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We're Only Human REVAMP
Forum-Index → Roleplay → We're Only Human REVAMP
Posted: Sat, 24/09/2022 19:44 (1 Year ago)
𝕰𝖛𝖊𝖗𝖞 𝖞𝖊𝖆𝖗, 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖈𝖆𝖕𝖎𝖙𝖔𝖑 𝖙𝖆𝖐𝖊𝖘 𝖆 𝖒𝖆𝖑𝖊 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖆 𝖋𝖊𝖒𝖆𝖑𝖊 𝖙𝖗𝖎𝖇𝖚𝖙𝖊 𝖋𝖗𝖔𝖒 𝖊𝖆𝖈𝖍 𝖉𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖗𝖎𝖈𝖙 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖋𝖔𝖗𝖈𝖊𝖘 𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖒 𝖙𝖔 𝖋𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙 𝖙𝖔 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖉𝖊𝖆𝖙𝖍. 𝕰𝖛𝖊𝖗𝖞 𝖞𝖊𝖆𝖗 23 𝖈𝖍𝖎𝖑𝖉𝖗𝖊𝖓 𝖑𝖔𝖘𝖊 𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖎𝖗 𝖑𝖎𝖛𝖊𝖘. 𝕸𝖔𝖘𝖙 𝖔𝖋 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖞𝖊𝖆𝖗, 𝖞𝖔𝖚'𝖗𝖊 𝖘𝖆𝖋𝖊. 𝕭𝖚𝖙 𝖓𝖔𝖙 𝖙𝖔𝖉𝖆𝖞, 𝖇𝖊𝖈𝖆𝖚𝖘𝖊 𝖙𝖔𝖉𝖆𝖞 𝖎𝖘 𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖕𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖉𝖆𝖞. 𝖂𝖊𝖑𝖈𝖔𝖒𝖊 𝖙𝖔 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖊𝖓𝖉 𝖔𝖋 𝖞𝖔𝖚𝖗 𝖑𝖎𝖋𝖊.
Across 12 districts, the early morning sun climbed the sky, piercing the clouds and shining its warm rays upon early risers. It appeared like a normal day. But today was the farthest thing from an ordinary day. Today was reaping day. Within minutes, a heavy fog set itself upon district 1. The cloudy atmosphere was unusual, but today was reaping day, unusual was usual. Alora Lux opened her golden eyes and stretched her back. The sound of wind chimes filed the silent morning air, causing a small smile to form on Alora's face. Soon, the Lux household would be full and lively. For now, however, it was quiet, and seemed empty. Alora attributed that to the fact that the twins had not yet woken up. The twins... Alora's youngest siblings, Alya and Apollo lived up to their names. They were full of light and cheerfulness, being too young to comprehend the reality of horrible world they live in. Alora was old enough. And Alora was fully aware.
She knew.
"I am sorry. I cannot see any further." Rhiannon Elce opened her icy blue eyes. "Thank you for trying..." the distraught woman in front of Rhiannon murmured. Rhiannon hugged her arms to her chest, her expression bleeding sympathy. "Try the apothecary. Perhaps you will find a cure there." she suggested. The woman's eyes brightened hopefully. "Thank you, Miss Elce. I'll go right away!" Rhiannon watched as the woman scurried away. While she hoped the woman's son's fate would be changed, she sensed the young boy would not make it much longer. Sickness came hand in hand with starvation in district 12. Rhiannon had seen that all her life. Perhaps things would change. If someone won the games... Rhiannon shook her head. She knew that wouldn't happen. She saw the future, laid out like a storybook in front of her. She could but turn the pages, watching as life went by. Today would be no different... or would it?
Loud cheers of gleeful celebration echoed throughout the streets of district 2. Unlike the grim silence of the surrounding districts, district 2 was ablaze with parties. People fought to fight, in district 2. They enjoyed the games and saw them as a chance to prove they were better. Better then who? Better than anyone, it didn't matter the specifics. It never mattered the specifics. Samira Ronchesque knew this. She understood this. And she was better because of it. She would be better.
Always better.
Posted: Sun, 25/09/2022 08:37 (1 Year ago)
Those were the words that greeted Hwa every morning and today was no exception. Putting up the obligatory whining and play slaps, the small child cracked an eye open and gave a gummy smile, eyes still heavy. "Good Morning..." The muffled mumbles only got lost in the pillow before Hwa dragged a sleepy body from the pile of fabric that they used to line the floors and sleep on. Stretching, Hwa finally blinked gold eyes open and sighed at the empty wall. Stumbling from the bed towards the other side of the cramped room, Hwa's hand naturally comes up to grasp and the air, fingers closing around nothing but a faint memory of something that couldn't quite be recalled. There, laid out on the ratty cloth they used as a table, was food. The same, old, gruel and paste that the Tessera gave spread out on the table and mocking Hwa who couldn't ever remember getting up to prepare it. Picking up the rusted spoon, Hwa stared listlessly at the bowl. "Thanks for the meal, I guess..." Speaking into the empty air, Hwa dug in while ignoring the echo of a familiar voice saying the exact same thing.
Once the food, if it could even be generously called that, had been done and the makeshift table had been cleared, it was time to dress. Much like the meal had been, this too was a silent somber affair, more so perhaps than before as there was only one occasion in which the two would wear such clothes. As Hwa pieced together the outfit, it was done with contempt, callused fingers sliding a skirt up, remnants of an old dress that had once been worn when it had still been fit to be a dress. The shirt on the other hand was much to big for such a small, malnourished frame and had to be tucked into the waistband of the modified skirt. As there was still much time left to before the caustic bell run so Hwa busied around the house, oversized sleeves flapping in the breeze, preoccupied with tidying up the small hovel called home. It wasn't anything grand, but it was all that Hwa had left aside from memories. And that alone was more than enough
Before leaving, Hwa knelt before a small table, pushed into one corner of the room. It wasn't anything fancy, just a piece of wood with trinkets piled on top. A candle already halfway burned stood in the middle, melted white dripping on the wood as the lick was lit up. Clapping and bowing to the ground, Hwa stayed the for a moment before closing tired eyes. "Hi Sparkles." They murmured, letting the old familiar feeling of someone who was supposed to be beside them envelop the room. "I'm sure you already know, you've always known things well ahead of time, but its that day again. Three years. You'd think I'd be over it already but... Yeah. No. I'm..." Words clogged up Hwa's throat, the tears already traitorously bleeding out from behind tightly squeezed eyelids. Rubbing away at those unwanted emotions, Hwa sat back up to stare at the flickering flame, swaying slowly and calmly. Staring at the fire with a slow blink, Hwa let a wry tired smile tug onto a exhausted face. "Still now you keep watch of me. What an eyesore...." Standing up, Hwa patted the dirt off beige skirts and bowed to the table. "Well, if you are maybe you'll protect me, huh? Wish me luck Sparkles, we'll see each other soon enough."
