#133 arena

[burr-sting]

It had been long enough that afternoon shadows draped themselves over the streets, and Augie made her way through them carefully. She was turning a corner, away from the river, when she saw a body headed toward her. She didn't wait to see who it was. She was already moving to hide, back around the corner, back the way she came. She couldn't run - they'd hear her footsteps, and even a child would be faster than Augie in her worn-out state. Not that Augie assumed any of the children had made it out of the Bloodbath - not with Caspian and the rest of the Careers.

Augie looked around her, trying to find anywhere she could hide. There was a fire escape about ten feet back, but it would make too much noise to climb up, even if the iron rails might provide a little bit of protection from ranged weapons. She was still backing up, slowly, trying desperately to think of options, when the figure inevitably turned the corner and looked right at her.

Mason.

@masonxxbrick

[troiurbest]

"It's a city," Troi said, stating the obvious. She let out a mirthless chuckle. "I think my sister's going to win some money on this one." It was a far nicer city than the Capitol, even, and the thought made her shiver. She wondered if the Gamemakers pulled it from the past, or if it was a design for the future of Panem or some other grandiose marketing message they'd use to detract from how much money they were spending on it that could be put to much better use elsewhere.

When the buzzer finally went off, she winced.

"Welcome home," she repeated. "That seems a bit...needlessly cruel, don't you think?"

[masonxxbrick]

"Look what I found." Mason said proudly to the person standing by him. In his hands were graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate. "I haven't made s'mores since I was a little kid. Do you want to make some with me?" Mason asked them with a huge smile on his face. "It can be our last day celebration."

[courtney-ganhador]

@alecta-beckwourth

It was with measured breaths that Courtney considered his options. His whole left side was smarting from his fight with the bodega cat and the heavy fall he had taken. He was out of antiseptic wipes, having used them to clean the wounds. His legs still supported him, though, and that was something - even if he was without the key to whatever treasure Caspian would find.

The day was rapidly coming to a close, and nighttime could be an ideal time to move. Others would feel worried, perhaps, that the Gamemakers had something up their sleeves for the darkness, and perhaps they would. He could make his way back to the science center, as he had promised Prairie. He could find a place to sleep for a few hours, and hope no one found him. Or...

Trying to stay in the long shadows despite the darkness of the night, Courtney made his way back to the glass Cornucopia. He didn't have huge hopes; the Careers certainly would have picked it clean after the Bloodbath and the subsequent day. But even then, there was only so much they could carry. Something useful had to have been left behind, right?

He crept forward carefully, now theoretically exposed but for the cover of the moonlight. There wasn't much; a ripped messenger bag, a small bag of sling stones without a sling, a javelin that was missing its tip. Perhaps closer into the fountain there would be better loot.

[gemmarosewater]

Caspian was pleased with this little game. He had received the parachute at what he assumed was noon, so one full day into the Arena. So far, things hadn't gone to plan for him at all, but he'd actually slept decently and he was paired with the boy from Ten.

He made it to the courtyard in the middle of the apartment block easily; he hadn't strayed too far this morning, just a bit of roaming to see if there were any other tributes nearby. He'd also explored some of the other apartments and found that the one he'd spent the night in was more to his taste than the others.

He waited, perched on a bench, and when he saw Courtney appear around the corner, he smiled wanly at him. "I was just reading an advertisement for the upcoming school play," he said. "And then here comes my date. How perfect."

@courtney-ganhador

[callistomeadowforge]

@smithbrick

There did not seem to be very many things for the tributes to do in the evenings. Perhaps strategising with the mentors over dessert might be smart, but it did not particularly appeal to River tonight--not that it had any night so far. If she were to be completely honest, she might say she found it all a little frightening, but of course she wasn't. Not that it mattered. Nobody was paying her that much attention anyway.

The rooftop was her choice of escape this time. When a gust of wind blew a fallen leaf over the railing, a childish idea struck her. River extracted several of the bills of money she had left in her pocket, and one by one, began to release them from between pinched fingers, letting the wind take them. It took no time at all to get rid of an amount that could've fed her and Perry for an entire month back home, if she could have just brought it home. She couldn't, though. She might never go back home.

