dear_mun | On apping to route

Just be glad you're not joining me, Spencer. I'd hate to end up watching each other die instead of saving each other's asses.

On the other hand, Emily and Derek are around somewhere.

Edited 2012-09-09 15:30 (UTC)

Wait, what? What do you mean, watching each other die? And what about Emily and Morgan?

[Emily's told him about the Games, but he doesn't know that Eliot and Morgan are there too.]

First thing my mun did was send me over to TheGames. Emily and Derek are there, too, although I haven't seen either of them in a while.

I'm glad you're not there. It's... exhausting. Trying to stay alive long enough to try and get at least one of the kids our of the cycle... And now they brought my brother in.

[Of course, that's not the worst of it anymore but he can't even stand to talk about that yet.]

You and Morgan are in the Games too?

[Oh, you thought he worried about you before...]

...I didn't know you had a brother. [He grimaces, wishing he had something to fidget with.] Has anyone killed you?

Yeah... Wait, you knew about Emily?

Well, I have two, actually. But it's my twin brother they pulled in. I'm not sure how well he can handle this. He's a lawyer not a fighter.

[You had to ask that, didn't you? Those aren't his happiest memories ever. He rubs his right wrist, wincing slightly.]

Twice, now. It's... different.

Edited 2012-09-09 19:22 (UTC)

Yeah. She told me about the Hunger Games. [He swallows nervously. He does not like the sound of this. Not at all.] From what my mun tells me, a lot of the people in the Hunger Games aren't fighters.

[Yes, he had to ask. The fact that his friend has died is something that he'd like to know about. He tries to keep his reaction quiet, keeping his voice soft and his tone even.] Is there anyone else there that either of us know? [He doesn't want to leave Eliot, Emily, and Morgan there alone. He won't say it since he knows that Eliot would be firmly against his coming, but he's going to try to talk his mun into putting him in the Games.

...Yes, he knows it's stupid.]

[Eliot scowls darkly, promising extreme pain for some of them.] A lot of them are just kids. Or barely more. There's a few of us fighters. And a couple crazies. Not Parker-crazy. Unsub-crazy.

Well, I know my brother, obviously. You don't know Finnick or Annie, do you? And there's a kid I met once, Alex Rider. [He pauses for a moment, eyeing his friend closely] Please, tell me you're not thinking of getting your mun to send you there, Spencer!

Well, if the purpose of the Games is entertainment, then adding a few violent psychopaths to a group of largely innocent people isn't surprising. [Despite the fact it's not surprising, it still makes him feel a little sick.]

I don't know any of those people. [And then cue his most innocent look ever.] What are you talking about? Of course not! I don't have a death wish! [He's lying through his teeth, and he's not very good at it.]

I know, but... [He sighs quietly.] Even without them, I'm not sure who I'll be if I ever get home. [He's already becoming more like the man he'd thought he left behind with Moreau.]

Spencer, don't bother tryin' to lie to me. You're terrible at it and you should know better than to try to con a con. Do not get your mun to bring you there. You're too pretty. The dyin'... That's the easy part.

You'll be Eliot, regardless of what happens. [He says it like it's the simplest thing in the world. He's not blind to what Eliot's capable of, but he knows his friend. He knows that he'll do what he feels like he has to do, and then do his best to be a good person (even if what he does isn't legal) once he doesn't have to do it anymore.

Although he does look a little quizzical. (Pretty? Really? Fourth person to use that exact word for him.)] Why does what I look like matter? [An inkling is seeping in from the back of his mind, but he firmly pushes it away. No way. No way. Muns aren't that cruel, right?]

You mean what's left of me. [He sighs heavily. He already has a hard time looking in the mirror again.

He looks like he's about to throw up.] Spencer, you're a genius. Why do you think it matters?

... [Well, now he's definitely going to try to talk his mun into putting him in there.] ...I guess it fits in with the gladiator theme. [In Ancient Rome, gladiators shared the same status with prostitutes.

He shakes his head and averts his eyes.] I won't try to go. [Yes he will. He absolutely will, because you and Morgan and Emily are all in trouble and he has to see if he could possibly help at all. After all, despite what Eliot might think, Reid highly doubts anyone would try bidding on him (he's too awkward, he's too skinny, he's too clearly inexperienced, he's not pretty, so on and so forth), which would really be the only thing that would actually terrify him to the bone.

Reid does not have a realistic view of how attractive he is. He does have a realistic view of how killable he is, though.]

Damn it, Spencer! The least you can do is stop lying to me! Even if you won't listen, at least do that much for me!

[He glares at his friend. Damn it, where's the kid's team when he needs them?]

You do realize there's a reason Derek calls you "pretty boy"?!

I wouldn't need to lie if you weren't asking for me to just sit back, Eliot! I can't know about my friends in a situation like this and do nothing.