Wandering down the busy streets of District 11, Hwa greeted those they knew, keeping a cheerful smile despite the somber day. Some they stopped to talk with, making niceties until they were inevitably pulled towards the town square where the day before, a grandiose stage had been set up. It was one of the most elaborate things that Hwa had ever seen and a good few seconds were spent gawking at it before duty and more importantly Peacekeepers shattered the awe and replaced it with dread. It was only when Hwa lined up to be let into the reaping did the nerves finally make themselves known. See, Hwa had taken Tessera as soon as possible, distributing the extra tiles to families that weren't eligible for the deadly kindness the capital had given. Already there were more slips in that dreaded bowl with their name on it than any average 12 year old and that was terrifying. Of course, Hwa knew the consequences of taking Tessera but now with them looming so close, a tiny bead of regret blossomed into full on dread. Immediately, guilt washed over them. Why should Hwa be regretful when they had done the right thing? There was nothing to regret and this was just the accumulation of all their actions and Hwa would face it with dignity. It was the least that anyone could do
It was like any other day in the household, someone awake at all times working on whatever project they had. ZhuRong fell out of the loft attic onto the ground with a dull thump, waking them up immediately with a gasp. "Ow." They moaned, rolling over to clutch at their bleeding nose. Their sister who was the one to pull the all nighter today only scoffed, never once looking up from the busted up television that they had received yesterday. Disgruntled, ZhuRong only gave her the finger and crawled over to their designated space, blood dripping onto the dirt floor. Picking up their own project, ZhuRong fell into the ever familiar ebb and flow of talking with someone would fully understand them. With a gentle touch and an inquisitive mind, anyone could do it, but they were never patient enough. Machines like human were delicate and mysterious, always unknown. But machines loved them more than humans did. Perhaps it was the fact that electronics always looked at him with eves that never judged or saw them as anything other than a helper. Humans, on the other hand were cruel in their judgement, swift and unyielding.
So lost in the rhythmic push and pull of conversation, ZhuRong didn't even notice the sun rising, cresting over the horizon and filling the room with warm light. It was easier to simply devote their attention on more important things than just what time of day it was. Days passed without any of the Tang family members realizing, only registering the passing of time by customers. It was only when officials came around to make sure that all the registered people was healthy and able to attend the Reaping, that anyone actually realized that the next day would be another year that had passed. This year hadn't even been different and sometimes it was just plain weird to think that it felt like just yesterday that the reaping had happened. And so ZhuRong didn't. Looking out the window, they sighed, setting down their project. "Sister, it's time." They prodded, turning around only to see that their sister had actually fallen asleep.
...
Oh well. Guess they'd just let their youngest, a boy no older than 12, carry her to the selection he supposed. Standing up, ZhuRong stretches to pop out and climbing up onto the loft. The shack was much more lively than it was when they had woken up, family tinkering and working as they moved around. The darkness was a friend to them all welcomed ZhuRong back as they changed into the most presentable clothes they had, the overwhelming want to go back to their bed almost taking over. Too bad the threat of being thrown in jail was too terrifying. Not because of, you know, jail. It was that ZhuRong would have to deal with people and any electronics would be taken away. Honestly, that was their worst nightmare. Human interaction was just. No. No thanks.
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Posted: Mon, 26/09/2022 02:06 (1 Year ago)
Aether had woken up to a cold and lonely bedroom, the same one she had been in all her life. She could hardly sleep due to her repressed excitement, an excitement she resented all because her brother did. If she had lived alone, in an even more plain and sad world without him, she would be bouncing off the walls to no end. That is, if she had the energy. See, her district was probably the most ironic one. They raised food and made food, but never had the food to themselves. The greedy Capitol took all of it, leaving them with nothing. The energy she did have was used in her work, and none of it lasted through the day. Why was she excited, though? It was the reaping day, of course. The day where, if chosen, she could finally let loose her urge to kill others. She really wished her job as a butcher calmed that urge, she really did, but seeing a human bleed and cry was different than an animal's. Humans had emotions and stories that she could use against them, she could find more enjoyment in someone's tears rather than in an animal squirming or screaming loudly. She knew this because of two people, the two people that would forever have their faces engrained in her head.
"Ther? You up?" That voice tore the psychopathic grin off her face, returning her back to the girl she desperately wanted to be today. She couldn't let her emotions control her today, she didn't want any of those thought filling her head. She knew they would never leave, they were always a part of her, and that's who she was. She couldn't get rid of that, could she? No matter how desperately she or her brother tried? Speaking of her brother, she wanted to spend time with him today before the reaping. He was too old to participate in it and already served his time. He had been the victor of the 70th Hunger Games, back when Aether was little. She was shocked to see how, a sweet, caring and sympathetic man could win the games. Turns out, that's exactly how he won. The Capitol loved his personality, and a lot of the other tributes did too. He cared for others in the arena and mourned nearly every loss that ever occurred. He befriended almost everyone except for the careers, and they only died because said careers killed them all to break him down, watch as he cried and hopefully give up. He never did, his spirit stayed strong and he persevered. But he also did things Aether never thought possible. He killed 2 people with his bare fists, and his determination to get back to her remained unwavering throughout. He never wanted to tell Aether this story, in fear that she would worry, but she soon found out after watching the past games. But he was right, it made her worry quite a bit, and it still did. She never knew he was capable of anything like that, and it terrified her. He had so many opportunities to punish Aether for her tendencies, but never did. What if she crossed the line one day? What would happen then? She thought she had crossed it long ago when she took the lives of her parents, but all she received from him was his absence. He wouldn't talk or do anything for a month, and that month was the worst period of her life. "Yeah..." She quickly decided to stop talking to herself and head downstairs, if you could even call it that. The layout of their poor excuse for a home was odd, so odd she couldn't even describe it. Well, today was the day. She would definitely volunteer if it weren't for her brother, she couldn't stand to see the look on his face if she ever said a word about wanting to go. She knew, however, that he already knew. He was smart, and Aether made it painfully obvious. With her obsession of death, it wouldn't make sense for her not to go to the games. She still couldn't do that to him, and had to hope the little slip of paper with her name on it was pulled.