Before her thoughts could wander further, the sound of footsteps pulled her back into the present. Her head whipped around, eyes narrowing to make out who had joined her in the semi-dark.

[abel--evans]

“Between you and I, I’d put a good amount of money on the arena being something to do with technology this time” Abel said quietly as he leaned into Rio’s shoulder. Betting was frowned upon, and Abel didn’t like to choose between tributes, but he didn’t mind guessing the arena, it seemed the most harmless out of the lot.

@riodair

[jovedeclan]

surprise starter for @everettcannon !!

A handful of things came to mind when Ash spotted Ev -- his appearance in a propaganda video, the execution and attack during the tribute parade, two Brick brothers volunteering, and the talk of a possible career pack. He sighed, part of him dreading the conversation that waded past the tributes. When a tribute won, he found it second nature to feel responsible for them and more connected to their family by extent. Being from a career district only amplified the feeling for him. Being mentored by Finnick and having a hand in training Rio and Medea. Ash didn't know the Bricks very well, but he knew how it was with the Odairs and how it went with the Atlanticas. "Just who I wanted to see," Ashton put an arm around his shoulder, patting lightly, before sitting down beside him. "How're you holding up?"

[maytheoddshq]

THE 133RD BIANNUAL HUNGER GAMES: MODERN CITY

“Cities, like dreams, are made of desires and fears, even if the thread of their discourse is secret, their rules are absurd, their perspectives deceitful, and everything conceals something else.” ― Italo Calvino, Invisible Cities

Below the cut are descriptions of the city.

The Arena is a clean and dazzling city, with certain elements similar to the Capitol. The skyscrapers are tall and their windows reflect the blue sky; the streets are clean and completely devoid of cars; many of the buildings are accessible to the tributes, offering up beautiful and futuristic elements for them to explore. An elevated train whisks around the city, quiet and sleek. But despite the urban beauty, there is something a bit ominous: the empty streets, the wind whistling between the buildings, the silence that falls over everything… All of these may give tributes some pause, suggesting that they have not arrived in paradise, despite how it may seem.

Tributes may recognize some of the technology and aspects of the city from their textbooks about the pre-Dark Days. For Capitolites watching, the tech may even seem obsolete, but for tributes, who won't have had access to advanced technology in the Districts, it will seem dazzling and new. The mechanics would be foreign to most modern citizens of Panem — such as how a student of today would not understand how to hack a floppy disk, but had they not seen one, they'd be impressed by its ability to save data.

The weather is warm, hovering around 75°F/24°C, but humidity makes it feel warmer.

Note to players: while we have described some of the main aspects and buildings of the city, we have left the map vague enough that you can fill in the streets yourself. The buildings described below are the ones that are open and most easily accessible, but others do exist which tributes could potentially break into. However, the main ones that the Gamemakers have specially prepared for them are below. When filling in the blanks, remember the spirit of the arena but get creative with it and have fun. If you’re unsure or think you might be pushing it too far, feel free to ask the admins.

City Square

The tributes are launched into a large, open square in the center of the city surrounded by a strip of grass with trees planted every few meters and benches in between the trees. The square itself is paved with dark gray concrete and in the middle is a large fountain with a pool of potable water. Instead of a statue at the center of the fountain, the cornucopia sits like a modern glass sculpture, raised just slightly so that tributes must climb up into its mouth in order to access the more valuable items inside. Because it’s made of glass, everything can be seen from below. The less valuable items are scattered throughout the pool of water.

Nearby is the juncture of a river that runs through the city. There is a waterfront sidewalk spanning the length of the river. The river water is not potable without treatment, and a horde of bloodthirsty Canadian geese inhabit the waters and shores. Any tribute who gets too close will be subject to bites from bills lined with razor-sharp teeth.

