Nobody's POV, Capitol
Tensions are always in the air as the countdown to the Games gets closer and closer to zero. Everyone in Panem waits on bated breath to see what'll unfold over the next two weeks. Twenty three families and eleven districts will feel the pain of losing someone yet one family and one district will have the glory of bearing a victor. People can make their guesses, but nobody knows who it'll be. The sponsors gather in a courtyard in the heart of the Capitol, close to where the tributes were housed. There, surrounding them and mingling amongst them, are the mentors of the tributes who'll work tirelessly to see one of their tributes make it through the coming days. Many parties spring up around the Capitol to celebrate the launch of the Games with many Capitolites attending. The Districts, on the other hand, are less joyful and more silent bar Districts One, Two and Four. These three districts celebrate, especially as this year their tributes are among the most capable. Districts Five and Ten are more optimistic due to their tributes' skills and frames and the rest of the Districts wait for the inevitable to happen.
The broadcast begins, and the nation of Panem is treated to a pan of the arena, showing them key points of interest and what the tributes will be facing for the next two weeks.
The first obvious thing that comes to mind when the arena is shown is the levels of light. It's dark despite the fact it's midday on a summer's day. An annotation on screen tells the audience that the current light level, as bright as a dark and cloudy winter day, is as bright as the arena will get. The arena will be in a permanent state of darkness with nights being near pitch black and the days being cloudy. Another annotation says that fog will be common and could impact the tributes greatly. Inevitably for some of the outer District tributes the darkness would be normal, especially in the summer, but those who belong to the Districts who can afford to be well lit at all times will suffer.
The Cornucopia itself is in a clearing, lined with woods. It's usual gold doesn't shine as bright but still resonates power. The symbol of the Bloodbath - the symbol of death.
The camera pans out to have a full view of the arena. It's mostly woods with one noticeably denser patch in the south. If the lighter forests are dark, one can only imagine how hauntingly terrifying it'll be within that portion of the arena. Bar this one area, the rest seem to be normal woods. Some can identify the different species of trees and subsequently can guess that some parts of the arena will allow for freer movements than others and that other parts will disorientate the tributes, maybe causing them to commit fatal errors.
Besides the large clearing in the centre of the arena there are two smaller ones, each with a log cabin in the centre. One log cabin is in pristine condition and, if one didn't know better, they would assume they're watching a drama set in the woods rather than the Hunger Games. It's wood is varnished perfectly and looks to be pretty cosy yet spacious, probably being designed to accommodate an alliance. The clearing surrounding it is in a similar condition, almost as if someone has recently gone and mowed the grass to keep it looking tidy. There's a picnic bench just outside of the cabin and gives the whole area an idyllic vibe. The other cabin is more rundown, more abused and weathered. It's wood is visibly rougher and splints of wood can be seen. In the back corner of the cabin, on the second floor, a hole in the wall can be seen, ensuring that no real warmth can be generated from within. It's windows are smashed and the glass lies outside and, presumably, within. Like the other cabin, it's clearing mirrors it's state. The clearing is unkempt with weeds and patches of dead grass littering the area. There's no bench and the clearing as a whole gives off a completely different vibe, bringing the audience and most definitely the tributes back to the reality that this is the Hunger Games - some will be better advantaged than others.
The camera pans north where a large lake sits, contrasting the previous year's games entirely. Last year there was no water, now there's an abundance. An annotation on screen tells the audience that although the water appears murky and dangerous, it's perfectly safe for consumption and it'll be up to the tributes as to whether or not they'll risk it and drink it or face dehydration as a consequence. The only telltale sign of it's safety to drink comes in the form of a river that branches off west - it's a perfectly clear colour that, if one would look at where it connects to the lake, would see that the colour of the water seems to instantly change from a murky green to clear. On the other side of the arena, the eastern side, is a small creek that, once again, gives an idyllic image. Around both the creek and the lake are rocky hills that're slippery from the water.
The levels of the arena are arbitrary - some places are flatter than others and, in some places, there are near deathly drops. A tribute therefore can never be sure as to whether or not there'll be a drop before them or an incline.
The camera returns to the Cornucopia where the tributes stand on their podiums in a crescent shape around it's mouth. The first notable thing is that there are a large amount of backpacks close to the podiums, suggesting that the Gamemakers intend for there to be a low Bloodbath count. The audience doesn't know how the tributes will react to this but neither do they know that half of the backpacks contain nothing and are an attempt to coax tributes into running into each other and fighting due to a desperation for supplies. In the mouth of the Cornucopia and inside are more formidable weapons and better supplies as opposed to the odd axe or knife that lies around the outskirts.