What was that smell...? It smelled sweet and delicious, like meat being roasted on a stove. It was normal for her to smell this particular scent in her district, but with how motherly her brother was, the way he cooked made it smell magical. She went up to him and looked over his shoulder, and before she could say anything, her brother spoke instead. "Ah, I wanted to make it a surprise!" He let out a laugh and moved to the side a bit for her to see. "I wanted to make something before you went off to the reaping, as a little treat." He said kindly. Somehow, with the little food they got, her brother would always turn it into the best meal in the district. Some would even call him over to make dinner for them for money, and he always did. She knew everyone in this place because of him, and even some peacekeepers who snuck in a meal or two with them. She didn't know others as much as he did though, since people strayed away and kept their distance. People always held onto the memory of what she did, and the only reason she hadn't been witch hunted to death was because of, you guessed it, her brother. Even when he was a tribute, he didn't get the treatment he deserved. He still lived in this place and only got a slight raise in the food supply, which he always shared with everyone else. Before she could let her mind wander the few lovely memories she had, her brother called her to the table as he got the plates ready. She quickly sat down and waited patiently, a small smile appearing on her face. "Breakfast is served, enjoy." The soft tone mixed with the sight of a plate filled with bacon, eggs, and bread, and the lovely aroma almost made her senses explode. They both sat down and began to eat, engulfing the food surprisingly quickly. She noticed that he had considerably less on his plate than her, which made her smile disappear. This always happened, he would put Aether first and neglect himself. He deserved so much more than her, but he always saw it the other way. They both sat in silence, the weight of this certain day weighing on their shoulders.
After the meal, Aether got up and went back upstairs, thanking her brother and informing him that she was getting ready. She had a dress given to her by one of the mothers a few houses down, a beautiful ice blue dress that would remind you of the more peaceful and beautiful side of winter. It was long and the bottom half was thin, multiple pieces overlapping in a rose-like pattern. It was her daughter's before she passed, and after one of their visits, she gave it to Aether. As much as she resented dresses, and would've much rather preferred casual clothing, this dress was too beautiful to resist. Besides, it would make her brother happy, and that's all she wanted. She put it on and got ready to the best of her ability and headed back downstairs for her brother to do the rest, such as her hair. She had no clue how he had so many talents, but she was grateful he had them. Moments later, everything was finished. Aether had a full stomach, she looked the best she had ever been, and she felt happy for once. Today was different from the other years, she could feel it. "So... How do I look?" Aether asked with a smile, spinning around to show off her dress. She couldn't believe that she was acting this way, it was the complete opposite of what was usual for her. Maybe that's just what happiness did to a person. He let out a chuckle, then gave her a hug. "You look great... Glad to see you're in a good mood..." His voice was reassuring, but the tone seemed to have a strong sense of sadness to it. Oh right... Today could very well be his last day seeing her... Once again, Aether's mood changed entirely. She looked at the clock on the wall to see how much time he had left with him, and what she saw made her panic. They were going to be late if they didn't leave now. "Oh, it's time already? Well, you better wait outside, I'll be there in a bit." They both let go of each other and went their separate ways, her brother upstairs, and Aether outside.
Alright, relax. Arms straight, hands steady, keep your eye on...
Woosh
The sound of a slender, high-speed arrow echoed in Suko's ears as the released the string of the bow, the satisfying sound of a clean thunk following soon after added to the satisfaction. Wait a minute... That's not where I- Suko slammed her foot down in frustration after seeing the arrow land ever so slightly to the left of the minuscule dot they had been aiming for. Dammit!
Suko had missed once again.
They didn't try hard enough.
They were going to lose.
They had done everything perfectly, so what the hell? Why did they screw up once again?
Suko already knew the answer.
They just didn't want to admit it.
Alright, deep breaths, just... forget about it. 1... 2... 3... Woosh... There it was, the bullseye they had been waiting for. Although... It didn't feel like they had done anything. Suko still felt like it wasn't good enough. Alright... One more time.
Balance your weight...
Thump-bump... Thump-bump...
Slowly draw the string...
Thump-bump... Thump-bump...
Aim...
Thump-bump...
Fire
Failure
Suko tried again, and again, and again, the sun rising each passing minute while they mercilessly fired arrows one after another. What was it even for? The child didn't care much for the games, didn't care much for the stupidity of it all, so why were they still doing this? Suko was fairly confident in themselves, all this practice was just a time waster, wasn't it? That's all it really was, right? Thoughts and anger flew through their head continuously as each arrow came almost immediately after the rest, anger welling up inside of them with each and every shot.
Their heart beat louder and louder with every shot.
I don't want to go home...
Woosh
I don't...
Woosh
The sun had risen, and the arrows had stopped. The time had run out, and so had Suko's thoughts. It was reaping day, just like it was every year, and they were going to be reaped.
Posted: Mon, 26/09/2022 02:22 (1 Year ago)
Riggs Oakfrost (Location: Town Square of District 7)
The town square was as silent and still as a stone. Outside, people murmured uneasily- bumbled about like the filthy livestock they were. A bunch of pigs. Were too dirty for even the butcher to take a knife to. At most they could be used as a fishing lure, though their weakness might infect those who ate even the smallest minnow.
In the center of the square, Riggs Oakfrost and Primrose Allow were rigging the voting of the 74th Hunger Games.
"Give me the slips," Riggs ordered. Primose obliged, tucking a strand of her brown hair behind her ear on the way. District 7, thoroughbred, she was- she resembled each and every one of the people outside. In a way, Riggs did too- if not for the sharp, cunning blue of his eyes. Always plotting. Always finding out a way to earn the glory he deserved.