Elevated Train

The elevated train is on a set of tracks that cover the entire circumference of this portion of the city. On the map above, the train tracks are on the very edges, as just beyond them is the forcefield. Each station has a set of stairs and an elevator to reach the platform from the street; there are a few benches and a notice board detailing the train schedule (every ten minutes), as well as a few posters indicating upcoming events in the city such as a new musical at the theater, an awards ceremony, or a protest at city hall. The train cars themselves are sleek with automatic doors that open at every station, and offer plenty of seats as well as poles to hang onto should a person prefer to stand. There are stations throughout the city and a single train with three cars that runs 24/7.

Bank

The bank is a magnificent structure, adorned with windows on three sides of the building from floor to ceiling. The interior is grandiose, the back wall that leads down to the vault is made of marble, the vault itself being made of carbon fiber, making it resistant to any outside tampering. During the day, the bank is ‘open’ for business. Instead of any human tellers, there are three AI robots at the desks ready to assist any customer. If tributes speak to them the robots will prompt them to make an account into which they will be able to deposit anything they find that they'd like to be stored in the vault for safe keeping. The robots will take the items back and forth to the vault for them; tributes cannot get inside the vault. Tributes can only access their own 'account,' but just from 9 AM to 5 PM.

After business hours, the bank is on tight lockdown. A red laser grid security system spreads across the floor. The three AI tellers roam the building, a bright light emanating from their eyes, showing their field of view. If the laser grid is tripped or if someone walks into their field of view a loud alarm sounds that can be heard throughout the area. Trespassers are dealt with accordingly by the AI, often by means of lethal force. The robots can be 'switched off' by accessing a panel in their backs which can be pried open.

City Hall

City Hall is a massive stone structure with a large flight of stairs leading from the street to the front doors. Surrounding the building is an open green space scattered with trees which have been trimmed so they are shaped like bright green spheres. Along the edges of the steps are protest signs with slogans like “Polluting the environment will cost you your life!” “Want a future? Save Mother Earth!” “Our climate is changing! We should too!” "GREEN over GREED!" and so on.

Inside the building is an empty reception desk, with a sign that says “Be back later!” To get further into the building one must go through metal detectors. If a tribute has any sort of metal on them it will activate the metal detector. The metal detector emits a shrieking sound that can be heard from outside the building, alerting others to a tribute's location. The alarm will cease only if the tribute exits the halls. If a tribute decides to stay, the alarm's pitch will get higher and higher until it renders the tribute deafened for the next few hours.

The main halls all look the same — beautiful mahogany paneling, tiled floors, nameplates on each door. An observant person would notice that the hall is actually repeating itself, the same names on the door over and over again in a loop. The further they go, the harder it will be to find their way back out, as it’s a maze of identical halls. They will have to try to retrace their steps, but can easily become lost. Inside the offices, there’s a myriad of paperwork stacked upon each desk rattling off statistics like voter approval numbers, a levy on education, concerns about the protesters outside, and materials on turning to clean energy.

Pandora Science Center

The Pandora Science Center demonstrates the pinnacle of innovation. The building is massive, taking up an entire city block. The interior is split into two wings — the east wing is open to tourists, serving as a museum to the center’s work. Demonstrations of the cutting edge experiments are littered all over the wing, including some interactive ones: a solar powered car, replica Tesla coils, a human sized hamster wheel that powers LED lights on a nearby wall panel, etc.

The west wing is where all of the real work happens at the Pandora Science Center. Labs upon labs of experiments coat the halls. Some are smaller scale such as a room full of lab rats with mazes while others are larger like the room experimenting on making a hoverboard, complete with a small half-pipe for testing. One of the labs though stands out further than the others: it’s full of different glass flasks and liquids, bubbling under bunsen burners. On the table there is a notebook titled, “Antidote.” It doesn’t state for what, but if a tribute manages to complete the experiment correctly they will get the item and their name removed from the Death Draw ONE time. If the experiment goes awry, it will explode in smoke in their face and their name will be added to the Death Draw ONE time.

