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

[burnedbrighter]

At first she didn't take her eyes off the screen, one of the tributes...the crazy blond one was promptly kicking the tar out of the chatty older male and it was amusing to her even if she hated Harley on principal.

"Yes well, one can only do so much to fight against the stormy seas of fashion. I find it best to wear what makes me feel good so that I may project an air of confidence, power and superiority. That can be something as simple as training gear of as elaborate as a gown."

Fashion was an important topic to live in the Capitol, but it was not her favorite.

"I would hazard a guess that you weren't just remarking upon the current trend of false facial hair as being ridiculous though." There was usually more to it then that with the more observant tributes.

Re: Orc

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

The FAYZ makes you pathetic.

Howard knew that, but having the food put in front of him kind of drives that home with the force of a titanium baseball bat. His hand, apparently entirely independent from any concerns about fighting between its owner and the offerer, grabs the bao and shoves the bun and pork belly slice into his pocket. After a second, his finger comes back out and wipes up a remain of relish before he licks it up.

He wants to be angry, but the point is he forgave Eponine already - and bros before hos. He knows Orc was just stupid, and that's the part that stings, not being able to even be appropriately angry because it wasn't malice but stupidity. And he should be immune to stupid by now.

"You never bring me food. I'm the one who brings you food," Howard says, sounding almost childish about it. Well, not even almost.

Re: Orc

[paidinbeer]

"Yeah well...I'm the one who does stupid shit. But you've done some of that too. Guess we can take turns."

That was...actually a pretty good comeback. Orc would congratulate himself on that by taking a victory sip of beer. Good job. Let's see if we can keep it up.

"Sorry I tried to eat you."

Well so much for that.

[justoutrunyou]

"Sandy is a nickname. My real name is Cassandra." Something she rarely brought up. Cassandra was a pretty name for pretty girls. Not for her.

"If I don't watch I'll just be freaking out not knowing." She explained. "I've tried before. It doesn't work. I can't sleep. Can't eat. I just wonder and wait. At least this way if she doesn't make it I know to start counting till she wakes up here in the Capitol."

She'd set up her own personal deadline. If anyone had been gone for two weeks but they had already died in the arena it was best to assume they weren't coming back.

[clarityinchaos]

He followed her gaze to the screen briefly. The thing was fairly distracting, but he was fairly used to it by now. "I really couldn't say. But have you looked closely at the Avoxes? Have you noticed they're always silent? They don't have their tongues." He said it as though he were merely making an observation, but they still unnerved him. He tried to avoid interacting with them unless required. It wasn't expressly their fault, but he was also quite sure they hadn't been born that way.

[savedbyasong]

Shion sits with his fists clenched watching the screen angrily. He obviously hadn't been able to do anything to stop Rat being taken. He was in danger again and Shion couldn't do anything to help him. Not that he could have done anything if he was there, but he was even more helpless just watching.

He sat with his knees up to his chest trying to remember to breathe and glaring at anyone who might come near him, with eyes filled with tears.

[ka_sera_sera]

"Most of the time she's quite sane." Roland shrugs. If sai Merrimen needs a lesson regarding that particular word, he's not going to get it from this quarter.

"And the other? Her friend? Do you know the lady-sai well?" Perhaps 'lady-sai' was a little much. But it's either be overly polite about the woman or yell about her. And it's not the time for yelling.

[hit_girl_mindy]

"Hm. Then would you care if I called you Cassie then? I always liked that name, and I kinda dig it a little more than Sandy."

It was a good thing she couldn't hear what the girl thought or she might hit her.

"Sounds like a pretty shitty thing for both of you," Mindy commented. "But you're being a good girlfriend at least, making sure that she's taken care of and all that. I'd probably be losing my mind if I were you."

Re: Orc

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

"Puberty, man," Howard says, and he laughs as if it's an old joke that's long since worn out its novelty, welcome only by its familiarity. He pulls the plate close and licks it before grabbing pieces of the bao from his pocket to eat.

"Was that what happened?" Howard honestly can't remember it, and thought it was a nightmare for a while. He raises his eyebrows and pushes the hood back - not entirely, just enough that Orc can see his eyebrows and all the expressiveness that comes with them.