The corners of his mouth twitched up slightly. The box couldn't have its top removed without the special Capitol tools. No one was worried about the Tributes removing any slips- even if they dared, they wouldn't be able to grab even a single one at the top. And who'd risk not having their name in there?
Riggs wasn't removing names. He was adding them.
"Didn't think I'd ever see you up before nine," Primrose commented. "You're pretty passionate about this, eh?"
He gave her a dark look and she just grinned back. Shame how the only person in this pigsty with a little guts was someone he couldn't stand. Angrily, he shoved more slips inside, putting emphasis on how he put in his own pile instead of hers.
She just laughed. He hated that about her. Hated it more than how the stupid puppy followed him around, chirping her fool head off.
Heart pounding in his ears, Riggs slammed the box down with a thud and leapt to his feet, hand going to the small axe clutched on his belt. Primrose took a step back.
The two just stared at each other. Primrose laughed. Riggs gave a wane smile and let his hand drop.
"They wouldn't care if you died, you know," Riggs said quietly.
"I wouldn't either," Primrose replied. Ever the quick one. Another reason for Riggs to hate her.
He ground his teeth together, but decided it wasn't worth the effort. Instead he showed her a smile with all his teeth. "Such wit. The Capitol'll love you."
"As if they won't be too distracted with you, pretty boy. Staining the ground with blood- such a legacy isn't soon to be forgotten."
A rush of blood went through Riggs' head. Yes. That was his dream. Blood, guts... red spray of District pigs cast over the ground, never to be eaten by anything but scavengers and worms. The victory that'd come- how he'd always be remembered as someone different someone apart from the weaklings of the District he was forced into.
But he knew the manipulation was intentional. So he averted his eyes and returned to stuffing the box full of his own slips. One in. Two in. Three in. Four in. More likely than not, one of his would be drawn. The perfect beginning to a legend.
"We need time to get mine in too," Primrose prompted. He didn't look up at her. "They'll be opening the square soon. If we don't get mine in, I won't be drawn. And we really don't need me volunteering."
Riggs shot a sneer at her.
"Take it from me, then."
There was no reply, as expected. Riggs continued shoveling the forms with his elegant, curled name in. How he'd write it after he won. Pleasure unraveled from the curl in his stomach.
A rattling of metal.
Both of the teenagers' heads shot up.
Riggs shoved the oak box away, panic sparking in his chest. He leapt to his feet and in an instance, Primrose's arm was looped through his. The fence surrounding the square was electric- As they always did, Primrose helped Riggs up first.
The fence rattled again.
They didn't have time.
Riggs caught onto the branch and swung himself up. Primrose offered her hand.
He looked at it-
Then dropped down onto the other side of the fence.
They stared at each other through it for a long second. Then the girl's face twisted in rage.
"RIGGS, I SWEAR TO GOD-"
He turned on his heel and ran. Primrose continued screaming obscenities at him.
The gate opened. Riggs didn't look back.
Majoree Sinclair (Location: Gleam's Hill of District 9)
The land of District 9 was as flat as its bread and twice as dry. A bird might fly over it perchance- and in doing so would see rows and rows of hills, rolling in rich shades of yellow and green.
Until you came to the people.
Pallid, thin, walking corpses. Stumbling along, rotting zombies who's only hunger was for the work of the day to be over.
High up on a hill, two thin pale legs dangled. A corpse? The bird might dip lower in the air, and in doing so, would see the small body of Majoree Sinclair. Bony limbs, jutting ribs- she was the picture of want. And yet, the silkiness of her hair spoke of a humanity unlike the poor undead below.
The bird would start- catching at the sight of her eyes- pale, pale light blue, the picture of beauty placed within a scrawny child. Her thin lips moved, and at last, noise pierced the air of this silent landscape.
"Reaping day," Majoree said aloud. "A time where they can splatter our blood in name of sport. And pretend they're more human than we are." She continued gazing down at the bumbling zombies, her fists clenching by her sides. It was... disgusting. How the people down there, such noble people were reduced to nothing more than corpses. Because of a monster's addiction to control.
A twig cracked behind her. Majoree bit back a yelp- and her tongue. Hissing, she stumbled to turn on her knees, relaxing at the sight of Chia.
"Our tutor would be far happier if you put those words to use in your assignments." Brown eyes infinitely darker than Majoree's blue met hers. There was a depth to them that Majoree couldn't place. Solemnity.
She looked away, back down at the people below. "I'd rather not write an essay on the Capitol-approved books she forces us to read." The rest of the words remained unspoken. But Chia understood them well enough. When you knew someone well enough, silence could spell all the words in the world.
Chia sat next to her. "They'll expect us in an hour or so."
"I don't want to go yet." Weak. Majoree bit her cheek, half regretting letting the words slip. But Chia merely nodded in sympathy and the worry ebbed away.
The two sisters continued to gaze out over the landscape for a long time.
...
...
At last Chia spoke.
"Do you see that bird?"
"Hm?" Majoree angled her head to where Chia was staring. "Oh- the white one? It's been following me for a while. I guess it wants a handout. Some Capitol persons been feeding it too much. As if the people in the Districts wouldn't like those scraps." Her hand twitched, as if she were considering strangling the bird and giving it to said people.
"I don't know. It feels more comforting." Chia tipped her head back, letting her head of black hair cascade down her back. "Like a Guardian Angel."
Majoree scoffed. "If a Guardian Angel existed out there, it wouldn't be for me."
The two fell into silence again.
They both expected to see two of the bumbling zombie children down there in the Square soon.
For the first time, Majoree's cynicism failed her.
The name drawn from the pot would belong to one of the two sisters sitting on the crest of the golden hill.
