Subject: I mean, ideally...
Author:
Posted on: 2016-09-01 10:40:00 UTC
... I can actually pare up. If we can get another 21 tributes, I can do a pair of 36-player elimination rounds, knocking out 12 players in each to get a final 48. That would let me add a few free-to-use characters (because it'll be more fun with Lux, right?), and keep everyone's agents in play.
That does mean I need more volunteers, though, hint hint people-who-haven't-yet-signed-up...
hS
If you were around in January, you might remember we (DCCCV?) found a website that lets you simulate a Hunger Games. It caught on both here and in HQ, with two full seasons being 'broadcast':
Season 2
Season 3
Would anybody be interested in another round? To make it interesting, I've just spent a couple of days creating a completely custom arena - we're not putting them in a cheerful nature reserve this time. Muahahaha, etc.
If you want your agents to take part, go ahead and list up to four, in order of preference. (Everyone should get at least their first two; what happens after that depends on how many people want to join in.) They should be agents owned by you, and you should have Permission (since the broadcast is canon - don't worry, all the danger is holographic!). If there are free-to-use characters you'd really like to see, mention them separately; I might need them for filling gaps.
I'm hoping to run the Games much like Sergio did for Season 3 - interviews with the competitors after each day, plus commentary from the producers. Responding to interview requests isn't required, though.
Any takers?
hS
Hello, and for the last time… welcome to the Fourth PPC HQ Hunger Games.
You may have heard the rumours about our… difficulties with a number of former tributes. You may be worried that we are in danger from their actions. But we can assure you that there's nothing to worry about; every precaution has been taken to keep us safe.
And if they believe that, they'll-
So! We left off at the end of day seven, with four contestants in the game. For District Eagle Hawk, Kyaris the hydra. Fresh from taking out Derik in an awe-inspiring lightsaber duel, she's injured now, but still a force to be reckoned with.
From District PoorCynic, Gremlin, hatchet-wielding and dedicated. Of all the contestants, she's the one who's been planning ahead the most - but will that be enough?
Hieronymus of District Grey Tomatoes has followed a meandering path through the game. His usual tactic is to befriend the other tributes and take them out while their guard is down, but can he pull it off again?
And finally, Whitney from District Desdenskar. Relentlessly cheerful and able to make the best of every situation, she's had her ups and downs, but is now ready for the final days.
Which have already happened. We already know who won, it was-
Notte! Suspense! As night dawned, our tributes made camp once again. More precisely, Kyaris drained the cafeteria of coffee to keep watch all night, while the other three teamed up - the very last teamup of the Games - and spent a quiet night playing D&D.
We'll have to ask in the interviews who won.
Morning revealed a day of planning and preparation. Three of the agents went on hunts: Whitney for the HQ Pool, Hieronymus for his RC, and Kyaris for the Fountain of Bleepka. What Whitney and Hieronymus intended, we don't know, but Kyaris' plan involved drinking almost half of the fountain.
As for Gremlin, we're not sure what she was up to - she's proven expert at avoiding the cameras - but we do know she got a medical kit from someone outside. Perhaps someone had sympathy for her endless quest to find Medical earlier in the game?
Night fell, and proved that planning is key. While Hieronymus continued to work on his plans for the morning, Kyaris managed to herd or trick Whitney and Gremlin into a Response Centre and seal the door. A blast of bleepka fumes from her many heads finished them off.
We're going to have to get the mad chemists to look into that. Was it the bleach that proved so deadly? The alcohol? Or what?
Who knows? Does even Kyaris know? We certainly don't! All we know is that Day 9 opened on the final, fateful showdown: Kyaris versus Hieronymus, age versus heads. Whoever won would claim the final victory.
It was Kyaris.
Oh, come on! I had a whole speech written about it! I was going to slowly work in the Sherlock Holmes references, and then end it with-
She pushed him down the elevator shaft.
"-which will henceforth be known as the Reichenbach Lift." It was perfect, and you had to go and ruin it.
Yes. Yes I did.
Fine. See if I care. So Kyaris is the winner, good for her. She also shares joint second place in number of kills across the Games with Constance, coming in at five. Third place with four kills is split between Gremlin and Tomash, while the winner, with an astonishing seven kills, is Peregrin.
Trophies for these and other notable achievements will be distributed at the awards ceremony. To those of you who are still baying for our blood: sorry to disappoint, but we will not be attending in person. We're not that stupid.
You say that…
Tune in after the break for the final round of interviews. Thanks for watching!
Hieronymus: Ouw, ouw, ouw! I didn’t expect that falling down a holographic elevator shaft hurts so much. Should I blame Sergio, Marina, or Derik for tampering with this thing? Nah, finding out who’s responsible would be too much trouble.
Congratulations, Kyaris, you got me. Speaking of winning – isn’t D&D a cooperative game? We won all three, creating a wonderful story about a mage, a warrior and a thief going on a great adventure. It involved much less running and falling down elevator shafts than this fracking Hunger Games adventure; I’m not going to do that again. And if you hear me, Androia, don’t ever imply that I may need a fitness trainer. I outlasted Whitney.
Androia (commenting from RC 1953): Well, that was a surprise. I would never have expected that the old man gets so far. Actually, I had hoped to beat him this time. At least, place thirty is slightly better than last times thirty-four. So – let us party!
[BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP]
Can we please stop doing this!
((Retcon plan:
The agents’ origins story and "In the Void" happened in 2015 HST.
Hieronymus was dragged out of the PPC archives in January 2016 HST.
The beep at the end of "First encounter" did not announce their first mission; it was a last minute invitation for the Third PPC HQ Hunger Games.
Androia and Hieronymus didn’t attend the Rewards Party at Rudi’s because they got their first mission immediately after the Third PPC HQ Hunger Games.
When they returned from the Potterverse, they found out that meanwhile seven months had passed in HQ, and the Fourth PPC HQ Hunger Games were up.
Apparently history repeats itself and they get their second mission right now.
In other words: I’ll chicken out on the RP again.
Having Hunger Games was fun, but what happened to the badfic games? I guess you don’t have the time and energy to start them soon.))
HG
I'll, uh, see what I can do, badfic-wise.
hS
Whitney: What a journey! I am thrilled to have been a part of these games from start to finish, and I am not in any way disappointed that I came in third place. Especially since there were so many people who entered to begin with!
And to my friends who were hoping or expecting me to be the victor, don't be discouraged. Being the last one standing is by no means easy, and I was fully aware that the other members of the final four were just as experienced and skilled as I was - or better, in the case of Kyaris. I admire her strength and cunning, especially for an Intel member as I've since learned. I wouldn't have expected anything less from her, and I cannot congratulate her enough for her achievement.
At any rate, it's been a pleasure, everyone. I do hope our many, MANY paths will all cross eac other again next season!
-t works against tracking spells? Some sort of anti-magic field?
A tinfoil hat, maybe?
Don't be snarky. What about ysalamiri? Does the Force count as magical enough that they could also block-
Camera.
What? No, cameras don't hide you from magic, that's-
Welcome back to the Hunger Games. Sorry about the mess.
Oh, right. We left off with seven survivors about to go into the sixth night. Two of them took a peaceful approach - Will and Hieronymus, who camped out together. So did Ajax and Whitney, actually, but how 'peaceful' can you call it when Gremlin sneaks in and steals your kit?
The other two… well. We like to think that a lightsaber duel with a hydra is how Derik would have wanted to go.
I kind of doubt it, though.
Me too, but oh well: he's out. Turns out having one leg isn't very useful in combat.
So day dawned, and Gremlin returned to Ajax's camp to finish the job. Forsaking her trademark hatchet, she brought a lightning gun into play. Shocking!
Don't do that.
Meanwhile, Hieronymus demonstrated that 'peaceful' is overrated in the Games: after using Will's company to keep him safe during the night, he showed no qualms about killing him in the morning.
The other two had problems of their own: Whitney found herself alarmingly sane, while Kyaris managed to trip and break a rib, which is a serious problem for a quadroped. But they both survived, and that's what counts.
Four tributes are left: Gremlin, Kyaris, Hieronymus, Whitney. But there can be only one victor. Tomorrow, we'll find out who.
Squee!
And I can actually believe that banana could be a credible weapon. Well done!
hS
Would Sara mind joining the effort for tracking down the staff of Nutmeg TV? Pretty sure she like venting some anger after that.
I just got caught up in the heat of the moment, that's all! I totally didn't look like the madness of cold-blooded murder had overtaken me during the last half of the runoffs, heheh...!
But anyway, as much as I'd like to say yes, I already vented pretty much all my frustrations in the games themselves, and I'd really, REALLY WANT to give them another go when they swing by again, so maybe next time. Sorry, man!
I don't know about you, but I don't like being drafted like this. Not at all. And now I can track these guys, there is no way I let them go before explaining my opinion to them. Thoroughly. We'll see if they can still do any emission after that.
Kyaris: "Shwoom... schwon... shwish... I have got to get one of these things to take home with me.
"So: final four. I didn't really expect to get this far, but now I have, I'm going to do my best to win. That won't be as easy as it would've been before I started breaking bones, but I'm a big girl, I can deal with a bit of pain.
"Now leave me be. I need to plan."
hS
Gremlin: A gun that shoots lightning is maybe a bit on the nose for me, but I wanted to make sure. Had to make sure. You can mess up with a hatchet. Electricity is so much… easier.
Only three more. Then it's over.
Let's get it done. Then I can go home.
Corolla:
"... Ok, maybe Sarah really didn't want to listen to my tales? So, fourth in the runoff! Which, well, means Im fifty-second. Uh."
Okaaaay, I may have changed my mind about sitting this out. It just takes too long, and how could I not try to find some use for all the weaponry I took from Holo-Acacia? And such an old and experienced warlock should really have known better than falling asleep after discussing insidious assassination methods. He practically begged for it.
HG
Whitney: I suppose having all of my items taken really would put things into perspective. Luckily, I have plenty of experience fighting with my bare hands, though everyone else may be just as dangerous in their own way. But I have to ask... Is it all worth it? Why do we host these games? And why must I have the virtual blood of so many on my hands? Guess I'll have to talk things over with everyone once these games are finished.
Ah, well. Tomorrow, hopefully, we shall see who is the victor! Good luck to all!
Sarah: Awwww, I was like, THIS close to actually winning! Sort of. Ah, well. I'm glad I wasn't in dead last, at least. This was fun, all in all, embarrassments aside obviously. Perhaps I'll have a better chance of victory some other day.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to Rudi's. Fiftieth-place drinks are on me!
Derik: I hate lightsabers. But at least, now that I'm out, I have my leg back.
(( He's in, what, seventh place? I dunno how it tallies. ))
... is caused by me going like this:
eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
~Neshomeh
Ajax: Of course, It just had to be a weapon that preyed on both my natural and Pokémon type match-ups. He stole all of my $#17, and baited me with my Zeus be damned roller-blades.
Ajax looks behind the camera.
Now if you excuse me...
Ajax runs past the camera, which turns to watch him run up to Levy. They hug, it's a heartwarming scene.
-st make sure we keep moving. There's at least six of them after us right now, and Sergio is dang- oh, we're on?
Hello! And welcome back to the PPC HQ Hunger Games. Yesterday was quiet - almost, one might say, too quiet. Today… wasn't.
Seven tributes remain, spread across seven districts. Let's take a look at how it came to this.
The night was almost peaceful. We had only one violent death - Nikki Cherryflower apparently looks too much like a Suvian for her own good. Our other death was the always-taciturn Canon Librarian, who apparently suffered from a lack of bleeprin. Elsewhere, Derik tried to trick Will into suiciding, but with no luck, and Marina proved there can still be mercy in the late stages of the Games when she spared Ajax.
Undis? We need to get to Station Five, this one's compromised. It's that wretched-
Oh! And here's Notte Ling, ready to tell you all about his favourite moment of the night.
Wha-? Oh. Uh, yeah. It was the bit where the old dude tried to get the champion to go to bed with him. Come on, Undis.
We're still rolling, Notte. And as morning rolled around, we decided to give the tributes something to look forward to: a feast! We stocked the Cafeteria to the brim, sent out the call, and waited for them to come.
Not everyone did, of course. Some, like Derik, were too busy lurking; others, like Holo-Acacia, don't need such things as food. But the others flocked in, and the blood poured out.
The first kill went to Luxury. We don't want to know what she needed those bananas for, but apparently it was important enough to kill! Sorry, Falchion; you should never get between a lady and her fruit. Then Peregrin… well, lighting the Cafeteria on fire was a good plan in principle, but it might have been better to step back afterwards?
