ARENA 08

[gamemakers]

Arena 08
Code Name: La Isla
Size 64.08 Square Miles
Special Areas: The Compound
Opening Date: Saturday, October 19th

Setting:

The tribute platforms rise in a wide ring to encircle this new arena's enormous cornucopia. The first thing in anyone's line of sight, the structure is a massive hulk of a thing, sitting upon a raised and rusted metal platform about three feet off the ground. It is the only other object in the immediate area, aside from the tributes inside a wide and perfectly circular field of grass. The grass in this field is a vibrant green and abnormally overgrown, with stalks that have grown to a uniform height of five feet three inches tall and will conceal just about anything with sensibility enough to crouch, and possibly more. Many little surprises litter the ground - some less enjoyable than others - but mostly just overflow from the massive cache of supplies available at the cornucopia here. The thing is bursting from brim to brim with supplies of weapons, crates of food, bags, tents, lanterns, even a camping stove or two can be found amidst the spoils. It's the largest and most plentiful cornucopia in Hunger Game history, just 200 feet from the edge of your platform and it's all ripe and ready for the taking.

Five hundred feet in the opposite direction is the edge of cornucopia field, and beyond that, a dense tangle of green jungle. The first real objects of note beyond the boundaries of the bountiful grass circle are the numerous, towering steel rods. Placed every 20 feet, these rods encircle the cornucopia field like a gate but are littered throughout the arena, starting at the edge of the grass field and continuing beyond; an entire network of sonic fences. If you listen, you can hear a faint buzzing noise coming from each activated rod.

Outside the grass field, stretches a mountainous jungle, so green and twisted together it seems like a single entity, and a slightly ominous one at that. It smells like it's only just stopped raining, though the skies above are a picturesque blue. The surrounding jungle seems to rise all around you, creeping up the faces of the mountains that rise into the skyline in a crescent shape. Rugged, but not particularly high, even the tallest of the peaks could be summited in a single afternoon. Their rocky peeks jut out from the top of the jungle canopy; craggy grey stone against the lush green and clear sky. Only to the north does the land flatten out, and there you may catch your first glimpse of the blue haze of the sea.

The island itself is fairly large; several miles across, in all directions. Crossing from shore to shore would certainly be an overnight journey. But this is no tropical paradise. This island feels alive. It hums and shakes and groans occasionally. And it does not seem pleased to have you as its guest.

The forests here are thick and lush and crawling with wildlife. But don't dare eat a thing. Absolutely nothing in this arena is edible, unless it's come out of a container. No birds, no bugs, no fish, no spiders. Not even a berry or a blade of grass. While most of these things are fine to touch, everything organic in this arena is toxic at some level. Remember that this arena was not just some island the Capitol claimed as it's own. It was built just for this occasion, and everything here has been designed to kill you. Life in this arena is entirely based on dextro-amino acids; incompatible with human and most other species based on levo-amino acids. By ingesting any form of life on this island, at best you will experience a particularly intense form or food poisoning; vomiting, fever, body tremors, abdominal cramps and vertigo. At worst? I suppose we will be seeing you next arena.

And don't for one moment believe that poisoned jungles are the only thing this island has to offer. No, the more you explore the area, the more you are likely to find. Hidden bunkers and secret towns await you here. It's just a matter of exploring them and finding them that will be the challenge.

Shore to sandy shore, the boundaries of the arena and the dome-shaped force field lie somewhere beyond the edges of the shoreline and is unreachable without somehow crossing the water. But you may want to keep away, if you can help it. The ocean may look serene and inviting, but that is not water out there, but hydrochloric acid slowly eating away at the shoreline. So, if you're drinking the water, make sure it's flowing downstream. Water inland is fresh and clean. Only near the edges does the water mix with the acid.