Posted: Mon, 26/09/2022 02:50 (1 Year ago)
Lilith woke up to the sound of her mother’s voice, telling her to get up. Pushing silk sheets aside, she clambered out of bed, taking her sweet time to recalibrate her senses. She then proceeded to her walk-in closet, where her maid was waiting. “Miss Lilith, here is your outfit for today.” She flashes the maid a smile, gesturing for her to leave. The outfit today was an elegant yet simple black dress, along with pants with all sorts of pockets to hide things in. She combed her hair in front of the mirror, tying them into two plaits, adding red ribbons for the final touch. Lilith then slips on a pair of kid boots, lined with real polar bear fur on the inside, each with a pearl embedded on the buckle. She stares at herself in the mirror, placing one hand adoringly on her reflection. “No one could be as beautiful and youthful as I am…otherwise” Lilith giggles, then skips out of the bedroom for breakfast. No one could capture the elegance and charm that Lilith possessed, her district’s poster girl. Breakfast today was a spread of her favourite foods, with waffles buttered just right, omelets that were cooked to perfection, among other delicious dishes. Her mother fussed over her, worrying. “My little baby Lilith, all grown up and just the age for being reaped….ohhh it’s such a pity.” Her mother choked on her words, bursting into tears and leaving Lilith alone. She sighed in relief, that woman was overprotective, pretentious and highly irritating. Lilith rolled her eyes, her mother’s pathetic cries still audible. “My poor baby….she must be so worried, so frightened.” Her mother was far from the truth. Lilith was dying to be picked for the Hunger Games, and with no one from her District wanting to go, Lilith was sure they would be thankful for her. She hops off her chair, picking up her lollipop ready to head out. Unfortunately, yet another thing was in her way again, this time her annoying tutor. “You stupid fool, I’m not having lessons today. I’m going to go to the Reaping!” Her teacher puts his foot between the door, preventing Lilith from slamming it in his face. “Ugh, you’re so annoying, can’t you leave?” Lilith tries to squeeze past him to no avail, and he enters, shutting the door behind him. “We’re having lessons, like it or not. Now, I’m thirsty, so get me a drink before lesson starts” He announces, looking triumphant. “Fine fine, I’ll get you something to drink.” Lilith replies, her lips slowly twitching into a smile. She headed to the kitchen, getting a fancy wine glass to put the water in. She then unlocks a secret cupboard with a key around her neck, taking out a small blue pill that fizzled and turned colorless in the water. It was a handy, undetectable pill that would guarantee a satisfactory reaction. She hands it over to her teacher, watching as he downs it. “Thank you, now we really should begin after wasting so much time with your stupid prattle.” Lilith flashes him a psychotic grin, watching as his face contorts in horror. “What did you put in my drink?” He questions. Lilith doesn’t answer, messing up her hair and appearance in the mirror, before running to her mother, pretending to cry. “He abused me, Mother. Deal with him. He’s so mean to me” Her mother, concerned, jumps into action, and Lilith takes the time to smirk at the teacher as he is being dragged away, childishly pulling a face at him, throwing the finger before skipping out of the house despite her Mother’s protests. “I’m going to the Rea-ping, I’m going to the Rea-ping, there’s nothing you can do~“
Posted: Mon, 26/09/2022 12:30 (1 Year ago)
Mmm... day five hundred and thirteen now, is it? Can't believe I've been coming out in the morning for that long. Closing her eyes, she immersed herself in the gentle rocking of the boat.
After this long, you also start noticing what time the others start arriving for work at the docks. That one Peacekeeper who always hung around the area liked to pace on a specific path each morning, Petra had noticed. And it usually took him ten minutes to make his way around the sprawling block. She'd check the time on her clock on her way out of the house, then remember his many times the set of footsteps would approach, then recede.
Third time this morning, eh? Looks like I have one more round of time.. She hopped up from the stiff wood, absentmindedly stepping out of the boat and otf the dock.
Making her way around the street, she could see the banners and garlands that had already been hung up to celebrate Reaping Day. She sighed. This was such a bother. She knew of many who had been training vigorously as Careers, and bragging about their prosperous futures as victors. Petra wanted none of that stupid nonsense. Fame and riches? Oh please. She didn't need any of that in her life.
A set of footsteps, running, approached. "Hiira? What are you doing up so early?" Usually her friend wouldn't come until an hour later. She'd stay up training and then sleep in.
"Of course I'm not gonna miss Reaping Day!" She grinned. "I just know my name'll be drawn, this year it will be!"
Petra chuckled. Hiira had said something along the lines of that for the past four years, clearly her intuition was dead wrong.
"Well, sure. And may the odds ever be in your favor!"
Mevra sat on his rooftop, gazing down at the street below. He grimaced as he saw the people hiding in the alleyways, only coming out to beg for food when the cruel Peacekeepers turned away. Such pitiful lives... well I'm not any better, am I.
Mevra was the other side of the coin of poverty. While they would grovel and plead, hiding their faces when it suited them, his own family benefited from his brother Koriet's stolen goods. Sometimes it was fruit, other times money, but it was the only thing that, combined with Mevra's meager income from slaughtering animals, kept the family alive.
He hopped down through the little trapdoor that connected their attic--a rare occurrence in the district's impoverished homes--and the roof. Making his way to the kitchen, he saw Mother cooking a thin, watery soup with the tomatoes Koriet had took from a street vendor yesterday. "He's awfully late today, isn't he?" She remarked, regarding Koriet. I'm getting a bad feeling about this...
Suddenly, a pair of Peacekeepers burst in through the door. "We caught your son taking bread from a bakery today. You know the penalty for this is death."
Hiding his horror, he demanded, "Where is he?" Mevra's brother was nowhere to be seen.
"Ah, our foolish friend here seems to have tried to slip away in order to not lead us to his family. Sweet yet stupid. We keep records of every single person here." The Peacekeeper beamed.
"Then why have you come here to tell us?" Mother asked, fearfully.
"Because we're more lenient then the other Peacekeepers around. You know how it works--execution, or you can add slips to the bowl." Mevra gritted his teeth. It wouldn't really do anything if a few extra names were added, they simply seeked to torment the families in their fear of being chosen.
"So, which will you choose ?"