Apartments

The apartment buildings are all grouped together with a grassy courtyard in the center with benches and flowering trees. The buildings are all accessible for tributes. They have fancy lobbies with lots of mirrors, sleek floors, and rows of mailboxes which can't be opened. The elevators in each of the buildings lead only to the penthouse, where tributes will see a variety of styles of homes. One is entirely decorated in shades of pink while another contains only materials made of glass. In all, the cupboards, drawers, and fridges are empty. The beds and couches are perfectly comfortable, and the views from the windows are beautiful, with the ocean sparkling in the distance and the sleek skyscrapers of the city center reflecting the sun. None of the doors lock — there is no safety in any apartment, and it is clear from the outside if any lights or electronics are on.

The danger in the apartments lies in the TVs. They will be able to turn on, but instead of displaying TV programs, they display a hypnotic sequence of colors and sounds, psychedelic and keeping the tributes transfixed through hypnosis as well as emitting a hypnotic gas that will make them feel slow, unaware of their surroundings. Unless a tribute is pulled out of it or manages to turn off the TV in time, the hypnosis will put them to sleep for several hours.

Bodegas

On several street corners are bodegas, small stores which tributes can peer into through the windows and see rows of packaged food like is sold in stores in the Capitol. However, the windows are covered in iron bars, and the door to each bodega is guarded by a feral street cat which, if the tributes open the doors, reveal themselves to not be normal cats but rather, dangerous mutts with sharp claws and teeth that will fight tributes to keep them from entering their store. They will only be sated if a tribute sacrifices an item of use to them. If a tribute does get past the cat, they’ll be able to access the perfectly edible food on the shelves — but likely not without a few deep scars from angry claws.

School

The school building is protected from the street by large wrought-iron gates. Above the doors to the school are the words SEAVIEW PREP. The courtyard is brick with several benches and tables. Stone stairs lead up to the school’s main entrance. Inside is a private school which rivals the nicest in the Capitol. There are endless, maze-like hallways of identical classrooms. The desks are made of fine wood and there are textbooks piled high on the shelves of each classroom, though tributes will not be able to open them. (Still, the heavy books could make a good weapon, in a pinch.) In some of the closets students will see the school uniforms — khaki pants, pleated skirts, blazers, and white button-up shirts. On the walls in the hallways, there are posters about the environment — SAVE THE WHALES or PROTECT OUR OCEANS.

Subway

There are several entrances to the underground train system throughout the city, sidewalk-level entrances with stairs down to the stations. Metal gates block tributes from entering, with signs saying CONDEMNED — NO LONGER SAFE FOR ENTRY. On several of these signs, handmade posters have been plastered with information about the city’s neglect to protect their eroding soil, making the underground tunnels and train system unsafe, forcing them to build the overground trains as a replacement. The only station entrance that is accessible is in the Southwest of the city, where the gate’s lock has been broken and tributes can open it. The station is walled in white tile but water drips from the ceilings and there is a strong smell of mold. The concrete platform has large cracks in it. Tributes can jump off the platform and onto the tracks, and from there they can walk through endless miles of tunnels that twist and turn, are joined by other tunnels, and veer throughout the entire city underground. There are a few abandoned train cars sitting in the dark which tributes can climb up into to find plastic seats along both edges and handrails along the ceilings.

Tributes may also be able to access the train tunnels through grates in the streets, if they are clever.

Theater

There is a glittering, ornate theater marking an arts district of the city. Just inside is a bright lobby paved in marble and paintings in gilded frames hang from walls plastered in a gleaming, damask print wallpaper. Stairs carpeted in velvet lead to several tiers of doors leading into the proper theater. Inside the theater is just as baroque, with rows of red, plush seats and detailed boxes perched along the sides. There is a pit under the stage for a phantom orchestra, and the stage is done up for a production that looks classical in nature, perhaps an opera or ballet. The only lighting are two bright spotlights trained at center stage despite the absence of a cast or crowd.

