open spectator log because why not

[shenunigans]

Who| Anyone who wants to spectate but doesn't want to make a million logs
What| Spectations, spectactling, spectalary. Gathering together to cross fingers and watch the mini arena.
Where| The Commons
When| All through the mini-arena. However many hours people feel the need to watch.
Warnings/Notes| Watching your friends die, kind of a huge bummer.

In one of the many tasteful bursts of helpfulness the Capitolites are prone to having, the commons are full of bowls of snacks and drinks. Popcorn or many varieties, candy and drinks are spread across the table, as if it's a delightful addition to the decorum right now. In another bout of helpfulness, there's also over a dozen tissue boxes spread across the room, nested between couches and chairs. Basically, it's all super tasteful.

It's probably a little sickening watching the Arena on the screens in the common room, but it's hard not to keep a close eye on your friends. Surely some people will opt to keep their viewing in private, but perhaps others are inclined to gravitate toward other people while this shit goes all the way down.

As far as parties go, this one is a real stinker.

Comments

[hit_girl_mindy]

"I won't stay too long. I'm not really feeling into being depressed right now. We could go for some ice cream or something if you're up to it though."

Re: Orc

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

"That's not the same as seeing a shrink." And to tell the truth, it makes Howard uneasy, to think that Orc's making connections with other people. As if he's about to become superfluous. He holds onto the armrest of the chair as if it's a life preserver.

"I know how to care about me. I'm petitioning out after all."

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

"I'm Howard. And okay, let's play a game." He sits forward, propping his elbows on his skinny knees. "Stupidest thing you've ever seen?"

[shenunigans]

"Cool. I've had it up to here with aliens." He gestures vaguely upwards to illustrate his point in the laziest and most uninspired manner possible. "Texas. Thank you please." You wouldn't know it from hearing him, though. He's spent most of his life trying to ditch any hint of an accent.

"So, uh, what's life like back home for you?"

[smarterthanthem]

Texas. That was a few states over, she thought. "Can't say I ever met any aliens." she smiled for a moment.

The question has Clementine looking down at the chips, "It's uh... not great. I don't think you'd want to visit there."

[shenunigans]

"Nomo." He echoes, again wondering if he's taking this too far. The other guy seems as confused as he is earnest, but he's also huge and Dave isn't really sure how he'd react to being told the truth. Best let someone else break the news, he thinks. For now, he'll change the subject.

"Did I ever get a name..?" He quirks a brow at him, trying to seamlessly change the subject. Alliances, Dave. You were meant to be making alliances.

[sithcretapprentice]

Starkiller didn't have much to do in the Capitol except study people. Usually he was perceptive in battle, trained to know when and where to strike at the best time. Apparently when taken out of his element, it made for some good perception in regards to people. Or maybe he just spent too much time with Hans- that was probably the most likely. Hans did have the habit of pushing himself into Starkiller's life a lot, though no one ever heard Starkiller complain too much about that.

At her words, Starkiller scoffed. "I don't understand why they feel the need to press people together or read too much into everyone's interactions with each other. You would think they would have better things to do."

Re: Orc

[paidinbeer]

"And what if you don't get out?"

Because that was a very real possibility.

"Will you be able to stay standing if they force you into another arena? And another? How many more will you be able to take doing things this way?"

[paidinbeer]

"Oh...sorry." Because clearly it was Orc's fault that he hadn't properly introduced himself yet.

"I'm Orc." He added so that the issue was fixed. Whoever this guy was he seemed nice enough.

[burnedbrighter]

There was a flash of superiority to Azula, as she had recently become more educated on the subject of romance. It would be neglecting in her duties as a mentor if she didn't share her findings.

"Well to put it simply, it's living vicariously." She began fixing her eyes on his.

"Love, affection, lust and friendship are all feelings that can inspire great pleasure and pain. The average human fears the pain, but longs for the pleasure. As such it is so much easier for them to live through the experiences of the tributes. The tributes can suffer the pain that comes with those emotions and it does not hurt the citizens as much. But if they take it into their mind that a particular pairing would make their favorite tributes happy then they in turn get to bask in the radiated happiness of those situations."

At least this was what Azula had deduced.

"Of course they have better things to do, but they may cast aside responsibility in favor of their hobbies. Choosing to do what they want rather then what they should."

[shenunigans]

"No probs, broski." He shrugs it off, not really acknowledging why Orc would apologise at all. He's kind of tough looking for someone so socially awkward.

"Dave." He points his thumb at himself. "I'm the new kid on the blech, I guess. You been here long, Orc?"

[shenunigans]

"There's a couple here for sure. I know them from my verse." He says that with an incredibly casual air. "They don't bite. Much. But they're assholes anyway." He warns, and it's hard to say whether he's joking.

"If it helps, the entire Earth is destroyed where I'm from. If I'm real with you, I've been living on a meteor for a few years." He shrugs. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, though. Doesn't matter much now."

[paidinbeer]

His nods were slow, like most of his motions. It was like he was afraid if he moved too fast he'd break something.

"Three arenas. Got eaten by a giant sand worm, a girl stabbed me through the brain with a spear, and this last time I let my girlfriend turn me into a zombie."

