June 29th, 99 ADD
Subject: Internship Team Project (Thierry/Vaingloria)
Thierry and Vaingloria,
As your final project, the two of you will collaborate on a transcription of Katsuo Akiyama's post-Games interview. Thierry will describe the visuals and Vaingloria will handle the audio, as both are important to include in this case. This is due by the end of your internship.
Regards,
Jacin Yves
Gamemaker of Tribute Relations
NOTICE: This email is considered confidential property of Jacin Yves and Gamemaker Enterprises. It may not be reproduced or circulated without Jacin Yves' prior written consent. If you are not the intended recipient, you may not disclose or use the information in this document in any way. Failure to abide by confidentiality will have legal consequences.
June 29th, 99 ADD
Subject: RE: Internship Team Project (Thierry/Vaingloria)
Gamemaker Yves,
I thought we had discussed that I would be working alone on my internship assignments?
Thanks,
Vaingloria
Intern, Tribute Relations Department
June 29th, 99 ADD
Subject: RE: RE: Internship Team Project (Thierry/Vaingloria)
I don't have a problem working together! XX Thierry
June 29th, 99 ADD
Subject: RE: RE: RE: Internship Team Project (Thierry/Vaingloria)
Thierry and Vaingloria,
For this project, you need to collaborate. If there are issues between the two of you, fix them.
Regards,
Jacin Yves
Gamemaker of Tribute Relations
NOTICE: This email is considered confidential property of Jacin Yves and Gamemaker Enterprises. It may not be reproduced or circulated without Jacin Yves' prior written consent. If you are not the intended recipient, you may not disclose or use the information in this document in any way. Failure to abide by confidentiality will have legal consequences.
June 29th, 99 ADD
Subject: RE: RE: RE: RE: Internship Team Project (Thierry/Vaingloria)
Gamemaker Yves,
Understood.
Thanks,
Vaingloria
Intern, Tribute Relations Department
June 29th, 99 ADD
Subject: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: Internship Team Project (Thierry/Vaingloria)
See you soon, V! Meet in the lounge? XX Thierry
June 29th, 99 ADD
Subject: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: Internship Team Project (Thierry/Vaingloria)
Thierry,
I will meet you there in twenty minutes. Please do not refer to me as V.
Thanks,
Vaingloria
Intern, Tribute Relations Department
June 29th, 99 ADD
Subject: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: Internship Team Project (Thierry/Vaingloria)
Sounds good! XX Thierry
AUDIOVISUAL FILE 220628991915001
TRANSCRIBER: INTERN ID 914205181402 / INTERN ID 914205181404
Okay! So this footage is post-Games, and it's my favorite part of post-Games, which is the interview with the Victor. This year, it's Katsuo Akiyama from District One! He's wearing this sheer black blouse with pleats down the front and loose sleeves, as well as black silk pants. The sheer blouse is really cool, both because it's pretty and because you can see the lightning marks under the fabric. They cover his right arm and chest and a little bit of his neck. They used to be red, but now they're black and match the rest of his outfit. It looks so good. They've only let Victors keep their scars a few times so I'm glad they let Katsuo keep his. He's also wearing gold jewelry and a gold crown.
E. PHOSPHENES: Welcome back, Katsuo! Our conqueror of the storm! I'm glad to see you here again.
K. AKIYAMA: You as well.
Vaingloria doesn't want me to "interrupt" already, but my job is to say what everything looks like, so I'm going to anyway. Katsuo says he's glad to be back and see Elton, but he doesn't look like it. He's polite enough, but not excited.
E. PHOSPHENES: I hope your recovery wasn't too difficult? It's been a while since we last saw you!
K. AKIYAMA: I'm fine now, thanks.
He does look much better. At the end of the Games, he had a ton of bruises, and burns, and blood all over him, and his ankle was pointing the wrong way. Other than the lightning marks, that stuff is gone.
E. PHOSPHENES: While you've been recovering, however, there's been plenty to talk about! First of all, congratulations on eight kills!
K. AKIYAMA: Thank you.
E. PHOSPHENES: Did you know that's the highest number of kills any Victor has made this decade? Certainly ending on a high note, aren't we?
K. AKIYAMA: Yes, that's correct.
E. PHOSPHENES: And each of your kills was thrilling to watch. Before I go over them, are there any that stick out as highlights to you?
Katsuo stops to think for a moment.
K. AKIYAMA: …Yes, there is one.
E. PHOSPHENES: Any chance you're thinking of your district partner, Amar Firoza?
K. AKIYAMA: …Yes.
E. PHOSPHENES: That certainly was a stunning kill!
In the background behind them, the screen starts flashing through stills of Katsuo and Amar's fight. Katsuo glances at them for a moment, then turns back to Elton.
K. AKIYAMA: Thank you.
E. PHOSPHENES: I'm a bit surprised you named Amar, however, as that kill was not your most showstopping. Is there any chance that kill was more emotional?
