forum The Hanging Tree >> HG-themed RP >> Interactive stalkers welcome (see inside)

Started May 24, 2020 by @Gentleman

tune

Mine? No, no. We are both in charge here. I merely posted the idea.
I think that would be the best way to go— starting with the countdown at the Cornucopia (I'm hoping I spelled that right) and the initial spurt of violence that follows.

Alright! I have to go for the night, but maybe you could post a starter? That'd be great :)

Absolutely. I'll get it up tonight or tomorrow, if all goes as planned. Goodnight. I bid thee adieu!

The countdown was nerve-wrecking, and there was no other word to describe it.
Twenty-four tributes stood in a circle, each on their own respective pedestal of sorts, waiting as the seconds ticked by. The past few weeks had consisted of training, preparing with their mentors, counting down the days until they would be thrown into an arena and bludgeoned to death by other teenagers (or, in the case of some, until they would bludgeon someone else to death; whichever came first).
The arena was designed to look like a dilapidated, abandoned city, with many ramshackle buildings and crumbling concrete structures. Clearly, there were many places to hide, which would come as an advantage for many. The disadvantage? There were not many water sources. Surely, there were a few. Perhaps a water spigot could be found somewhere? Or maybe a small, hidden lake or pond? The arena was so vast, it was impossible to tell what awaited the tributes.

The countdown didn't last that long, but the tributes were antsy.
Diamond was a Career. She had volunteered for this, trained for this for years. Her short, blue-and-blonde highlighted hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail, and she was already positioning herself to run towards the Cornucopia. She had her eyes locked on a set of daggers, her weapon of choice.
Archer had prepared himself for such a moment, though he hadn't volunteered for the games. He had expected a Career to volunteer and take his place, but none had, so he had spent the past several weeks playing it off as if he were a Career. Who knows? Maybe he'd win. And, true to his name, he was a master with a bow and arrow— which was why he had already made the long-distance weapon his target.
Trace had no intention on heading for the Cornucopia. Granted, the valuables were all there, but with her small size and lack of physical strength, she knew her chances of surviving the ungodly bloodbath were slim. Her gaze scanned her surroundings, and she had already prepared herself to flee in the opposite direction, away from the savages and their slaughter.
Skip wasn't interested in participating in the bloodbath, either, but a trident lying towards the edge of the Cornucopia was a weapon he couldn't resist. Some netting towards the other end would also come in handy for him, he reasoned. Being from the fishing district made him a whiz with nets and knots, if only he could snatch them before certain death.
Leea struggled to suck in a breath. She intended to flee the second the countdown was up; getting stabbed to death (or even simply watching other people get stabbed to death) in an attempt to grab a weapon did not sound appealing to her at all. A pacifist at heart, she didn't belong here in the game, and she knew it was only a matter of time before she'd be brutally murdered.
Axel shared Leea's peaceful sentiments, but he wasn't willing to go down without a fight. Despite being big, strong, and looking like he had a chance, he had no intentions on winning— but maybe he could save someone else. That was what he'd always been, anyways— a protector. If he could protect the girl from his district, the people back home would get things a little easier, and maybe his family could reap some of the benefits as well. He really hadn't decided the best course of action yet, and his plan initially was to flee the bloodbath altogether— until a backpack full of goodies and a short sword caught his eye. They were fairly close, if he could only just get there quick enough…
Arza was in it to win it. She was going to get her hands on that ax in the middle of the Cornucopia, one way or another. If she died trying, then so be it, but victory was on her mind. She needed a win for once, and her family needed it even moreso. If she had to lob some people's heads off with an ax to get it, she was going to. This game wasn't about her or them or anybody. It was about her family.
Oskar was only twelve, but he looked even younger, and he felt it as he looked at most of his enemies. Enemies? He didn't like to see them that way, but he knew that the second the countdown ended, they'd be after him. They were predators, and he was prey. There was no way he'd get anything from the Cornucopia, which is why his plan was simple: Run, hide, and don't look back.
Fern didn't have any desire to participate in the battle, but she did plan to try to snatch some of the goodies along the edge of the Cornucopia. After all, she had no idea where else she was supposed to find supplies.
Calvin looked like he was enjoying the thought of the bloodbath a little too much. It reminded him of the slaughterhouses back from District 10. He had to convince himself that these people were nothing more than animals if he expected to kill them without feeling guilty. Did he want to kill them? No. But his fear of death was stronger than his fear of killing. It was eat or be eaten, kill or be killed, and he had no intentions on dying today.
Not with his little sister watching the games at home.
Dawn already had a plan. Make for the buildings, hide there. The Cornucopia was too dangerous. She'd only survive by her stealth, so she needed to form a plan revolving around her strengths.
Birch noticed the girl from District 9 eyeing the same backpack he was, and promised himself to outrun her to reach it. The Cornucopia was like a mound of treats trying to lure him in, but he knew better. He'd been a trapper back in 12, and he knew that this would be his grave if he stuck around too long. He just needed something helpful to get him started, if he could get his hands on it.