That was leaving out being poisoned, and that Shepard had blown up his zombie self pretty amazingly.

[sithcretapprentice]

This was a strange road the conversation had taken. Love, affection, lust and friendship were not things Starkiller had ever known. All his life, he'd only known hatred and anger. The only thing to ever really touch him were the cold hands of a robot, never a person. He couldn't fathom why it would be so... interesting. Still, he listened to her, intrigued if nothing else.

On some level, he couldn't help think back to his pilot, Juno Eclipse. He'd felt... drawn to her, in a way. On some level, he wonders if maybe he could have loved her. He wonders if he's capable of loving anyone.

"You have far more to say on the matter than I expected," he said after a moment, pulling himself out of those thoughts. Juno was in the past. The only person who came close to her was Hans, and that... was ridiculous. He pushed that firmly away. Hans was in the mini arena and he would be lucky if the man lived. That thought caused his stomach to roll. "Love is a weakness and no one should give the Capitol the satisfaction of exploiting it." His voice hardened, his words firm. Like he was trying to make himself believe it.

[burnedbrighter]

She seemed pleased by his assessment over all and gave him a supportive nod.

"I thought the same way up until recently. Even I am dubious of it's power despite what the citizens and our fellow tributes may think. Some find love an inspiration to keep them going. But as I understand it the strength they find in such inspiration can be powerful and fickle. It can push people beyond their limitations...or it can crush them."

With a sigh she studied her drink intently "It is a tool, a toy, a weapon, it is many things. It requires more study."

[sithcretapprentice]

For the first time since their discussion had started, Starkiller didn't think Azula made sense with that last statement. His eyebrows furrowed, and he gave her a skeptical look. "How, exactly, do you intend to study something like this?" he asked. "Without experiencing it for yourself?"

[burnedbrighter]

She chuckled as if he had told a charming joke.

"Why, by watching others of course. Passions run so high in the Capitol and the arena. You learn from watching those who profess to be in love or who are labeled as being in love. Then you determine who is and is not in actual love based upon the differences in how they behave and what they achieve when love is or is not a factor."

It all made perfect sense to her.

"Just like any other emotion of psychological disease, you just need the right materials to learn from. Of course experiencing it first hand is a great way to learn but it may also cloud your final judgment as personal experience so often does."

This was how Azula dealt with life. She studied it, planned for it, tried to prepare for every outcome and then drive her knife into it's weak spot.

[smarterthanthem]

"... I'm not sure what to say to that." Clementine says after a few moments, because she really doesn't. At least the Earth is still there for her.

"I don't mind. It's just the way things are, what's weird is being somewhere where Walkers aren't."

[sithcretapprentice]

"That's a relief," Starkiller says after she's finished explaining. "Here I thought you intended on trying to fall in love. I would've been really unimpressed."

As if Starkiller is ever impressed with anything. "So. What is it you plan on doing with this information, when you've studied it enough?" As a mentor, he doesn't see how she can use it to her advantage. In the arena, maybe it would come in handy. It could break alliances, or emotionally cripple someone. But outside of it? The effects aren't nearly as great.

[burnedbrighter]

She chuckles and managed to hide her embarrassment with practiced ease. Unfortunately it was worse then that because she was afraid she was already falling in love.

"Well to better understand love and it's power means I can more skillfully encourage and drive my tributes to victory. A happy tribute is a healthy tribute and more willing to train and fight."

"On top of that, love is a useful tool in swaying wealthy benefactors for gifts to the tributes."

[sithcretapprentice]

Starkiller really has no room to judge her, considering his own conflicting feelings in regards to a certain someone. In a way, maybe he's just being overly critical because of that. Bury it under a huge mass of criticism and judgment so that it can't get to him.

"You want to motivate them with the power of love?" The idea was... odd to him. "Isn't that allowing your tributes to give into a weakness? Though you do have a point; it's probably good for getting sponsors."

[burnedbrighter]

"Not the power of love, the promise of it." She corrected him "The pleasure it can bring. Love itself is motivation, and motivation is strength." She explained.

"If the promise of being able to protect or be with those they love is what they need to do anything to stay alive then I would be foolish not to take advantage of it."

[shenunigans]

"Don't worry, I've been working at it for five years and I still don't have a witty way to sum it up. It'll come to me eventually, I'm sure." And he just stares off into the distance for a long moment to illustrate his point, breezing past the severity of the story.

"Uh, I'm pretty sure most people walk around here." He raises a brow, trying to coax her into elaborating without outright asking.

[shenunigans]

If Dave could pale anymore, he would. Fortunately, he's pretty much as white as they come. He gets it. Dying happens a lot, they have to kill each other. They made that clear. He's just been trying to avoid imagining it in terms more complicated than a sword to the gut or something.

"That's..uh. That's really rough." Wow, he is really goddamn good at this. "Does it get any easier? The repetitive dying thing."

[smarterthanthem]

Clementine watches him and decides not to press either. People would either tell you or they wouldn't, pressing usually meant they got angry.

"No, not like that." and it's weird to have to explain the term. While Walkers certainly isn't the only name the dead had come to be known by it was the most common. "Dead people. A few years back they started getting up, started killing anything else that wasn't dead. It's what we call them."