Center: The Platform Station

The south side of the platform on which the cornucopia sits, has a small, rusty-hinged door. If discovered and pried open, leads to a small underground bunker. This bunker has a small, rusted cot with a thin mattress hanging from one wall by a chain support. A small metal desk and a small metal chair have both been bolted and welded to the floor. They are positioned in the very center of the room and face a wall made entirely of television screens. There are 108 screens that show different camera feeds from all across the arena. Allowing you to spy on and know the potential locations of other tributes.

The door to the bunker may only be opened when the sonic fences are ON, leaving you trapped inside the cornucopia center until they turn off. This door opens outward and cannot manually be locked from the inside.

A force field has been set up directly in front of the television screens. Tampering with them will have no effect. You may look but do not touch.

North: The Caves

The caves are found along the northern cliff-sides that face the sea. Good for hiding and taking shelter from the storms, most caves are deep enough and large enough to conceal several people at once from outside view.

But be wary of the dark pools…

There are fewer sonic fences in the north than anywhere else in the island. And no carnivorous plant life, either. There also seem to be fewer projection sightings here.

East: The Temple

Though the steel rods are still frequent in this area, stone pillars are also worked into the mix. Erected into a large spiral-like pattern, the pillars encircle a small stone fountain. If a person chooses to drink from this fountain, they will find their wounds healed.

There is a small drawback to this however. Your wounds will heal every time you drink from this fountain. But any other liquid consumed will bring all previously earned arena wounds back. Immediately and painfully. So, you better fill up those water bottles.

This is also known to be raptor breeding grounds. Packs frequent this area all throughout the year.

West: The Labs

Rusted cages and empty hidden bunkers are littered throughout the west. Massive hulking ruins of things that obviously contained something very large inside them at some point in time.

There are two large structures here made of crumbling cement and rusted metal and what few windows remain are fogged and broken. Everything is overgrown; invaded by vine and tree and moss and who knows what else. Animal tracks (and droppings) are abundant here. Colorful birds roost in the trees tops of the massive cages and eves of the crumbling buildings. There are several entrances to these buildings, but the structures are deeply unsound. Stairways have rotted out and beams are bending. Venturing into the upper floors is unadvised.

There are a number of small, buried or hidden bunker-like facilities in this area. Eight of them total; doors hidden behind vines and in guise of false tree stumps. The rooms are somewhat odd. Wires hang from ceilings, and metal chairs with straps and wire cages are bolted and welded to the floor. Everything is rusted and old. Some facilities have multiple rooms. Most of the others are vacant. Moldy white hallways lead to dark windowless rooms with broken light bulbs and dented metal tables. Occasionally, old cans of food and stale boxes of crackers can be found in rusty cabinets.

South: The Compound

In a perfect circle there are six perfect houses, each with two bedrooms that sleep two persons each. There is a living room. A dining room. A kitchen. A bathroom. Even a white picket fence. All working. All functional. And all completely stocked. And by that we mean fully loaded: swords, knives, crossbows and spears, fresh water, good food, and a soft bed to sleep in. There's even a tv, and guess what's on!?

And it's all open for the taking.

But only for so long.

Only a certain amount of tributes are allowed inside the compound at a time. But once that magic number has been reached, everyone is locked inside. A force field will be activated around the compound until the Gamemakers decide that a proper entertainment quota has been met.

By entering the compound, your name will automatically be included in the next death roll. In other words, you will have no immunity from death, regardless of character score or cornucopia result, as long as you remain within the compound.

Also of note: at the center of the circle of houses there is a small metal pedestal with an unmarked red button. If you press that button… something might happen.

**Mod Note: Red Button/Compound stuff will be added as a part of the death roll. The compound will not be opening until the second week of the arena.