Posted: Tue, 27/09/2022 01:08 (1 Year ago)
The story of the Lux family was one of tragedy, sacrifice and victory. Every young Lux had learned the story, be it through parents, grandparents of older siblings. Trailing all the way back to the 17th Hunger Games, when Raiden Lux slit the throats of, at the time, a record breaking 8 tributes. Raiden Lux married a man whose name has been lost and had three children. The oldest, a young man named Lucio, fell in love with a woman named Thea. They had twins, whom they called Yelena and Oran. Yelena's life was lost at the age of 17, but not before she could pass on her spirit to another. The shining lady of light, Alora Lux was born. A glint in her eyes from day one, Alora was 7 when her sister died. Thea and Oran Lux had another set of twins. They named them Alya and Apollo, marking them as another branch in the Lux family tree.
Like sister, like sister.
Like Yelena like Alora.
Death is not particular about the order.
Posted: Thu, 29/09/2022 04:07 (1 Year ago)
Perseus woke up to the usual sound of his automatic hammers banging away at the pieces of scrap metal he had gathered outside the powerhouse the day earlier. His assistant robot Elektra poked him in his sides with a cold metallic finger and squeaked-"The parts are ready sir!" In a babyish voice. The voice of his baby sister....who would never grow up on earth, but in an entirely different ethereal realm. Out of all the people he had lost, the memories of his sister troubled him the most. Eager to wipe off the old pains that were becoming new, Percy switched off the hammers. An unnatural silence spread across the mysteriously unknown underground system of District 5 as the clanging of the mechanical hammers delivering 11,500 pounds force stopped.
Percy gathered the parts, all of which had been shaped with intricate designs and structural features no normal person could capture. But Percy was not normal. He was a Mechanic. probably the best one ever born, or so he thought. After all he had never seen anyone making automatons as powerful as his did he? Even the power factories didn’t have hammers delivering as much force as his. Percy placed the parts on his workbench and started assembling them around the power core which had taken him 6 months to build, what with scrounging materials and money from garbage cans and dumpyards. His long, thin fingers handled the parts with a delicacy that was unimaginable. 3 hours he worked, assembling and hammering one layer over another to form a suit, the likes of which the world had perhaps never seen. It was a jet suit, A titanium body armor with niches on its back from where enormous wings sprouted, each about 6 feet in length, Enormous.
The most exciting feature of his new invention was that it was retractable. What it meant that it could expand from just a simple breast plate. Percy fixed on the armor and was downloading Elektra’s memory to the power core. He knew it was reaping day again. He had always feared that his underground lair would be discovered. But this time it was less of a fear, more of a certainty. That cowardly scum Lucius had reported to the officials about that one manhole entry…Hence Percy had his plans to escape. He began downloading the memories of his faithful companion, Elektra, into his armor. He didn’t want to leave her behind…
99% complete…
Percy felt the bite of cold metal on his neck…
The lair had been discovered.
Percy would be reaped.
Pls train Sir Penguin <3
Posted: Thu, 29/09/2022 15:18 (1 Year ago)
District 7 (TOWN SQUARE)
Flocks of children gathered before the iron gate, flapping their arms awkwardly, pushing to get in the right lanes. Each child was caught, and their wristband scanned before they were sent through. The security was particularly heavy this day.
At the back of the crowd with the rest of the 17 year olds, Riggs Oakfrost stood, arms hanging leisurely by his sides. And yet his eyes were scanning the people- looking for a familiar brown head. When it didn't appear, he looked away, instead examining the sky.
Blood red.
The perfect day for the debut of Riggs Oakfrost, winner of the 74th Hunger Games.
A smile inched up the corners of his mouth.
At last, most of the younger children were through. There were quite a few- the age groups grew scanter as you went up. Most people starved by 12 or 13.
Riggs held out his arm, and was quickly admitted. He headed through the gate and to the front rows, where he could directly see the Capitol woman on the stage, hair and smile frazzled.
Even the Capitol has bad days sometimes, I guess, he thought. The gates, admitting the last of the 18 year olds, slid shut with a loud bang.
"Welcome all to the Reaping of the 74th Hunger Games!"
Riggs' shoulder bumped with someone, and with a hiss, he pulled back. A 16 year old from another lane. He shot her a glare- and paused, briefly. She looked far too young to be in the front crowds. And people were pulling away from her, as if she were in the wrong place. But the Capitol would never have made such a mistake.
"Hey," he whispered. "You sure you in the right line?" He flashed a sharp grin. "You look right puny. A mouse could munch you up. Spray blood all over the grass with a little nibble."
Posted: Mon, 03/10/2022 07:06 (1 Year ago)
As the sun shone, lighting up the blood red sky, Orpheus rose from her slumber. For a moment her eyes shone vermillion red in the light, as if they had just awoken after crying the entire night.But as she shielded their eyes, they reverted back to its usual shade of brown. She demurely sighed sad their eyes landed on an empty stool with knitting material lying beside it. Slowly her eyes slid to the clock which she had stolen long ago, to any other living being in the 4th district, 07:30 was an early time to rise and shine with the exception of a few of the poorer families that had to work harder to sustain themselves. To Orpheus, it was disorienting how she had slept till 1:30 when she should have gotten up at 07:30, so used was she to waking to her mother banging around their small cottage while trying to find her needle. Dressing after soaking in a freezing bath, she froze in the kitchen where her mother had suffered a heart attack and fallen on her knife, stabbing her through the neck and killing her instantly. How boring, she thought as she poured some of her mothers best whiskey and downed it in one gulp. Nobody to stop her anyways. It wasn’t that she wasn’t mourning, she loved her mother! It was just that there wasn’t anybody to bring a shine to her days anymore, all she felt now was this…hollowness. No more fish stew waiting for her when she came home, no more people to comfort and encourage her, and no more idle chatter with another human she could relate to and love. Orpheus had never been good at socializing, being kicked around for being scrawny and weak at first, then avoided for the whispers that said she was a murderer, not that they were wrong , and how much like a man she acted, which most of the boys in the district found intimidating while girls only giggled about “him” behind cupped hands.