Backlit by the flames, Whitney had no problem bringing Hop down with that chair. And we've no idea how Ajax went unseen - just that he succeeded where no-one last year did, and brought down the reigning champion! Sorry, Lola, but this time, you're out. As for Marina… she may have showed compassion last night, but Will showed her none this morning.
The survivors of the feast, and those who never attended, spread out across HQ. When they met in the corridors, conflict was certain. Will managed to flee from Derik, but Holo-Acacia wasn't so lucky - all her hoarded weapons were useless against a grey-bearded human. And Luxury's legendary charm proved to be no shield against a well-cast Avada Kedavra.
As for Nurse Elms… what can we say? CADs are explosive at the best of times.
So seven remain. Kyaris, the many-headed beast, friendly but deadly. Derik, the Phantom of Headquarters, lurking in the shadows. Gremlin, hatchet-wielding and more than a little unhinged. Ajax, the powers of a god in a hesitant body. Hieronymus, elderly, charming, and lethal when he wants to be. Will, the laid-back warlock who's already planning his victory. And Whitney, cheerful, collected, and coming for every last one of them.
Who will win? Who will lose out? Only tomorrow will tell.
Undis, those are explosions, we really have to go.
After the break, Dafydd with the runoffs, and then the interviews. Bye!
Washing off all the steamy pheromones may have been a mistake. At least I could pacify Field Commander Lola McCandless enough to get a close look at that flamethrower. It has no fuel. I guess she just carries it around to appear more badass, and then sneakily get us with that hatchet.
Who would have thought that a hologram may be defunctionalized by applied logic. When that imposter tried to take the stuff I don’t have, I just had to stab her with the Sharp Sword of Reason. I still can’t believe that she was actually meant to be the famous assassin. They got Jay more in character, I think. Was that another programmers team? It’s a shame that she didn’t make it through the qualifier.
HG
$Interviewer: "Went out in a blaze of glory, eh?"
Peregrin: "There was a blaze. Glory, I'm not certain about. 'Carelessness' might be more appropriate.
I believe a 'strike-anywhere' match from a package I was taking rubbed against a small explosive of some kind, which set the nearby supplies on fire. I should have listened to my own warnings about loose explosives, since this was all rather preventable."
$Interviewer: "So, given recent events, are you considering transferring to the Pyro department?"
Peregrin: "I'm afraid I'm rather underqualified for Geographical Aberrations, since it has been almost a century since I've studied much chemistry, and I never was terribly interested in explosives even in my younger days. However, I would be willing to consult on matters of universal topology or geometry if needed. Speaking of topology, do you know anyone who would be willing to run experiments about Headquarters? I have several theories, but I have found myself short of data, as usual."
Falchion: Betrayed by my own stomach... Heh, go figure! Major props to Ajax for avenging my death, though, albeit indirectly. All right, Whitney, it's down to you now! Don't let us down!
Whitney: Well well, I'm in the top seven! Just a few days left, I think, and this will all be over. Good luck, everyone, and keep it up! Let's see which of us makes it to the finish!
Sarah: Yeah, I'm on a roll! And I actually deliberately killed someone this time! ...oh geez, the DIA will never forgive me for this, huh? Anyway, let's see how long I can keep this up!
Nikki:
"... Whitney, what was that for? I know I'm a Sakura replacement, but I'm most definitely not a Sue!"
*sighs* "Well, at least I fared better than last time..."
Corolla:
"I'm in the last six, and going strong! A shame Sarah wasn't very interested in my faithful retelling of the Blank Sprite incident, though."
Why not putting this drone to a good use for once?
Gremlin: The camera-drone finds her in an abandoned response center, standing in front of a whiteboard she scavenged from somewhere. On it are written the names of the six other survivors. She is muttering to herself as she flips the whiteboard marker between her fingers.
—not as if I didn't want to go, could've used the food, but someone lit the place on fire. Kyaris? No. No breath weapons. Derik? Maybe. 'S the kind of thing he might do.
Can't underestimate any of these people. They survived this far. That makes them either super tough or super lucky. Most of them probably have one kill to their name. Got to think of new tactics.
I need something. An advantage. I need—
She catches sight of the drone out of the corner of her eye. Electricity begins to flash in her pupils.
I need privacy.
She raises one hand and snaps her fingers. The camera is suddenly filled with static.
Holo-Acacia: Holo-Acacia had no comment, due to being a now deactivated hologram. Her programmers also had no comment. Well, no comment that wasn't filled with techno-jargon incomprehensible to most of the public. Best we could gather was that they were pleased with her performance despite some issues with her personality program.
Marina: Well collecting favors was a good idea, but next time I'll make sure the other person swear me an oath, so it doesn't end up like with this backstab. I should have seen that coming.
*looks intently to the drone, and smirks* Ohoh, somebody lost hairs when they set this drone loose. I hope you know how to run... *Marina grabs the drone, which ends up hexed to oblivion.*
Richard: Couldn't sleep. with so much deaths already, I'm not sure I can trust anybody. Duck, I even ended up writing things on the wall to try to mark zones where I already went and interesting locations. All in French.
All that for getting killed when I saw Constance Sims with some spy so I can't talk about something that you nutjobs will surely broadcast as soon as possible. You need some crash course in free will, you know?
Wait, is that Marina over there? And she looks... a bit too much happy in my opinion *another drone lost to hexing.*
((hS, if I remember right you're familiar with the Dresdenverse. What would be the chances of a tracking spell in HQ? Even if it doesn't work, they join the hunt. Marina would have tried alone anyways, and Rchard doesn't like being abducted.))
Ajax is seen sitting, jotting notes onto letter paper. The is a small pile of his envelopes next to him
Ajax: Today was a good day. Found my RC, which luckily still had my letter writing equipment in it. Killed the reigning champion with a Black Letter and a knife. And it all culminated with me killing Luxury with Levy's hatchet and Argeiphotes (where would you get the idea that it was The Killing Curse?).
Something flashes on the Cambot
Yandere? Me? No. Where would you get that idea? I just got some revenge for Levy and my own sake.
(Aside) Somebody should probably check that bot's definition of Yandere.
The Canon Librarian: "I never did find my library. Now I'm out. Bye."
Luxury: "Awwwww. I'd just picked up the best present for Acacia, but then it turns out I'm dead, and so's she, and she's a hologram anyway. All my fun is ruined.
Kyaris: "I don't know what everyone's going on about with Luxury; I think she's perfectly fine. What? Only seven left? Huh. My day of wandering around aimlessly looks kind of underachieving now, I guess."
(Getting them straight up so I don't accidentally spoil myself preparing for the next part.)
hS
Okay, so I have good news and bad news. The good news is that we have something extra special coming up after this report - more on that later. The bad news is that today was utterly boring.
Nobody died. Nobody! Where's the fun in that? The best we had to watch last night was reigning champion Lola sneaking into the cafeteria for food, or the bizarre spectacle of Peregrin trying to bandage a hologram's injuries.
Be fair; Derik and Hop's sleep-duel was entertaining.
Yes, until they woke up. And once everyone was awake… more nothing! Just a bunch of people running away from each other all day, plus Derik doing his best to electrocute himself.
So are you thinking about running the-?
Shh! And yes. But that still doesn't make up for today. Not even seeing Lux try to seduce holo-Acacia makes up for today.
It's pretty funny, though.
… true.
Well! After that awful report, it's time for some good news. We'll take a short break, and then we'll have an extra special report from NTV's very own… Dafydd Illian!
I found her again, but Nurse Elms may not be as interesting as I thought, and being called out for running away when she wanted to fight wasn’t fun. On the upside, I actually got some sleep tonight. I have no idea what Marina was up to; I just can’t go without a shower for more than four days, and Gremlin apparently needed a drink.
HG
Gremlin: Forget Medical. What I really need to find is the Cafeteria, which is a sentence I never thought I'd say and mean it. At least I got some water, even if I had to break my 'no big groups' rule.
Holo-Acacia: I was more than willing to help Peregrin practice medical strategies, once he explained his intentions. He is now unlikely to accidentally kill someone in a real life scenario.
Also, I believe I am being followed. Someone left me this.
She holds up what looks vaguely like a Valentine card. It is difficult to make out due to the pixel filter superimposed over the top of it.
The Canon Librarian: "At last. Someone who appreciates comedy."
Luxury: "Heeeey, Acy's in this! I hadn't realised. Hmm-hmm-hmm..."
Kyaris: "A good night's rest, and a day spent out of trouble... yes, I think I'm ready for tomorrow.
hS
Marina: You. Yes, you the staff behind this mess. I don't know how exactly you could push us to speak the way we did last night, but if there was mind control involved, I swear you've got a big problem.
Richard: I thought I'd go back to our RC after being eliminated, but then I got knocked out right after the interview, and when I woke up, I was back in this looser bracket. I think me and Marina will have to discuss with the staff of this emission after all is said is done.
Yes I did pretty good, and was lucky enough to get a bow and a sword, and put my skills with them to use for once, but I think now that's going pretty much too far.
Peregrin: "I was aware that the hologram of Sa... Agent Acacia did not require bandaging. However, it was a good opportunity to put what knowledge I have of field medicine into practice with little risk. It was also a good opportunity for an interesting conversation."
"I also rejoined Mr. Grey from the qualifiers, and met a librarian, who was at least as protective of his books as Suur Ala was. I can't see why, though, since he can easily make as many copies as he likes of anything he has, without pulling in the services of anyone foolish enough to complain of having nothing to do."
Falchion: Helping agents cross the street... All in a day's work, I guess, heh! Kinda sad that not everyone was as willing to accept my statement that I come in peace, though - well, most of the time. Too bad I'm not an Elgeyem!
Anyway, maybe I'll just sleep out the entire thing. No pressure!
Whitney: I have a very bad feeling that tomorrow is going to be extremely violent. Oh, well. Might as well enjoy the calm before the storm while I still can.
Sarah: WHOO! Now THIS is what I'm talking about! I may have gotten the short straw the first time, but at least I can now say that I managed to kill somebody! ...even though it was KINDA accidental...
Rayner: Awww. I know I didn't get involved in anything traumatizing but it's still a MAJOR bummer that I didn't get to whack anybody. Eh, better luck next time, I guess.
Oh, and on behalf of Lapis... Hang in there, Sarah. I know ya got the boot the first time, but we're rootin' for ya all the same. You've got this, girl!
I wanted mayhem and/or an ironic death. Instead I got nonsense. ... Figures, really. Derik should get a medal for being the most beat-up, though.
Derik: Leave me alone, I'm trying to find the secret passage again. I don't know what happened last night, but I am not amused. *blocks the camera with his hand, black and red with burns*
Elms: Who woulda thought I'd find the old man again, right? Turns out he's not a retired adventurer, just some guy from World One, but I was glad to have him watching my back anyway.
Today, I'm chilling with these lovely ladies here. *lowers her voice* Whitney looks pretty tough, but I dunno if she's got my street smarts. I bet I can take her if it comes to that. Not today, though. Must wait for the opportune moment, you know.
Harris:
[Pats self on the shoulders] Feels good, man.
Y'know, back when I first joined DoI, all we were allowed to bring with us to defend ourselves out in the field were sticks— actually, two sticks and a rock for the whole group of newbies! And we had to share the rock! So you can just imagine how good I am when it comes to fighting— heck, that Assassin lady stood no chance. Sure, she tried to surrender and all that but really: this is the Hunger Games. Who's gonna fall for that, eh? Yeah, so after that I teamed up with some other folks to try and hunt down the rest of the players. All was going fine until the lights went out and I was left to bump into practically every wall in the arena. Thank goodness ol' Richie's hearing is better than mine at the moment, 'cause he managed to pick off that Colt guy in the dark. Nice one, man. I've still got some residual ringing in my ears.
Well, I can't wait to see what tomorrow will bring.
---
((Apologies to Sgt. Johnson, whose motivational speech Harris is totally not ripping off.))
Nikki:
"Guys, really, the only time I 'held hands' with Falchion is when I tripped and he helped me get up - please, quit trying to get Sergio riled up. He was in SpecOps - if he gets homicidial, things will go nasty real quick."
"Witney and Nurse Elms were quite nice, too - I'm afraid the homicidial instinct of us players ran out, instead?"
Corolla:
"This losers' bracked was a great idea! Now that I'm getting this chance, I'm going to win this - Navarre, Doctor Peep, I'm sorry but I'm taking no prisoners."
"By the way, who's that holographic girl? Her aim with a Muggle-Use Wand is great, good thing she went for a Stunner."