The countdown is at thirty seconds. Some tributes get ready to run, others still look frozen in fear.
The camera zooms in on certain faces and the audience can get a feel for how each tribute is feeling. Tributes such as Buckingham and Calloway look determined, ready to pounce. Others such as Stellar look to be smiling manically, eager to start running. Many are sure that if the prospect of being launched into the air as thousands of fragments of yourself wasn't there, many tributes would have ran already. And other tributes such as Bobbin, Melvin and Illea look petrified and some wonder if they'll move off their podiums at all and just wait to be killed by a stronger tribute.
Even the chatter in the courtyard silences as the counter reaches the ten second mark.
Ten, Nine, Eight, Seven, Six, Five, Four, Three, Two, One. GONG!
With the gong sounding many tributes race towards the Cornucopia, some hoping that the slight breeze can make them run faster. Most tributes, however, stay at the outskirts near their podiums, scavenging the backpacks and weapons there, ready to take off if another tribute gets too close to them.
The Career tributes reach the Cornucopia first and that's a surprise to nobody. The tributes from One and Four take it in turns to rifle through the scores within and to keep the mouth guarded, fending away anyone other than their allies that try to infiltrate the centre.
Calamity, itching to establish herself as a dominant force within the arena, looks for a weapon and spots a whip on the floor. It's not of the nicest quality she's ever wielded, but it'll do it's purpose. She looks around for a tribute to kill, skipping over her allies such as Brock and her brother who snatch backpacks before the other tributes have a chance to. Then she spots her first victim. The boy from Twelve, Cadin, rummages through a bag desperately trying to find one that's full. With another empty one presented to him, he throws it behind his shoulder and runs to the next one, crouching down, being completely unaware of his fate. With a determined look on her face, she runs up to him and strikes the whip across his back, causing him to fall to the floor in shock and pain. In panic, he turns around and is met with the blood lust gaze of Calamity who stomps on his stomach, preventing him from moving. Cadin clutches his stomach in pain, withering slightly with the feeling of throwing up intensely running through his body. Wasting very little time at all, Calamity wraps her whip around his neck and pulls, pulls until she can hear a snap and see his eyes roll into the back of his head. She grins as his body falls lifelessly after releasing the neck from her weapon. She notices that some tributes have seen the brutal way she's killed the male and she simply smiles at them before running to the mouth of the Cornucopia, wanting to get stronger and better quality weapons.
Kaiya finds herself a war hammer and, with the prospect of being feared, decides to try and find her own victim. In her head she wants to take out one of the District Five tributes. If she manages to do that, surely she'll be feared because those two are targets for sure. She can't find Victoria but sets her sights on Tesla who collects the spears that are scattered across the floor. She struggles to wield the weapon and, on her first swing, only hits Tesla in the arm, causing him to stumble. He turns and, when he sees that his attacker is not only a woman but Kaiya, he has conflicting feelings. He tries to keep his values in his head - his values to not harm women - but as Kaiya swings the hammer again, this time aiming at his head, he ducks and has no other choice. He raises his spear offensively, causing Kaiya to panic. Clearly she wasn't ready for him to turn hostile on her, banking that his monologue of protecting women in his interview was going to prevent him from killing her. Without a second thought Tesla spears her as she runs, her body crumpling to the ground quicker than he would've thought. He notices that Calamity and Buckingham watch him do so and he doesn't know what they intend to do and subsequently decides to busy himself with targeting the smaller tributes.
The two tributes from Three, Delta and Melvin, grab backpacks from the edges of the Cornucopia and are glad to find that both are heavy, presumably filled with things necessary for survival. They waste no time and run away from the Cornucopia with no set direction in mind. For them the knowledge that they've escaped the Bloodbath is enough, the screams of struggle and death echoing but they think they can run away from that, block it out. They don't look back, not once, out of fear that they're being trailed by a tribute.
Calloway spots a lime green backpack with medical supplies hanging out from it. He knows how important medicine is and, thanks his hidden knowledge of medicine, he recognises some packets as the strongest medicine the Capitol has to offer. Eager to claim that as his own, he runs to it. Chandler, from Seven, has a similar thought process and knows that medicine is just as important as food and a weapon. The two males engage in a fight over the pack as Chandler tries to yank it from Calloway's hands. The smaller of the two is knocked to the ground in a matter of seconds and Calloway wastes no time in decapitating him before trying to throw the axe in the direction of a fleeing Kumple, missing him narrowly. He's not too upset by the loss however, seeing Buckingham hot on the male's tail.