She scowled as she pulled together some semblance of a tuna sandwich and bit down on it, thinking about living alone, working till they no longer could, trying to sustain themself. No, that simply would not do. Glancing at the clock which showed it was about 01:45, they realized they should be on their way now and stepped out of their house to head to work. Stepping outside, they smiled as they breathed in the salty air of the sea while children led their siblings tentatively like lambs to a slaughter while their faces were shadowed with the one universal everybody spoke, Fear. She glanced around, trying to find out what they were oh-so-terrified of, when she saw a bevy of old ladies whispering to each other behind cupped hands, pointing at her with pitying looks on their faces. She balled her fists and turned away, she didn’t want their pity.They reminded her of an aunt on her fathers side who had always sniped at her to be more feminine like her till Orpheus had shut her up for good. Those 20 lashes for the “unfortunate accident” had been worth it, each and every drop of her blood spilled. Suddenly their eyes snagged on a small stage in the distance, erected on a pleasure barge already packed to the brim with participating children. That’s when it hit her, today was THE reaping,a yearly festive activity that involved the murder of 23 children, and SHE who enjoyed suffering had forgotten it. Work now forgotten, they headed towards the reaping, still lost in thought about what they were to do with their life
Posted: Mon, 03/10/2022 16:25 (1 Year ago)
She hadn't slept.
Minya's eyes, which once glowed with happiness, now grew dull with stress and worry. She curled up in a ball, her shoulders shaking. She felt sick. Minya sighed heavily, her eyes now watering with useless tears. She was scared, terrified even, of what was to come.
The Reaping.
The day everyone feared, the day she hated most. Every single time, she would fear of being Reaped in the drawing, thinking about how she'd have to leave her siblings behind. How would they cope without her?
More tears fell down her olive skin, reflecting the orange and yellow colours of the rising sun. The sound of footsteps roused Minya from her crying. A familiar pair of eyes stared down from above. They too, looked stressed, and upset.
"I've already told you, there's no point in stressing."
Said a rough voice. The figure crouched down next to her.
"Minya, c'mon. This happens every year."
Minya was silent. Her teardrops stained the wooden floor she was laying on. Her hair spilled out on the floor, a foamy mass of chocolate curls.
She opened her pale lips to speak.
"I know but-"
She sighed.
"I'm just scared.
Of me being reaped.
Or you, even."
The figure frowned.
"The chances of that are very low Minya. Don't worry, nothing is going to happen to our family. Even if it did, we'll manage. We would win the Hunger Games. We're strong, our family."
Minya winced at the phrase, Hunger games.
"The odds of any of us being reaped are low Minya."
The voice reassured.
The odds are low.
But never zero.
Minya scowled, her usual gold-coloured eyes flashed darker with anger.
Her tiny hands balled into fists.
"Keep your insults to yourself, you good-for-nothing rat. " She spat back at him.
Her arms shook from nerves.
The reaping was about to begin.
Deep breaths Minya. Deep breaths.
Don't...just don't don't get angry.
It won't help.
Her eyes dropped down, shining with anger.
Her cheeks flushed.
Minya let out a silent hmph of anger.
Remarks about her height really annoyed her.
Posted: Sun, 16/10/2022 01:12 (1 Year ago)
Agent Fallows, signing out~
Posted: Mon, 24/10/2022 06:16 (1 Year ago)
Aether stood there for about 10 minutes, much longer than she had expected, and she started to get worried. They were going to be late, and she didn't want to leave him behind. She knocked on the door to make sure she was good to go back in, but there was no response. Dead silence. She knocked again. Dead silence. Thoughts began to race through her mind before she swung the door open, only to find her brother hanging from the ceiling. Her eyes immediately were drawn to a note on the rope, which she only read after letting out a blood-curdling scream. "I'm sorry, Ther... I couldn't bear to go through this once again, waiting and praying you wouldn't get picked. But I know you. I had a feeling you were going to volunteer for the games, and I laid awake all night thinking about it. I know I'm being selfish, but I couldn't take it anymore, and I'm so sorry I had to leave you, please forgive me. Aether, I love you more than you could ever know, and I hope we meet again soon."
And at that moment, Aether's world crashed around her. At that moment, her brother, the victor of the 70th Hunger Games, Dante Vollenthroe, was dead.
Aether only felt hollow, no emotion to go with her beloved brother's sudden death. She just felt empty, and that's what she was. An empty well sprouting a pool of tears. She now had nothing, nothing to live for and nothing to lose. She sat on the ground in front of her brother for what felt like ages until peacekeepers burst through her door and demanded that she came to the reaping. She said nor did anything, which prompted them to grab her by the arms and haul her outside. Through the emptiness that filled her head and muffled her hearing, she could pick up that the ones who grabbed her ordered some of them to take care of Dante. She couldn't even lift her head to look at him one last time, or lift her arm to break free of the grasp of the peacekeepers. She was dragged all across the ground, getting her once beautiful dress all muddy and torn. It wasn't long before she arrived at the stage and thrown into the crowd of girls. Everyone was looking at her and watching as this happened, seeing as how she was the last one to get there. "Ah, there she is! Poor Aether, look how miserable she looks!" The obnoxiously dressed lady on the stage cheerfully spoke, clearly putting on an act. Aether just laid on the floor as everyone had their attention on her, and murmurs about her begun floating around. Some had caught on about what happened, hearing her scream, seeing her expression, and seeing the lack of her brother's presence. Some rumors even began to spread, like how she had murdered Dante in cold blood, or something similar to that.
"Now, let's begin, shall we?" She announced, pointing to the screens set up behind the stage, where a video begun to play. It showed examples of the gruesome things everyone would be expected to see in the arena, but all Aether did was stare blankly at the ground below. After the video played, a glass bowl with a sea of paper strips was brought to everyone's attention, and an announcement was made once again by the woman that the names would now be drawn.
"I volunteer as tribute..."
Aether spoke quietly, before another word was said. Of course, her voice was low and coarse, only heard by those around her. People began to look at her again, which caught the attention of the one on stage. "I'm sorry, did someone say something? Oh, it's Aether! Honey, can you please speak up?" Hearing that voice only made Aether angrier, causing her to quickly stand up with the most violent look on her face anyone has ever seen.
"I VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE!"