Survival Information
Cornucopia: Go For It!
Available Fresh Water Sources: Yes; fresh water streams, springs, pools
Available Natural Food Sources: None; all varying levels of toxic

Cornucopia Items: Supplies

Everything here is poisonous. Deadly. Often aggressively so. If you eat anything from the wild, if will upset your stomach to some degree or another. Eat too much of it and you will die. Water however is fresh and clean, so long as it is flowing down stream. The Cornucopia of this arena may very well be your best and only source of food that won't poison you, but we've definitely tried to make it worth your while:

26 Unmarked Watertight Bags; contents unknown
8 Gallons of Peanut Butter
2 Crates of Apples
47 Cans of Spam
300 Cans of Tuna
5 Gallons of Ranch Dressing
6 Crates of Potatoes
16 Cases of Beer
20 Boxes of Powdered Eggs
43 Cartons of Milk
11 Boxes of Whole Wheat Cereal
24 First Aid Kits
16 Sleeping Bags
8 4-Person Tents
5 2-Person Tents
11 Single Person Tents
2 Portable Stoves
47 7-inch serrated hunting knives
56 wooden, steel-tipped spears
9 woven trap nets
60 empty metal water tight containers; holds 1 liter
4 bear traps
10 blow guns with 16 poison-tipped darts
11 silver bows and quivers with 23 silver arrows

During the Arena Opening, you may have the opportunity to grab yourself a few supplies! (At the risk of facing almost every other tribute in the arena at the same time, of course.) If you would like to try your odds at the cornucopia, make sure you reply to the Cornucopia Thread below, and see if you can't get your hands on some goods. Chance of death is 20%.

REMINDER: Cornucopia results are all rolled at once, because there is often a limit on supplies and we don't want the first repliers to be the ones to get all the rewards. As such, YOU MUST REPLY TO THE CORNUCOPIA THREAD BY NOON - 12:00 P.M. (MST) - ON WEDNESDAY. Results will be given the following day.

Wildlife

Aside from the expected jungle creatures; the snakes and the frogs and the bugs and the birds, there are a few, less expect additions to the arena's inhabitants…

• Accipitridae Velociraptorinae or "Raptors"
  
  Yes. You read that right. Velociraptors. Not the real deal of course, but these very vicious and tremendously territorial giant bird-lizards are nothing to trifle with. Around 6-8 feet in height, capable of speeds up to 60 miles an hour, these taloned pack hunters have 10-inch claws and 8-inch razor-sharp teeth.
  
  Raptors hunt in packs of 5-9 and are extremely territorial and frighteningly intelligent. There are dozens of raptor packs throughout the arena, but they will travel across the entire island if they are provoked. If you kill one, you had better hope to kill the whole pack. They hunt for the fun of it.



• Caryophyllales Vīnea or "Man-Eating-Vines"
  
  The dampness of this place spurs the growth of wildlife here as much as a drought spurs on a wildfire. Plant life in this place can be downright vicious. Much of the forest floor (which is most of the island) is covered with a network of carnivorous vines. It will wait until an animal is still and resting, and then wind themselves around their prey, strangling them to death and then eventually, devouring them.
  
  Anything standing still longer than a few minutes on the forest floor will find itself becoming prey of the vines that will cover your feet and wind around your ankles tight enough to leave red angry rashes on your skin. It happens much faster than you would think a plant is capable of moving.
  
  Sleeping on the forest floor is likely to kill you.



• Aquiseridis Merreels.
  
  Imagine the most nightmarish eel you can think up. Make it ten feet long and then give it a human like torso and a set of six inch claws. And then try to remember never to go into the black pools around the northern caves. Merreels are carnivorous. Silent. And can come out of the water for several minutes to hunt their next meal. Avoid if possible.

Immediate Hazards

• Sonic Fences.
  Sonic fences will turn on, island-wide, every two hours: two hours on, two hours off. Never find yourself walking between two of the giant steel rods when they are on, or you will find yourself in agonizing pain for a few horrible minutes. And then you will find yourself bleeding our your ears and eyes. And then you will find yourself dead.
  
  Sonic fences use high frequency sound waves to create a barrier between two of the specialized steel rods. Rods are 8 feet in diameter and 108 feet high. They are controlled from underground and tampering will have no effect on them.



