I feel like this is something I should point out, because it's something everyone seems to have commented on. In the train rides, I wasn't saying that the tributes were boring. I was saying that some of these tributes didn't seem like they would have exciting interactions with their mentors on the train.

Nacelle "Cell" Hall Aeolius (16) D5F

Jack-of-all-trades. Person who knows a bit of everything. Master of nothing. Never put all of your fish in one barrel. Jack-of-all-trades, master of none... But what's next? My thoughts were scattered. That wasn't supposed to happen. It never happened. I was repeating myself a little bit here and then, even in my thoughts. It was all accidental, and it all wasn't supposed to happen. I was supposed to be calm and collected. Calm and collected kept you alive. Calm and collected kept you relatively safe. Yet here I was, freaking out a bit in the Training Centre. At least you'll get your freak-out done now, and not later.

Even though a jack-of-all-trades was a master of none, it seemed like the best idea for me. There was no guarantee that I would be able to find a specific thing if I just hopped randomly into one section. Maybe there would be no weapons in the Games, and I would have to use a rock. Maybe there would be no berries, only bugs. I couldn't possibly master anything in a week, but I could dip my foot into everything.

I knew where I was going with my training. I wanted to work on basic, easily makeable weapons for the first day. Then I could work on harder weapons, like knives. Once I had a lot of weapons down, I would switch to survival. I thought about what survival things I wanted to do while I tried to find the best basic weapon, repeating the order to myself over and over again. It just helped.

What's this? A very simple weapon was laid out in front of me. It was just three strings tied together, with rocks on each end. I figured that would be makeable in the Arena. I could use vines for strings, or maybe shoelaces, or I could rip up my shirt, if the weather allowed. There was always something that could be done for a basic rope. Rocks were everywhere, too, so I would be able to make that no matter where I was, which would make it absolutely perfect for a tribute that found themselves somewhere random.

"How do I use this?" I asked the assistant, who was leaning toward me excitedly.

"A bolo is extremely simple to use. You grab onto the point where the strings collide, holding the bolo with only one hand. Then you swing it above your head, and release when the bolo is moving where you want it to. Bolos are hard to kill anyone with, but they can slow them down..." I listened to every word the trainer had to say. I couldn't master the bolo, but I could memorize the basics.

Kenzie O'Donell (14) D6F

"What is this?"

Doppler led me to a room in the Games Building once the Training Centre closed, not giving me any hints as to what was in it. I had no idea what to expect, because the sign on top of the door was just a bunch of lines and weird smiley faces. It was entirely bizarre, but I didn't really mind that. Nothing about the Capitol wasn't bizarre, and I was slowly getting used to this.

"This is called anime. I thought you would like it," Doppler replied casually, smiling as my face lit up. I did like it. All around me there were little superhero action figures. I could tell they were heroes without seeing them in action just because of how they held themselves. Televisions around me gave me hints about the characters, and I knew where I would be spending my entire night.

"Is this blue guy good? And the red dude's bad. That's how these things go, right?" I asked Doppler while he lead me around the store.

"How should I know? I just learned the word anime like a week ago. Go ask the clerk!" Doppler replied, playfully shoving me towards an attractive Capitolite clerk. He couldn't have been much older than I was. He had droopy eyes, which were pretty much the hottest thing in the world.

"Hey, sir? Could you help me out here?" I asked the person, more quietly than I normally spoke. "Is this blue dude a good guy, or the red dude?"

"Contrary to the public's general expectations, the person with the red aura is the good guy. His name is Ukog, and he's nice, but dumb. The guy with the blue aura is Ategev. He's smart, but cold and proud and oh my gosh you're the Captain Panem girl!" The clerk said most of his statement without looking at me, and when he turned around I blushed. I blushed. I was actually a little bit ashamed of roleplaying Captain Panem, just because of a dumb guy.

"Yes, I'm Captain Panem girl," I replied, still blushing.

"Well Captain Panem is far Ukog's superior, but he's still pretty cool."

"What are you talking about? Captain Panem is awesome! I haven't even seen Ukog in action, but nobody could beat Captain Panem. He's such a good guy! Like, yeah he's weaker physically than some heroes, but he's got heart! That's the most important thing someone can have!"

"Ukog can fly."

"Point taken."

Jeanette "Jeanie" Umbry (13) D8F

Writer's Workshop. Open to anyone and everyone, of all ages, genders, and experiences. Come in, and let your imagination free! the sign above a room in the Games Building read. I wondered if I was allowed despite the sign saying that everyone was allowed, because I wasn't exactly a normal person. I couldn't be certain whether or not tributes counted. Still, the sign said everyone was allowed, I was definitely part of everyone. With that logic, I walked into the room with as much confidence as I could muster and found an empty seat, as far from other people as possible. I saw the fuss people made over tributes, and I wanted no part of it.