K. AKIYAMA: Amar and I had a complicated relationship. Terminating that relationship was more difficult than I anticipated.
E. PHOSPHENES: Did you believe she would kill you first?
K. AKIYAMA: At the time, yes. Or, at the very least, harm me. Better safe than sorry.
E. PHOSPHENES: And that move paid off!
Katsuo doesn't say anything in response.
E. PHOSPHENES: Let's talk about your interaction with Samorn Goodall of District Three. Now that was spectacular! What inspired you to use your throwing stars in such a way?
Katsuo shakes his head a little.
K. AKIYAMA: If I'm being honest, Elton, I received a few blows to the head when I fought with Amar. My memory past that point is a bit blurry.
E. PHOSPHENES: What do you remember?
K. AKIYAMA: I remember hearing the fight. I knew that it was an opportunity to fight whoever won. I… I remember she kept looking at me. She had brown eyes, right? Really dark brown. The same as… I remember I wanted her to stop looking at me.
E. PHOSPHENES: I see.
K. AKIYAMA: That's what I remember of my logic at the time. Now that I've healed, it seems ridiculous, of course. Regrettably, I was not in full control of myself. It is a relief to have regained that control.
E. PHOSPHENES: What about Misha K'awiil of District Five?
K. AKIYAMA: That encounter is clearer. I remember being very focused on disarming him, which was proven to be the correct call. Some distance from the fight with Amar helped, I believe.
E. PHOSPHENES: Then, of course, I have to ask about those finale kills. Let's start with Hadassa Carrasco from District Seven. She put up quite a fight, didn't she!
K. AKIYAMA: Honestly, Elton, I don't remember that fight at all.
E. PHOSPHENES: What about your encounter with your former ally, Tanith Vortigern of District Two?
K. AKIYAMA: I have been told what happened, but I do not remember.
E. PHOSPHENES: What do you attribute the memory loss to?
K. AKIYAMA: Being struck by lightning.
E. PHOSPHENES: That would make sense! Do you remember the initial strike? Or falling out of the sky?
K. AKIYAMA: Vaguely. But nothing afterwards.
E. PHOSPHENES: What did it feel like, if you can recall that?
K. AKIYAMA: Hot. Very hot. My chest hurt a lot.
E. PHOSPHENES: I wouldn't want to remember that part, either! Can't say I blame you.
Katsuo nods.
E. PHOSPHENES: Well, given the fuzzy spots in your memory, how about we see if we can refresh you? Let's watch the recap, shall we?
Katsuo nods again. He's still very polite, but he's not as engaged(?) as he was in his other interview. I'm not sure if that's exactly the word for it. He's, like, acting the same, but he's not. Everything about him just seems a little different.
Anyway, that's when the recap starts. The video mostly focuses on the D1-D2-D4 alliance, and Katsuo and Amar's friendship within it. They show the others getting jealous of them and starting to scheme against them, but Katsuo and Amar were too distracted to notice. There were bits of Hadassa and Anadil, and Misha and Angus, too, but it's mostly Katsuo and Amar. Which makes sense, since he won and all.
Then the big alliance splits, and it's crazy! Man, I forgot how wild that break-up was. I still can't believe both the Ones got away. Massive backfire for everyone else. But Katsuo has that big stab wound in his leg from Kamari, and then the Ones have their sweet scene where they talk to each other about their lives at home. That was so heartwarming. Well, it was sort of awkward, but it was still cute. Amar fixes Katsuo's wound, and then they go to sleep.
Then things start to fall apart. I'm still not sure what exactly happened, but then Katsuo turns against Amar, and their friendship is ruined. He tears up her jetpack and pushes her off a cloud and cries. I forgot that this was also when the rain started. Katsuo's leg wound reopens here, too, except there's no one to help him fix it this time.
After that, Katsuo really steps things up. Given how things were going so far, this is when the combat gets REALLY exciting. They take a moment to show Tanith turning against Venezio, which was a really good one. The Aysel-Samorn-Katsuo fight happens, and they show a lot of those clips. Then Katsuo kills Misha- right after he and Angus had split ways, too! The despair!
Then the storm kicks up, and the Gamemakers pull everyone together for the big finale. Katsuo gets lightning-inged out of the sky, and for a minute, he looks super dead. Then Angus kills Anadil, Hadassa kills Angus, Katsuo kills Hadassa, and Katsuo also kills Tanith. I just finished my transcription of that part, so if you want more details, you can go watch it. The Angus-Hadassa fight was really good, and Anadil's death was really sad, and I did NOT think Katsuo would manage to fight back enough to win against Hadassa but he definitely proved me wrong there. Then he killed Tanith and ripped her heart out of her chest. That was crazy! I wish he remembered it so he could tell us more about it.
