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The Gamemakers

With the conclusion of the interviews and the final confirmation of the sponsorships, came the morning of a new day. Brought with it was blood and gore, and a bloodbath full of death and murder. The time had come for twenty four innocent tributes to enter the arena, where they would face challenges beyond imagination. Only one could come out alive.

"And so it begins," Alec McCallum commented in a quiet voice, watching with great interest as the Head Gamemaker began to type quickly and expertly at the keyboard at the keyboard in front of her monitor. To Astrid Kaos, his words were lies. She had began planning these Games years ago, back in the middle of Gamemaking school, in an attempt to exceed him. She had thought about every single detail, coming down to exactly how the full moon would tilt to shine on the damp grass. She had spent so much of her time on this arena, and it would all pay off. The beauty of night would be brought to life, mystery and death lurking within every corner.

It would be a success.

Astrid could only give her fellow Gamemaker a shake of her head, displaying her disagreement. Alec did not respond, for he feared the young woman he worked under. He did not want to be dismissed by her hand, or by any hand for that matter. He knew that he could bring lots to the arena; he knew that he would not be a disappointment. There had already been too much of that in his family; his mother had lost all the pride his family had gained years before. Alec had come to earn it all back; he knew that he could.

"Where do you want me at?" Alec spoke once more, his voice subtle and soft. Astrid pondered upon his words for a moment, before pointing the monitor only feet away from where she stood. Alec turned to it, his eyes finding the screen split into two. On the left hand side, he saw the faint outlines of large houses through the darkness, while on the right he saw a dense forest shimmering in the light of the glowing moon. He walked towards the monitor, his eyes focused on the screen's showings. Taking a seat in the velvety cushion of the spinning chair, Alec checked all of the statistics of the arena. If Astrid wanted it all to be perfect, then that was exactly what Alec would make sure of.

Arielle Maple was not present during the final adjustments of the arena. She was out, "running errands", as she liked to call it. She had informed Astrid that she was taking care of the President, and that she was sweet talking to the rest of the Capitol. After all, Astrid hated talking. Arielle was the face of the Gamemaker team in public, answering all the questions any citizen had. She was the sweet face, the one everyone in the Capitol knew. Alec would sometimes come with her, but most of the time, Arielle was on her own.

The only part Arielle liked about her job, was the fact that normally Head Gamemakers were the ones talking to the Capitol. She liked the fact that only Head Gamemakers had done it before, and she liked to pretend that she was Head Gamemaker when she was addressing the Capitol. For once, Astrid was not first because Arielle Maple was. Yet, it was only for so little time, and it was only in a fantasy world, although Arielle hoped that one day her dream would become reality.

Hurrying through the rainy roads of the capitol, Arielle splashed through the puddles which had gathered on the concrete roads. Her shoes sunk into the water with each step, and she lifted them out, soaked. Her feet were drenched in water, and her socks were almost too heavy for her to carry on. But she did, for she had just finished up her job, and she needed to get back to the rest of the Gamemakers for the bloodbath. Arielle didn't think that she would be able to make it back in time.

Despite her lack of belief, Arielle hurried. She ran not in gloom that she would miss the blood and gore, but rather in fear. Astrid would suspect of her activities, and that wouldn't be good. If anyone knew of her gossiping and spreading of rumors and the President and Gamemaker secrets, then she would be dismissed from the Gamemaker team. No, she would be executed by the President. All of her work would have been nothing, and she would die without becoming Head Gamemaker.

Arielle could not let that all happen.

Lost in her thoughts, Arielle didn't realize that she had stepped in an enormous puddle until it was too late. The water splashed up to her waist, drenching her entire dress from her belt down. She grimaced, but before she could curse under her breath, she lost her balance. She found her legs giving way, and she slipped as her feet got swept into the air. She closed her eyes as she fell, waiting for the impact to come.

The water never engulfed Arielle, for the impact never came. Instead, she found strong arms catch her, and she forced herself to open her eyes. Her gaze shifted upwards, and she found herself staring into a stormy gray, with speckles of silver. They were the eyes of a young man, so captivating. They took away Arielle's breath, and he gave her a small smile.

"Thank you..." Arielle whispered to the young man nodded before replying.

"Of course, what is such a pretty young lady doing out here? The Games are about to begin..." The man's voice was smooth and alluring, and it was just as beautiful as his eyes. Arielle paid no attention to what he had said, instead her eyes were focused on his messy but beautifully swept hair. His face seemed so familiar...

"Do I know you?" She asked. The man looked slightly taken aback by the question. He tilted his head to the side in a gorgeous way before replying.

"I left long ago, making a mistake I regret to this day. There was a girl I loved, but I left her. I made such a stupid mistake. I've come back to tell her, because she is still the love of my life. I do not remember you, but perhaps long ago you knew of me," the man replied. Arielle's expression fell at his words. There's another girl, she thought bitterly. Sighing, she looked back at the man.

"What's your name?" She asked, her voice soft and almost regretful. Why do I always fall for the forbidden ones, she thought with grief in her heart. The man looked at her, holding her gaze. They held so much sorrow, and memories, and Arielle could see pure love inside of them. He was madly in love with some other woman, one who was so very lucky. The man spoke in a deep voice, one that was as smooth as butter. It had caught the attention of so many girls long ago, but to him, only one mattered. He had broken her heart long ago, and he had come back to mend it, and fix all of the many mistakes he had made.

