gamemakers: (Default)
The Gamemakers ([personal profile] gamemakers) wrote in [community profile] thearena2013-06-22 02:42 pm

Oh my love, I know you are the Candy Man

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.]
doc_holi: (seriously explaining)

[personal profile] doc_holi 2013-06-24 06:27 pm (UTC)(link)
In the last Cornucopia, Holiday had gotten very lucky. Back then, she had eyed the same pack that Wyatt had decided to go for and in his honorable nature he had given it to her rather than fight.

She didn't expect the same treatment in every arena from every tribute, of course, but she was still unused to how cruel the Cornucopia could really be. So in her brief moment of ignorance, Holiday ran for the same bag as the woman. She looked small enough. She could take her.

At least her long legs was seemingly allowing her to get there first.
and_my_pickaxe: (You know your 'right' from 'wrong')

[personal profile] and_my_pickaxe 2013-06-24 07:44 pm (UTC)(link)
Lin feigned that she was going for the bag, staring dead ahead at it while her peripheral vision was secretly following her true prize. The distance closed between them, the two of them were nearly upon the pack, when Lin decided to spook her competitor. She zigzagged, at first making a motion as if she were going to lunge onto the other woman and start a fight, when she turned on a dime and suddenly took off for the swords a few meters ahead. She hoped the woman would flinch, or would lose her balance trying to block a tackle that would never come.
doc_holi: (Que?)

[personal profile] doc_holi 2013-06-24 09:15 pm (UTC)(link)
Holiday did exactly what Lin expected. She flinched to protect her side and swerved to the side a bit, but her destination for the pack was still very much so in her line of sight. The other woman branching off and going in a different direction gives Rebecca a bit of hope.
and_my_pickaxe: ((At least to some degree...))

[personal profile] and_my_pickaxe 2013-06-25 11:27 pm (UTC)(link)
Without slowing down to look back, Lin eventually reached the crystal swords before anyone else, seizing them with a triumphant laugh. Hers! Her confidence soared, relieved that she hadn't been struck down right out the gate. Now she felt as though she had nothing to fear.

Allowing only a second to catch her breath, Lin also took the opportunity to grab a quiver of arrows and their bow. Egged on her by freshly-inflated ego, Lin spun around to see if Holiday was still nearby, and began to pursue her. Mid-sprint she threw the quiver onto her back, hung the bow around her neck and grasped both shortswords in her hands. Like some Amazonian raider she charged forward, a crooked grin hanging on her face. She wanted that bag, needed it, and this prima donna would even kill to get it. She'd done it once before, she told herself... this time shouldn't be much different.
doc_holi: (fear)

[personal profile] doc_holi 2013-06-27 12:11 am (UTC)(link)
Holiday had already grabbed up the pack with her left hand. It was by chance that she looked back up to see Lin barreling after her again, armed this time.

She maybe had a breath of a moment to get away. Half of it was spent in hesitation and fear, unfortunately. The rest of her finally decided to move on the latter half. She hooked the handle of the pack on her elbow and started to run at a ninety degree angle from Lin. Thanks to the hulking Cornucopia and other fights breaking out, it was really the only route she could take.

Glancing around gave her a good picture of what was happening to about half of the tributes, though... Punchy. Wyatt. She couldn't stop right now. As soon as this woman was off her trail, she could help them.
and_my_pickaxe: (You know your 'right' from 'wrong')

AND THE SLOWEST RPER AWARD GOES TO...

[personal profile] and_my_pickaxe 2013-08-28 02:53 am (UTC)(link)
Lin nearly fell over herself changing her angle to head Holiday off, trying to shorten the distance between them. But Lin was a moment too slow to cut her off and she soon found herself behind the woman - their speed nearly matched, a stalemate. The woman gasped involuntarily as she spoke, the springing just beginning to do her in. "Don't you run away from me...!"

She did her best to leap forward in a swipe, missing her target but perhaps threatening her: the blades broke through the wind in a loud thwap!. It seemed as though now it would come down to who ran out of stamina first - or tripped. "Did you hear me, bitch?!" Unwilling to take the risk that it might be her, Lin stuck a shortsword between her teeth and fumbled for her bow.
doc_holi: (fear)

/CLAPCLAPCLAPCLAP

[personal profile] doc_holi 2013-08-28 03:30 am (UTC)(link)
Holiday had zero intentions of stopping. She wanted to actually stay in this place longer than a few seconds, as odd as that seemed. The sword missing her by mere inches was indeed horrifying. Taking a look back could be the end of her, so she had two options. Continue running and hope to lose the woman or turn and fight.

... Holiday was unarmed. Facing the woman would be a terrible call. She had to continue on, but dodging that blade had been only luck...