It doesn't take long for Buckingham to tackle Kumple to the ground, eliciting a scream from the District Six male who tries to wriggle his way out of her hold which doesn't bear much fruition. Pinning him down, Buckingham looks for the closest weapon and finds a knife sat near her. She leans over, kicking Kumple in the face to prevent another attempt at escape before assuming her kneeling position over his body. He's clutching his now bleeding nose, wailing in pain with tears streaming down his face. Buckingham can't help but roll her eyes in annoyance and, in one fatal swipe, she slits his neck, killing him. She feels victorious and laughs as she regroups with the other Careers, telling them of her feat. They're glad that Kumple is gone - they won't be annoyed in the arena.
Illea has been watching the Games from afar, hiding behind her pedestal. Most tributes disregard her, either not seeing her or being too preoccupied with other targets. Only when she sees a backpack that looks to be full does she try her luck and run towards it. The easy part is picking it up and holding it close to her chest, not wanting anyone to steal it. The hard part is dodging the spears being launched in her direction by Diamond. As seen in training, he rarely misses and after a spear intended to intimidate her flies past her left, another lodges itself in her head, killing her instantly.
Victoria was quick to get her bow and arrow, albeit only three arrows, and now runs around the Cornucopia trying to find either Calloway or Brock - her main targets. In her mind, if they're gone, she'll be able to have an easier time in winning the Games. She has no qualms attempting to do this now - she can stand at a distance and shoot them before they make any true advancement towards her. She spots Brock and waits for him to see her - an arrow missing him will only alert more of the Careers. When he does, she loads an arrow into her bow and fires, missing him ever so slightly - his cheek is grazed and a small amount of blood begins to pour. She steps backwards and loads a second arrow, aiming for his head again. This time he ducks and, not taking any chances, Victoria retreats into the woods. Brock tries to chase her but is unable to - she's too quick and within a matter of seconds she's escaped into the foliage.
Bobbin gets it lucky in the Bloodbath - a backpack and a blowgun are near her podium and within the first seconds of the Games she manages to scoop them up and take off into the forest. She does, however, stay close to the clearing behind a tree so she can watch what happens and not be seen too easily. She sees the pair from Three take off on the other side of the clearing and decides to make her way towards them, making sure to be deep within the woods so no tribute can see her obviously. They're smart and, if anything, are among the least likely to kill her.
Dion and Ellie run quickly away from the Cornucopia. Between them they only have one backpack and were attempting to get another when they saw Illea perish. Her death caused them to abandon it and take off towards the lake. They can hear the screams behind them, screams so loud their pants from running are drowned out. They link hands when they come across a hilly area, not wanting to lose one another.
Candella and Laurel, both acquiring a single backpack from the Cornucopia each, take off into the woods together but split up once they're deep enough to be considered safe. Laurel moves towards the lake whilst Candella remains close to the clearing, hiding behind bushes as she rummages through her backpack, seeing what she has to help her for the next few days. It wasn't a true alliance, nor a truce, but neither girl can express the gratitude they have for one another. Them being in a pairing had caused some tributes to not go near them in case of an alliance. That and, fortunately for them, the Careers were occupied elsewhere.
Phantom is able to get a sword from the mouth of the Cornucopia. The Careers are busy inside and Shelldon and Stellar are engaged in an argument over who should stay out and watch next. It's not the sneakiest grab he's ever done and he leaves the clearing with only the sword, but Phantom is armed and heads to the dense forest area, not seeing many tributes go that way.
Blake, with two backpacks, runs in the direction of the creek, stopping midway to climb a tree and hide within a nook. It's not the cleanest climb and multiple times he falls back down, bruising his legs, but he manages to sling one leg over a branch and pull himself up. He's by no means in the safest position but, for now, it suits him fine. The screams begin to die down and the thundering of footsteps of the tributes echo around the arena. He figures the Bloodbath must be coming to a close.
