Oh my love, I know you are the Candy Man

[gamemakers]

Although the mood in the Capitol is...taut, once the Tributes are in the transportation craft, things seem to lighten. The peacekeepers almost seem jovial - as jovial as peacekeepers ever seem. About half the Tributes are checked over and given an injection into their tracking device.

In the underground room, the stylists have all their prep teams running busy, dressing up the tributes in bright costumes, chatting with each other, clearly excited to have so much freedom over what their Tributes are wearing in. Each one is dressed in a personalized costume, elaborate, and entirely soft.

Finally the Tributes are placed on their pedestals and sent on up, all gussied up.

25 - 24 - 23

The light is blinding for a moment, before the candy-colored world around them comes into focus. And it's not just candy-colored - it is actually candy. Some Tributes might be reminded of the game Candy Land, if it was something in their home world. Music plays, scarily cute animals roam, and every thing just looks so gosh-darn happy.

20 - 19 - 18 - 17 - 16

The Cornucopia sits, candy-striped itself, and over-flowing with a generous bounty of food, weapons, and supplies. Even these all reflect the nature of the arena, brightly-colored, and cheerful-looking, just begging to be gathered up.

11- 10 - 9 - 8

They've all been warned not to step off their pedestal early. But as the final number ticks off, those Tributes that had their tracking devices adjusted in the transport suddenly feel a sting starting in their arms. A slightly diluted version of what Ariadne was given the day before is dumped in their veins.

The dilution doesn't help them, of course; it just causes the poison to take effect more slowly.

5 - 4

3

2

1

Go.

The burning is starting for half of them, spreading through their body, lighting their nerves on fire. Within 10 minutes it's effecting their motor skills, causing them to stagger, twitch, to move against their will.

Those who are small fall faster, barely lasting 15 minutes in the bloodbath. The stronger and bigger among them might make it 30 minutes at most.

By the time the bloodbath is over, the Cornucopia is surrounded by corpses. Half of the Tributes have fallen without even a single competitor having to touch them.


[OOC: Don't forget the OOC Arena post, especially those of you running for the Cornucopia. Every Tribute must post to this post. There will be a Cornucopia thread, and anyone else feel free to post as you will. Please add a tag with your character's name.

Those who were poisoned are anyone in group 2. You will have a second post up shortly.]

Comments

Blaine's Reaction to Posion [OTA, but it will be short]

[mediumdrip]

Blaine waited for the countdown by looking around the area. He couldn't believe how pink and bright everything he was. He was pretty sure that this was even worse than the Disneyland themed Arena.

He's dressed in a purple and green outfit with musical notes for buttons. There's a fedora hat with a very exaggerated feather and a visor with a musical note. He even has on a red wig and makeup on one of his front teeth to completely the look. He tried to scan the circle of Tributes for Kurt, but there's so many of them now and with the costumes it's even harder to track him down.

When the timer goes off, he has to run back from the violence as he tries to find Kurt. Time goes by, people die violently, and still he can't find Kurt.

Then... Everything seems to go wrong.

His entire body starts to rebel against him. He didn't understand what was happening at first. He was just suddenly in so much pain and parts of him were twitching. He fell to his knees. "What...?" he managed to ask, confusion and a sense of betrayal clear on his face. That was the only word that formed though, before he cried out in pain. The convulsions started and he could do nothing more to stop his body from painfully and horrifically shutting down.

[and_my_pickaxe]

Lin had wasted no time at the Cornucopia. She'd grabbed herself a bow, a set of short swords, rid some other woman of the use of a limb and taken a bag, all within minutes. Soaked in blood and as comfortable as though it were ocean spray, the laywer marched with her treasures away from the Cornucopia.

On her way out Lin noticed with glee that one Tribute had tripped while also making his escape. She smiled, perhaps he had some food with him, clutched to his person or hidden away - she'd kill him and take it for herself, completing her supply collection.

She raises her sword with a happy hum, waiting for him to get to his feet, to struggle, to beg for his life. But instead, the boy is jerking, seizing, completely helpless on the candy-coated ground. The lawyer blinks slowly, lowering her weapon, and her eyes narrow in confusion and horror. He holds no supplies with him, he has made no desperate escape from the bloodbath: he's simply fallen and unable to run any further.

"...What the fuck?!"

[mediumdrip]

He was bleeding from his mouth when he heard her and managed to look up. He couldn't speak, could only look at her for a moment. His eyes stopped focusing then as he felt himself falling away.

[and_my_pickaxe]

Lin's heart skipped a beat from terror as the boy's focus faded. While Lin could be a rather soulless lady, she knew better than to murder someone who couldn't put up a fight. In fact, deep inside her little black heart, she felt as though she should even do something.

"Hey! Hey, listen to me!"

Lin bends down next to the boy and gives him a sharp slap across the face, shaking him by the shoulders. "Wake up! Talk to me!"

[mediumdrip]

Blaine was able to open his eyes, though he couldn't really see anything else. He also couldn't really talk. His limbs were jerking and he could see darkness coming through the edges of his vision.

[and_my_pickaxe]

Lin dropped the boy's shoulder, realizing her efforts were futile. She watched his life creep from him in complete disbelief. He didn't have a mark on him! How could this be?! Quickly, Mayuzumi spun around to observe the state of the other Tributes. She hadn't noticed it in her rush towards the Cornucopia, but there were bodies peppered across the candy field. All convulsing... all screaming.

The woman, in spite of her previous show of confidence, begins to shake. She hasn't quite clued in that this is due to a Gamemaker plan, and believes these people must be ill, some Tribute-wide Epidemic. "Shit... shit..! I'm sorry!" She brushes her wig hair behind her ear nervously with a trembling hand. "H-Hey! Someone, help!"

[mediumdrip]

There was nothing that could be done, though. Blaine's body started jerking again. He was scared and in so much pain. When it finally ended, it was almost a relief.

As she tried to help him, he gave into the poison, finally passing in a violent, convulsing way.

[and_my_pickaxe]

Lin was debating whether she should run for someone. This boy- these other Tributes- hadn't been given a fair chance. Part of her wanted to scream to those watching, throw her head back and shout let's start over! This is against the rules! because none of them had even been touched. They all had a disadvantaged due to being infected from some outside source... right?

Her selfishness kept her from it. She realized starting over would mean losing her supplies, and half the Tributes already dead put her at a serious advantage. She's almost ready to feel relieved by this turn of events when she looks back at the boy she'd been trying to save... and realizes he's already dead, that he died right under her nose. It's not her first time she's looked upon a corpse, but Lin goes white. "Shit... Shit... Shit..."

The lawyer was once a decent person, and her desire to run away to avoid catching whatever virus this is is squashed under her respect for the dead. She bends down, claps her hands in a quick and silent prayer, and closes the boy's eyes. That should do it.

And before anyone can think her too kind or too soft, Lin steps over the body, stone-faced, and walks away as if the kill had been hers.