Ix: "Yeah, yeah. I know the rollerblades wouldn't do me any good, but if I could keep someone else from getting them, it would've been worth it, right? Eh. You try running in the dark with this leg and tell me you wouldn't have tripped onto someone's sword, too. Charlotte and I will have fun seeing who wins the official games, though!"
The Aviator: "[long stream of bleeped-out words, followed by more swearing in Gallifreyan] God[bleep] it, you'd think after getting out the first time they'd just leave me alone, but no! Hijack me as I'm coming out of Medical and throw me right back in the arena, why don't you? [Bleep]ing media trying to [bleep] over my [bleep]ing life. Jesus [bleep]! So I wandered around in the open hoping someone would come along and take me out of the games. No such luck. At least the portal generator blew up when it did. Though I do wish it hadn't been so..." *shudders* "Explosive."
Are you the first person to be 100% eliminated? I think you're definitely the first who's been posting interviews.
It's a shame - the Aviator was one of the people I really wanted to see in the main arena - but that's the RNG for you.
hS
PS: Wow, Nutmeg TV are really ticking off their competitors, aren't they? I think they may have to invest in better security...
Ajax: That William fellow is pretty okay guy, after the whole getting socked in the face deal. He seemed a bit uneasy on the whole Hydrokinetic stuff, but still an okay guy.
I'm still going for all who fought Levy though.
... maybe not?
hS
Oh man, it looks like she gave that puzzle what for. Better watch out! Those huge dark eyes might hypnotize you or turn you to stone, too. ^_^
~Neshomeh
Oh my goodness, she's adorable!
That, you see, is her scary face.
hS
:P
Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Five more deaths. Five more tributes out of the Games. Their deaths a tale of betrayal, bravery, cunning, and clumsiness. Welcome back… to the Hunger Games.
Last night, almost everyone found company. Sergio and Nikki stuck together; our reigning champion teamed up with Nurse Elms; Luxury set her sights on Hieronymus. Even the reclusive Canon Librarian found himself in a group, though he doesn't seem to have said much to them.
Of course, companionship wasn't always a good idea. The Librarian, the last of our four Time Lord tributes, put his trust in Whitney - but she killed him in his sleep.
At least Apollo and Mia can say they were honestly caught out. Peregrin snuck in while they were both sleeping, and took them down.
Michael, on the other hand, learned the folly of overconfidence. He received another wretched hatchet during the night - very similar to the one Falchion got this morning - in fact, how many hatchets are we up to now?
Oh, no...
We've seen eleven hatchets sent into the arena. Two of our tributes have used them for murder. Both Nikki and Michael have been sent two - probably a factor in Michael's confidence. Because he was overconfident. Did he really think two hatchets would let him force a hydra to do what she was told? Because it didn't. She took his head off with a single bite.
Other encounters during the day were less lethal. Will portalled up to Lola, but our reigning champion chose to join forces rather than kill him. Ajax and Nikki defended the camp in the Miss Cam Courtyard - the one that Sergio and Nikki have been coming back to repeatedly over the last few days.
Perhaps that's where Sergio was trying to go with his portal. Unfortunately, he missed, and the lava pits are not forgiving.
Gremlin, meanwhile, continued her weapon-oriented game, tricking the Canon Librarian into giving up all the instruments of destruction he'd gathered.
Just goes to show that hiding yourself in impenetrable darkness doesn't protect you from being a gullible idiot.
So we come to the end of our report. The arena feels almost empty now, with so few tributes remaining. We'll be back after the break to interview the survivors, and after that… well, next time we may have something quite special for you.
Peregrin: "I might like to get to know Luxury better, but I don't think that a contest such as this is an appropriate time to arrange liaisons, no matter how casual."
The Canon Librarian: "Tried teaming up last night. Not convinced it's a good idea. Probably led to having all my stuff stolen by the scary lady with the hatchet, honestly."
Luxury: "Wow! That old guy was sure interesting. Who would've guessed?"
Kyaris: "So Hop is kind of sweet. Less sweet and more laughable is that Michael person: what, he thought he could make me do anything I didn't want to? Did he not bother to count my heads?"
hS
Marina: Well I found a group for the night. Now, they didn't seem threatening enough for me to fear anything tonight, I mean acripple,the Canon Librarian, who seems like a shut-in, even more than his libary in fact, and an hologramm I could probably short circuit...
Speaking of that, where the hell did you get the idea I was hacking this elevator? I'm a wizard, and I was just trying to use it by pushing the freaking buttons. Lessons of the day? Not touch anything technological in a holo simulation.
Gremlin: The Canon Librarian didn't have all that much useful gear. Still, better that I have it then someone else. If I collect what I can and steer clear of any big groups, then I might come out of this all right.
Holo-Acacia: I told the other members of my group that I do not require sleep, but they still insisted that each person sleep in staggered patterns. I declined to push the matter, as survival is very important.
Also, I have successfully branched from stealth-based thievery to deception-based thievery! She flourishes an ill-gotten weapon.
((I had a bit of spare time, so here's Gremlin with her brand new hatchet!))
I've sneakily snuck it into the previous day's interview, which described the axe. I'm really really impressed, seriously.
It makes all the hatchet shenanigans worthwhile. ^_^
hS
I had the full quote in this post.
Now that I have a minute...
Derik: It seems no one fears a man with only one eye and one leg. Fair enough. Now that I've discovered this excellent dead-end passage with a hidden door, I think I'll stay here and see what comes my way. Starting, I hope, with one of those excellent hatchets everyone else seems to be getting. *grins and vanishes dramatically clumsily into the passage*
Elms: I finally decide to take the offensive, and I get a face full of hatchets for my trouble. No backup, either. I figured anybody that old in this game had to be a retired adventurer with a hundred levels or something, but the guy rabbited at the first sign of trouble. Sheesh. Well, maybe I'll have better luck next time. *crosses fingers*
(( Derik the Phantom of the Opera clone has a trap door. If the RNG gods are with him, the other tributes should be afraid. If not, someone will kill him with a hatchet and it will totally be my fault. ))
Sergio:
"I coul've given that lava bath a miss. In fact, I should have: I've used these things for years and I've never misplaced a portal."
"In fact, I'm pretty sure I did indeed put in the exact coordinates - I've been coming and going from that camp for basically all the time I spent in this game! I just had to use the "load last location" function, which clearly wasn't a lava pit so I'm going to have a talk about this with you producers later."
"What do you mean, 'assuming you find us?' I'm having Corolla track the signal of this drone right now. I am going to find you."
Nikki:
"I don't know why the Event Feed found noteworthy the fact that Sergio and I didn't fight each other tonight. He's my boyfriend, what were you expecting?"
"I'm surprised Sergio got out due to a mispalced portal - that's not a mistake he would do - in fact, I was so upset about it that when two people tried to invade our camp I just threw my hatchets at them without thinking."
"By the way, I'm currently sharing camp with that Ajax dude, the one who spared Sergio in the qualifiers. I hope he doesn't try to seduce me too - because Sergio would be likely going to ask for a rematch."
[hS, feel free to play Sergio's quest for an explanation however you want. Of all the possible ways of him getting out, the RNG had to choose for one I can't really justify IC... so the "possibly a simulation glitch" route is the one most likely]
Levy (Having calmed down): Y'know, I could've sworn I'd been passively healing... though my abilities weren't always working. I was at least matching hearts frequently enough that bleeding out shouldn't have been a problem.
Matthew: Think we should join this Sergio fellow?
Nickul: I was there when his daughter was taken out, so I guess I owe him one for failing to save her.
Agents pack supplies and head out to find Sergio
[This is gonna become a subplot in the Rewards Ceremony RP, isn't it]
I was more for giving hS commentary potential like "we're sorry for beign late on today's commentary, but we had to change RC again to avoid Agent Turbo"
My reply doesn't have to be seen as Canon, it's all up to hS at this point
Falchion: At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if I was crowned the winner by sleeping through the whole thing. Also, why are there so many hatchets? It's like everyone's gonna get one like some kind of giveaway or something! Not that I'm complaining, of course, but still...
Whitney: I had to do it. I had no choice. I've heard the horror stories of how the Librarian is a racist, misanthropic bigot with no respect for humanity. Knowing that and my... reputation... I'm sure he would've killed me the second he woke up.
And I have to be honest, finding that Escher room may be a good thing in light of this. At least if anyone wanted to come after me for what I did back there, they'd be too lost to find me.
Matthew (On the Phone): Ajax! The partner of the agent you tried to seduce says you are so punched.
Levy (In the background): Doubly so!
Matthew: You heard the lady.
Ajax: How did they even get your number?
The phone was hung up
Well, last night was a nice change. Yesterday, I was so upset, I didn’t even notice that Androia is out. Unfortunately I can’t brag that she needs the exercise more than I do, but if she wants to operate the Arr Ah on the next mission, she’ll have to beg for it, a lot. Yes, I’m evasive. I’ll only say that Lux is an interesting person in many aspects. Aaaand I found the Courtyard at last. It was sooo good to get out of the grey corridors and see some green. And Nurse Elms may be an interesting person, too. But before we could talk much, Rollerblade Guy and Anime Girl started to throw hatchets at us. Looks like they are a team now and set up a camp there, and they may have thought that we wanted to rob them of their provisions. So we ran away in opposite directions, and I haven’t seen Elms again since then.
HG
Will: "She may've killed part of my alliance, but let's face it... me and the Librarian? We would eventually kill one another. Also, Ajax - sorry, chief, but you're not my type."
Hop: "So yeah, not the smartest idea I've had... Can I not comment on that? Hip will give me the pep-talk later, I'm sure o' that."
"Just when you were doing so well, you just had to go and f*** everything up! So much for my lessons. You complain so much about me not paying attention to yours and here it looks like you're just as guilty. Mgh." *grumpily munches reuben sandwiches while watching the commentary*
"...if he were a soldier under my command way back then, I'd have him nominated for the Temporal Navy Marines. I've seen soldiers of his calibre board and rout Dalek capital ships— he's certainly got the raw talent. Now I don't respect the man himself, but by the gods he'd make an outstanding shock trooper."
From a hidden holo-deck, high in the mountains of New Caledonia… the PPC's ONLY TV station broadcast live to your console… this… is NTV.
Day three of the PPC HQ Hunger Games. The cannons have fired, nine times more. And not a single district remains.
That is a bald-faced lie. We haven't had a single district eliminated yet.
Fine: not a single district remains untouched. All are marred by death - and by the vile scourge that is hatchets.
It began with a death: Agent Library's, at the hands of Gremlin. No, not at Gremlin's hands - at the blade of her hatchet, carved and graven with the words of war. And from that act of murder, new hatchets came forth: one to Nikki in the depths of the night, one for Apollo in the bright morning, and four, four twice-damned hatchets in the heat of the day: to Michael, to Mia, to Whitney, and to Nikki once more.
Yeah, he's kind of cracking up, I'm afraid. Soon he's going to be scribbling on the walls like Derik, or wandering at random like Will or Peregrin today.
I know now how the Canon Librarian feels; for he has sought his Library all through the games, only to see it found by Ajax in his place. 'Tis no wonder he wrought such violence upon Androia and Charlotte when they dared approach him.
Seriously, they portalled into his and Mia's camp and got shot; you'd think he hunted them down with a spear the way you're talking. You're being as ridiculously dramatic as Steve, Elms, Levy, and Marina in those plays they were putting on overnight. I mean, if you had to pick a worthy audience in the arena, Champion Lola or Sergio the Avenger would be it, but…
Drama, you call it. But was not Steve's performance a premonition of his own demise at the Librarian's unfaithful hands?
Not really. Unless you mean 'dying on stage'. Look, do you mind if I take over?
I most certainly do mind.
Then pull yourself together.
… fine. Ahem. Speaking of 'together', last night was a night for romance: Derik and Will held hands all through the night, and we here at NTV had quite a few bets on which seduction attempt would succeed: Hieronymus and Michael, or Kyaris and the Librarian.
I was backing the hydra. Never bet against a hydra.
But this is the Hunger Games, despite how much Hop ate during the night, and the Hunger Games aren't about love - they're about death. And death we had aplenty-
Oh, don't start that again.
Three died during the night: Library, Androia, Charlotte. But after day began, the death toll just rose and rose. Gremlin made good use of her explosive stash, taking out Mirrad and Zeb and bringing her tally up to three. Levy, having concealed her injuries from all, finally bled out.
Not that we know for sure she'd hidden anything. It was too well hidden.
VJ sought solace in the Fountain of Bleepka, but it drew her down into its watery depths. And as previously mentioned, the Librarian feigned friendship with Steve and Nickul, only to cut them down where they stood.
