Your gentle touch on my naked ass
these summer nights when that AC blasting
Best thing to do in Vegas for the summer is leave. Everything is so close by. The beaches and theme parks of Cali are just 4-6 hours away. The amazing Lake Tahoe is only 7. Even the mountains surrounding Vegas, which are a cool 60 F – 70 F during the summer months, are only less than an hour drive. The bonfires in the middle of the desert, a few miles from the city, are always fun and kind of a summer staple tbh.
It's getting close to sundown
Over the Sierra
Stranded on the heat wave
Burning with desire
She was on the sidewalk
Looking for a nightlife
Let me just preface this by saying: Narrowing my run down to 3 challenges was very difficult. I excelled every week and the majority of my entries are favorites for different reasons. With that said the first one I chose is my ‘Illuminati Trinity’, because it showed my comedic side and that I’m more than capable of thinking outside the box. I knew most people were gonna go, the kinda basic, pop artist with devil imagery route, so it was almost instinctively that I wanted to do something that was directed at children. No that isn’t a dig at Katy. I’m really proud at how I executed this idea and glad you guys enjoyed it enough to rank me highly!
My favorite challenge of the whole season produced my favorite trinity ever. As soon as I saw “a remote farm” as an option, for the “Scene Trinity” I sprinted to snatch it up! I’ve been an avid stan of horror films, since I was a kid, and I knew that setting would be PERFECT for one. It lends itself to all the tropes of 80’s slasher films without having to be set decades in the past. My story and selection of songs were perfect. Little tidbit on how I select my songs: I put a bunch of songs, that fit my idea and concept, into a playlist and slowly remove one’s which no longer fit. Honestly, I put thought and consideration into every part of my final product, and ultimately, I tell a very vivid story. This same effort, I would put into every one of the 10 challenges.
I could have chosen another of my five #1 placements, but my entry for the “Monotype Trinity” is special to me, because of the subject matter. It reflects something I’ve experienced and has immensely shaped the person I am currently. It’s something I never talk about and probably never will to anyone who hasn’t experienced it too, but writing and choosing the songs was therapeutic and telling it through this medium, indirectly, eased my apprehensiveness to the subject. The lowest I’ve ever placed was 4th and honestly that was due to a technicality. I have been consistent throughout all 10 challenges. No one else has had the impeccable run I have. My entries slayed, in every aspect, and showed plenty of versatility along with cute presentation. Which, thankfully, translated to my 9/10 Holy Trinity placements. I'm not very modest about the quality of my entries, but i am humbled by how well the judges have received them. Thank you for an amazing season!
bonus song (the vibe of this song is intended for my testament trinity)
Xedretinz Lododnz Testament
Hi there co-players, Tymps. and the judges!!
I’m really glad to be here in front of you as one of the finalist of the fifth season of the Holy Trinity.
In this trinity, I’m going to show why I am really more deserving to be part of the Holy Trinity than the others.
I’m going to present to you the three standout trinities that I’ve made throughout the season. It’s not literally based on how well I ranked with those entries but on how special and how connected I am to those trinities. It may not be the best entries overall but let me explain to you on why are those really something special.
So let’s begin.
*click the banners if you want to redirect to that trinity. I'm Xedretinz Lododnz btw*
Quote:
▲ The Beginning ▲
Quote:
▲ The Resurrection ▲
Quote:
▲ The Summit ▲
There you go. Those are my standout trinities throughout the season. I hope you all agree with me.