Her voice boomed across the district, so loud that everyone could hear her. Aether slowly began to walk towards the stage, her fists clenched and her teeth gritted. "My my, why so eager?" She looked around the crowd to hopefully spot anyone who came with Aether, but with the absence of said person and the whispers she heard, she finally pieced it together. "Oh Aether, sweetie, where's Dante? Shouldn't he be here, cheering you on in the crowd?" At that moment, she snapped. Aether was already on stage, so all she had to do was make a quick movement towards her throat. she grabbed the collar of the fancy jacket the woman was wearing and nearly lifted her off the ground, her fist so tight it was purple. "He's dead..." "N-now now... No need to be brash... I was only-" "He's dead... Dante is dead... All because of YOU!" Before Aether could do any damage, peacekeepers quickly pulled them away from each other and stood between the two, probably to protect the lady. She, on the other hand, was fixing herself up with shaky hands and doing her best to continue as if nothing happened. "Ahem... Anyways, let's move on to the boys!" From there, Aether couldn't focus on her words anymore. She fell numb to her senses and stood there silently, waiting for something to happen. She only barely saw the white-haired boy be called up to the stage before her hand was raised and her name was called.
"Say hello to the tributes of District 10, Aether Vollenthroe and Mevra!"
"Time to go I guess..."
Suko slowly packed up their equipment, or whatever random items they had brought with them, and looked at the sun in front of them. Who knows, this could be the last time they'd ever see this sight without their hands tied. Well, enough thinking about all this, it was best to just go and get it over with.
They immediately disregarded the possibility of going home first, just go straight to the reaping. The walk there felt like it took forever, but Suko didn't mind really. It was nice, a good break from the endless morning of shooting their cares away.
Their nonchalant expression could be seen from a long way away, not the slightest bit of fear or excitement for the reaping. Suko didn't have a care in the world for this stuff, honestly. Just another day, this one just slightly more inconvenient than the rest.
It felt like an eternity until the names were drawn, the tension was almost suffocating. The lady gave their horrendous speech, and all Suko could do was sit there. Just get on with it, will you? God...
Finally, the name drawing began. "Oh, this is exciting! First up... Suko! Ah, come on up here dearie!"
Posted: Mon, 24/10/2022 07:28 (1 Year ago)
Andrea readjusts the mechanical dragon on her shoulder, Ping flying and twittering just like a real bird around her head. Andrea smirks, thinking of how funny she would look, to others passing by. Maybe she should have added stars on a string to Ping’s tail. There was a ugly, frilly dressed lady who was probably chosen to announce the people chosen. Andrea was late, but the speech, thankfully had only just begun. “First up, the girl! Let’s see…….why don’t we have Ennabelle! Congrats dearie, come up on stage.” Said girl proceeded to burst into tears, along with the rest of her family. Andrea yawns, and interjects “I volunteer…Hey, OI LADY. I VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE, ARE YOU DEAF OR BLIND BECAUSE IM STARTING TO THINK ITS BOTH.” The lady looks rather offended but soon recovers to flash a sickly smile at her. “But of course darling, our girl tribute from District 3 will be Andrea!” Ennabelle’s family proceeds to thank her profusely, which she once again yawns and brushes off the thanks. The lady seems to still be offended by Andrea calling her deaf and blind, and tries to trip Andrea out of spite. Andrea nearly does, and loses her cool. She whistles, snapping her fingers, and Ping zooms like a bullet towards the lady, the dragon following suit. The lady shrieks and shields herself, with Peacekeepers trying to stop the mechanical creatures. The creatures only rip the lady’s fancy dress before retreating, becoming docile once more. Andrea laughs “Relax, I won’t hurt your pretty emcee. So much for the name Peacekeepers, you can barely keep the peace here.” She laughs as the angered Peacekeepers grab Ping from the air and try (and fail) to grab her dragon, which she elegantly avoids. The Peacekeepers seem satisfied to have captured Ping, but the rest are horrified when Andrea smirks again. She snaps her fingers, and the Peacekeeper who had his hands tightly clamped around Ping yelps in pain as blood pours from several cuts on his fingers. Ping had transformed back into a pile of shrapnel, which reforms after being released. The Peacekeepers (and lady) stay far away from Andrea afterwards, instead casting her death glares, to which she grins back.
Posted: Mon, 24/10/2022 07:59 (1 Year ago)
Unsurprisingly, it was a monotonous affair. The lady droned on and one about the capital, about the glories of the games, and most importantly reminding the masses that they were inferior in every single way. It was a little infuriating, Hwa had to admit. It seemed like forever when the speech finally ended along with the gruesome video which showed someone bashing a tribute's head in with a brick. It had made Hwa's stomach roll in disgust and a few of the girls down the row emptyed their stomachs. Many children in their district didn't like to watch the Games, opting instead to work on the fields for experience while the adults were glued to their chairs, watching the morbid display of capital might. For many, it would be one of the first times watching someone be brutally murdered. The Capital woman gently coughed into her fist, high heels clacking across the floor as she shuffled back up towards the microphone.
"Now wasn't that just wonderful? Oh it brings tears to my eyes every time I watch it." She fake sobbed, even going as far as to dab at her dry eyes. "With that over though, we come to the good part. As always, Ladies first." The lady once again did her little shuffle, hands wiggling above the clear bowl stuffed with blank slips of paper. Hwa held her breath as those perfectly manicured nails dipped into the sea of white, sifting around the waters until acrylic claws grabbed onto one specific slip. Hwa didn't know why their heartbeat was pounding, deafening everything. They figured it was the nerves of the very first reaping and that it would pass soon. It wasn't a big deal and took deep breaths to calm herself. Slowly but surely, the ringing faded and their racing heart slowed into a steady thrum. Putting a hand over the beat of life, they breathed out and directed their gaze back onto the stage only to see the capital woman staring right at them.
"Hwa, dearie. Come on up. You've been picked."
In the end, the Peacemakers had to drag him onstage, his roaring laughter much too contagious for his feet to even move as he stumbled to a stop. "O-oh my oh my that was quite some time since I've laughed this much!" He giggled, crooked smile and jagged teeth unnerving the poor children up front who were given the best seats in the house to see them. "Ah, even being chosen to die doesn't make it any less funny. Missus, it's an honour to go out dying in a game with you. You'll at least make this boring yawn worthy gore fest into a spectacle won't you?" Turning his eerie grin to Andrea, tipping his head before walking to where he was supposed to be
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