So 22 of our tributes remain, locked in their arena of woe. What sorrow is theirs? What pains will they suffer, ere-
That's quite enough of that. I think the advertisers have a little suggestion for you. We'll be back after the break with interviews.
Hop: "What can I say, I knew I'm gonna go far. Looks like it's just me an' Will now. I'm comin' for you, Magic Man!"
Will: ...
VJ: "Bleh, why did it have to be Bleepka? I don't even drink! Couldn't they establish a fountain of Bleeppolate? I still smell like rubbing alcohol. It was fun to share stories with Zebbie-boy, though. Poor thing. Next time I see him, I'm gonna hug him!"
The Canon Librarian: "What do you mean someone touched my books?!
"Oh, shot someone earlier. I think it was the- the Twilight vampire. Kind of a shame; I wanted to talk to her."
Steve Dimond: "Well, the night was fun, even if that nurse is a much better actor than me. I think Sergio appreciated the effort, though. As for the day, I... don't think I like Time Lords much."
Luxury: "I like nurses. They have interesting ideas."
Kyaris: "I love Time Lords! They get so skittish when you come on to them! One minute they're all 'I have witnessed the death of universes and seen alien beings you cannot even begin to comprehend'; the next they're 'oh, yeah, I need to wash my hair, I'll get back to you.' Brilliant stuff."
((Wow, I started out doing about ten of these, and for Day 4 I'll be down to three. Mad.))
hS
Peregrin could not be reached for comment. He was pacing up and down an empty corridor, muttering something about finite fields.
Sergio:
"I really have no idea why these two insisted for actign out a play for me - I sure don't think I'm such a revered veteran? And it wasn't a bizarre attempt at assassinating me, either - I wonder what was going though their heads."
"Durign the day I met the hydra again, and at some point I felt like we were watched, but I couldn't see anyone. If there was indeed anyone around, kudos for managing to hide that well."
Nikki:
"Well, nothing interesting happened today - except someone kept sending me hatchets. Why? I have a magical energy sword, and even if I wanted to use the hatchets to chop down some wood... well, there aren't any trees in HQ. Or, at least, I haven't seen one yet?"
Androia: I am so sorry, Charlotte. I thought I had the right coordinates for Medical and could get you a blood bottle.
Hieronymus: I tried –? What the –? Let me see that footage... Oh, yeah, from that weird point of view, it may look like... Actually, I could hardly keep him off me. I’m not sure whether he had found his insanity or lost it, but somehow he must have been under the delusion that I’m Hermione Granger.
HG
Gremlin: She's sitting down in some random room on top of what looks like an impromptu nest made of camouflage clothing. As she speaks, she idly rotates her hatchet in one hand. On one side of the head are the crudely etched words "GRASS GROWS, BIRDS FLY." On the other side, it says "SUN SHINES, AND BROTHER, I HURT PEOPLE."
My teammates are gone, apart from that weird hologram. My best friend is gone. My chest still hurts. I'm annoyed, tired, and hungry. Seems to me that the best way to fix all that is to wrap this thing up as fast as possible. The explosives definitely helped in that regard. I hope I can find another stash somewhere. Or Medical. Finally finding Medical would be great.
Holo-Acacia: I have now become very efficient at both stealth and theft actions! This has both increased my overall chance of survival and my overall chance of obtaining an personal hatchet.
Marina: Playing a piece for the reigning champion so I am allowed to live? I'm actually surprised she let us go. She must have been really bored.
Day has been quiet too, once I followed this hydra and Sergio. They were threatening enough to keep other opponents at bay, but were not able to know I was there. Seven heads and one veteran, and you cannot spot one person? I cannot understand how they're still there.
The Librarian: "one by one the frail humans fall... but it is clear that my next target is the disgusting creature that... no, sorry, this is too disgusting. I signed up for virtual death, not for sexual advances by a snake. Can I get my time back?"
Zeb: *shaking like a leaf* "E-explosions. It h-had to be exp-plosions. I th-think I need to g-go to FicPsuch..."
Charlotte: "Well, that was a totally bogus death. Guess that's what I get for being so hungry I can't even think straight. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go find some Sues to eat."
Also, the RNG REALLY hates him. Two times I saw him being taken out of the Games, two times it's explosions.
Which we know is how he nearly died before being recruited.
Dangit, I was having a lot of fun writing him in this. Alas that this will be the last time.
Derik: That lying warlock told me he could fix my leg, but we had to maintain physical contact for the magic to work. More fool I, I believed him. Eventually I nodded off, and that's when he must have slipped away. Should've killed him when I had the chance.
Oh, this? Don't you know music when you see it? I dreamed it. I'm not usually much of a composer, but it wouldn't get out of my head until I wrote it down, and there's nowhere else to write.
Mirrad: It seems it was not my fate to win this time. Still, I believe I did well, and never once resorted to violence.
Incidentally, Agent Luxury is a very misunderstood young lady. I explained that I had taken a vow of chastity, and that was that. She is quite charming company, albeit odd.
Elms: I am so happy to be with people again, you have no idea. I know I should be killing them, but I just can't right now. I even made out with Lux a bit—you don't have that on camera, do you? Come on, do you?!
Falchion: ZEB, NOOOOO!... Anyway. Well. Who knew RCs had stocked fridges? Lucky break, I guess! Though I seriously have to question hiding out with Luxury of all people. I mean, knowing her, uh, reputation...
Whitney: Finally, a decent weapon! With luck, somebody's going to get fit very soon. In a coffin, that is!
Ajax is seen crying over the corpse of Levy, having positioned her body for funeral rights.
Ajax: I'm gonna kill them, every last one of them.
Levy (Sobbing): I'm sorry *sobbing noises* I'm so, so sorry.
She continues the sobbing and the apologizing.
Matthew (Sitting with Levy, comforting her): It's Ajax's worst nightmare.
Nickul (Doing the same): I can only imagine how she feels.
(Earlier) Mr. Librarian, I commend your job in dispatching me. Tripping me up and shooting me in the eye was an excellent method of getting past my scales.
[For those who forgot, Levy and Ajax were former partners, a Sue got the better of them, Levy almost died, losing her wings in the process]
From a hidden holo-deck, high in the mountains of New Caledonia… the PPC's ONLY TV station broadcast live to your console… this… is NTV.
Welcome back. When last we met, everyone and their Pokemon had just finished swearing bloody vengeance against Agent Tomash for killing Keiko. Well, Tomash is dead, and you will be glad to know that his killer was…
If you're waiting for a drumroll, you're not getting one.
… Sergio. Yes, the grieving father has slain his daughter's murderer. Justice has been wrought in blood.
Seriously, isn't this a bit dramatic?
You're the one who's been complaining about me being too light-hearted. Anyway: at the same time, our very own holographic Acacia took on the AI Amris, and left it broken on the floor.
A promising start to the night.
It would have been, but it was more like the end. Only one other tribute died in the night, actually - Makes-Things, who got set on fire by Agent Ajax. Everyone else was either resting or talking.
Is that how we're describing Nurse Elms' advances towards Peregrin?
Maybe. But it's certainly the best way to describe the Pythonesque quote sessions going on all across HQ, and the D&D game that broke out in the Really Very Tiny Auditorium.
Not everyone had a good time of things overnight, quite apart from the dying. Both Gremlin and Library were too tired to do anything, and given that Gremlin is recovering from that broken rib, I don't think that bodes well.
Maybe she could talk to Zeb or Marina; they seem to be experts at tending to injuries.
Our reigning champion, meanwhile, seemed to be having trouble sleeping - not a problem that afflicted Decima and the Librarian, who slept right through Charlotte making off with their supplies!
I bet Falchion and VJ would've been glad for a share in those.
They'll just have to hope a sponsor sends them something.
Yes, speaking of which…?
I've checked, and there's nothing in the rulebook that says you can't send a plasma cannon into the arena. Though there… probably should be.
What's the point? We haven't been able to restrict the flow of hatchets.
Yes, viewers, as day dawn- er, started, we discovered the hatchet problem is worse than we'd thought: Agent Levy had gotten hold of one, and used it to kill Agent Gabrielle. The Hatchet Sponsor sent another one in to Hieronymus, but we were able to get it away in time. I'm still not entirely convinced Androia's and Kyaris' explosion stash is legit, either.
Luckily, the day wasn't as quiet as the night - certainly not for Marina and Library, who couldn't get Whitney and Peregrin to shut up! But we also saw a number of fights: holo-Acacia and Nikki drove off Charlotte and Apollo in the very same camp where Tomash and Amris died during the night.
Was Nikki there overnight? I didn't see.
Difficult to determine; we'll have to ask in the interviews. We also saw Zeb take down William, but leave him alive.
Actually, escaping death was quite a theme today. Sergio managed not to kill himself when he tried to rewire the elevators. Mia ran into Ajax and Falchion, who didn't attack her; Champion Lola dropped right on top of Mirrad, but they ended up allied!
That was certainly a luckier portal than Decima's, which threw her into that lava pit! A nasty way to go. And, speaking of nasty ways to go…
Oh, yes.
If 'escaping death' was one of today's themes, 'depression' was the other. We saw Nickul banging his head on the wall; the Librarian wandering in search of company; Michael's soul-searching. And, of course, James and Gall.
I still don't get that. Why would you make a suicide pact, and then honour it? Do… do they not know what the game is about?
I don't know, Notte. We'll have to ask them in the interview.
Which is coming right up?
Which is coming right up, after the break.
VJ: "Ughh... That makes a day worth of food skipped. Seriously, I felt like if I didn't get any food, I would have to chew on my leather belt. But it was nice to hang out with Hop again."
Will: "Showers are bloody deadly. That's why I take baths over showers every day. At least you can support yourself by holding onto an edge of a bathtub; shower just go along with you. Well, at least Mari was there to fix things up."
Marina: Well, that was... interesting moments I guess. Someone who is able to hurt himself like this in a shower during a free-for-all deathmatch cannot be that dangerous as an opponent, and having favors ready to be called can be handy, even if I got the impression he's some sort of practicionner. Gotta watch this later.
Afterr that, I ended up with another ally. She seemed a little weird, but that was still an ally, and one who didn't try to backstab me. Although I could have made without all the questions. I had to cut this out, with this sort of distraction, we were just begging to be targetted.
Androia: I can do that? How did I do it? Who is Monty Python? And what is this entity with the many heads? I would ask Hieronymus, but somehow he vanished?
Hieronymus: The creeping factor is increasing. I wanted to get away from Androia, how come I always run into her? She kept me awake all night with this silly Monty Python game, and I don’t even know how she knows Monty Python. I’m going to roll up in some corner and get a handful of sleep now. Oh, by the way, the sponsor who sent me clean water and medical supplies during the qualifier was more helpful. Just saying.
HG
Whitney: I have. SO many questions. I was concerned that people would not want to have anything to do with me due to my... track record... but it's good to hear that this was not the case. Gall was surprisingly high-spirited and understanding throughout our conversation, and it's sad to hear that she had her accident later. And as for Marina, I have to give her props for reminding me to keep my head in the game, because otherwise, I would've been too distracted to think about not dying. Ironic, huh?
(Falchion was too incoherent for a proper interview due to two whole days of starvation.)
The Canon Librarian: "Found something to read. It was a death threat from Building Maintenance. I didn't think they were even in here?"
Steve Dimond: "I guess there's a chance I might win this? I've tried to make friends, y'know - Apollo was fun last night, and today I hung out with VJ and Hop. I dunno, though; there's some pretty ruthless agents in here."
Luxury: "Hmm-hmm-hmm... I've got a plan, you've got a plan, all the sexy agents got a plan..."
Kyaris: "Today has been a kaboom-y day. I got a plasma cannon in the night - from who, I don't know - and then found some explosives with the tall elf woman. Androia, that's the one. I mean, I can't use any of this stuff - I'm not picking bombs up in my mouth, thank you very much! - but it's nice to know it's there."
Makes-Things: "Ow. Can confirm that holographic flame still hurts. Ow."
hS
The Librarian: *incoherent grumbling, generally sour mood*
Amris: "Hey, nobody told me my fields would be off-line for this! I'd demand my money back but we don't use money back home and anyway I didn't pay anything." *Aura fields turn brown*
Derik: *with a completely mostly straight face* 'Tis but a scratch. Stings a bit. Always look on the bright side of life. Get on with it!
Gall: Motherf****r! This was not supposed to happen! That guy totally bought the waterworks, I palmed the poison I already had into his cup when I poured the Bleepka, and that should've been that! I swear I only turned around for one second to put the bottle down. How could this happen?!