Stadium

A hefty, bowl-shaped sports stadium looms over the area like a great metal and glass bird’s nest. Tributes will need to hurdle over metal turnstile gates to enter a concrete oval of shuttered concession stands. The industrious among the tributes may be able to pick the locks in a few of the windows to find some stale chips and nacho cheese, a wall stacked with hats, or plush pelican shaped mascots with a blue and silver jersey on reading RIPTIDE. The Pascal the Pelican mascot can be seen all over the stadium on posters, cups, shirts, and more. Further in, there is the stadium itself, encircled in thousands of plastic seats peering in on a soccer field. The field is a vibrant green and smells of fresh grass, the team’s name is in wide letters at either end of the field, and the white lines have been newly laid.

Hotel

The stately Hotel Neptune is poised, of course, near the center city, ready to welcome its guests with a five star experience. The lobby is tastefully decorated, modern but upscale. A cascading, spiraling glass chandelier floats above shiny, black leather furniture. Behind the front desk, in a (flimsily) locked drawer, there are key cards that grant access to the elevators and a room — but just one. If multiple tributes are in the hotel and figure this out, they’ll all only have access to one lavish room, encouraging interaction.

The hotel room has a white, fluffy bed, seducing any weary traveler. However, any who risk resting in it will wake to a swarm of bedbugs possessing a very painful bite and ensuing rash for several days. The television only gets a weather report in which a weatherman warns of wind and rain in a loop lasting only thirty seconds. The bathroom, miraculously, does function, but when the hot water is run for a shower, the steam makes anyone in contact with it extremely lethargic.

A dining room next to the lobby offers a buffet of edible food, which will satisfy hungry tributes but will also make them very happy: a bit too happy. They will become incredibly pleased and trusting, dropping their guard thanks to the drugs in the food that make them the perfect hotel guests, relaxed and pleasant. It will wear off after a few hours.

Mall

A trendy, two-story shopping mall is open to the tributes, displaying all the latest in ‘current’ fashions — things the Capitol would consider to be outdated but the Districts would consider outlandish. Tributes are welcome to take clothes, but they are all bright, gaudy, and while they might make for a nice fashion show, they will almost certainly draw unwanted attention and restrict important movement if worn as intended. The built-up mall does, however, provide some places for hiding and resting, so long as tributes can accept that there is only one way in and out of any store or the mall itself. Along the central promenade, the ceiling is made of glass, allowing bright sunshine in from above.

There is an empty, but clean, food court. No food is prepared or displayed, and only one salad place has a walk-in freezer in the back with some fresh greens, fruits, and nuts which can be seen through a porthole window. However, once the tribute enters, the freezer door slams shut and locks behind them; it can only be opened from the outside. They will need to be rescued to not slowly freeze to death — but at least they can have some salad.

[sarccphagus]

@montgomery-cannon reacted for a starter !!

He liked to think of himself as charismatic in his own way. He always had to explain away bad behavior to the academy instructors in the past. But Alecta was always the talker. She was always sharp and to the point. Her cuts were clean; one could argue smooth because of her edge. He'd seen Monty at the bar in passing and he'd wandered in. "I'm sure you've heard about our little career pack by now, but I can tell you, Alecta and I are the strongest," Cyril smirked, leaning his arm onto the bar. Alecta might kill him if she figured out where he was.

[bihourly-sluppy]

PUP ID⠀—⠀133

(⠀skins : personal SOS skin⠀,⠀region : arena⠀) (⠀guest pups : 129 , 131 , 132⠀)

i do not know why but i want to name this pup crude oil . the name it calls me

[burr-sting]

Augie pulled the knife away from the zombie and watched the body fall to the floor. It wasn't Io. She had to remember that. It wasn't her. And it was dead now. And Augie wasn't. Still shaking, she turned to Mason.

"I did it!" she exclaimed, breathless, and grinned. She was alive. She'd survived freaking zombies. She dropped Caspian's knife and reached out to Mason. She wasn't sure whether to embrace him or high five him or simply hang onto him for dear life, but she didn't get to do any of it. Instead, she winced at a pain in her arm, and dread flooded her veins. Augie refused to look down at it.