There's a camera on Katsuo during the entire recap. Most of the time, he just watches. All of his reactions are really small, so I had to rewatch Katsuo watching the recap a bunch of times. But he does react. During some of Amar's jokes, his jaw gets tense. I swear I can see it. When Amar fixes his leg and he talks about that boy he had a crush on, his eye twitches. When he kills Amar, he keeps looking away from the screen and then back at it. After that, he seems more interested in what's going on, probably because he's watching it for the first time and doesn't remember it himself. He tilts his head a tiny bit when he sees himself kill Hadassa. His eyebrow twitches when he watches himself kill Tanith.
After a few hours, the recap ends. That was a good recap! Sometimes they get boring. Vaingloria says I should delete that part, but she already made me delete other stuff, so I won't.
E. PHOSPHENES: What a thrilling Games you gave us, Katsuo!
K. AKIYAMA: My pleasure.
E. PHOSPHENES: Do you have any reaction to seeing it all played back? Some of it for the first time?
Katsuo takes a minute to think about that.
K. AKIYAMA: Thank you for showing it to me. It is always interesting to watch events from outside your own experience.
E. PHOSPHENES: Anything you'd do differently? Or keep the same?
K. AKIYAMA: No. If I changed anything, I wouldn't be here today. While I would have liked to retain better control of my senses, that is not what happened. But Victory is worth it.
I think there's something else he wants to say here, because he opens his mouth to speak again, but decides not to and closes it.
E. PHOSPHENES: Anything or anyone you're looking forward to seeing at home?
K. AKIYAMA: I'm sure my mother and stepmother are eager to reunite with me.
E. PHOSPHENES: What about the individual you spoke about in the arena? Hideo?
For once, Katsuo reacts. I can see him get tense. His shoulders are tight and he raises his chin.
K. AKIYAMA: No. He's long gone. That was a story I told Amar to appeal to her.
E. PHOSPHENES: None of it was true?
K. AKIYAMA: There were certainly pieces of truth. But I exaggerated certain elements. My mother, in addition, was something I exaggerated. Our relationship is fine. Amar's relationship with her mother was not. Pretending otherwise made it easier for her to trust me, and I thought that would be beneficial for me at the time.
E. PHOSPHENES: Very smart!
K. AKIYAMA: And it worked. Amar believed it. Because of that, as well as other factors, I won and she did not.
E. PHOSPHENES: What about when you accused her of manipulating you?
K. AKIYAMA: I sincerely thought she was at the time, as that was what I was doing. I overestimated her as being cleverer than she was. I don't think Amar ever lied to me. She was, however, too sincere. Does that make sense?
E. PHOSPHENES: I think so, but say more.
K. AKIYAMA: She… she seemed too good to be true. She wasn't, but I thought she was. So I allied with her, lying in the process, and killed her when I believed she would kill me.
E. PHOSPHENES: Very interesting.
K. AKIYAMA: I don't say this to speak poorly about the dead. Amar Firoza was a talented tribute.
E. PHOSPHENES: Couldn't agree more.
K. AKIYAMA: But she did not have the mindset for the Games, and that was her downfall. I wouldn't change the fact that I took advantage of it.
E. PHOSPHENES: What about your other allies? Did they have the mindset for the Games?
K. AKIYAMA: I believe Tanith did. I knew Tanith would be a formidable opponent from the day I met her, and as we just witnessed, she was. Otherwise, she wouldn't have made it nearly as far as she did.
E. PHOSPHENES: What about you? Did you have the mindset for the Games?
K. AKIYAMA: As I won, I will say yes.
E. PHOSPHENES: Unfortunately, we're almost out of time. Before we leave our audience for the night, do you have any parting words? Any final thoughts or reflections or advice?
Katsuo thinks about the question for a few moments.
K. AKIYAMA: The Games have been my life for a long time. I'm very grateful to the Capitol for giving me the opportunity, and I'm also looking forward to starting a new chapter. Whatever that may be.
E. PHOSPHENES: Give it up for our newest Victor, the conqueror of the storm, Katsuo Akiyama of District One!
The crowd goes crazy. Elton stands and offers a hand to Katsuo, who takes it. The curtains close, and Katsuo starts to make his way offstage. The rest of this isn't on video, but it does get recorded before Katsuo's microphone is taken off. We're fairly sure the female voice is Aurelia Charm, Katsuo's Mentor and Victor of the 82nd Hunger Games.
A. CHARM: Great work.
K. AKIYAMA: Thanks.
A. CHARM: I wasn't expecting you to lie about Amar.
K. AKIYAMA: What?
A. CHARM: The story you told her in the Games about you and that boy, and about your mother. It was true, wasn't it? I didn't think you'd change it now.
K. AKIYAMA: I'm done talking.
A. CHARM: Fine. But we're discussing this tomorrow.
K. AKIYAMA: I'd rather not. It's none of your business.
A. CHARM: You may be a Victor now, but I don't stop being your Mentor. I can tell something's bothering you. But I'm willing to drop it for tonight.
K. AKIYAMA: Fine.
Then the microphone gets disconnected, and the audio feed also ends.