AN:
Just to clarify, anything italicized with "quotation marks" are interviews or confessionals, while it can also be Kevin from Susie's schizophrenia.
Anything italicized only shows the thought of a certain character.
Behold! The pre-parade chapter is here. Enjoy! :D
Alistair begins, "The stylist... who will pick among twenty-four tributes... is..."
Everyone waits in suspense.
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"Please step forward, Anakyn Skyavich."
As he steps forward, the stylists give him a round of applause.
"Now, among the twenty-four tributes, kindly select the clipboard with their profile and bring it with you."
Anakyn has a solid decision already. He goes to the long table at the corner of the room and picks up a clipboard with the name he is looking for.
Alistair takes a look at it, and announces, "Tira Hyde."
Some stylists give him another round of applause.
Anakyn says in a post-parade interview, "I picked Tira because I think we will get along. I've escorted for District Three in the past, so I also have an idea for the chariot outfit."
"Up next, in second place... please step forward... Sophia Tristen."
Another round of applause comes from the other stylists as she steps forward.
"Now, pick a clipboard with your selected tribute's profile."
Sophia didn't think this through carefully. She looks at the pictures provided on the profiles and makes a move better known as judging a book by its cover. There's this one that interests her, from the looks and traits on the profile. She makes a calculated risk and picks that clipboard.
Alistair takes a look at it and says, "Chip Tablet. With that, District Three is officially out of the remaining choices."
Sophia makes her way back.
Sophia says in an interview, "I think the smart kid will jive with my smart outfit."
"In third place, we have... a tie between... Trav Traversal and Belle Tristen. Kindly step forward."
Everybody knows the drill by now, so they do what they are expected to do.
"Belle?" She shows her clipboard to Alistair, so he announces, "Jeanne Maxima." Trav follows shortly after. "Ingeo Olefin."
Belle says, "Jeanne has that natural beauty. I think I can give her the angle that she desires."
"I picked the pathetic kid, because I'm pathetic too. We can commiserate on our free times, if there will be any," says Trav on a post-parade interview.
Totochan and Rogue are the next two to pick. They do so at the same time due to a tie.
"Corinna for Totochan and..."
"That girl has my attention. She has a great personality," Totochan says. "It'd be such a shame if I gave her away."
Rogue doesn't really know who to pick, so she just selects one that should make a fellow stylist react negatively.
"Horden Tanase."
A soft moan comes from Chay. Rogue goes back to her position confidently with a smirk.
"Knowing Charlie's preference, I took that tribute to... save him from being molested," Rogue says with a confident yet malicious smile.
Tasrita is the next to pick, and it was easy for her to pick.
"Rufus Cornelii. Moving on."
"That burn on his face may trigger past events, but it's a good angle to work with!" says Tasrita excitedly.
Valtron doesn't have a solid decision too, since his ideas revolve around District Three, and both tributes from there have already been taken.
"My stunt outfit proposal wasn't the best, so the closest picks for me were... District Five?" Valtron says unconfidently.
"Filament Harmon-Fierro."
Latisha and Valerie are the next to pick, and the former doesn't take a lot of time selecting.
"Susie Ye."
Latisha says, "I dunno. It's just a gut feeling."
Valerie, on the other hand, is having trouble selecting a fierce tribute she must style for. She ends up picking between two clipboards she is holding.
"Lainey Sash."
"I picked Lainey because she may gets the crowd's attention for being sweet yet strong," Valerie says. "I think she is strong."
Concordia is next and takes the closest clipboard. She takes a look at it to be sure, and she shows it to Alistair.
"Argentum Montgomery."
"Easy. His name means silver in Latin, so something shiny should do the trick!" Concordia says in an interview excitedly.
Up next, Anino picks the farthest available clibpoard and shows it to Alistair.
"Dante Blackwell."
Anino says, "He has the vibe that lets him fade in the shadows, so I might as well set up his angle for that while telling him that he can Go-go-gogh and get it done!"
DeeDee slowly walks to the table as she thinks from memory who she wants to style for. As she remembers, she picks up her speed.
"Kylie Ford."
"It's... I dunno, I think we'll do great with each other," DeeDee says with a smile.
Belvedere is the next to select, and it doesn't take him long to pick...
"Thomas Barnaby."
"I like this kid," says Belvedere.
Ganymede and Spring are tied, so they select their tributes at the same time. They both get hold of a clipboard at the same time, so they played one round of rock, paper, scissors. Ganymede ends up giving Spring the clipboard.