Mirrad: I am sad to learn that Decima is out of the games so soon. I suspect now that she only wanted me to watch her back while she took a shower and did not intend to make a lasting alliance at all, since she left soon after she had finished. However, I had a pleasant evening with Hop and Nickul, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with last year's champion. It is quite fortunate that she landed on top of me.
Elms: I am so lost. I should never have left Peregrin, even if he was boring. Hey, camera-bot, I don't suppose I could follow you to... I dunno, anywhere that isn't an empty corridor?
(( I don't know when Derik found Monty Python, but no one has ever had a better excuse to quote them excessively. ^_^
(( I swear, Mirrad looks likely to ally his way to the top at this rate. It's weird.
(( Also, seconding PC: hS, why would you use that?! Was this one of your ploys to force us to write interesting character moments? {; P ))
Tomash: "Well, Amris and I portaled straight into Sergio's camp and I got shot right then and there. Hurt like h***, but at least everything was over quickly. And I'm not really bitter, since that was a really justified revenge kill after ... that incident."
"However, I'm not letting Amris set the portal coordinates next time."
Peregrin: "I know Library would have rather I stopped talking so much, but I woke up today thinking I had an insight that might lead to a solution to Grod-Taunga. I eventually discovered my mistake, but it took several hours since I had nothing to write with."
Gremlin: Well, I didn't find Medical. Only a room filled with camo gear in which I passed out. I took some of it when I woke up this morning because I thought I might be able to use it in the Courtyard. But hey, guess what? Couldn't find that either, so now I look like an idiot. It's kind of annoying how holo-Headquarters doesn't play by the same rules as regular Headquarters. All my tactics for trying to get around don't work here.
The sound of cannons can be heard. Gremlin steps off camera to get a better look.
WHY IS GALL DEAD AGAIN ALREADY! G, DON'T YOU HAVE ANY F*****G SENSE OF SELF-PRESERVATION?!
James: I stepped away from the campsite during the night to look for supplies and fell down a flight of stairs that hadn't been there before. Thought I was a goner when that Pokemon came up on me. I was more than surprised when he patched me up rather than finish me off. Might kind act, right there.
Now then, the suicide pact…
He sighs.
It wasn't really supposed to go down like that. Little redhead comes up to me, bawling, saying that she was tired of this whole thing and wanted to go out but was too scared to do it on her own. She was not the most talented actress I ever met, so I didn't buy it. I was about to get down to brass tacks when it dawned on me: maybe I could play this out. So I make the agreement.
We get a bottle of Bleepka and some poison. She suggests having a non-deadly toast before offing ourselves. I agree, but when she turns away, I dose her drink. We toast, and bottoms up.
Turned out she managed to dose my glass too. Never saw her do it. I tip my hat to you, Gall. That was some damn fine sneak work.
Holo-Acacia: I have become very efficient at defensive action, even without my hatchet!
((OOC: I exchanged some messages with Nesh about why James and Gall might enter a suicide pact, and we decided on "they tried to trick each other with poison and failed." Also, quick question for hS: why would you leave that option in?!))
This isn't a game about seeing your agents do things they'd normally do - it's a game of seeing the RNG make them do completely ludicrous stuff, and then seeing how you can rationalise it. In the Day 3 report, Kyaris tries to seduce the Librarian. Can you see that happening, in any reasonable world? Me either. But the RNG decreed it, and I must acquiesce.
I think the two of you came up with an absolutely fantastic explanation for the 'suicide pact', for what it's worth. Brilliantly played. [Thumbs up]
And I also think Holo-Acacia is my favourite interviewee of the games.
hS
(Since the event feed seems to imply that Sergio and Nikki were sticking together...)
Sergio: "So, yeah. I have no idea if Tomash attacked our camp to try to take us down before we could get him, or he found us here only by chance... but that's what happens when you touch our daughter."
Nikki: "Well, you actually did all by yourself. By the time I had set up my Device, you had already swiss-cheesed him."
Sergio: "What were you expecting me to do, really? Anyways, the ball of bloodthirst is out too, which is a good thing. That guy gave me the creeps."
Nikki: "Yeah. Tagging along with Holo-Acacia was a good thing, since she got him. I wonder who Acacia Byrd is - if the producers decided to put an hologram of her in, she must've been someone famous."
Sergio: "One thing is sure, her archery is top notch."
Nikki: "Also, I'd like to thank Corolla and Keiko for the water - yes, we know you're behind it. It was very appreciated. Especially after Sergio here nearly fried himself with that elevator."
Sergio: "Well, I tried to knock it out of commission to give our opponents one less way into our camp, but I guess that would've been a job better suited to our Corolla..."
(And Segrio taking out Tomash... *applause for the RNG*)
Zeb: "I know, I know, I'm not helping my chances by leaving other tributes alive, but maybe if they see how nice and helpful I can be, they'll want to team up! Now that Falc and I got separated and everything..."
Charlotte: "I miss being able to run fast. This is boring. And how'm I supposed to know if my partner's doing alright while I'm stuck here killing other people? Do I at least get a phone call? Or do I have to talk to a lawyer first?"
Matthew (On the phone, obviously upset): Levvvy why did you kill the Pokemon equivalent of Angelion...
I really need to stop sending in these hatchets...
Levy (Also upset): I don't Knoooow, I thought she would end up like the Black Knight in Monty Python
Ajax: ...How the heck was I able to burn MT, I'm not in my Awoken form.
Also that Falchion guy is pretty cool... though we did fail a spot check soooo...
Nickul: D&D is fun, hitting my head against a wall is not. I'M AN INTELLECTUAL GDI.
From a hidden holo-deck, high in the mountains of New Caledonia… the PPC's ONLY TV station broadcast live to your console… this… is NTV.
The guns have sounded. Boom… boom… boom. Ten shots. Three of those fell during the Bloodbath - Alice, Selene, Ecks. The other seven… let's take a look.
Huh. That was almost dramatic.
So was this first day in the Arena (see what I did there?). If our tributes expected to breeze through the games just because they were on familiar territory, they were very much out of luck. Agent Gremlin looks to have broken a rib in that fall, and Ajax was forced to resort to acting to fend off an attack - always a terrifying thought.
Seriously, that's the part that terrified you? Not Tomash?
All right, yes: when Tomash tried to turn Keiko's life into a murderous logic puzzle, we were glued to our seats. And then when he killed her after she refused to take part - nasty. Almost as nasty as Gall throttling Kelly from behind.
I would say nastier.
Fine: almost as nasty as Whitney slicing Derik's leg off and then leaving him there?
No, because she used a lightsaber; it cauterised, so he'll be fine.
Except with only one leg.
Yes. So?
Hm. Well, at least he's doing better than Desdendelle, who took Peregrin's Killing Curse right in the face. Or Kaitlyn, who… well, honestly, we're not even sure what Gabrielle did to her, but she's definitely out of the games.
There were non-lethal fights, too: Luxury and James drove Levy and Steve away from their campsite without anyone dying, and our three hunter teams - VJ, Apollo, Makes-Things, and Charlotte on one hand, Hop, Amris, Sergio, and Kyaris on the other, and the magical team of Decima, William, and Nurse Mirrad on the third - didn't find anyone to kill.
How many hands do you have? Oh, who cares? Let's talk about Pokemon! Could there be a more natural team than Zeb and Falchion in this arena? I think the Notary and Rachel Calendar would agree that there can't!
Except they don't agree to anything. Because they're dead. Also, we have more than two Pokemon in there, you know.
Not as many as we did, not after Tacitus', ah, portal blunder.
And speaking of blunders: to whoever is sending in those hatchets. Seriously. This needs to stop. We banned them after Season 2. We've taken hologram!Acacia's away from her; Champion Lola wouldn't let go of hers, which is irritating, but we can't really randomly kill the reigning champion.
I still say we can.
And when you're in charge, you can make that decision. But right now, this is my show, and I say we can't.
Spoilsport.
Hatchets are banned. We don't want to see any more in the arena. Thank you.
Join us after the break for interviews with all our surviving and outgoing tributes. And after that - we'll see you next de-
You weren't going to do that, either.
You are such a miseryguts.
Peregrin: "Muggle-Use wands are very useful weapons."
Tomash: "I'm ... not sure why I did that. I'd stumbled into Keiko, Nickul, and Michael, and I thought they were going for me. So I grabbed Keiko to cover my retreat, but that wasn't working, and somehow that whole mess was the first idea I had. Nickul probably hates me now."
"Wait, what? She was Nikki and Sergio's daughter? I'm so, so dead."
Decima: Very important to control the water supply. Absolutely why we've taken over the showers. Yessir. No other reason for that.
Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go secure a strategic conditioner supply.
Derik: *leaning up against a wall, staring at his stump* I finally slip away from my "team" only to run into this apparition in sweatpants. I thought I could overpower her, even without a weapon, but... *shakes head* ... Scorch it, woman, you could at least have had the courtesy to finish me off!
Gall: Oh yeah, one down, thirty-odd to go!
Mirrad: I was hesitant to team up with one of my patients, since it clearly constitutes a conflict of interests, but she insisted that I must help her survive, or else she would become a permanent fixture in my office. *makes a helpless gesture* We did not intend to pick up William, too, but I think he will be a useful ally and perhaps someone that Decima can talk to about magic systems other than her own. It could be good for her.
Elms:
♪ I love to go a-wandering
♪ along the mountain track,
♪ And as I go, I love to sing,
♪ my knapsack on my back.
♪ Val-der-ee! Val-der-ah!
♪ Val-der-ah! Val-der-ah-ah-ah-ah ah-ah,
♪ Val-der-ee... ♪
Androia: Huh, that was scary. A Suvian on rollerblades, and that big-eyed anime girl from the last games, probably seeking revenge. I am so glad I got away. At least it was nice to see that Hieronymus does well.
Hieronymus: Huh, that was scary. No, Suvians on rollerblades are just ridiculous. I didn't intent to encounter Androia in this game.
Rachel: Aw, man. I can't believe I'm out already! I thought that Time Lord and I were gonna come out on top in that fight, but Pokemon are just so fast! And you, the powers and all that too. Maaaaan. Guess I'm just gonna have to watch how this plays out from my RC. Good luck, everyone still in it!
James: I wasn't sure about making camp with Luxury. Not after all the stuff I've heard about her, anyway. I don't mind me some personal company from time to time, don't get me wrong, but this hardly seems like the best occasion for it.
But then we got ambushed while setting up the tents. Turns out the lady's got some combat skill. I suppose it shouldn't be that much of a surprise, considering how long she's been an agent for. But still, 'tween the two of us, we sent those folks running!
I turned down Luxury's offer to celebrate. Like I said, hardly seems like the best occasion for it.
Gremlin: Ow… ow… OW F*****G OW! Gah, note to self: if you're going try hiding in an Escher Room, watch where you put your feet. I fell fifteen feet sideways to the floor! Ow… I hope the holographic version of Medical is somewhere around here.
Holo-Acacia: I really wanted that hatchet.
Tacitus
Well, let's see you try to operate a damaged RA with your bare paws.
Falchion: Whew, thank heavens I ditched Brave Bird so long ago and learned Rock Slide instead! The Notary was a challenge, obviously, but who knew Rachel was weak to throwing a stone sword without STAB? What a turnaround! Anyway, Zeb and I really should pair up more often. Us Pokemon gotta stick together, after all, and he's an awesome fighter, really. I just hope we won't have to kill each other sometime soon, haha...
Whitney: Derik was - no, IS a worthy opponent. It was my fault for going overboard with the Beam Sword or whatever equivalent they have here in this arena, and I apologize to him for it. I just hope that if either of us dies, we do so with dignity.
Desdendelle: "Guess I gotta get some upgrades. Wasn't fast enough."
Amris: "Who wants to be the next art project? The Zorua, maybe...?"
The Librarian: "I was not actually trying to camouflage myself. I am not even interested in winning. Idiot."
Marina: What? You expected senseless wandering across this crazy mess so I stumble upon someone of something killing me?
Why the hell should I do that when I can wait for people to shoot in one place? Besides, disguise or not, I'm not testing this holographic system too much. My pay is already low enough .
Sergio:
"Why I kept going around with Amris, you say? Exactly because I don't like him. Better keep him where I can see him. And, Kyaris, of course I don't know very well how to use swords. I use guns"
"So, yeah, that Peregrin dude got Des too, so he's on my target list. Just added Tomash on that one, too, I was starting to like that Keiko girl."
"... Wait, what? You're saying that girl coming from the future is my daughter...? Tomash, I'm coming for you."