• Downpours.
  
  Torrential. Brutal. Hail and near-freezing water pour from the sky with almost no warning and then cease just as quickly. Storms come and go at least once or twice a day and last about 15 minutes. But during such conditions, visibility is almost impossible for even those with the best of vision. Lower elevation areas and caves are very susceptible to flooding.



• Cliffs.
  
  The island is a rugged, treacherous place full of many steep edges and sharp objects hidden from view behind the dense green foliage of the island. It is also full of many, many tricks. Some of which happen to be holographic projections of your fellow tributes; known allies and enemies alike. These projections are programmed to trick their prey into following them, and unfortunately cliff edges are some of their favourite places to lead you astray.



• Projections.
  
  While not physically harmful themselves, projections are programmed into tricking you into bad situations. Eating things you shouldn't, stepping places you shouldn't, distracting you from paying attention to things you should be paying attention to. Gamemakers have the ability to project the holographic version of any tribute that has been inside this arena, at any time or location of their choosing. Most are triggered by proximity or automatic responses to areas of the arena. Some are just the Gamemakers fucking with you.
  
  **Mod Note: You are absolutely allowed/encourage to play your own character's projection in the arena, at any time. You may also NPC other appropriate characters, so long as they are tributes that have been in THIS arena. (You do not have to have the other character's permission for their projection to appear.) Projections are realistic holographic 3D images, but have no physical form. They will only have a visual and auditory presence.

Attire

Tributes are each outfitted in appropriate undergarments; a pair of simple khaki cargo pants; cotton socks; a brown leather belt; below-the-knee lace up hiking boots; a short sleeved cotton t-shirt; a long sleeved button up cotton shirt. Colours are neutral, plain, earthy tones, but vary in coordinated shades from district to district.

Map

Thumbnail image of arena map below. Click image for full size.

Out Of Character
Cornucopia Thread: Reply here if you're character is going for it!
Game Plotting Thread: A place for everyone to plot new stuff!
Ask A Mod: For all your questions comments and concerns.

Additional Information
All past victors will be allowed to participate in this arena! If you play a mentor character and are interested in jumping into Arena 08, please be sure to check out this post for more information!

Comments

PLOT

[gamemakers]

For all your arena plotting needs!

R || WARM BODIES

[shambler]

R's going to be NOT starting this Arena hungry - he won't be attacking people. :3 He may devolve later to being hungry but he'll be putting in a Herculean effort to resist.

I think the things I know so far are planned are
- Meeting Perry - jaw ripped off?
- Hanging out with Julie(?)
- Open otherwise, but I'd like to keep it pretty survival/horror and not chit-chat. Would also like to avoid having to RP out introductions if possible.

Gambit | X-Men

[rat_des_marais]

Assuming he doesn't die in the Cornucopia because he's going after EVERYTHING, I'm up for any and all plottings. He's also available for killing folks off or fights or saving people or randomly kissing your female characters, so I'm pretty open to anything!

It's his first arena, guys. Make it memorable.

Holiday | Generator Rex

[doc_holi]

I'm still interested in Holiday killing someone off at some point and... honestly, she's due for some serious venting. Fights and things are also up for grabs.

And all the new frands. :3 She wuvs new frands.

Venus, Punchy and Howard

[celebrityskinned]

Venus is playing for keeps. I'm happy to have her try to kill you, have an idle chat, or ride a dino with you.

Punchy is still an Avox and will probably be helplessly trying to get himself killed.

Howard is going to continue being a survivalist motherfucker. He will probably set up shop in a building and rig it with traps. If not, he's keeping to the trees. Also, he's short enough that he'll be hard to see in the high grass. Open to alliances, murders, accidents, whatever.