"Annaleigh St. Cloud."
Spring says, "There's a lot you can do with a career."
"She took my career," Ganymede says. "Good thing my backup is still there."
Ganymede shows her clipboard to Alistair shortly after.
"Brenna O'Hare."
Mavine is next, and she seems to know who she wants.
"Kobe Bridger."
The rest of the stylists who haven't picked were very relieved. Some are more open with their reactions than others.
Mavine says, "It's an intriguing choice I want to test out."
Vector is next, and he picks a clipboard without hesitation.
"Orion Fleming."
"This kid has some direction and magnitude!" Vector says.
Valentine is next, and his decision seems to be final too from the very beginning.
"Arlenna Scott."
"I usually lean on the younger children. Sexy angle is not my thing," Valentine says in his post-parade interview.
Canvas is next with...
"Owen Lee Bai."
Canvas says nervously, "I... kinda ran out of better choices."
He is followed by Scalar, who seems obviously disappointed for not beating her brother.
"Ciara Westley."
"Tough luck," says Scalar. "My stupid brother beat me into this, but at least Ciara isn't the worst. Her body size is the easiest one remaining."
Marjorita then gets her turn to pick...
"Poppy Sennett."
Marjorita says, "Eh."
Bonita is then called, relieved and surprised that her first choice is still available and that she didn't place last.
"OMG!" Bonita exclaims. "I'm not last."
"Macy Roe. Which means, Chay, you are taking Dorian Belcorn."
His face sours a bit, but then he takes a look at the picture and realizes how handsome he is.
"Dorian looks HOT!" Chay says.
"Ahihi, okay," Chay replies to Alistair.
"Now that everyone has a tribute, please be ready for their arrivals. The prep teams have to be ready too. You are highly encouraged to communicate with the stylist who will work on your tribute's district partner. Good luck, have fun! I'll see all of your works tonight at the Tribute Parade."
Alistair then turns to the stunters. "Thank you for your time. All of you are now dismissed, but if you have nothing to do, we invite you to our gamemaking meeting about an hour from now, at the headquarters. If you can't, then that's fine. Please take note that we have another meeting tomorrow. There are still topics we haven't discussed."
Eltha nods.
"Okay," says Titan.
"Alright," responds Halizeia.
"Gotcha," Lucius replies.
"Very well! I will now make my way back to the headquarters. Anybody following?"
Silence.
"Alright then. See you all tomorrow."
Genji makes a call to order the limousine, but the tributes start coming in one by one.
"Detour, detour," Al says.
"Detour indeed!" Genji agrees.
By taking the back entrance, the three gamemakers are able to ride the limousine back to the headquarters.
At the front entrance, Argentum and Annaleigh are the first tributes to enter. Concordia and Spring welcome them.
"Wonderful, wonderful!" Concordia says excitedly. "Let's get you two ready. Chop chop!"
Brenna and Rufus are the bext to enter.
"My name is Ganymede."
"And I'm Tasrita, but you can call me Nurse Burnz."
Rufus plasters an evil smile on his face.
Oohoohoo! This kid must be wicked! thinks Tasrita.
Next to enter are Tira and Chip.
"Hi! My name is Anakyn Skyavich and this is Sophia Tristen. We will be your stylists starting now."
"Oh!" reacts Tira. "I've heard about you from my mentors."
Anakyn smiles and they're led away, as Horden and Jeanna are the next to meet their stylists.
"I am Belle and this is Madam Rogue."
"Eh, Rogue is fine."
Next up are Filly and Ciara.
"Come with us, please," Valtron says nicely.
Kylie and Thomas are the next ones to enter.
"My name is Belvedere, and DeeDee and I will make you two look great."
Susie and Orion are the next ones in.
"Come come. We're gonna have a great time," Vector says.
Ingeo and Lainey get to meet their stylists next.
"I am Valerie, and this is Suvwavwa... Swvavria... Svrwee..."
"Just call me Trav." He says it with a smile.
Up next, Macy and Dorian enter the center.
"HI! I'm Charlie, but you can call me CHAY!"
"I'm Bonita. Nice to meet you!"
"Yay! I'm Macy, and this is my big friend Dorian."
"Hello."
Chay reacts with moans like a fanboy, but they step aside as Arlenna and Kobe are the next to come in.
"This is Mavine, and I'm Valentine. Nice to meet you!"
"NO!" Kobe says aloud.