Re: Orc

[paidinbeer]

Satisfied that Howard wasn't going to try and run Orc took a seat on the floor and it was almost amusing to see that even sitting on the floor he was about as tall as Howard in that chair.

"Eponine wanted to die, so she convinced R to bite her...or nagged at him to do it. Whatever. Then she got scared about dieing alone so when I found her she begged to bite me too. So I let her do it." Not high on his list of best ideas.

"But I still hadn't settled things with you, so I got one of those mask things and get my rocks back. It slowed the zombie thing down but not enough. I saw on TV later how my zombie tried to eat you. Then Shephard blew me up."

That was really the only way to describe the unholy beatdown Shephard had delivered unto his animated corpse.

"I'm glad I didn't eat you." He concluded with a stoic nod.

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

"Maybe you should phase back into it then, in case your enzymes or whatever have broke down." He wonders at the way she tenses, not about the why but about the specifics - zombies or dystopia? Nuclear war or aliens? There isn't a kid here who doesn't come from some awful background or came in as a trained assassin. Clementine doesn't look like the latter to him, then again, neither did Pruna.

"I got a doctor friend, he got me on a weight-gain diet so I don't blow away with every strong breeze." He seems capable of ignoring the screens entirely. He doesn't look over at all.

[justoutrunyou]

She considered it for a moment and gave a single nod of approval. "Cassie's fine."

She sat back in her seat still looking unsatisfied. "I dunno how much I'm taking care of her these days. She's finally got the hang of this...modern world stuff."

Re: Orc

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

There's a simplicity to the way Orc explains things that's both enraging and beyond traditional feelings of anger. What's the point, when there are no questions to be asked? What were you thinking? would be purely rhetorical, because the answer is right there.

"Pretty glad you didn't eat me too." The way he died wasn't painless, but it's been preferable to the ones that came before.

Here's the thing - Howard can hold a grudge like no one's business. But he and Orc have been friends through everything. Howard's literally buried a body for Orc. Orc gave a kid pushing Howard around such a bad black eye he had to go to the hospital. Howard's had Orc spend the night at his house when Orc showed up with a busted nose, no questions asked. Howard's washed Orc off when he was covered in booze-stinking vomit and Orc's picked Howard up and put him on a bed when Howard's fainted from dehydration. There's a bond there that the Capitol is trying to saw away that seems just a bit too tough for the usual theatrics to fray.

So Howard says "I didn't mean it, you know, what I said back in the Arena. I was just mad and saying whatever I could to be an asshole."

Re: Orc

[paidinbeer]

Orc considered the words for a moment and looked hopeful before he sighed and shook his head.

"I dunno what I know man." And he was glad that sounded just as intelligent coming out of his mouth as it had sounded in his head.

"It felt like you meant it, even if I dunno why you meant it. So you didn't mean it when you said you were done with Eponine?"

[paidinbeer]

"Not very well." Everyone knew Harley Quinn was Joker's girlfriend didn't they? But Orc had to remind himself not everyone had grown up with cartoons like he had.

"She's crazy, and dangerous. She says she's a doctor but I dunno. District Nine though." He explained as best he could given his weak communication skills.

[smarterthanthem]

"My mom told me drinking too much milk could make you sick sometimes." Clementine agrees, thinking about it. "I wouldn't want to risk it." But at the same time she wants to eat it again. She wonders if chocolate counts as dairy since she's sure it has milk in it and she's already had plenty of that (and paid somewhat for it too, high sugar foods were definitely something she'd grown unused to).

At his second sentence she looks sympathetic without thinking about it. "Sounds like a smart idea. How does it work?"

[ka_sera_sera]

It's not much, and it sounds like that 'not much' is all the man knows, but Roland listens closely and files away what information is there. Then he nods, grunts a little, and looks over the crowd again, listening closely for another hint of Susannah's voice. That's where most of his attention's going, the listening.

He knows he should be trying to learn more about the creature in front of him. Roland knows tales that might explain such a creature, but they're only tales, and not the ones he remembers clearest. He should be learning about all these people, whenever he can. But right now there's no patience in him for pleasantries.