Sigma Klim || Virtue's Last Reward

[futilecycle]

Sigma is going in with a flu that will get progressively worse as the Arena continues, likely resulting in his eventual death (senior + life sentence in a sterile environment = recipe for disaster). He won't be running for the Cornucopia knowing he'll be a sitting duck, so he'll run away from it and find a water source, damning him to go without food when the sponsors run out. Oops! He won't be killing himself or allow for mercy killing because he wants to set an example, to show other Tributes that there is always hope.

If there's a kind soul willing to help out a dying old man at least once, they would gain Sigma's allegiance and support in the next Arena. Or, here's an easy target, let's see how well he can put up a fight while delirious. :3

Lin Mayuzumi | Remember11

[and_my_pickaxe]

Lin is going to attempt to stockpile food, and the compounds will draw her in like a fly to honey. Her canon is all about being locked in a cramped house with weapons and limited food for an unspecified amount of time, so anyone want to reenact that bloodbath with her? :P

Other than that, she needs some friends, come play with her! She'll be trying to team up with people FIRST THING to avoid being stabbed in the back later. Looking at you, Venus. 8|

Homura Akemi/Donatello Hamato

[iflipmyhair]

Homura will be playing the game, pretty much like a Career. She won't have her powers, so no timey wimeyness, but that won't stop her from trying to be a contender. She will be attempting to make weapons/get weapons, both from the Cornucopia and from things around the Arena.

Donatello, due to events in the alien plot that may or may not ultimately get played out, we'll see will still be in despair mode...but maybe not quite as badly as before. He won't just lash out like he did before, and his indiscriminate killing will be slightly less indiscriminate!

Re: PLOT

[gardienne]

Ok, so Eponine is going into this arena with the last remnants of the flu. She's pretty good at withstanding illness, so she's not too badly off at all.

She's also running for the Cornucopia, in an effort to get herself killed, so anyone who wants to stop that happening would be fabulous.

Other than that, I am open to everything and anything. Who wants the mixed up, vaguely suicidal French kid to deal with?

Pruna | OC

[knifewithnoname]

Okay so Pruna will be going for the cornucopia, Sandy is on hiatus so she will be striking out on her own until she finds more people to either ally with or kill. If she survives the cornucopia

She's tiny enough to be unseen in the long grass so there's that

Oh and anyone who was in Sandy's group in the alien plot (so group two) she wants to murder you, so if any of you want to do anything with that we can!

Shion | No. 6

[savedbyasong]

Shion is not going for conucopia because he will die, and he doesn't so much want to die. However this means he will have no food so allies will be good

And by allies I mean someone who can drag him around and force him to stay alive ;;

He will try an be useful in return. But yes I am open to anything with Shion, he's good for being pushed beyond what he thinks he is capable of

Signless (Homestuck), PJ (Paranatural)

[ohgawhawhawd]

So, I have some tentative plans for Signless already, but I am always always open for anything anyone wants to do with him.

PJ, on the other hand, is completely open, so hit me up if we talked on the CR meme, or if you just want to do something with the 11 year old ghost kid.

Basically, there's SO MUCH COOL STUFF to do in this arena that I cannot actually decide what I want to do.

Psii, Eren

[titansnack]

Psii will be laying low, and doing his best to not die. 8Db He'll probably end up at the labs relatively quickly, and I'm for any sort of interactions with him. Preferably something that results in him getting minor injuries, huhuhu.

Eren, barring death at the Cornucopia, will not be as subtle as Psii is. He's going to do his damnedest to make it out, and while he will have some regrets and hesitation, he is more than willing to take out other tributes. He'll have absolutely no hesitation with nonhuman tributes, though. He needs allies and someone to argue with.

Ian Gallagher | Shameless (US)

[wantwhatiwant]

Ian is going for the cornucopia and providing he doesn't die horribly he will be striking out to go try and survive and why the hell are there dinosaurs. This ripping off his childhood films/tv programmes and making them kill him is not cool guys.

He's not wanting to kill though, so any allies are good.

Initiate / GHb

[carnagecarnival]

On the chance he doesn't die in the copia...