Nikki:
"I think I might've seen that woman who got me out last time? I don't know, and sure I wasn't going for payback since there was this dude who looked like he was beign Sued, so I ran. Getting out on day one again would've been just too embarassing."
"Yes, Keiko got eliminated today. A shame, she looked such like a nice girl... Eeeeh? She's my daughter? Well... I guess day-one eliminations run in the family? Still, I'm going to give that Tomash a beating when I see him. What he did is very nasty."
Keiko:
"So... Should've thought about that one better. Sure, I hate people ordering me around, especially if they're complete strangers, but I would've have had to face the two he wanted me to kill anyways so I should've just played along."
"So, on my first PPC HQ Hunger Games I got out on day one and placed... forty-fifth? Heh, that's exactly what Mom did on her first one, too!"
"... You told her and Dad that I'm their daughter? Why'd you do that? Now they're both going to go on homicidial rage-"
"That was your very intention? I'm... not sure it was a good idea, you know? Though I admit that I'm going to appreciate if they avenge me."
(They get easier when there's less of my people left.)
District Kaitlyn
The Canon Librarian: "Can't find my books. Where are they?"
Kaitlyn: "Oh come on! Oh, well, if I have to go, at least I went to something cute. ^_^ Wasn't that fiery fox thing the Doktor's partner? I think she was! Cool."
Steve Dimond: "So this Levy girl said it would be a good idea to make a show of force, and storm the camp we found in the Courtyard. Plus, y'know, it was Lux's camp, so it wasn't like she was going to defend it very well? Yeah, I think I might have completely misunderstood Luxury. At least I made it out alive."
Luxury: "Hee! This is fun!"
District Eagle Hawk
Kyaris: "My team: a bouncy time traveller, a sadistic flying robot, and an increasingly nervous retired human who barely seems to remember what a sword is. Oh, and me, your friendly resident diminutive hydra. All in all, I think we've got a solid group here - okay, we didn't find anyone today, but there's always tonight..."
District Sergio Turbo
Makes-Things: "The restrictions on players' abilities seem to be holding. I watched Agent Webb closely for any signs of enhanced speed, but she seems closely matched to my control specimen, 'VJ'. Unfortunately I don't seem to have any records of Agent Apollo, but he isn't coming across as significantly above average. Excellent stuff."
hS
Gabrielle turning Kaitlyn into jelly—a result of Superpower, perhaps?
Zeb: "Aw man, Falchion is really cool and awesome and he's such a good teammate! I really hope we're able to stay together for the rest of the games. And his feathers are really shiny. Did you notice how shiny his feathers are? Ooh, Aviator, if you're watching: I got the Notary for you! Are you proud of me? Notary, if you're watching: that's for terrorizing my partner at the last Council meeting, you big old meanie!"
Charlotte: "Another day, another load of nothing. I'm starting to feel hungry. Are my eyes going black yet? Can I eat the holo-contestants? Is that even allowed? Are we done yet?"
("Great bleepka bar in the sky" made me legitimately laugh out loud, by the way.)
Ajax: Wait, that happened? I mean, I know I look the part but come on!
Nickul: Mr. Tomash, I do hope you realize that I'm gonna be coming after you in place of one of my friends. He does not respect individuals killing children.
Matthew (On the phone): GO GET HIM NICKUL!!!
Levy: That Luxuary's manner of defense is... weird
From a hidden holo-deck, high in the mountains of New Caledonia… the PPC's ONLY TV station broadcast live to your console… this… is NTV.
Hello! And welcome back to the PPC HQ Hunger Games, where enthusiasm… is catching!
You said you weren't going to do the silly misquotes any more.
I lied. As we speak, our tributes are flooding out across the holographic arena, seeking shelter, supplies, or perhaps subjects for their violent aspirations.
I thought you were going with 'targets'.
Yes, but then I noticed the alliteration, and I just couldn't stop.
You should have.
We say 'the tributes'... but not all of them. Three of the hopeful contestants never left the Cornucopia - or should I say, the Cafeteria!
Yes, you can see the surprise and shock in their faces when you watch them portal in to… the HQ cafeteria! Was that disorientation the reason so many of them ran away? Or was that always the plan - to flee from the expected massacre.
Those who stayed got their pick of the supplies we laid on. Our reigning champion, Lola McCandless, landed herself a nice flamethrower. Falchion grabbed a sword in his talons, though what a Sword Bird needs with one we're not really sure.
Nor do we know why Marina thought the most valuable find was a bottle of glitter - or, for that matter, why Ajax's rollerblades were such a great find that Michael and Keiko both went after him!
At least Levy got good use out of her lethal-looking banana, driving off Peregrin's intended attack. Elsewhere, Whitney and Charlotte's fight over that gorgeous energy bow somehow didn't end in a fatality!
Though there were plenty of those to go around. The Librarian's torching of Selene - Kaitlyn and Androia's masterful teamup on Ecks - and of course whatever happened to Alice the horse.
We've gone over the footage, and we can't figure out who brought her down, though we do know that Hieronymus was the one to finish her off. We're sending in drones to interview the tributes now - maybe one of them can shed some light.
It wasn't all violence, of course - there was also forward planning to be done. The teamups of Rachel, Decima, Will, and Steve, and Tomash, Luxury, Nickul, and Derik, look a little tenuous, but they got them out of the Cafeteria, and that's what counts!
Unless your name happens to be Tacitus, Amris, or Sergio, in which case what counts is a nice conversation.
Yeah, that was weird. Okay! That's all we spotted on the tapes. Remember: all of this is holographic, however realistic the simulation of HQ may be. We'll be back after the break with brief interviews from the tributes-
Or those we can talk to without giving their positions away.
Until then, remember: this has been Nutmeg TV, and this… is the Hunger Games.
District Kaitlyn
The Canon Librarian: "Trying to find my library. Leave me alone."
Kaitlyn: "Well. I quite like this Androia woman. I'm not sure if she knows Agent Ecks was one of the ones who stole my stuff in the qualifiers? But she was a great help. Now, who else was in that footage...?"
Steve: "Right. So my 'team' is a bubbly girl who sort of reminds me of Constance back in the day - not sure that's a good thing - a Potterverse witch with a kind of scary attitude, and a violent... warlock?... of some description. Uh... better have them on my side than hunting me, I guess?"
Luxury's reaction to the drone is not viewable by agents under the age of 100.
District Eagle Hawk
Selene: "... I don't think I like Time Lords any more."
Kyaris: "How did I run out of there so fast? Have you seen this body? I've got speed you wouldn't believe."
District Sergio Turbo
Makes-Things: "Obviously I ran away. Making observations doesn't require me to be heavily armed, does it? I did get to see Agent Ajax's rollerblades in action - are we positive those are holographic? Excellent work if they are. Hmm... I wonder if my lab is functional in the simulation?"
(Not sure if Day One will be up tonight or tomorrow morning. Ve zhall zee.)
hS
Rachel: Always have someone to watch your back! It's good idea when you're doing agent stuff and still a good idea when you're doing mock battles to the death! Plus, apparently two of the people I'm with have magic powers. Awesome! I'm not sure how long all this will last, but everything's looking pretty good for the moment.
James: James is hiding in a small, dark room. Judging from his muttering, he is currently working out a plan for his current situation. He scowls upon noticing the interview drone, and waves at it to leave.
Get lost, you!
Gremlin: The drone footage of Gremlin is almost solid static, for some reason.
((OOC: Am I also doing reactions for Holo-Acacia, since she's on my team? Probably something I should have asked before this started. Mea culpa.))
I'm happy to put her down as 'unavailable to comment', but equally, if you want to do it...
Come to think of it, wasn't it you who did Acy's reaction when Kaitlyn and Selene gave her radiation poisoning? I think that was you.
hS
I mean in regards to Acy's radiation reaction. Like, not at all. So I don't think it was me.
The story in question is this (since I think it's good enough to link to).
Dunno why I got the two of you crossed. That c in the middle?
hS
Tacitus:
It is immediately clear that Amris is a massive threat to the entire competition. Its enthusiasm for battle is only matched by his gruesome and twisted imagination-- it needs to be put down as fast as possible if any of us are to survive. I only hope Dark's immunity to Psychic holds in this case.
Levy: Apparently using a banana as a hilt for an ice dagger counts as "Weaponised" and not "Utilising their abilities to their very best."
Ajax: They tried to take my rollerblades. They tried to take my rollerblades. I am actually Hermes. I have wings on my feet. Good luck with that next time.
Nickul: I swear to Bahamut somebody's gonna die here, and it will probably be Aphrodite over there.
Gall, Mirrad, and Elms have vanished into HQ and are unavailable for comment.
Derik: For the love of little green apples... No, Luxury, that is not what "Hunger Games" means.
~Neshomeh
... is that "meatroll" is definitely a Pernese euphemism, because how could it not be? {= )
~Neshomeh
Shards and shells, what have you just done?
hS
(is the sound a meatroll makes)
Seriously, this idea has got me to thinking. What other fictional 'verse euphemisms can we think of? What are they like in other languages? For instance, in Tau'sia a homebrew euphemism would be ran'monat'sio; the word ran means either "heart" or "spirit", depending on context, and the rest comes from the compound word co'monat'sio, which means to act selfishly or to put one's own desires above the Greater Good (and my lexicon informs me that it implies licentiousness and decadence). Thus, ran'monat'sio means to act on the desires of one's heart... alone.
Alas, the Tau'sia word for tissue paper presently eludes me. =]
The Librarian: "Burn, human, bu— I mean, that is barbarous, I have no idea what possessed me."
Desdendelle: "No news is good news, methinks."
Amris: "Why, I didn't know that this place had such little bundles of fun as this Zorua."
Androia: Socializing is such a nice thing to do: Find a friend, and then go and stab another potential friend together. I’m not quite sure what we stabbed her with. Did Kaitlyn grab a dagger? I may need to be careful around her.
Hieronymus: Don’t put a horse into the cafeteria; it’s not her natural environment! I guess she stumbled over the chairs and fell into the main aisle that leads to the entrance. Anyway, the poor mare looked like the whole stampede of fleeing agents had run over her. I just couldn’t leave her like that. But – have you ever tried to strangle a horse? In the end we both agreed that she just should consider herself being stabbed with the Sharp Sword of Reason that doesn’t show in holographic pictures.
HG
Tomash (not noticing the camera): "No, Luxury, I'm not interested."
Peregrin: "My thoughts? It appears that contesting the supplies was a reasonable decision. I gathered a few useful items, but I ran away from the more valuable supplies after being threatened with fruit over water. I'm still not entirely clear on how that plant was meant to be deadly, but I did not want to risk a confrontation so early."
Whitney: Maybe I should find Falchion. He'd be better at using that energy bow than I am - though I honestly don't know if I won it from Charlotte or not. She was a really good fighter! I do hope to meet her again sometime under, erm, friendlier circumstances.
Falchion: ...I don't even know how to sword. Help.
Marina: So they decided the arena would be HQ... I cannot tell if they're sarcastic or if it's the perfect Hunger Games arena.
It also seems the Cafeteria is so horrible people flee merely after seeing that. Well, I only got a bottle of glitter, but after being taken out the first time by poisoning, I'm sure I can find some use for that stuff...
Sergio:
"I don't know why exactly I stopped to chat with these two - I think they were actually both trying to asses how much of a threat I was, so I went for my best "rusty retired dude" impression. Amris tunred out to be just as creepy as Corolla told me, while I finally managed to meet that Tacitus dude, who kept nagging me about how this 'Madam' woman was interested in me and wishing me good luck. Sorry, not falling for those nets of favours."
Nikki:
"We're in HQ this time? The confusion kinda reminds me of the Blackout. Of course, I ran away. It would've really been embarassing if I got myself killed faster than the other time..."
Keiko: "It's a shame that guy managed to get the rollerblades - while I prefer skateboards, Mom taught me how to use them so they would've been a good way to move around faster. I tried to chase him, but I don't know what I would've done if I did - that dude had defeated Dad in the qualifiers, so taking him out would've helped us both, but at the same time he had spared Dad after defeating him so it wouldn't have been very nice..."
P.S. Do you plan on doing a loser's bracket for the unqualified, so they get a ranking too?
I hadn't thought about it, but there's no reason I couldn't. Maybe when the main Games gets down to 8 people, we can run a rapid Losers' Bracket in parallel.