"If you face her," he begins anyway, because why not? The more these people know what's happening in there, the more they'll learn this anyway. "And she speaks so. You're best avoiding her altogether, if you can."

[shenunigans]

Clem and Dave have that in common, at least. Though deaths were probably fewer and further between from Dave's travels, seeing it in excess still sticks with you more than he'd probably like to admit. But everyone else is so quiet about it, so nonchalant, why would he whine about it? Is it a faux pas?

He's not used to this place at all and there are only two people here he can really say he knows. He's never been very good at making friends, but if watching the broadcast has taught him anything, it's that allies are valuable. At least there's plenty of common ground to approach people with, but glancing around the room of people it takes an iron will to make him begin his approach. Clem looks lonely in that corner, maybe an approach would be appreciated? God stop waffling and do it, Dave.

He slinks closer, heaving himself down in the chair beside her like that walk was so damn exhausting. "They have one hell of a spread here, huh?" He cocks his head toward the food, figuring it's a common interest.

[shenunigans]

As if Orc didn't attract enough attention just being himself, it's the mention of trolls that really gets Dave looking at him. If watching this Arena has taught him anything, it's that he's woefully unprepared and only having two, troll friends here is only going to make it harder. The people in the maze seemed to team up, bro to bro, helping each other and having their backs. He wanted to pretend he was a lone wolf, but he is awkward and clingy and desperate for attention. He needs to start the grade school b.s of making friends- no, allies- all over if he wants to survive.

And really. Nobody here looks like a better and more viable option than Orc for obvious reasons, but it's what he says that gives Dave an in he'd been hoping for rather than approaching out of the blue to say hi.

"Did you just say trolls?" He puts a hand to his heart as if he's surprised to hear it. "The term they prefer is nomosapiens, bro. Have a little respect."

[hit_girl_mindy]

"Cool. It sound prettier than Sandy anyway. I just think of sand in someone's asscrack or something."

Mindy scoffed. "Oh come on. You look out for each other, and you probably still will after this right? You just have to get the hang of the way things are everywhere else."

[observationalhazard]

"Sure!" A grin flits over her face and she vaults over the back of the couch to join Some. She settles in with a sigh of relaxation. Whether it's real or feigned is up in the air.

"Do they always make us watch like this?"

[paidinbeer]

That was enough to make Orc give pause and look puzzled.

"But why does how she speak change things?" He'd met plenty of people who spoke plenty of different ways. It never seemed to change who they were though.

"Besides...look at me. How much can she do?"

[paidinbeer]

"Nomo...what?" Orc blinked and tried to replay the word in his head.

"Say pee un?" He sounded it out and decided it sounded even dumber.

"But everyone around here calls them trolls." He explained sounding a little unsure. Was this guy just having fun at his expense?

[justoutrunyou]

It was hard not to roll her eyes at that comment.

"Mom always said it was because Dad thought he was so funny naming his daughter after his super power." Not that Sandy ever asked him why he'd named her that.

"Of course I'm gonna do my best to help her. But it's mostly her looking after me. I don't think she'll ever need me as much as I need her." Even when it came to modern technology and the way the world worked. Pruna was such a quick learner that Sandy could only help so much.

"If she wins she'll hate having to go to all the parties. But at least the stylists stopped trying to make her wear uncomfortable shoes."

[ka_sera_sera]

Roland looks him over as requested, then back up at his face. He looks, if anything, unimpressed, though not because the figure in front of him is unimpressive. "She's sly and damned clever whatever name she goes by. But if she speaks as she did then," he waves a hand toward the screen, "then the name she goes by is Detta, and Detta is more than deadly. She's cruel."

For a moment he remembers - graceful fingers curled into claws, her body twisting snakelike across the sand. Lovely features knotted with glee and malice. He remembers her slow, rich chuckle. You be findin' dat out. Sho. "And loves nothing more than to be underestimated."

Roland raises his eyebrows then, expression dry. If the other man would like to count on a tougher body to protect him, he's welcome to it.