Initiate is going to be looking for particular people to ally with and basically a lot of people to murder. There are some tentative plots but those are only if everything goes right and smooth. Alternate ideas are aaaall good. Throw to see what sticks!

So, anyone want a murderclown?

Beck * TRON: Uprising

[amplifying]

Man I'M SO EXCITED FOR THIS! I haven't posted like, at all since I rejoined so I'm ready to go!

I want to say more about what I want to do but there's...not much I can think of! Beck's going to be having a hard time trying to get readjusted to the games/a user body all over again, so we could play with that! I have no limits!

Neophyte Redglare | Homestuck

[hangingaround]

On the assumption Red doesn't die horribly at the Cornucopia, I'm up for all plottings! I'm going to be on hiatus from about the 23rd to November 7th but I swear to work my booty off at backtags .

Since it's her second arena, Red is a little more familiar with how things work and she's completely available for offing people. She's also going to be sticking to the forests a lot since she grew up in a tree and forests are A+ to her.

Sandy/Harley/Orc/Azula

[justoutrunyou]

I will be on Vacation and AFK till October 28th!
But I'll be happy to plot with any of you about what they should do when I return!

I just KNOW Harley wants to find out what that big red button does.

Sandy will of course be looking for Pruna.

Orc's gonna be lucky if he doesn't end up eating the acid berries just on instinct.

Azula will be looking after her tributes as best she can...but once she starts to go into Morphling withdrawl it'll be dangerous to be around her for everyone.
What else shall we discuss?

Eva

[vissernone]

Beware, she plays to win.

Joan Watson!

[formersurgeon]

Joan is still flatly refusing to kill anyone. Fun! She's available to make alliances, or dress wounds, or just talk to. And more likely than not, to eventually kill. She had a noble, heroic death last time, killed by snakes and not by a person. I'm thinking she needs that trauma this time around.

The Disciple / Homestuck

[disciplewhomsignlessloves]

This is her first arena but she has been watching a few games so she won't be completely out of place.

She's going for the cornucopia and assuming she makes it out okay, she'll be looking for Signless and if she doesn't find him, be heading for the mountains or the caves.

I really don't have anything planned for her besides her getting sick off something she tries to eat.

Barbara Gordon | The Batman

[acro_bat_ic]

Assuming Barbara survives the cornucopia, she's basically going to take to pull a Rue and go for the trees. up in the branches, leaping from one to another... She'll undoubtedly drop down occasionally, to investigate things, but no way is she hanging out with the carnivorous vines. 8|

Red/Ruby Lucas | Once Upon a Time

[grandmas_gurl]

Red doesn't have Snow in this arena, so things are mostly open. If she can manage to get a bow, she'll try to hunt - but we all know how *that* is going to work out, so she'll be sick for a while (IF ANYONE WANTS TO FIND HER SICK, LET ME KNOW)

Other than that, she'll be traveling. Fending off vines. She's good at surviving in the forest, but those dang vines are going to be an issue for her. 8|

If she doesn't find a bunker, hunger will probably drive her toward the compounds eventually. She doesn't want to steal other people's food if she can avoid it.

Julie Grigio (Warm Bodies)

[misscabernet]

Julie didn't get a kill last Arena and didn't really try, but she's gonna be more desperate for it this time. Starving was not a fun game, y'all. So if you're interested in desperate fights to the death for food, this is your girl.

Also she's probably gonna get poisoned bad by eating shit all the time. AWESOME.

Summoner & Cuthbert

[therealrufio]

The Summoner will be showing off his wings and horns and I would LOVE to have him gore someone. No current plans, although I am happy to have him join people as he's social.

Cuthbert will be trying to tet up with Signless and Karkat again and will be open for all kinds of killing people and making fun of them. He will be going in to this arena injured (eye loss and so so replacement for it). I am specifically looking for:
+ A chance to start a fire
+ An excuse to have him sing
+ Awkwardness leading to danger
+ Someone explaining dinosaurs to him