Mavine rolls her eyes. I have an idea. This should be fun!
Next to enter and meet their stylists are Owen and Poppy.
"Woohoo!" says Canvas.
Last but not the least, Dante and Corinna enter the center.
"I'm Anino Gogogogh!"
"And I'm Totochan Lierro. We are pleased to meet you."
"Awesome!" says Corinna. "I'm Corinna. This is Dante. He's not much of a social butterfly."
While the prep teams are taking care of the tributes, the stylists talk to each other on ideas.
Valentine & Mavine - District Ten
"I was thinking of something like this." Valentine simulates the outfit into a hologram. "Here's what it looks like for males and this is the one for females. It's something historical. I researched about this earlier in the week."
"I guess we can go for it," Mavine agrees.
Valentine says in a post-parade interview, "I research about outfits sometimes. This one I found is elegant and simplistic, and it doesn't have to reveal too much skin."
"Valentine is nice to work with. He has nice ideas and doesn't go for the sexy angle, unlike some others," Mavine says.
Trav & Valerie - District Eight
"We need something that will make them look strong," says Valerie.
"Hmmm... I have some magical idea I was thinking of," Trav inputs.
"Like?"
"Dressing them up in clothes like these." He points to the screen some pictures he found on the Internet.
"I can make her strong. What about you?"
"I guess what it looks right now is good for Ingeo."
"I didn't know how to make a textile-based tribute strong and intimidating until Trav gave me some ideas," says Valerie.
"I've been waiting for this moment! I'm so glad Valerie agreed with it."
Tasrita & Ganymede - District Two
"We're gonna make them BURN!" says Tasrita with passion.
Ganymede responds, "I have full trust in you."
Ganymede says in an interview, "Tasrita loves setting things on fire."
Tasrita says, "We're still using your ideas though."
"Those? Really?"
"Yeah. They're gonna look fierce, on FIRE!"
"I love giving my tributes or customers a FLARE of their own. Hahahaha!" Tasrita says menacingly.
Belle & Rogue - District Four
"Jeanne told me herself she wants to be pretty," Belle tells Rogue.
"Those other stylists must be envious that you got the girl who wants to play sexy," Rogue comments.
"How much props are we allowed to use?"
"As many as you wish. Why?"
"I was thinking that she's better off sitting if she wants that angle."
"Belle ain't bad for a first-timer," Rogue remarks. "Her ideas are well thought out."
"I like working with a veteran stylist like Rogue," Belle shares. "She knows what's right, what's wrong, what's good, what's bad. It's the growth and experience that counts."
Anino & Totochan - District Twelve
"Does that attire require gloves and a hat?" Totochan asks.
"I believe so," replies Anino.
"My style requires accessories," Totochan says confidently. "I like dressing up people with something to wear on top and on the limbs. It makes them loads cooler than not having them at all."
Anino says, "Maybe the angle will work with the outfit for both of them. I'm just not confident with this idea being the best."
Belvedere & DeeDee - District Six
Belvedere says, "Thanks Anakyn! I owe you."
"Anytime, sir!" Anakyn replies.
As Belvedere returns to DeeDee, he plugs in the flash drive into the CPU.
"Great! Now we need somebody to operate it."
"So..." stammers DeeDee.
"Just make it look good. Hopefully all eyes will be on them." Belvedere smiles after.
"Only Anakyn knows all these mechanical stuff, so I asked him about it and he lent me one of his past works," says Belvedere happily.
"I honestly don't have a lot of ideas for District Six. Luckily for Thomas, Belvedere was very resourceful," shares DeeDee.
Valtron & Scalar - District Five
"Are suits all we got!?" questions Scalar complainingly.
"Relax, dear. My suits illuminate in the best ways you can imagine," Valtron responds. "After all, you can give input if you have any."
Scalar doesn't respond.
Scalar confesses, "I like Ciara's body shape and size, but my ideas for District Five are drained!"
"Now," starts Valtron. "I think all we need are two musical instruments of their choice."
"Why?"
"Because why not?" Valtron raises his eyebrows and smile.
"The visuals is the major requirement for styling, but if I can add certain elements not relating to visuals, those may be brownie points," Valtron inputs. "A blind person would definitely appreciate that."
Vector & Latisha - District Seven
"Your ideas are great!" comments Latisha.
Vector replies, "Let's hope it appeals to the audience."
"His ideas are better than mine, and I'm just going with the flow," says Latisha. "My style will still be there though."