(Haha at Sergio's comments on Amris and Tacitus, by the way. XD)
hS
Charlotte: "I know, I know, I could probably win this whole thing easily if I was my normal self, but being physically immune to almost every type of damage and being able to run two hundred miles an hour is just a teensie bit unfair in these games. So, bow it was, even though I really would've preferred to get an axe or something." *humphs*
Zeb: "Well, so far, it looks like staying out of trouble is working just fine for me. Hope I can keep it up for a few more days."
(Yay, at least these two made it another day.)
See them here.
24 of our 72 agents are out, including a depressing number of namesakey/selfinsertish agents. Dafydd, Constance, July, and Alleb all went out, along with both Ix and the Aviator. JulyFlame lost three of her four candidates, though luckily, no-one went out entirely. (And congrats to Neshomeh, whose two agents + two NPC suggestions all made it through!)
The teams are a bit scrambled, given that only Nesh has an intact quartet. I think the only person whose agents I ended up having to split was Skarm, who's ended up paired with Matt Cipher and Desdendelle. Sorry! I tried!
So far, we're not revealing the new arena. We are revealing, though, that we have a hologram of Acacia Byrd in the Games. So you have something to live up to!
If you'd like your agents to give opening interviews - or losing ones, for the folks who're out already - go ahead and post them in a reply to this. (And please do - they make for great reading, and will help me get them in character for the narration!) I'll edit them into the document when I can. (Whether I can get them written for my own four + Kaitlyn's four + 5 NPCs is an... interesting question. I'll get back to you on that.)
Next broadcast will hopefully be tomorrow, showing the bloodbath and - if it's not too bloody - Day One as well.
See you then!
hS
Nickul: Holy crap I killed the Aviator
Ajax: And Jesse
Nickul: Yes, but I killed a DMS legend
Levy: and a Cowboy
Nickul: I don't think you understand, I killed The Aviator
Ajax: We know
Levy: We're just mad you didn't get her autograph
Barid - Well dat didn't last long. I don't know what dat girl was tinkin', but none'a my stuff was gonna help her. It was all potion makin' plants.
Decima - Grab explosives? Check. Fresh water? Check. Tripping balls to the finish line? Double check. Bring on the games.
Hip: "So... That happened. First time in the Games and I'm already out. Then again, nothing I could do, I mean that explosion was just INSANE! Well, hopefully others will get far. If I have to pick, I'd say VJ is going to get the furthest, if not win."
Hop: "Hey, I'm still in! That's wicked, though I wish Hip was still with me. Hope you'll cheer for me, sweetie!"
Will: "Fine an' dandy. I could get used to smackin' folks on the head."
VJ: "Giving me a bow and arrows is like spilling water on a Gremlin! There's no way I lose now!"
Sarah is going to be SOOOOO peeved that she didn't even make it past the first qualifier. She was looking forward to a hero's path of glory, geez!
I'd write up responses from my agents, but my household is going through a very bad situation at the moment, and I may not be able to see it resolved until tomorrow. Sorry, everyone! :(
Sarah: ARRRRGH! I'M SO SALTY RIGHT NOW! That's what the term is, right? Salt? Anyway... I CALL HAX! I was looking forward to a path of glory and coolness and awesomeness and then SOME MEANIE DROPS A BOX OF TNT INTO MY SHIRT RIGHT OUT OF THE GATE?! GRRRR, OF ALL THE INDIGNITIES I JUST - RAAAAAAGH!! If you'll excuse me, I'm going to the Danger Room. I NEED TO BREAK SOMETHING!!!
Rayner: At least I won't have to endure the rest of the carnage. 'Nuff said.
Falchion: I have no idea why I picked up a bottle of alcohol. I don't even DRINK! Sleeping through the first day is totally a me thing, though.
Whitney: A telepathic horse. I went. On a tribute hunt. With a telepathic. HORSE. I just... What.
Field Commander Lola McCandless: Well, the champ is back in town, and frankly I'm not sure it was a good idea. I mean, learning everyone's capabilities is always a good idea, but I'm worried about how much insane bloodlust will come into play given that this is only a holodeck simulation and everyone knows it. I've been trying to fight how I normally would, but that just means ambush tactics - and since I don't know the surroundings well, I managed to balls it up completely when that woman blundered into my trap.
Gabrielle: ... I blew up my therapist. Um. With, um. With a landmine. I, uh, I think that's gonna come up in our next session.
Doctor Peep, FicPsych: [slightly dazed] Home in a bin bag, I'm going home in a biiiiiin bag... eeble...
Alice: *telepathic horse noises*
...
How the poxy hell am I meant to do her interviews? I've barely even heard of her before today!
Nothing from the Notary?
hS
Rachel: I was super excited to get picked for the Games this time! I watched all of the footage of the last Games to get an idea of what was going on—plus, you know, to get psyched! It's always important to get positive before taking something like this on.
I got a bunch of useful gear from the Cornucopia and was feeling really good and then WHOA, I got attacked! And by the defending champion too! Not gonna lie, but I was kinda scared right then. I mean, she's a trained soldier and I'm definitely not. But I escaped! I was dodging around trees and rocks, and even ran through a stream at one point! That was pretty awesome.
Then I started hallucinating! There were all these weird pinkish-green bugs with human faces flying at me, and some of them were dancing! I think it might have been the Charleston. And then—hey, where are you going? Is the interview over?
James: That went all right, I suppose. Managed to pick up a bit of disinfectant from the Cornucopia before all the explosions went off. Then, I pretty just spent the rest of the match trying to be a might proactive. Hunting for other folks and that. Never found any one, but I did survive. Let's hope the real thing goes as smooth as this one did.
Gremlin: I decided beforehand that, since this was just the qualifier, I wasn't gonna make too much trouble. Don't fight; just survive. That's why skipped the Cornucopia in favor of just hunting, and why I made that agreement with Kelly to alternate our sleeping cycles. Getting sent clean water was a nice bonus. Pretty sure I know who that was from, even though the sponsors are always "unknown." She winks at the camera. Thanks, babe.
Laura: God. D****t. Eliminated already! Ugh. Well, at least I went out in a pretty hardcore way. Getting stabbed multiple times by a psychic Flower armed with sais? Better than falling in a hole LIKE LAST TIME.
Androia: Yes, we are in again. I still have to prove that I can survive more than one day. After all, I am supposed to be the fighter in this team, and the person who knows how to heal herself. And Hieronymus needs the exercise. He says that running in circles and lifting weights are senseless actions, so adding an adventurous aspect may help. The man just does not move enough. I watched that in our last mission. What? Yes, nearly being strangled by a weed was not a good start. Thank you, Richard, for breaking his stalk.
Hieronymus: Gah, fighting holographic squirrels and agents wielding holographic weapons is senseless, too. Where’s the adventure when there are no consequences? I only concurred to get out of our arr zee. I’m going to find a quiet place where Androia can’t talk my ear off, and just sit the games out. If it doesn’t work, I’ll be out and she’ll still be in, and that’s just as well. Why I didn’t try to sit out the Qualifier? Well, I guess no Agent can say "no" to Jay Thorntree. I’ve no idea what she wanted with the Librarian, though, and they abandoned me before I found out why she’d said she needed a shovel.
HG
Including Kaitlyn's candidates, and the NPCs.
The Losers
Dafydd: "Well, that was... disappointing. Do you know, I think I was the first person to actually die in the entire tournament? Oh, well, there's always next year."
Morgan: "Okay, so what happened is this: I figured my gun-loving self wasn't much use in a forest, so I tried to 'kill' myself and holo-regenerate into someone good with, say, a sword - well, there's a first time for everything, right? But, uh... apparently holograms don't regenerate. I'll remember that next time."
Constance: "I TOLD Dafydd this was a bad idea... I'm quite offended by being taken for a bear, of all things. Is that a comment on my hair? Agent Michael had better hope he stays in the arena a long time, that's all I'm saying..."
Captain Dandy: Once I heard the Tiger Lily was participating again, I had to take part - for the honour of the Department, you know? But I suppose it wasn't to be. I think the lesson to take away from this is a positive one - our agents will defend each other even against authority figures! I... think that's a good thing.
The Tiger Lily: Hmph. Whose idea was this, anyway?
The Qualifiers
The Canon Librarian: "No comment. Do I have time to read?"
Kaitlyn: "That was fun! I mean, okay, I didn't get to do much, and someone stole all my stuff, but I'm super psyched for the proper Games! I'm gonna try and find someone friendly to team up with, it worked really well last time..."
Steve Dimond: "I'm honestly not that sure why I'm here. But my sisters demanded I sign up, and, well... So next time I'm going to try and get a weapon again, it's, y'know, a good idea...? Don't know after that."
Selene: "Oh. Dafydd's already out? ... okay. I guess I'll see if that hydra wants to team up again."
Kyaris: "Wow. I mean, wow. Why've I never heard about this before? Great stuff. Hope I do well."
Makes-Things: "Look, I'm not here because I want to play. I'm just making sure the holodeck's working safely. And yes, that includes attacking Nurse Mirrad - how else am I going to test it properly?"
Alice the telepathic horse disdained to give an interview. Agent Luxury gave one, but the broadcasters refuse to show it.
hS
Zee: "Ecks, Ecks calm down"
Ecks: "No I fragging will not! I'm a woman! What's this drek?"
Zee: "The holodeck likely malfunctioned. At least you did not die in the first round, like myself."
Ecks: "Frag off. I'm gonna go sulk until the next round."
You'll note that I also had Mirrad down as female, and he's actually mentioned on the Wiki, so I could even have checked.
I don't intend to put this 'there is a minor error in the transcript (not even the broadcast!)' "interview" into the doc. You can write another if you want it included.
hS
Harris
WHAT? CAN YOU REPEAT THE QUESTION AGAIN, PLEASE? I CAN'T HEAR YOU OVER THIS RINGING!
...HOW I FEEL ABOUT PIEROGIS? WELL, IT'S LIKE A DUMPLING, BUT EUROPEAN. WAIT, DID YOU SAY 'PERFORMANCE'? OH, SORRY! IS IT JUST ME OR IS THE RINGING GETTING LOUDER? CAN SOMEONE TURN IT OFF, PLEASE?
ANYWAY, IT WAS KINDA EMBARRASSING TO DIE LIKE THAT. CONGRATULATIONS TO THE TRAP-SETTER, THOUGH— NICELY PLAYED.
ALSO, CAN I GET AN EAR DOCTOR OR SOMETHING? I THINK I MIGHT HAVE A LITTLE TINNITUS.
[He walks away from the camera, sticking a pinky finger into his left ear.]
MAWP. MAWP!
Tacitus
It appears my inept colleague died due to a booby trap. He doesn't deserve to wear the sage frond— not after failing to do a spot check and practically walking into a grenade.
I'm a little rusty combat-wise but I still have a little going for me: I chased after this girl and gave her a thrashing. She escaped, but I think that I've managed to scrape a little bit more experience from that battle. Just a little bit more now...
I'm looking forward to the main event. This qualifier was a nice little warm-up; let's see what my team can do. I look forward to stabbing them in the back once they've outlived their usefulness.
Tomash: "At first, I wasn't too thrilled at getting dragged into this thing, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be. That was a pretty lucky grenade toss at the beginning. I was just trying to distract people so I could grab some food and run for it. Falling into the water while trying to fish wasn't fun, but I get the feeling that will end up on a 'funniest moments' compilation."
"My plans for the main event are to join a group and hope I can last a few days before the inevitable betrayal. Maybe I'll get to know some new people."
Peregrin: "There were a few moments during the night where I wasn't sure if joining these Games had been a good decision. I'd like to think I did reasonably well overall, though. If nothing else, the second day's events will certainly serve as a clear example of why the initialization elements of packaged explosives should not be used as ropes while attached to the package. I must find more of that material after the event. It might be useful for assassinations at a distance if arranged carefully ..."
Peregrin was lost in thought for a moment.
"On, right, the Games. I'd like to thank Mr. Gray, the, ah, Pilot, I think, and ..., er, everyone else for their help with gathering supplies, as well as my sponsor, whoever they were. My plans for the main event are to get a ranged weapon I know how to use and hide. I am also considering going away from the Cornucopia initially, since it seems to attract a large battle, and returning later. That would be less risky, but could be significantly less rewarding. It's an interesting tradeoff, you know. A good friend of mine worked on a more general version of that problem several years ago, but didn't make much progress..."
Interviewer: "Thank you for your time."
My team is awesome! We'll see how long it lasts in the actual event. ^_^;
No time for interviews right now, but FYI, Mirrad is a he. {= )
~Neshomeh
Elms: Okay, note to self, the Cornucopia is bad. Even if the knives are really shiny and right there, do not go for them. You could get caught in a fireball and die before the Games even start. That was way too close. Fortunately, Zeb was nice enough to help me out with the burns. I hope he did okay afterward, I like the little guy. Not that I won't kick his butt in the arena if I have to, but hey, nothing personal.
