gamesarena | Round 1 - Preparation Stage

Introduction
There was a drum roll and as you entered into this world. You are surrounded by cheering crowds, bright lights and cameras. You have just been announced as a tribute for a specific district and this begins your adventure into the Games Arena.

There is a lot to do before the Arena opens. The audience must be informed of all your vital stats so they can place their bets. Are you going to win because you're the strongest? Are you going to win because you're sneaky and smart? You won't see any of that however. The next few weeks are going to be filled with the following:

[Please thread below in any or all of the locations. It would help if the subject of the top level comment could list where the tribute is just so it makes it easier for other characters to tag in.]

Training Arena
There is everything that you could ever need in the training area. There are teachers around 24/7 who will be more than happy to teach you the skills needed in the Arena.

Such as: hunting, wilderness survival, tying knots, camouflage, botany, weapons use, general fitness experts and anything else you believe may be required.

It might save your life to go to at least one of these tutorials. There are also gyms and equipment which will help you focus on specific skills such as climbing, swimming and anything you may think of.

In this Training Arena, you will have access to any weapons your character may have back home in canon. They will only be available in the training arena so you must leave them behind when you leave here and when you make your way to the arena.

There are also public and private training facilities so you can choose whether you want to show everyone your skills or hide everything until the arena stage.

Rule: Any tributes that physically attack each other before entering the arena will be punished upon the games beginning. This is announced to the tributes as they are released to their own devices.

Publicity Shoots
It is up to your prep team to make sure the public love you. That's what they get paid for. As Battle Royale is school themed, you will be taking lots of school based photo shoots in the following uniform:

Look familiar? Well, in this game it doesn't matter whether you're in the white or black uniform so take your pick at whatever you think will look nicer. These will be the uniforms that you enter the arena in. This may be your last chance to look pretty and your last chance to be remembered.

Private Dorms
At the end of each day, you have your own room to retire back to. Each district has an entire floor to themselves and each floor has two giant dorm rooms.

There is room service for each dorm room and you can order whatever you want. Really, anything. You're about to go to your death so you might as well enjoy the remainder of your life. You are free to go to each other's rooms if you want to visit. Make friends, make enemies, or scout out your competition.

These rooms are state of the art. You have a large shower where it feels like the water is coming from multiple directions and a range of fancy soaps, shampoos etc. You can even choose to have a bubble bath if you want. The bed is large and covered with the blankets and sheets your character most adores. There is also a giant wardrobe with any outfit you would like to wear available at a touch of a button.

Each tribute will also have 2 avoxes following them around when they are in the private dorm area to get them whatever they need and clean up after them.

Private Social Area
There is a living space with games, other hobbies and an eatery for people who don't want to eat in the solitude of their dorms. ~~But why aren't you in the training hall trying to make sure you stay alive in the arena?~~ This is where you'll find out the gossip of where you are, what's going on. You can speak to your prep team to learn about why you're here, what your role is and the fact that you're probably going to be dead in a month. And probably at the hands of the person eating at the next table and smiling innocently at you.

Other
You are welcome to create anywhere else you want to be. Want to watch a movie? Go ahead. Want to visit a library? Yeah sure. The Game Creation team have designed a little city for you to play in before you enter the Arena so if you are certain that an extra day in the training facility won't make you live much longer anyway? Might as well go out and enjoy yourself. It's on me.

Note: Wherever you are or whatever you're doing, there is a chance that your actions will probably get broadcasted to the public on TV.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[She couldn't help but laugh a little at the sudden exchange. It was like a little game that had started between the two of them and getting to bond with someone was a good change for Mai. Finding out that some of the other tributes were really nice people was wonderful as long as she didn't think about what they were going to be doing soon.

Just had to keep her mind on this task and not think about what's coming. But this sawing motion was definitely requiring more stamina than her arms were used to.]

Is this really going to work?!

[There was a little happy lilt in her voice as she said that since a small puff of smoke was beginning to show itself. If only she could just...keep this up a mite longer.]

It will! Don't stop now, you have to keep going until you get an ember at the bottom!

[In the meantime, Nepeta retrieves the tinder bundle and crouches so she can watch Mai's progress without getting ashy sawdust all in her eyes. Oh--there, is it done?]

Okay, stop!

[She holds one hand up but keeps her eyes on the little ember, and starts to gently fan it with her hand.]

You don't want to blow on it while you're still all out of breath, see? So just flap your paw at it like this.

[Upon hearing the word, Mai stops everything she's doing and shifts back just slightly to watch the mysterious final steps of this fire building. It was actually quite amazing and there was actually a hint of pride that she was able to accomplish this much.]