Maybe the other finalists say that they more deserve to be in the Holy Trinity and it’s really obvious because they’re always consistent on their entries but I think this game is not about being a consistent front-runner but a game which someone can actually learn and improve themselves. Just like me, I can say that I’m not really the most consistent trinity maker out of all the finalist cause I have my ups and downs. But I can proudly say that I’m the most improved finalist out of them cause I’m the only one who get eliminated but resurrected and end up being one of the finalist and soon to be one of the Holy Trinity
I did all my best to impress the judges and even the host and co-players with me, putting my different personas in my entries. Sometimes I feel hyped and sometimes I feel serious and lie low. It’s just I can’t be one-sided. I want to experience the feeling of being happy and at the same time, the feeling of being lonely cause it’s human nature and nothing can really stop me about it. So please don’t wonder if sometimes I feel crazy and sometimes I feel shy or something cause it’s me
For me, a trinity should not only be interesting and creative, but also a very inspiring one. What I’ve noticed in some of the trinities is that they are really good in terms of being different and creative but I’m really searching for something more than that which is the inspirational thingy. I didn’t say that this game should be about inspiring but what I mean is that this game should be fun but at the same time, full of learning cause it’s the only way we can make ourselves happy and satisfied. About my side, I can say that with these trinities that I’ve tackled, I really was able to speak out my side to inspire people, to let them know what is good and what is right. . If you don’t agree, then you’re dumb jk
That’s all I can say for now. I hope you’re going to pick me as one of the Holy Trinity. Love you all
Prismatic Choose-Your-Own
prismatic's story trinity
My favorite singer has gone missing for a week
\ introduction /
It’s February 7th 2018, a week after Taylor Swift won her third Album of the Year award for her groundbreaking electrorock album. As a long-time stan of Taylor, I was of course very happy for her, but not anymore. After clinching her 31st Grammy award last Sunday, Taylor has gone missing ever since. Her wife Karlie Kloss filed the missing report on the morning of February 8th and the news have took over all headlines and front covers. It's yet another day without a single news of Taylor's whereabouts. I clutched my copy of Speak Now and said a few words of prayers. “Come back, be here”, I muttered under my breath.
\ chapter 1: letting the light in /
put on a happy face, spread sunshine all over the place
I can't possibly be dejected forever. Life still goes on and I need to keep my positive outlook on life. I glanced at the calendar, it's February 7th. Oh my, today’s the day. It's Wave All Your Fingers at Your Neighbor Day! A perfect opportunity for me to get some fresh air and loosen myself up. I grabbed a few bottles of iced tea from the fridge and dashed out of my house. I walked around the neighborhood, waved at every neighbor I saw with joy and gave out the iced tea to them. A man was mowing the lawn, some teenage girls were exercising at the nearby park and a couple kids were playing in their backyard. Everyone was busy with something different but one thing they all have in common is that they’re warm and friendly. It always feels good to make someone smile, especially in this neighborhood where everyone is so easy-going. With a spike in positivity in me, I returned home, walking past the unit adjacent to my house. The previous owner moved out last month and it seems like the new tenant is finally here. She has long black hair and really beautiful eyes. I greeted my new neighbor with a smile and she nodded back.
\ chapter 2: somebody to lean on /
i won't shed a tear just as long as you stand by me
I was resting on my armchair when a a soft knock landed on my front door. It was the new girl. She introduced herself as Perrie and needed help with the fixing of furnitures so I headed over to her house. The first thing I noticed when I stepped into her house was this huge box of Taylor albums and assorted merchandises. She was even wearing socks with Taylor cartoons printed on them. "Hey, I'm a huge Taylor fan too. I hope you're feeling alright, I understand how it feels," I tried to comfort her. "I'm fine. It's just really sad that she's gone at such a young age," Perrie replied. Seems like the rumors of Taylor's death has gotten into her head. We worked together to construct a side table from IKEA. "Why don't you stay over for lunch? I'm good at cooking!" she said as she poured a glass of water for me. I agreed, and I ended up staying at her house for the whole afternoon. We put on a couple Taylor records and talked about our experiences as a fan, like how Perrie broke into tears when she first met Taylor at the Fearless Tour. Time sure passed really fast when I was with Perrie. She's just so adorable, sweet and likeable. Although Taylor's disappearance still lingers in my mind, I was at ease all this while because I felt that I could personally connect with Perrie. Talking to her was really magical, it's like I've found someone who would listen to my troubles when I'm feeling down. Is she the soulmate i've always been looking for?