"Ayden. Ayden Evans."

. . .

The Task: The Second Choice

Welcome all, to the second task of Author Games: Maybe, Maybe Not. It is time for all of you to enter the arena, and indulge in a very gory bloodbath. The second choice has arisen.

In which will you seek a place to hide- would you choose nature or creation of man? The time has come for you to choose...

The bloodbath of the 221st Hunger Games has come. Twenty-four tributes dressed in black arise to the arena on their pedestals. They find themselves in a dark arena, also known as Eternal Night. Without a sun nor stars, the arena knows only of a moon. A full moon is in the sky, casting its glow on the center of the arena where a gleaming Cornucopia sits. The tributes are placed in a circle around it, equally spaced apart from each other. Backpacks and other supplies litter the grass, with the most valuable objects closest to the golden horn. At first glance, it's a simple matter of fight or flight.

On one side of the arena, past the pedestals, lays a dense forest. Tributes cannot see inside of it, as it is much too dark. But they can make out the faint outlines of the trees, whose green leaves shimmer in the moonlight. Behind them, the outline of a number of gentle, rolling slopes can be seen. There are multiple places for your tributes to conceal themselves within. This side of the arena mimics the purest of nature, and is just as beautiful as a real forest.

On the other side of the arena, just a little ways after the pedestals, tributes can make out the outlines of houses. A number of buildings created by man line up in several rows, with faint lights that can be seen in only some windows. Past the small town of houses, towering skyscrapers stand tall above all else. They are stocked with windows and floors, and they contain numerous places to hide. This side of the arena displays all that made by man.

Your tribute must choose to either seek shelter in the forest's natural beauty, or man's well-structured buildings. This choice is made only after your tribute chooses to either fight in the bloodbath, or flee. Which every one you pick, fight or flee, your tribute must leave the center of the arena. They must choose either the forest, or the town. Allies should be going in the same direction, as they're together after all.

Show off all of your fighting descriptions, and the emotions that your character experiences as they kill or watch someone kill. This is yet another entry for you to shine, as there are a number of people who have trouble with bloodbath entries. We are excited to read what you all come up with, and we wish you luck. The 221st Hunger Games have officially begun.

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Word Limit: 2,500

Due Date: Eastern Standard Timezone (EST): 3:00 PM, Saturday, June 25th, 2016 **If you have trouble converting, please contact us and we'll be happy to help.

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Deaths: 6

Ballots: 3

SIX of you will die during this deadly bloodbath and, unfortunately, will be eliminated from these Games.

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Bonuses:

~First Entry (+0.5)

Any others are still to be decided on. Maybe, maybe not.

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Sponsorships:

The Gamemakers have decided to give a special gift to each of the sponsored...

Nefyn Lore - "Bloodbaths are dangerous, and that's why I've decided to give you an extra something as Head Gamemaker. Your pedestal will rise, but not a part of the circle with the other 23. Instead, it will be right beside the Cornucopia, which will give you a head start. I hope you can use this to your advantage." -Astrid Kaos

John Linen - "Choices are difficult decisions, but unfortunately, I cannot help you decide. Instead, your stylist will give you two hand grenades before you enter the Games. Hopefully, you'll be able to use them wisely enough to start a kill streak in the Bloodbath itself." -Astrid Kaos

Mara Risso - "I'd hate to see your pretty face be marred by blood today, Mara. When you rise into the arena, the good supplies might mostly be stacked at the Cornucopia, but one of those curved daggers you love and a small pack will be waiting for you, only two yards away. Mind you, be ever so careful, because the other tributes around you will be wanting them too." ~Arielle Maple

Amaranthina Mandala - "Both of us are the same that we love to keep things neat and clean, slipping by without dirt. I've provided your stylist with special shoes and clothing, so that you may run swift and perfectly, absolutely silent, and the colour of your attire will both be camouflaged as well as good for hiding crimson stains." ~Arielle Maple

Winona Kellam - "With your head held high comes with a tendency to feel overconfident. I do worry slightly for you Winona, so I will hand you a very bright flashlight to help you find your way through the arena. Something tells me that you will need it for this deadly opening." -Alec McCallum

Vyla Nightingale - "Perhaps I can help you get a little trick up your sleeve if you haven't had any ideas as of yet, Vyla. I will hand your stylist 5 concealable throwing knives to pass on to you--ones that you can easily stow in your pocket without the other tributes knowing. They'll work just as fine as any dart. Use them wisely." -Alec McCallum

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Ballot Challenges- Perks/Penalties

Ballot Rank - Ballot Perk / Penalty

1 - The Gamemakers are amazed to see someone already being targeted above the others. Because of that, you will be granted a perk of an unlimited word count.

2 - The other tributes see you as a half threat, and the Gamemakers don't care much. You'll be penalized by getting a reduced word count of 2,000 words.

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Entry Formatting:

It has been brought to our attention the fact that we have not included any entry formatting. I, Moon, did that on purpose, because it really doesn't matter that much as long as we know who it is, and who the ballots and such are. There is no point in deducting point for such a silly reason. Therefore, we just ask that you make it clear what tribute it is, and who your ballots / in entry deaths are. Other than that, it can really be formatted however you want.

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MAY THE ODDS BE EVER IN YOUR FAVOR. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS, DON'T HESITATE TO PM OR COMMENT!