"I'm not concerned about beating my sister to this," Vector says. "I'm more concerned of how memorable my creation is for my tribute."
Chay & Bonita - District Nine
"If you want something revealing, I have a suggestion for you," Bonita tells Chay.
"Working with Chay is a bit complicated. He wants to expose his tributes all the time," Bonita reacts.
"I think I'm fine with that," says Chay.
"Don't make it bad for Dorian, please."
"I guess I'll show you afterwards?"
"Sure."
Chay says, "Bonita likes going big, for attention. Our tributes do not have the same outfits because of that."
Anakyn & Sophia - District Three
Anakyn lays out a blueprint.
"Whoa!" exclaims Sophia.
"I did it earlier this year for two of my friends," Anakyn shares. "I just need to modify it to look more like an outfit that makes sense."
"Oh, oh! How about making it look like something with stars? It has that dark color anyway."
"Hmmm... great idea, actually. We can let this work."
"So it's our theme now?"
"Yes, but maybe not. We'll see how Chip and Tira executes this transformation on the actual ride."
"I'd love to know!"
"We have to tell them how it works though."
"Of course! I'm excited to see this thing work."
Sophia shares, "Having Anakyn as a partner is amazing! No wait, amazing is an understatement."
"I am a mechanic, so I've made stuff in the past that I can now apply as a chariot costume," says Anakyn. "In fact, I even lent one of my models to Sir Belvedere."
Marjorita & Canvas - District Eleven
"I have no idea," says Canvas.
"We can always go for something like a cabbage or a tomato," Marjorita inputs.
"No! The president is gonna kill us."
"Doctor Florentine Flores? She? Kill us?"
"It's a crime called plagiarism of outfits? That's why they assign us a different district every year. Well, except this one. They let us pick this time."
"Yeah yeah sure."
"We are not dressing them up as tomatoes."
"Do you have a better idea?"
"No, but..."
"Well, we have to prepare something at least. If we come up with a better idea, I have no problem changing it even if it's last minute."
"And if we don't?"
"Tomato and cabbage."
"No!"
Marjorita shrugs.
"I wanna make my tributes happy if I can, so I was just sassing with Canvas earlier," Marjorita says. "Of course there's no way I'll let my tributes dress up as a tomato or a cabbage. Both of them will hate me."
"Marjorita is a bit hard to work with, or maybe I suck," comments Canvas. "I hope their outfits will work."
Spring & Concordia - District One
"They're both blonde anyway," says Concordia.
"But shouldn't we get their permissions first!?" worries Spring.
"Go ask, girl, and calm down," Concordia responds.
Spring shares, "Concordia wanted to color both tributes' hairs. I said we need their permissions, since that dye is not gonna wash off right away."
Spring comes back saying, "They're both good with it."
"Good! Now we need an outfit idea."
"I feel so blessed for the opportunity to pick District One. I've been assigned to other districts in the past, except One, and this is one of the easiest districts to style for," comments Concordia.
As some tributes were finishing up with their prep teams, their stylists start measuring them for the outfit.
Al, Genji, and Alistair reach their destination, the Gamemakers' Headquarters. As they enter the building, they meet a familiar face in the lobby. The tall old man has lime and turquoise hair, light orange skin, and cyber pink contact lenses. He wears a deep blue blazer over a violet attire along with a pair of dirty white slacks, gold left boot and silver right boot, and a copper top hat.
"Alistair! Long time no see."
"It's been a while, Master Niccolo."
"How many times do I have to tell you to just call me Nic?"
"Some things never change," Genji whispers aloud to Al.
"Shall we proceed?"
"On your mark, Alistair."
Alistair enters the gamemaking room. The other present gamemakers prepare for the meeting. Morty approaches Alistair to give him the official document. Alistair opens it to the page of the stylists and the districts they are involved with this year.
"Impressive," he says while nodding. He looks to Al and Genji's direction, and they both smile at him while Al gives him a thumbs up.
Alistair goes to the front part of the room and clears his throat. He checks his watch to confirm the time. "Good afternoon fellow gamemakers! We are ready to start the meeting with our special guest. The guest gamemaker system has been active since the 126th Hunger Games, and this year is no different." Alistair takes out a card from a small envelope. "He has served as a gamemaker since the Fourth Quarter Quell and was promoted as head gamemaker after the Fifth Quarter Quell. He resigned at the age of seventy-eight, where his last games was the 135th. Without further ado, I present to you our guest gamemaker of the 140th Hunger Games. Please welcome, Former Head Gamemaker Niccolo Cumulonimbi Jones!"