"All right, new writers. Today, we're just covering the basics of writing. You shouldn't feel any shame if you don't know these things, even though I called them basic. By basic I mean relatively easy to learn, not logical," the Capitolite tutor began. Everyone in the class nodded, and I could feel myself nodding. "Okay then. First off, titles. Many people think that you need a title in order to start your story. That's wrong. It's often best to find your title at the end of your story. That way, you don't give up before you even start, and you can make a change of plans without having to change the title."

I nodded a bit more than I had at the last statement. I knew personally how hard it was to make a title. My book was about missing kids, so I wanted to do something mysterious, like Missing, but that just sounded dumb and cheesy. I had spent plenty of angry days staring at my paper, willing a title to appear, before I figured out what had just been told to me.

"The second thing you have to know is characterizing properly. Most people write a main character that is themselves. There is nothing wrong with it, and I encourage it. That way, you know exactly what you're writing. Other characters should also usually be characters that you know personally. They can be based off of your friends or your family members, or even your enemies. Whatever works for you."

I wrote down everything the instructor said while she spoke, writing quickly, to make sure I didn't miss anything. I didn't want to miss out on hearing anything, either, but I figured I would have to sacrifice one for another. The Capitolite spoke more slowly when she noticed me trying frantically to write everything down, and I smiled at her. She was nice, which I didn't expect from a Capitolite. It was that, or she really wanted me to know what she was saying. That didn't make much sense, though. I likely wouldn't get to use the knowledge.

Rotor Aeolius Ypsilon (14) D5M

"I bet you're wondering why I gathered you all here today," Kenzie said to all of us. We were sitting in her room, and she was fighting to keep a straight face. "I've always wanted to say that. Anyways, what say you we go explore the Games Building a bit? I found this awesome store the other day! Well, really, Doppler led me to it, but it was still an awesome store. And there must be so many more! There's everything."

I smiled at Kenzie, and Cell shook her head at me. We both knew good and well that spending the next couple of hours talking to random strangers that Kenzie forced us to meet was not my idea of a good time, even if Cell would only find it mildly upsetting. I waited patiently for Kenzie to finish speaking, then said, "Or we could stay in here and watch movies. Did you know they have food machines right in your room? We have everything we need."

Jeanie hadn't said a word during this exchange, and she didn't seem interested. Still, Cell turned to her. I supposed it made sense. We needed everyone to have a chance to speak up, or we wouldn't bond very well.

"What type of movie do you want?" Cell asked Jeanie.

"I don't really care what we want. What about you, Kenzie?" Jeanie said quietly.

"ACTIONNNNNNNNN!" Kenzie said, raising her voice a little. I smiled again. I didn't really care what type of movie we watched, so if Kenzie wanted action, she could probably have action.

"If anyone wants something other than action, speak now or forever hold your peace," Cell said. Nobody spoke up, so Kenzie started looking for movies on a fancy Capitol screen. She told the screen to look up action movies, and it did.

"Oooh, Steven Seagal! He's a cool dude. Why aren't there any superhero movies? You'd think the Capitol would want those. Captain Panem is boss. Oooh, Ukog: Evolution! I need to check that out. Does anyone mind if we watch an anime?" Kenzie said. I couldn't really tell how much she was speaking to herself and how much she was speaking to everyone else, but I didn't mind the movie, so I didn't say anything. I just got up and headed over to the food.

What food do you want? Snack. What type of snack? Salty. Single piece or multiple? Multiple. Popcorn, crackers, or pretzels? Popcorn. Kettle corn or popcorn? Popcorn. Chocolate, raspberry, other fruit, mixed berry, vegetable, plain, salted, buttered, salted and buttered, or choose your own combo? Salted and buttered.

There were a lot of questions that I was asked before getting to popcorn, implying that there was a lot of food. Despite wanting to see all the combinations I had time, I sat down to watch the movie. Cell sat between Kenzie and Jeanie, forcing me not to sit beside her. She stuck her tongue out at me when I glared at her, and I sighed and sat beside Kenzie. Jeanie didn't seem to want me sitting by her.

Kenzie leaned in while the movie started, then seemed disappointed when it was live action. I whispered that everything would probably be fine, anyways. Capitol technology was super advanced, so anything that worked in cartoons would work in live action.

I was wrong.

Kenzie's hot clerk looks like Adrian Paul, but not way too old for her.

Also, Ukog: Evolution is mocking Dragon Ball Evolution, just in case I wasn't blunt enough. I haven't seen the movie, but I go online enough to know that it's terrible.