The gas was just mean. Seriously, though, if you can't tell a can-can line of hobgoblins in tutus is a drug hallucination, you haven't lived enough yet.
Mirrad: In Minbari culture, the highest honor is to serve. I was pleased to share with the others in the beginning, and also to assist Makes-Things in testing the simulation as we'd agreed. Of course, I never understood "assisting" to go so far as to mean throwing the qualifier. *smiles serenely*
I found the experience of the hallucinogen quite enlightening. I saw what appeared to be a road of silver light with lovely rainbow dancers beckoning me to follow. It was a river, and if I had gone with them I would have drowned, but it was beautiful. The mind is fascinating in its ability to attempt to make sense out of nonsense.
I look forward to honing my skills in the main event.
Derik: Well, here I am again. After the last time I swore I'd never do it again, but Gall wouldn't let up until I'd agreed to join with her. *sigh* I admit her plan of laying low for the qualifiers went well. ... The scream was nothing. Just a dream.
Gall: Oh yeah, I'm back! Don't be fooled by what you saw here. I wasn't gonna waste my energy in a stupid qualifier, so me and Derik just stuck together and let everyone else fight it out. I even gave my partner those dumb supplies to help out what's-her-face. I didn't need them, and maybe it will make her underestimate us in the real arena. *grin* Watch out, people. Gall is coming for you!
(( I thought about having Derik's scream be a plot to lure in the unwary, but nobody was out hunting or anything. Oh well. Nightmare it is! ))
~Neshomeh
Apollo: "First of all to clarify, I didn't really know Gerry had killed Rayner when I killed her, so no, no real revenge was in play there, in fact I hadn't meant to kill her at all, the branch I was using as a weapon was a tad heavier than I thought it was, that's all. Still glad to have got through the qualifiers and glad to see Kelly on my team too."
"Any plans? No, not really. Ideally I'd grab a bow and try and camp a spot I can defend, but after those roving squirrels from last season I'm not sure that's a good idea."
Kelly: "Woo, I got through, and I even got a ranged weapon, not that I needed it, by I got one. I was kinda surprised to actually ally up with different people, and it'd be nice to ally up with them again in the real thing, although it'd also be nice to see Apollo as well, we didn't see each other besides at the start 'cos we ran different ways completely."
"Plans? Not really, hope to get a ranged weapon, one of the bonuses to being a daughter of Apollo you see, hope I don't have to heal anyone and if I'm really desperate I can always try and curse them to speak only in rhyming couplets, it doesn't have much use killing Sue's but I remember that one time our cabin used it on the Ares cabin..."
Let's begin this.
Richard: Alright. First of all, I certainly didn't sign any papers or anything which could have led to that. My partner was pretty clear about the consequences after the last time. I hope the person who pulled this off can hide really well for their own good.
As for the qualifs... I cannot believe I ended up killing Captain Dandy! That's one of the few Flowers I think who deserves respect here! And this hallucinogen... Are they stealing idea from Capitol engineers, or what?
Marina: I makde sure Richard didn't sign anything while he was conscious, and none of us drinks enough alcohol to think it could have been a 'good idea'. Well, I guess I'll profit of the impromptu training session for now. Then I'll go to meet the staff who handled the inscriptions, and see if our little prankster let any lead behind...
Corolla: Awww, I'm out already. I hope Sergio, Nikki and Keiko will do their best though! By the way, I really have to start working on a way to bring that girl home though. I can't believe she messed up a portal's coordinates so badly...
Oh, and Peregrin? That explosive satchel was bigger than I am. Overkill much?
Sergio: I was lucky this Ajax dude spared me, or I would've been out already. Stealth and survival, that's the way I lasted so long last time. In fact, back then I lost when I abandoned that tactic.
Corolla didn't get through, sadly, but Nikki and that Keiko girl did. Corolla's fond of her for some reason.
And of all people, we got assigned Makes-Things as a teammate. Fun.
Well, I hope I can live up with my Top 8 finish of last time.
Nikki: I think I've been playing better this time - though I admit doing worse would be pretty hard.
It's a shame for Corolla, she was really eager to play in this again.
That Keiko girl is pretty nice - though she feels oddly familiar. I'm pretty sure I've heard her callig Corolla "Auntie" - I wonder why is that?
Keiko: Well, if you're wondering what a girl from the future is doing playing here, I'll answer with two things: a botched portal and Auntie Corolla.
I can't believe I'm playing with my parents here - and also that Auntie took all of ten seconds to guess who I really am.
So far, I'm doing pretty good - as solg as I can stay near water to take advantage of my water magic, I should be fine.
... Auntie, you should better get on work on a way to get me home, I don't want to accidentally cause time paradoxes.
... Wait, you'll be airing this?
Just have the agents answer whatever?
Basically a single-paragraph thing from each of them about their thoughts so far. In this case, it's 'how they feel about losing' (if they lost) or 'how they plan to approach the Games' (if they're in). Later it'll be responding to what happens to them.
hS
Navare: "This is disappointing. I guess I should train more for the next time."
Des: "No news is good news."
Amris: "Booooring."
The Librarian: *something grumbled under breath; the microphone didn't catch anything*
Okay, that was a fun read.
*clears throat*
The Aviator: "Yeesh, you sign up for one Hunger Games to make your partner happy, and suddenly if you don't want to do another people get all weird about it. I'm glad I got out early. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go find someone..."
Ix: *shrugs* "Not like I was going to make it long with my bad leg and no magic. I'll be cheering for Charlotte from the sidelines, though!"
Zeb: "I'm just trying to keep it on the down-low this time, especially since my plan of meeting up with my partner to team up are kind of shot now."
Charlotte: "Well, I'm sorry to see my partner go. So much for a possible team-up like Peeta and Katniss." *coughs* "Um, but in the platonically beneficial way, of course. I'm going to win this one for her."
He saw the announcement and figured he'd get some combat practice in a more realistic scenario. There's little chance he'll get anywhere near winning, since his weapons abilities amount to "can hit kind of close to whatever he was aiming for much of the time".
So, we're throwing in one avout (mathematician-monk, approximately), with bolt (some-physical-properties-adjustable fabric), sphere (similarly adjustable ball), and chord (length-adjusting rope), and very few practical skills.
Agent Tomash claimed to have plans already, but could be persuaded if there's a free slot left.
(Consider Agent Tomash to have been 'persuaded', possibly with rope.)
Including all four NPCs mentioned by people, plus five NPCs of my own choosing, I now have 72 tributes listed. (Not including Alex Dives and Farilan, I'm afraid.) Tournament is go!
I'll start the two qualifying games (simultaneously!) in about seven or eight hours. If you want to join (and you can! Those five NPCs can be trimmed out, for one), get in before then, or you'll be sitting on the sidelines.
hS, super excited, can you tell?
I'll profit from this thread for ask you a little question: Do you have Medieval 2 Total War Kingdoms, and if yes, do you heard about its mod Third Age Total War, and its submod Divide and Conquer? I think it could interest you.
Hardric, hoping at least one of his agents pass the qualifications.
No, I don't, and now you've made me cry. ,-_-,
hS
Well now, you know about them. And if you want to try a new strategy games with mods for playing during the War of the Ring, I assure you the mods are easy to install, and the Total War games accessible on Steam for a rather not costly price on Steam if you don't possess them. Nothing stops you from trying them if you really want to.
Here are the Moddb threads for both of them to see by yourself.
I'll probably still be up by then, so let's see how many times I reload the page around then... *readies tally marker*
Which page is this?
But then couldn't delete the post, sorry.
Just... two... more...
(Though at least 4 of the prospectives are easily removable, so if you want to sign up but are afraid of overloading me - don't be! Sign up!)
hS
Agents Ecks and Zee reporting for mayhem.
Retired Agent July - and assuming you want a weapon, sledgehammer
Agent Library- handgun
Colt -bow and arrows
Gerry - handgun
As far as free for use goes, nthing Lux, and someone should drag poor Makes-Things too.
Take my love, take my land agents! Constance, the Canon Librarian, Kaitlyn and Steve.Burn the land and boil the sea,
You can't take the sky from me!
Kaitlyn, who has installed top-notch security on the sky, apparently
[Quietly crosses Constance and Kaitlyn off his own list]
hS
If I recall, it was something about "There can be only one, someone shouting Nerd, and then being swept away. If anyone can link that to me, I would be grateful.
My own little ficlet of what should've could've been.
I offer Harris Frost and Tacitus for the games. They may not be the most combat-ready of the entire lot-- see last year's performance-- but they're out there and hungry for glory.
Well, that's mostly Harris. Tacitus is just here to spy on people again and hopefully not get murdered in his sleep again. Or be used as a pillow.
Laura Dukes and Gremlin want to improve on their unfortunately lacking performance from the previous games. James Pittman will be my third pick, and Rachel Calendar my fourth (since Xericka is not having with any of this utter nonsense).
You know, I was wondering why I never got involved with the last one.
Bugger!
Good hungering, fellows!
Barid and Decima are up for it.
-Phobos
Better to take some for Marina and Richard now. And hope it ends in a better way for them this time.
That'd mean 24 players, and at present we're only at 12 (if you count me, which you should).
... on the other hand, maybe they are going pretty quick. Hrm.
Hunger Games Tournament, anyone? [Ducks]
hS
I'll be throwing Ix and Charlotte to the *ahem* wolves, and of course the Aviator (who is... fifteen weeks pregnant, assuming the games take place the first week of September and my math is right) and Zeb.
And now I'm reeeeally interested to see what you came up with for the arena...
In order of precedence:-
Gabrielle,
The Notary,
Algernon, 7th Earl Wymbourne,
Lola McCandless
Put on your war paint, tiny Flareon. =]
Could I get my very, very minor character Doctor Peep in instead of Algie?
Would you like Lola or, uh, Peep to take precedence? I currently have 49 names, so I need to figure out a system for trimming them down. (I'll probably drop Constance first, but if anyone else signs up - which people absolutely should! - then I'll be trimming from other people's teams.)
-- Morgan, the Librarian, the Aviator, and the Notary. Oh yes, we have a District Gallifrey. :D
hS
I mean, unless this is a Quarter Quell, then the reigning champion shouldn't really be coming back. =]
Feel free to knock out Ix and Lottie. Ix would probably require a lot of convincing to do the Games anyway.
... I can actually pare up. If we can get another 21 tributes, I can do a pair of 36-player elimination rounds, knocking out 12 players in each to get a final 48. That would let me add a few free-to-use characters (because it'll be more fun with Lux, right?), and keep everyone's agents in play.
That does mean I need more volunteers, though, hint hint people-who-haven't-yet-signed-up...
hS
Right now, I've got four prospective NPCs to bring in, plus two more if I really need them; that means I only need three more people to sign up, and we're golden.
Just... three... more...
hS
Nume and Ilraen are busy with "Subjugation" at this time, but you can have Derik and Gall. They'd both like to improve on their performances from last time.
And, if you need people to fill spaces, Nurses Mirrad and Elms are up for the challenge. Definitely give priority to people who haven't had characters in the games before, though. {= )
~Neshomeh
In order of preference, Corolla, Sergio, Nikki and... hm, this time I'd say Keiko, but how to justify the fact that she's from a spinoff set in 2034 HST?
Well, maybe HQ acting timey-wimey again?
I'm not re-proposing Rayson Kerman for now as... well, I STILL haven't gotten around to start the CorollaWorks spinoff. Damn you, Windows Movie Maker and Kerbal Space Program, for continuing to act up on me!
(Particulartly, after the latest KSP update one of the vital mods I was using stopped working. Meaning I had to trash pretty much the entire vehicle lineup)
Agents Alleb, Jesse, Michael, and Mia are my tributes.
-Alleb
Apollo and Kelly are my two tributes for this.
Now that I think about this, this'll somehow be the first canon appearance of Apollo and Kelly. I really need to finish that mission...
Storme
William Grey, VJ, Hip and Hop are all up for the game.
The agents I'll be registering are Nickul, Ajax, and Levy.
(Matthew would rather not be involved in these kinds of things, but he'll be cheering from the sidelines)
~Mattman
In order of preference, I'll be registering Agents Falchion, Sarah, Rayner, and Whitney. One agent for each of my RCs, and with the exception of Falc, the most experienced fighter for each of them.
Yeah... This will end well.
In order of preference, Agents Amris, Desdendelle, the Librarian and Navare are reporting for duty.