The room of the gamemakers is filled with the sound of the applause as the 83-year-old man enters the room in a healthy manner.
Solomon shouts, " MASTER NIC! WOOOOO!"
He waits for the room to silence. "I am very honored to be back as a guest gamemaker. I first proposed this system when I was on my first year as the head, and it was approved right away. Little did I know that I will one day be invited back as a guest gamemaker. Thank you, Alistair, for bringing me back."
"I thank you too for your decision in returning!" Alistair replies.
Another round of applause fills the room.
"Okay! So, we have lots of things to tell our guest gamemaker. We even prepared a seven-minute documentary to show you about this year's arena."
"Perfect!" remarks Niccolo.
"Axel, video please."
The video is played and it describes the arena in detail. In summary, it is a mountain with four different sector, each with its own theme.
When the video ends, Niccolo says, "I'm impressed! Everyone did a great job planning this. It reminds me of my days as a head gamemaker. Oh you know, organizing the arena, preparing the twists, and even getting sponsors. It's a job well done to all of you!"
More clapping sounds fill the room.
"Alistair, I am so proud of you! What other things do you have planned that are not in the video?"
"The lands were modified a bit with additional structures."
"Like?"
"You remember the tall pillar at the dark Sector One? We added a marble tower over there."
"Ooh! Anything else?"
"Sector Two now has a castle in the middle of the lake. We had to implement the levitation on the metal orbs below it. Otherwise, it will sink!"
"I'm loving this!"
"Sector Three, we added a pagoda near the hell hole. At first we thought of just using the prison that we can burn later, but the pagoda will be better. We also added a mesh cover on that hell hole."
"Ahahaha, I see! What's for the fourth one?"
"Four that," says Alistair with a wink. "We have a mansion. Not much, but you haven't seen the insides."
"Oh!"
"Have you heard of the news that Capitolites are eligible to volunteer for these games?"
"Yes, I actually have heard of that. I didn't know how to put that at first, but now I can see why you built these... these structures. It's obviously for them."
"Ah, you know. We also modified the cornucopia, to make the bloodbath more... interesting."
"Legendary! I love these bloodbath twists. They give the careers less chances of killing more, because I love saving action for later. They have been dysfunctional lately."
"I've noticed."
"May I see the official list of... everything, the whole documentation?"
"Over here." Alistair hands Niccolo the documentation made by Morty.
Document Summary by District:
District 1:
Tributes:
Annaleigh St. Cloud (17)
Argentum Montgomery (17)
Mentor:
Ace Starling (32)
Substitute Escort:
Francisco "Frank" Specular (48)
Stylists:
Concordia Speculoos-Specular (47)
Spring Yndeegaux (25)
District 2:
Tributes:
Brenna O'Hare (18)
Rufus Cornelii (12)
Mentors:
Joan Ho (26)
Cyrus Mackintosh (18)
Escort:
Leif Ray Khan (27)
Stylists:
Ganymede Valkyrie (43)
Tasrita "Nurse Burnz" Burnelia, R.N. (57)
District 3:
Tributes:
Tira Hyde (16)
Chip Tablet (13)
Mentors:
Lorenzo "Renz" Delcroix (24)
Azriel Ruby (23)
Substitute Escort:
Predicate "Cate" Clause (20)
Stylists:
Sophia Tristen (23)
Anakyn Skyavich (34)
District 4:
Tributes:
Jeanne Maxima (18)
Horden Tanase (17)
Mentors:
Delta "Double Delta" Delta (38)
Tommy "Tornado" Rotterdam (28)
Escort:
Ezairlayne Aquaffee (54)
Stylists:
Belle Tristen (23)
Rogue Roggaddot (63)
District 5:
Tributes:
Ciara Graceanne Westley (15)
Filament "Filly" Harmon-Fierro (14)
Mentors:
Caitlin Theardie (45)
Magnette "Maggie" Quirlix (27)
Escort:
Vivianelli "Vi" Vanillanillan (77)
Stylists:
Scalar Ant Umbra (30)
Valtron Deja (42)
District 6:
Tributes:
Kylie Ford (16)
Thomas Barnaby (18)
Mentors:
Violet Aureon (70)
Robert Royce (21)
Escort:
Mayonnaise "May" Puddington (20)
Stylists:
Kate Daphne "DeeDee" Korbin-Bandarras (46)
Belvedere Spiros (50)
District 7:
Tributes:
Susie Ye (17)
Orion Fleming (15)
Mentors:
Woodrow Stirling (21)
History Grenadine (39)
Escort:
Jim Jam (33)
Stylists:
Latisha Morwan (29)