\ chapter 3: the creepy stalker /
someone's watching me, somebody's after me
The sun went down and it was time for me to leave. I went back to my house, did some housework and watched a few reality show episodes on TV. Throughout the entire night, I felt like someone was watching me all this time. I looked out at the window but I did not notice anything strange. It was a really eerie feeling, knowing that someone might be spying on your every move. I felt really anxious so I gave Perrie a call and told her about what's happening. "I've just looked out at my window and there's realy nothing! You need to calm down. I'll come over, alright?" Perrie said through the phone. Soon enough, the door bell rang. I opened the door and Perrie glared at me. She tore off a mask covering her face.
.
OH MY GOD. PERRIE IS TAYLOR SWIFT.
I raised my hands and screamed in disbelief. I was talking to the one and only Taylor Swift all this time. The entire disappearance act was staged entirely for her TV special to surprise diehard fans. There were cameras hidden around Taylor's house the whole time I was there, but they wanted to film me in my house so the camera crew had to sneak in, making me think that someone was watching me.
Prismatic Testament
prismatic's testament trinity
Hello, I'm Prismatic. My journey through ATRL's Holy Trinity: Renewal has been such a fun and fulfilling one and I can't believe this is the last time I'll be writing a trinity entry. I signed up for this game without much thought and I'm really proud of myself for doing so well. I've actually never made it to the finals in any ATRL tournament before, so it'll be my first tournament win if I'm part of this season's Holy Trinity. I've put in so much effort and dedication into this game and I'm glad that these efforts are not in vain. I've consistently performed well in the game and only landed in the Flop Trinity once and was eliminated (and then brought back, lol). In my opinion, my entries often stand out from the rest. They might not always be the best, but they certainly offer a refreshing and different perspective of the round.
the first bloom // illuminati trinity
If y'all recall, my entries really sucked at the beginning. It was all about sappy love stories and the judges agreed that I would not go far if I continued like this. I had to learn to step out of my comfort zone and be more creative. There was a need for reinvention and I feel that The Illuminati Trinity was where I fist showed major development as a player. I proved to the judges that I was capable in crafting solid entries. I was the one holding myself back before, but I've learnt to be more flexible and try new ideas. I no longer wanted to settle with mediocrity. In this entry, I let myself go and did something really wacky. It was a hot mess (in a good way) and everyone enjoyed reading my entry. I would consider this entry as my breakthrough as it was the start of my several Golden Trinity placements.
my strong point // character trinity
The next trinity I've chosen is the Character Trinity. In this round, I displayed one of my biggest strengths - character analysis. Last season, someone did a similar trinity on Joy and performed badly as he gave a really one-dimensional and weak analysis. What that player failed to realize was that despite the charcters being named after emotions, they themselves were capable of feeling other emotions too. I was able to understand this concept and analysed Sadness from several perspectives. I dissected her character completely and identify the moments where she felt lonely, motivated and finally important. I brought the judges on a journey of Sadness searching for his purpose in Riley's mind and it was met with much praise.
self-reflection // non-music trinity
I believe what makes me different from the other contestants was that I was constantly self-reflecting throughout the entire tournament. Even though I was constantly improving, it does not mean that I should not look back at my past. After every round, I will look at my entry and the judges' comments and learnt from my mistakes. I kept what I felt was right and adjusted what has to be changed. In the Non-Music Trinity, I did a trinity on ATRL tournaments and I sincerely reflected on my exprience in three tournaments I personally connect to. I identified what I've learnt and taken away from each tournament and showed how I could apply these skills and lessons learnt into real life.
I was a late bloomer in the competition. I had a rocky start but I managed to consistenly grow entry after entry and made my way to the final based on my skills. I hope that my performance this season will inspire players of future seasons to not give up easily and always put in your 100% in crafting your entries. A huge thank you to everyone who has contributed to this amazing tournament in one way or another. See you.
Post your thoughts! Also let me know what the best days and times for finale results are!
Chill Bill Choose-Your-Own
. If you don’t agree, then you’re dumb 
sad this is almost over and sad I can only pick 3 for the holy trinity 