@masonxxbrick

[troiurbest]

Troi knew it was going to be a long night, and, already having had a long afternoon, she found herself headed to the bar. She ordered herself a fruity drink, some new thing with a funny name that she'd heard was popular among the younger socialites, and looked around to see who she could join. Montgomery Cannon was always an...interesting conversation, but he was nice enough, and a familiar face, so she made her way over to where he was sitting.

"Mind if I join you?" she asked.

@montgomery-cannon

[masonxxbrick]

Mason decided to take a break. He was hungry, hot, and tired. Grabbing a water and an apple, the boy had walked over and sat down next to another tribute that was sitting on the floor of the training center. "You taking a break, too?" He asked the guy before taking a bite of his apple. "I've been trying to think of ideas of what the arena may be. It's getting a little distracting while training." Mason said with a laugh before looking at Hart. "Do you have any ideas?" He asked curiously.

@hart-harriman

[courtney-ganhador]

@prairiefirequartz

The worst part was the screaming.

The countdown had been oddly quiet. Perhaps that was to be expected, but Courtney had anticipated some sort of noise - Tributes shouting to each other, trash talk, anything. But it had all been silent.

The opening buzzer had sounded, and still things were quiet. Maybe the soft thudding of feet on stone, the quiet huffs of determined breaths. But then someone, somewhere, had gotten their hands on a weapon - and used it on someone else. Not lethally, not quickly, but effectively. And the person who hadn't won that fight screamed. It was animalistic, curdling, and, importantly, short. Who it had been, Courtney had no way of knowing. But his senses had snapped to the present when it was cut short.

Was he bleeding? Sweating? Crying? Who knew - but he was without a raincoat and who he now recognized as Ripley was dashing away. As good of an idea going for the raincoat had been, he realized - as the screams intensified around him - that she had an even better idea: get away. He clawed at whatever was getting in his eyes in attempt to clear them before attempting to scramble to his feet.

He was halfway up when he got hit from the side. It was unexpected. Who could have still been behind him? Hadn't he and Ripley been at the edge? A scream ripped out of his throat, only to be cut short as an arm wrapped around his neck from behind and squeezed - hard.

No. No no no. No, not this early. Not here, not after he couldn't win a single fight. He was too determined, he had made too many promises. This couldn't be the moment, in the first few minutes of the Games. He slapped at the arm around his neck, finding it surprisingly thin and weak. That couldn't be right - was this person actually winning? No. Courtney put his hands on the ground and forced his knees under himself, and then, with a concerted effort, flipped.

The air rushed back into his lungs as he landed hard on his back, crushing whoever had been attacking him. He rolled sideways, wheezing. It was a moment before he could catch his bearings, but the flurry of movement to his side snapped him back into focus. He lashed out with a fist, and connected with something solid.

Now things were clearing up. He could see a male form in front of him, rolling slightly on the ground. No - no - this would not be his end. Courtney sprung forward like a bear and grabbed his opponent by the shoulders. With a primal scream, he lifted the boy and bashed him down. All around him he could see people bleeding, dying, crying. No cannons would be sounded during the Bloodbath - someone had told him that. There was no way to know if he was safe.

Again. Again. Again. Courtney picked this boy up and smashed him down until he could see the blood pooling under him. His hands slipped in it, and Courtney fell on top of the other. The boy underneath him did not move. Courtney found his way to kneeling and looked properly at what he had done. It was someone he had seen in training - the boy from Eight.

He wasn't moving. Court stayed there, on his knees, staring. He wasn't moving. Screams continued, screams got cut short, screams started anew. He wasn't moving. He wasn't moving. He wasn't moving.

[gemmarosewater]

Link Cache was a fascinating individual and one he couldn't quite put his finger on. She had just had a tribute come home, and from the rumor mill, Caspian had heard that Nano and Link were quite close -- playing family and all that. It was very much not Caspian's cup of tea, but he wasn't here to be family with her or anyone; he was here to get information about the new tributes from Three, to make sure they wouldn't experience Nano's fate themselves.

"I imagine that if the Arena is some sort of high-tech cyber-punk hyper-space ultra-reality, your pair will thrive," he said conversationally as he took a seat next to her on the edge of the training center.

@linkcache