Vector Pen Umbra (30)
District 8:
Tributes:
Lainey Sash (18)
Ingeo Olefin (15)
Mentors:
Karlasia "Karla" Trappist (18)
Olaf Rossburgh (40)
Escort:
Viktorio Antonio Mario "Vamp" Polyhaima (43)
Stylists:
Valerie Tristen (23)
Svwyevwrierl "Trav" Traversal (27)
District 9:
Tributes:
Macy Roe (12)
Dorian Belcorn (18)
Mentors:
Alana Tapiocassava (20)
Amaya Villanueva (56)
Escort:
Neomett Elphyz (33)
Stylists:
Bonita Fern (20)
Charlie "Chay" Kale (31)
District 10:
Tributes:
Arlenna Winnie Scott (13)
Kobe Bridger (13)
Mentors:
Kylene Roa (25)
Abraham Braunock (44)
Escort:
Leilah Yat (28)
Stylists:
Valentine Itis (51)
Maria Mavina "Mavine" Heatherlone-Baux (48)
District 11:
Tributes:
Poppy Sennett (15)
Owen Lee Bai (14)
Mentor:
Jakobbo Langka (59)
Escort:
Calient "El Kaliente" Racha-Basco (40)
Stylists:
Marjorita Tisho (23)
Canvas MacMaquinMash (32)
District 12:
Tributes:
Corinna Pickett (15)
Dante Blackwell (14)
Mentor:
Larry Rockenstein (37)
Escort:
Evezleya "Sylvia" von Evezelle (48)
Stylists:
Totochan Lierro (35)
Anino Gogogogh (45)
For the next hour or so, Niccolo checks on everybody's progress, contributions, and ideas by talking to the other gamemakers.
Being a head gamemaker for ten years, Niccolo knows what has happened in his arena and why certain tributes won. For the 126th Games, he made an arena inspired after two different cakes. It was simple, but Victor Diego Corolex never wanted to see another cherry in his life after that, because mutts, poisonous fruits, and disasters were based mostly from cherries or chocolates.
The following year, he made an arena inspired after several horror movies put together. He and his gamemakers made mutts inspired after different horror movie characters as well. There was one about a clown, another about a doll, and a whole lot more. Magnette Quirlix won that year with bravery, and also because she didn't mind seeing ugly and horrific mutts.
The 128th Games' arena was made after they did some prehistoric research. Mutts are mostly land reptiles on a land of jungles and stones. It looked like a gigantic continent minimized into a reasonable size for the arena. Canildon Triasaque of District Eight knew what animals were herbivorous after practicing herbivorous, carnivorous, and omnivorous mutts during training. He took advantage of them to fight the remaining tributes in the finale. For some odd reason, the mutt powered with artificial intelligence listened to him. It wasn't rigged. He was just lucky he got the right one.
A year later, the arena was an ice- and snow-based one. The cornucopia was an ice castle. Nobody died of hypothermia because thick coats were provided to all the tributes. Niccolo knew it would be boring to watch people die from hypothermia, so he avoided that situation. Tommy Rotterdam won that year by getting enough sponsors to his side. He had an advantage with his inventory.
For Niccolo's fifth year, the arena was taken down below the ground, in an artificial crystal ruins. There were so many twists and turns, and there was a claustrophobic tribute from Eight who took most of the screentime. Reddeus Rocker of District Two won that year by outsmarting his allies in the finale. It was one of the few recent games wherein the careers remained almost intact by the finale, with five members.
On the 131st Hunger Games, the cornucopia was a large boiling pot, or cauldron. Lucky for Robert Royce, he got out of the bloodbath without a scratch. Nobody expected him to make it past the bloodbath. What else with him outsmarting and manipulating the tributes on his way to the finale? For a twelve-year-old, getting five indirect kills had all the attention on him. Eventually, he won by pushing off the wounded boy from Two from a four-storey platform after that career betrayed his ally from Four.
The 132nd Hunger Games was fun for him. It was modeled after two giant human bodies, one male and one female. The bloodbath had a time limit before the acid would pour out. Joan Ho won that year fairly, as she fought her way to the finale like a career. The arena had other fun twists, like two control rooms on the northern side of the arena, which are the brains.
