VIDEO FILE 10608991159001

TRANSCRIBER: INTERN ID 914205181402

Okay. I just read over Vaingloria's stuff and I kind of see what you want me to do now. I'll try to insert less opinions like you said and be factual but sometimes I just get caught up in things okay! But I'll try really hard.

So the footage starts right before the countdown does, as the tributes' pedestals are rising into the air. I still don't know how you guys did this but the arena is literally the sky and it's gorgeous. The sun is directly overhead, and each tribute is clearly working to keep their balance as the cloud pedestals move up. Thankfully they aren't too small, so no one falls off right away. Everyone is wearing light, silvery, layered clothes that are pretty full coverage, and boots, and their hair is all slicked back. But the most interesting part is that all the tributes have a contraption on their back. They sort of look like sleek silver backpacks, and everyone's strapped into one.

As the countdown starts, most of the tributes are busy trying to figure out the backpacks. It's pretty obvious that the cloud pedestals are too far from the Cornucopia to jump. There are a bazillion cloud platforms behind them, too, but those are also too far to jump to unless you're a kangaroo or something.

After about twenty seconds, a few tributes get their backpacks to light up. Is it okay if I use first names? I'm gonna use first names. Actually I'm also doing districts so I can keep track. Katsuo (D1), Misha (D5), and Hadassa (D7) get theirs first, and as soon as they do, everyone starts panicking even more.

Then more tributes start getting them. Katsuo shows Amar (D1) which button to push, and she's set. Samorn (D3) gets hers, and then so do Enzo (D6), Anadil (D8), Venezio (D4), Leif (D7), Finley (D9), and Pearson (D3). Towards the end, Angus (D10), Tanith (D2), Zayan (D2), Aysel (D6), Efren (D11), and Calder (D8) figure theirs out, too. Parvati (D12) gets hers at the last second, but as she's trying to show an ally how to activate it, the countdown ends.

And the cloud pedestals evaporate.

The tributes who activated the devices immediately discover that they're wearing jetpacks. The ones who didn't realize that they didn't turn the jetpacks on in time and start falling. There's a lot of screaming. Some of them have figured out how to maneuver, though, and start zooming around. Samorn (D3) immediately flies off, away from the Cornucopia, and so do a couple others. The trained tributes, minus Kamari (D4), who's busy falling, fly towards the Cornucopia and start rifling around. Angus (D10), Misha (D5), Hadassa (D7), Leif (D7), Finley (D9), Pearson (D3), and Calder (D8) figure their controls out enough to fly towards the Cornucopia, too.

From there, it's hard to see exactly what's going on, but it's definitely awesome. Usually tributes only go side to side! It almost makes me dizzy to watch it. Tanith (D2) makes the first kill of the games as she roars (I swear there's not a better word) and smashes Leif's (D7) skull in with a mace. Venezio (D4) jumps in and slashes the dead guy's abdomen open for good measure. By this point, a few of the fallers- including Kamari (D4)- have managed to save themselves and activate the jetpacks in midair, but some aren't reappearing, so you'll have to check the tracker readings to see who actually died first. Parvati (D12) tries to grab a bag, but Katsuo (D1) lobs a throwing star into her throat. She drops her bag and stumbles, falling over the lip of the cloud platform the Cornucopia rests on, and disappears. The camera angle switches back to Katsuo, and I swear on Snow's grave, he smiles.

There are other kills, too. Amar (D1) kills Enzo (D6), slicing him open with an ax a bunch of times. It lowkey seems like it's for show, though, because I'm pretty sure he's dead after the first slice and she's just trying to look fancy. Zayan (D2) fights with Angus (D10), but Misha (D5) comes to his rescue and they escape Zayan (D2), who does NOT look happy about this. Venezio (D4) misses a shot at Hadassa (D7) because he's busy being yelled at by Tanith (D2)- I think she's mad that he tried to steal her kill? Maybe? Then Pearson (D3), who I think was hiding, flies in out of nowhere. Katsuo (D1) throws two more throwing stars into his jetpack, and as he crashes, Amar buries her ax in his chest. Kamari (D4) finally gets back, but by then it's too late. Everyone except the tributes from One, Two, and Four are either dead or gone.

Zayan (D2) sets about cleanup, dragging the dead bodies to the edge of the Cornucopia cloud and hurling them overboard. Or maybe not overboard, since it's not a boat, but it did feel pirate-y. I can't explain it. Anyway, Tanith (D2) finishes yelling at Venezio (D4). He decides to take out his frustration on Kamari (D4), since she just missed the whole Bloodbath. The D1s start going through the Cornucopia.

Then, the cannons start firing. I counted eight, which means that four people never figured out the jetpacks and the trained tributes got four. Not very good, if you ask me! Not impressive at ALL for the kills, although the Ones did pretty good. I liked the teamwork bit they did. The suspense of the tributes falling was really good, too, though.

The Twos and Fours pull together and set off to chase down the tributes who flew away, and the Ones agree to stay behind and sort through everything. I bet it's because they've already got kills so they're more okay with it. Anyways, the others take off, and then it's just Katsuo and Amar.

"We made a decent team," Amar says. Somehow, she doesn't have a drop of blood on her. Now that it's not all chaotic, you really get a chance to appreciate the arena outfits. They're so pretty and silver and futuristic and shiny. And Amar doesn't have a drop of blood on her. She would look REALLY pretty if she made her eyes silver to match the outfit, honestly. But she's pretty anyway.

Katsuo ignores her and keeps sorting through stuff. Every time he finds more throwing stars- there's a decent amount here- he takes them. He's also managed to stay very clean. I bet the long-distance weapons helped him with that.

"Are you mad that I took the second kill?"

"No," he responds. He glances over at her. "I hit the jetpack on purpose. I didn't have a clear shot at anywhere immediately fatal. The kill was yours."

She nods. "Hitting the jetpack was smart. We should keep doing that."

They keep working for another moment in silence.

She interrupts it. "Do you think they'll catch anyone?"

He snorts. "No. That's why I didn't go with."

"Yeah?"

"Yes. Besides, getting first pick of the supplies is valuable. Have you noticed there's a lot of fuel here? And oil? And repair kits? Those have to be for the jetpacks. We need to take at least some of that for ourselves."

"If we take too much-"

"If they wanted it, they should have claimed it," Katsuo interrupts. "We made the smart call. They failed to get kills and are overcompensating. We earned this, they didn't."

"Fair." She glances around. "Where should we hide stuff, then?"

Oh, I think I forgot to describe the Cornucopia until right now! It's a little castle-like structure, with a bunch of big wooden doors and gray stone walls. It's mostly just walls surrounding a courtyard, but there's a few smaller rooms that tributes can use for hiding. It's not very complicated but it does look nice.

"We'll find a spot," Katsuo says. "There has to be a room in there we can use. We'll tell them we already went through everything and there's nothing in there."

Amar gives him a long look. It's hard to tell what she's thinking, though. "I've never heard you say 'we' so much. And they're our allies, too."

Katsuo's posture gets all stiff when she says this, and he gives her a dirty look. "They won't be our allies forever, Amar," he replies. "And if they were here instead of us, they'd be doing the same."

She sighs, and you can highkey see her trying not to roll her eyes. It's the same look Vaingloria gives me all the time. "Fine," she said. "If you're sure."

"I don't say what I don't mean," he replies, setting aside some jetpack fuel- probably for them to hide before the others fly back.

She looks like she disagrees with that but she doesn't say it. Instead, as they sort through the weapons and food and all that boring stuff, they pull the things they want and set them aside, until they have their own little pile. Before they start talking again, the footage cuts out.