We...that's a fire...?

[She lightly also flaps along to try and push this into a full blown flame. It's the little things she has right now keeping her going and as far as that goes, this is definitely at the top of her list.]

This is...amazing!

It's not a fire yet, heehee! It's just like a little kitten, all newly hatched and weak. We have to treat it gently befur it grows.

[When the ember seems stable enough, Nepeta coaxes it into the softest part of the tinder bundle and blows on it carefully, inviting it to catch and grow until the bundle starts to smoke in her hands.]

Now we're getting somewhere. See how you have to do it in steps? A teensy spark can't sustain itself on those big, hard scratching posts, so we have to feed it little by little like this.

[When the fire seems to be getting along well enough, she sets it under the stick teepee so it can really get going.]

[Her eyes widen slightly as she watches each of the movements that are being performed and the small licks of flame slowly beginning to push through. This whole process was really amazing and she wished that she had learned this back at home.]

So you have to be patient and slowly grow it...

[That made sense. Everything needed a little time to nurture and grow. Fire wouldn't be any different. She lowers her voice now and glances back towards the instructor not assisting another tribute.]

I think you're better at this than he is.

Heeheehee. [Nepeta replies in a playful whisper of her own.] Purrhaps I've been doing it longer.

[She's being silly, of course: However trolls measure time, Nepeta can't be more than thirteen Earth years old.]

It just takes practice! Be careful of lighting fires during the daytime, too. You might think it's safur and the flames won't be seen, but in a wooded area, it's the smoke that will give away your location.

[She made a mental note to remember that and try to not draw too much attention to herself. This was all information that she never would have realized. Of course, fire would be okay in the day time. But...smoke was something she'd never had to factor into anything before.]

I....

[Her voice caught as she tried to complete the sentence and she had to shake her head a moment. Take a deep breath. And try again.]

I wish we met under different circumstances.

[Oh. Right.

This part's not the hardest, for Nepeta. In Alternian society, one always makes friends with the knowledge they could turn in an instant, could decide on caprice to disembowel anyone foolish enough to let their guard down. Still, that doesn't mean this is fun.

If she has to kill Mai, Nepeta promises herself she'll make it quick.]

Me too.

[Still, she makes an effort to cheer up.]

Hey, don't worry too much now, okay? We still have lots of time befur the game starts. Maybe we'll disappurr just as strangely and suddenly as we arrived!

[That was a very positive thought. Maybe they could all just slide right back into their home world the way they disappeared and nobody would be any wiser. Maybe this was just a big crazy dream that they could all wake up from. A wide smile crosses her expression and she nods.]

Well, if we all disappear back home, I'll definitely have to remember you and tell all my friends. And I can teach them all how to build fires like this one.

[She looks around the training arena.]

I wonder if everybody built fires tonight we could have a little camping group.

As long as we do it outside! Starting big fires in an enclosed space is a good way to suffurcate from all the smoke, even with purroper ventilation.

[Speaking of fires, she continues building theirs, adding a couple of sticks carefully so as not to collapse their budding bonfire.]

Camping would be fun, though! Do you think they'd let us?

[She nods eagerly at the idea that's forming now. There's no reason why they would stop them. It would probably make some good footage and it would let everybody get outside and try to take their minds off their impending doom for a while.]

I don't think they care where we sleep or what we do as long as we...

[...go into their arena later. She doesn't need to finish that sentence. Mai glances around at the various tributes all at their own stations or minding their own business.]

It would be nice if everybody joined us.

Sure! We can invite efurryone, from all the Districts. And if Karkat doesn't want to come, I'll drag him there by the scruff myself. It'll be a party!

[She claps suddenly, delighted.]

We can have tea!

[Great! The enthusiasm is spreading and she holds a hand up to her lips as she laughs.]

We can have everything. If they don't provide it to us we can just order it up in our rooms and bring it down to share. Or take it from their cafe over there. Micchy will definitely join us. Who else is there..? Elizabeth, Gran...

[If only they could always just be doing this. Making friends, having fun events. Dancing together...]

There's Otoha. I don't know if he'll make an appurrance, though. He seems like more of the strong, silent type.

[And yet, she managed to get an 100-comment conversation out of him?]

I still haven't met efurryone yet, but I can ask Karkat who else he thinks might come! We have to invite all of us, even the quiet ones, so no one feels left out.

I think between the few of us we'll be able to invite everyone!

[Even the backstabbing bastards that are just out to kill everyone as soon as they enter the arena.]

We can at least...make a few memories here while we can.

Round 1 - Preparation Stage

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