The 133rd Games was one of a kind. The days were fixed, and the twists were everything. There were no weapons in that year's games, and the tributes had to play mini-games to avoid elimination. Azriel Ruby may be a stutterer, but his knowledge and skills in the mini-games set proved that he was the brightest of all tributes that year. Had he been reaped in a different year, his fate would have been different.
On Niccolo's ninth year as head gamemaker, he made a train complex, with the bloodbath twist being all trains traveling to the cornucopia, and they would reach it when the timer hits zero. Lorenzo Delcroix was the biggest threat in that year's games. He was ruthless, and he volunteered to prove his family about his beliefs and values. The ten he got from training was no joke, as he not only decapitated a career with an incoming train during the bloodbath, but he also killed his district partner without hesitation or mercy in the finale. He was the definition of brains and brawn altogether.
Last but not the least, Niccolo saved his best arena for last. He was set to retire after that year. The arena was a massive swimming pool. It was so massive that it could fit the sea in it, and it did! When tributes were told to wear rashguards and swim tights for that year's arena uniform, they knew it had something to do with water, but the whole arena was water, not counting the ships and the few small artificial islands. There were tons of undersea sections that were left unexplored, including an 'abandoned' undersea city, as tributes preferred staying above the surface even on the stormiest of days. Alana Tapiocassava won mostly by luck, as disasters and mutts that year were more powerful than any other year.
Back to the present, after talking to everyone in the room, Niccolo asks, "Okay, now what?"
Alistair checks his watch. "I guess it's time for the Tribute Parade!"
"How exciting!"
"Is everybody going to view it live, or is somebody at least staying here?"
A few gamemakers raised their hands.
"Alright. Just keep an eye on the headquarters."
With that, Alistair and a few other gamemakers are preparing to leave for the parade.
"VIP tickets, anyone?"
Alistair distributes them to the gamemakers attending the parade. Genji calls for the limousine to come fetch them once more.
Alistair thinks, I wonder what those stylists have prepared.
Valerie Tristen (23) - District Eight Stylist
Valerie adds the finishing touches on the dress she is making with the same application all stylists used for styling the stunters' outfits.
Looks good, Valerie thinks. I hope Trav is doing well with his.
She simulates Lainey's outfit to the hologram, then transfers the file to the flash drive. She leaves her work table to have the dress made physically. She sees a queue to the 3D printer, so she waits in line. While waiting, some drama at the front of the queue just can't be avoided.
Latisha Morwan (29) - District Seven Stylist
Vector Pen Umbra (30) - District Seven Stylist
Scalar Ant Umbra (30) - District Five Stylist
"Your outfit sucks!" insults Scalar.
"Ignore her," Latisha tells Vector. "We don't need that kind of negativity in our lives."
"I am ignoring her," replies Vector. "She's just jealous."
As Vector and Latisha are heading back to their stations, they hear it again.
"I'm not jealous!" Scalar shouts.
Vector partially turns around and gives his sister a raspberry.
Spring, waiting in line, just rolls her eyes.
Ganymede Valkyrie (43) - District Two Stylist
Brenna O'Hare (18) - District Two Tribute
Ganymede carefully does Brenna's makeup while the two are seated. Brenna stares blankly at her stylist.
"You're good?" asks Ganymede.
Brenna nods.
"I hope this angle fits you."
"It's... scary? Spooky?"
"Whatever you do, just play along with Rufus."
Brenna makes a menacing yet confident smile as she nods her head.
"Gosh, you too!?" says Ganymede surprisingly. "I thought only Tasrita and Rufus make that evil smile."
Macy Roe (12) - District Nine Tribute
Bonita Fern (20) - District Nine Stylist
Bonita leads Macy to the mirror.
"I look good!" Macy reacts.
"Of course you do!" Bonita says. "I just need to give you small amounts of makeup, so you'll look better."
"Okay, yay!"
"I can't put too much, or it'll ruin your angle. You'll look too mature."
"Okay."
They both take a seat, and Bonita tells Macy to, "Sit properly."
Macy obeys without another word. I'm excited for the parade!
Tira Hyde (16) - District Three Tribute
Chip Tablet (13) - District Three Tribute
The two are practicing how to activate and deactivate their outfits in one of the District Three rooms.
"Chip, Chip," Tira calls. She snaps her fingers in front of him.