He calls me that because he knows it's exasperating and he likes to tease me. That's his reason. [...It's really never occurred to him that Morgan might actually mean it.] I really don't think I have to worry about that. [He should probably worry more about getting stabbed in the face. Wait a second, why are they having this conversation, this should all be obvious]

Yes, you can, Spencer, because getting yourself sent there will just mean I have someone else to worry about. I already have Lindsey, Momoko, and Ariadne to look after. I don't need to worry about you, too!

[Eliot sighs exasperatedly and rolls his eyes.] Yes, he says it to tease you. But he would never have thought of it if it weren't true.

I can worry about myself, thank you.

[Oh look, one of those moments were he's actually explicitly expressing independence. Someone's getting better at standing up to Alpha personalities.]

Either way, it's not something I actually have control over. It's up to my mun. [But he'd still like to disagree with the pretty comment. Even if you're right, there are people far more attractive than him there, right? ...Right?]

I never said you couldn't. But that doesn't mean the rest of us don't worry about you anyway.

Which may just be a good thing for a change. [Damn it, Spencer, how can you still be this naive?! You're a fucking genius and an FBI agent for shit's sake!]

You should focus on worrying about the kids in there. I'll figure things out for myself. [Although some in-game help learning those fighting techniques you taught him in the memes would probably be helpful.

It's not naivete; it's poor self-esteem, obliviousness, and a little denial for spice.] It might turn out the same either way. My mun really likes hurting me, in case you haven't noticed, and something as lighthearted as the game she's apped to won't satisfy her sadistic urges. [...Also, she likes the bidding idea. So he's fucked.]

[As if he can stop worrying about anyone he cares about. You should know this by now, Spencer.]

Sounds a bit too much like my mun. [At least Spencer will have company...]

[He likes pretending that he doesn't inspire massive amounts of worry, kthx.]

So you see, you shouldn't get angry at me. I have no say in what happens. [...Except he's going to actively try to talk her into it, so that's not completely true.] Besides, w-we don't even know if we'd meet in the game. [Which would actually be a little upsetting since he considers Eliot one of his closest friends, but at least it would cut back on the worry that they both would have to grapple with.]

[Sure, pretend you're not a trouble magnet, Spencer.

He gives the kid a look.] That's only true if you weren't the one who begged for it in the first place. And we would meet. Our muns would see to it.

[Why yes he will, thank you.

He throws up his hands.] Well, it's out of my hands now. It's up to her.

Then when we meet, we can help each other survive. If what my mun says is true and there are training centers, then I could just look at the list and descriptions of edible and poisonous plants and remember it all. If they have other useful written information, I could look at that too. [Wait, if they're in the gladiator games, what happens if the Capitol wants them to kill each other?]

Just stop prodding her to take you there. I'm serious!

That'll last until we get down to the last four or so. After that... [He shakes his head.] Shit gets crazy. Yeah, there's a training center. I could help you throw a punch halfway decent.

Eliot, what do you think you'd do if the situations were reversed?

Quick thinking could mean everything in that situation, and I'm good at quick thinking. [He crosses his arms, giving a small wry smile.] You know, between you, Morgan, and Emily, I think I'd get a lot better at fighting really quickly.

[Big sigh.] That's not the same. This... It's not exactly my first time doing this sort of thing, Spencer. I already know how to handle it. [Okay, he's never been in exactly this situation before but Moreau and what led up to him were close enough.]

Yeah, you are. You might even be able to talk Gray down. Not sure anyone could do much about Tate, though. You'll have a lot to learn. They don't give us guns. Promise me something. If you do end up there, don't go for the Cornucopia. Let me handle that. We can meet up after and I'll give you a weapon.

Eliot, it's not exactly my first time, either. [Reid's had to kill before. More than once, he's had to kill someone who was too sick to even know what they were doing.]

Who are Tate and Gray? [He frowns quizzically.] If you insist, but what does the Horn of Plenty have to do with anything?

I'm not just talking about the killing, Reid. I know you've killed before when you had to. Do you know how to start a fire with no matches? How to hunt? How to survive with almost nothing? How to use a spear, knives, or a bow and arrows? What are you going to do when you're out of the Arena, watching someone you care about die on screen again and everyone else is cheering?

You remember I mentioned the two crazies? They'd be Tate Langton and Alastair Gray.

Horn of Plenty... [He laughs humorlessly.] More like a death trap. It's a giant cornucopia made of... Well, not gold, but something that looks a lot like it. They fill it with supplies and weapons. It's your best chance to get a decent weapon and some basic supplies or food. Which, of course, means that it's generally the site of a major bloodbath as soon as the countdown's over. Promise me you won't go for it. At least, not until you've learned to fight better.

I theoretically know how to do all that. [...Yeah, he's going to be slaughtered.] And I'd do what I do in the field. I'd compartmentalize. [And then collapse the moment he was out of the Arena again, but at least it'd be when he wasn't fighting for his life. He's got an amazing ability to pick himself up and carry on no matter what, even if he does carry every trauma with him.]