(Apologies for this. It's sloppier than I wanted it to be, but I wanted to give a brief idea of each character. They're all a tad vague right now, and that's fine. They'll grow as characters as we continue. You can include as much information on each of yours as you like, whether it be less or more than I did.)

With every second that passed, the pressure grew higher. The stakes were high; if you lost this game, that meant you lost your life. Win, though, and you will be showered in glory, riches, and fame.
But only one may win, only one may earn all the glory. Only one may go home.
The tributes were nervous, though some did not look like it. After all, this was a televised show, and everybody watched it. The more the people like you, the more sponsors you could get. The more sponsors you got, the more your chance of survival climbs ups. Once the countdown reached zero, the show would start, and the tributes would do anything they had to for their survival. For their victory.

Mikael had watched the games ever since he could comprehend them. He then started training when he was young, as a Career usually did. He thought he had a very good chance of winning, especially if he could get his hands on the sword in the middle of the Cornucopia.
Emyr was ready as she’d ever be. She felt confident in her abilities, as she, too, had trained from a young age. Many people had told her to run from the Cornucopia, but she planned to do the opposite. The only thing she worried about was her eyesight. It had never been great, even with multiple surgeries and contacts. She couldn’t see what was at the Cornucopia.
Kian would run. He wasn’t willing to fight, not yet. His survival skills were decent. If he could just get to a source of water, he’d figure it out from there.
Jenava clenched her fists, trying not to think. Her sole focus was on getting a weapon and leaving as soon as possible. She had to remain calm. That’s what her mentor told her everyday. Stay calm.
Veran was young, small, and vulnerable. He trembled all over, but tried the best he could to hide it. Don’t let anybody notice you, he told himself. Get out of there, and don’t let them see you.
Cassara knew she could take the younger ones, but it was the Careers she worried about. She would avoid them, sneak around them whenever she could. As she looked around her, she became unsure of where she could find water or food in the arena. She would have to find some in the Cornucopia.
August bit his lip, trying to think of his best option. He wanted to go for the Cornucopia, but he would have to fight there. He didn’t exactly want to do that. Maybe he would run for the run-down buildings. He wouldn’t know until the countdown was over.
Tianna wanted to jump around and get ready to move, but the chance of setting off the explosive under the platform she stood on was too high. She decided to note that. Explosives could be an easy way out if she needed it.
Tyton wanted a sword or a knife. He didn’t see anything from where he stood, so he could make one, but where would he get those materials? The Cornucopia would have those, but it’d also have violent, ready-to-kill tributes trying to get their hands on weapons, as well as him.
Calla knew she couldn’t survive this. She refused to harm anyone, but she would stay alive as long as possible. She would run to the buildings, find food, and hide until she couldn’t anymore.
Jordan realized that people thought him an underdog. It was true he wasn’t great at fighting, but he could rig traps, make tools, and cook. That had to count for something. He wanted to survive, especially because his family needed him back at home. He had a large family and many friends. He could not disappoint them.
Jayla was smart. Of course, there would be somebody smarter and stronger than her in this arena, but that didn’t bother her. If she played smart, if she thought everything through, maybe she had a possibility of winning. A thirteen-year-old girl from District 12 might be targeted, but she was confident she could outsmart the other tributes.

(Idea: maybe interactive stalkers can decide alliances? If our characters want alliances, anyway)