Alys, the last non-Career tribute in the clearing besides Tesla, manages to score a single backpack that remains untouched by another tribute. She runs over the bodies of tributes, making sure to not look at them as she picks up the pack. She wastes no time putting it on her shoulder and running back where she came. The Careers by now are gathered at the mouth of the Cornucopia and watch her - Diamond aiming a spear at her. Tesla chases after her, noticing their gathering. Alys tries to throw an empty backpack at him, trying to deter him enough to confuse him and hopefully leave him to perish at the hands of the Careers but is instead met with a spear being thrown at her. It misses, being fired into a tree to which Alys runs past, taking off into the forest. With that, the Bloodbath is over.
Following the Bloodbath the Careers approach Tesla and, like they had with Brock, Calloway takes the lead and offers him a spot. Tesla is sceptical at the amount of them, eight including him, but Calloway repeats the line he said to Brock - "Well you're not Diamond or Stellar." Tesla notices the fracture that already seems to be occurring within the Careers and joins them. He mentally prepares himself to take off at any time, however, knowing that this large of an alliance can only spell disaster.
As she had hoped, Bobbin collides with the two tributes from District Three. Delta raises the knife she had scavenged on the way out but lowers it upon seeing the female from Eight. Neither tribute from District Three consider her a threat and accept her alliance, taking off again towards the lake.
The first main spectacle of the Hunger Games comes to a close with many tributes venturing the woods and the Careers discussing their next movements, going around the clearing and looking through any backpacks for last minute supplies. The low death count bores the Capitolites, many of whom refer to the Bloodbath as the 'Bloodpuddle' instead, making a joke out of it. The Districts assume that, because of this, the Gamemakers intend for the fighting to get brutal.
Eulogies:
24th - Cadin James, District Twelve male, killed by Calamity
I feel bad about this death but I never really got the wow factor when I wrote him. I did have plans for him to develop within the arena but unfortunately Calamity got to you first buddy. Thank you OH MY GODDDDDD, for submitting him! It was nice for me to write about plain things during his interview.
23rd - Kaiya Geargrind, District Six Female, killed by Tesla
I feel like most of us expected this death to come. I don't think she was ever intended to be a comedy tribute but, alas, that's what she developed into with the help of Kumple. I always had fun writing the two of them and felt as if, in another universe, they'd make a really funny old married couple. I also wouldn't recommend trying to attack tributes who you've seen spear targets near perfectly. Just a tip Kaiya! Thank you to BellajanelleDearie for Kaiya!
22nd - Chandler Fenn, District Seven Male, killed by Calloway
This is another one I feel bad about, especially following his submitter's reviews. He was determined to survive but, unfortunately, got into a fight with a Career - not your best move bud. What gives me peace of mind is that now he'll finally be happily away from his father which I think is the outcome he wanted the most. I think the quick death was the nicest thing to happen to him rather than a drawn out and painful death. Thank you Lmklein20account2 for submitting him!
21st - Kumple Figburns, District Six Male, killed by Buckingham
This is another one we were all expecting, but as people showed more and more love to him, the worse I felt for killing him. He was a Bloodbath tribute all along but I, like many of you it seems, grew to love him. Don't worry Kumple, you're still our biggest hero in our hearts. Thank you to Bookieworm04 for giving me such a fun tribute to write!
20th - Illea Augustine, District Ten Female, killed by Diamond
I actually had plans for you to go far into the Games, especially at the beginning of the reapings. As time went on though I felt as if I lost touch with you. I also think this is the nicest death you could've had - my other idea was for you to be confused with the colours and sounds and smells, being a sitting duck. Thank you SparkHat for her and I'm sorry she's your first one gone - at least you still have Stellar and Dion!
Tributes Remaining:
Diamond, District One
Buckingham, District One
Calloway, District Two
Calamity, District Two
Melvin, District Three
Delta, District Three
Shelldon, District Four
Stellar, District Four
Tesla, District Five
Victoria, District Five
Candella, District Seven
Phantom, District Eight
Bobbin, District Eight
Blake, District Nine
Laurel, District Nine
Dion, District Ten
Brock, District Eleven
Ellie, District Eleven
Alys, District Twelve
Alliances:
Diamond, Buckingham, Calloway, Calamity, Shelldon, Stellar, Tesla & Brock
Melvin, Delta & Bobbin
Dion & Ellie
So that's the Bloodbath done! I had intended all along for there to be a low death count because I figured not every year would have a high death toll so I decided to experiment with that. I found it allowed me to create more tension later on so look out for that! I'm sorry to all those who've lost tributes but that's what happens in SYOTs!
Let's hope the rest of Day 1 treats everyone better! Can't say I'm not worried about the Career alliance though...
As always, reviews make me happy~!
-Oli