Chip looks at Tira.
Tira points at a button in the outfit. "Before you hold on to me, remember to press this button."
Chip nods as he analyzes the instruction.
"Let's give it a try, shall we?"
Tira presses a button then bends forward. Chip follows, and he holds on to Tira right after.
Vector Pen Umbra (30) - District Seven Stylist
Orion Fleming (15) - District Seven Tribute
"What do you think of the outfit?" Vector asks.
"I like it!" Orion replies. "It's district-related, and it's colorful."
"Great!" Vector then dabs in success. "That's what I call delivery."
"That's delivery? Wish I could de-live-r too after the games."
"Hehe. I wouldn't count you out on winning. You can deliver while on the chariot though."
"Really?"
"Up to you." Vector dabs once more, and he repeats it a few more times. "It's a stretching exercise for me, hahaha!"
"I hope it stretches my life."
The two laugh.
Mavine Heatherlone-Baux (48) - District Ten Stylist
Valentine Itis (51) - District Ten Stylist
Arlenna Winnie Scott (13) - District Ten Tribute
Kobe Bridger (13) - District Ten Tribute
The four prepare for the parade, as it will start in a couple more minutes. Other tributes are mingling or doing last minute preparations during this time.
"At least my outfit ain't as ugly as you are!" Kobe tells Mavine aggressively.
"The only thing ugly is your attitude," Mavine says. "Nobody really wants you."
"The outfit is my idea," Valentine adds.
"Well, at least you're better than my stylist," Kobe says. "But you suck too!"
Mavine faces Valentine then tilts her head and rolls her eyes.
"Everybody sucks, kid," says Mavine.
"I hate lollipops!" Kobe reacts.
"Whatever," Mavine says. "You can glare at the crowd all you want."
Kobe says, "No!" without thinking. It processes in his mind that his negative reply would mean going against his intended angle.
"Think before you speak, kid," Mavine tells him.
"Grrrrr..." Kobe glares at his stylist.
Arlenna watches Kobe and Mavine insult each other.
"Don't worry, dear," says Valentine. "Just do what's best for you, and you'll be fine." He gives Arlenna a few pats on her shoulder.
Arlenna nods and slowly relaxes from the tension Kobe is creating.
Jeanne Maxima (18) - District Four Tribute
Argentum Montgomery (17) - District One Tribute
"Hey there, hot chick," Argentum calls to Jeanne, who is facing against his direction.
Jeanne turns around slowly to see Aregntum, who makes a smug face.
"Your stylist made you so angelic."
Jeanne blinks her eyes and says, "Thanks?"
Argentum approaches her to introduce, "Argentum."
"Jeanne." They shake hands.
"So, you're from Four?"
"And you're from One?"
"Your costume is amazing!"
"I know. I don't know what to say about yours."
"Oh you know, it's just a part of it. I still have props."
"Ooh! I have props too."
From the speakers outside, someone says, "The Tribute Parade will start in three minutes. Tributes, please be on your respective rides."
"May the odds be ever in your favor, chick!" Argentum says in a wink.
"See you in training, silver boy," says Jeanne with a wink and her tongue out on the side.
Soon enough, all the tributes are on their respective rides, ready to show themselves and their outfits.
AN:
This chapter was easier to write. It just felt smooth writing everything. :3 By the way, the official list for tributes, mentors, escorts, and stylists is in this chapter, if you haven't noticed.
Once again, special thanks to CelticGames4 for Belvedere Spiros; AmericanPi for Belle, Sophia, and Valerie Tristen; SilverflowerXRavenpaw for Latisha Morwan, Marjorita Tisho, and Totochan Lierro; ShunKazamis-Girl for Anakyn Skyavich; and Golden Moon Huntress for Bonita Fern and Valentine Itis. The other stylists not listed here are mine.
Any predictions with the outfits and angles, or any prediction overall? How about the POV format near the end of the chapter? I'll likely have the next chapter out on Sunday night or Monday. My "summer" goal will be complete after that. If I fail to update it on Sunday or Monday for some reason, it should at least be within next week, since it's just the first week of school. I haven't typed anything for the next chapter yet, and I don't know how long it'll take me to describe every detail. I just hope I finish everything, including editing, before school starts for me on Monday. XP
Hope you enjoyed this chapter! :D I'll make sure you enjoy the next one too!
P.S. I'll be closing the poll by next chapter, so vote now if you haven't. :3