That is... a surprisingly clever way to start it all off with enough drama for television. How long have they been doing these gladiator games? [He quickly holds up a hand.] Wait, don't answer that. I don't want to know. [He lets his hand drop again, working his jaw.] I won't go for it, Eliot. I do have a realistic idea of what would happen if I got into a fight where the other person wanted to kill me. I doubt I would really survive for long inside the Arena the first time, though, especially if I didn't have a chance to properly research what I was up against.

[He runs a hand through his hair, biting his lip.] Eliot, what happens if we meet each other in the Arena and neither of us remembers a thing? [It's an awful thought, but without any preexisting relationship, the most sensible thing for Eliot to do would be to gut Reid the moment he had a chance. And Reid knows that if they got into a fight, there would be no contest.]

Theoretical knowledge won't do you any good unless you get some time in the training center first. Compartmentalize. Great. But that only works for so long. And don't let anyone give you medication outside the Arena. It's probably addictive.

Only seventy-five years. [Yes, that's sarcasm.] Good.

Same thing that happens when we meet anyone else there. Not all the other tributes are kill happy. We do what we have to, look out for each other when and how we can. Not including the kill happy crew.

Good thing I plan on spending all the time I can in the training center, then. In a game like this, survival skills and creative thinking are ultimately what will give a person an edge. After that, it's a matter of avoiding people who want to kill you and making that entertaining enough for a television audience.

Addictive? [He purses his lips.] I'll, uh, I'll keep that in mind. Thanks. And compartmentalizing only needs to last until I'm out of the Arena.

And what happens if the 'kill happy crew' die before everyone else? [The Capitol wouldn't tolerate everyone scattering and waiting to die of natural causes. They'd demand blood, and blood would have to be provided.] ...Listen, I know you don't want to hear this so I'll just say it once: I don't blame you for anything that happens in the Arena. [It makes him very uncomfortable to say, but it's true. If it turns out that he and Eliot have to fight... He doesn't want his friend to think he resents him if he does what he has to to survive.]

Edited 2012-09-13 14:36 (UTC)

Just be careful of how you come off to the cameras. They catch everything. The public won't see everything, but the people who matter will.

It needs to last whenever you're in public. Whatever you do in the Arena, you need to be able to keep up the act in the Capitol.

We'll deal with that if it ever happens. Right now, several of us are just trying to get the girls out of the cycle. Even if it means we have to fight each other to do it. Once they're out, I guess we'll have to talk about who's next.

And... Thanks. But I won't fight you.

Edited 2012-09-13 16:52 (UTC)

What do they do outside the Arena? Why would they watch me then? If we're going by the gladiator model, they should really only care about the contenders or the people who win frequently, not someone like me. [Again, underestimating prettiness. And the Capitol's sadism, but mostly prettiness.]

The girls? Who are the girls? [He's assuming either kids or people just barely done being kids, since those would be Eliot's priority.]

...If you say so. [He doesn't want Eliot to be punished for refusing to fight him, but if they're lucky, he won't be. If push comes to shove, they'll probably just end up fighting over refusing to fight with each other.]

Edited 2012-09-13 19:42 (UTC)

Spencer, you are a contender until you win. And once you've won, you're a mentor. Either way, you're a celebrity as long as you're there. And even if you weren't, there's the President and the people under him. Think about some of the Unsubs you've profiled. It's all about control.

Momoko, Ariadne, and Lottie. Momoko's still a teenager. Ariadne's still in college. I'm not sure how old Lottie is, but she's young and she has no clue how to survive something like this on her own.

[If it would ever come down to that, Eliot would find an excuse to go off by himself and commit suicide rather than put Spencer through the cycle again.]

[...Oh God, celebrity. Is it weird that that's almost worse than being dumped in a gladiator match for him/] You mean they all pay attention to you, regardless of how skilled you are? [Oh jeeze, yeah, that's going to be uncomfortable. But hey, he's dealt with worse. He just needs to think of them as unsubs. He knows how to deal with unsubs.] If they want control, you have to make them think they have it.

[Those are all interesting names. Except Lottie--Lottie's probably just short for Charlotte or something. Regardless, Reid can't help but grimace. That's all way too young to be put in a place like that.] Then you're working together with other people to make sure one of them wins so they're out of the Games?

[Reid would be so fucking pissed at him. And the Capitol probably wouldn't be too pleased, either. Do you have any idea what the Capitol does when people defy them and they clearly have someone they care about there?]

That's exactly what I mean. We don't have to make them think it. They do. Over a lot of things. The only thing they can't control is who we are under the mask.

That's what we're trying to do. Ariadne still has a chance this time.

[He's not too worried. They'll still get their Victor. He can handle torture and other than that, he can't think of anything worse they can do to him than what they already are.]

...What other things do they control? [He really wants to know. He's not a man that necessarily needs to be in control at all times, but he hates having it taken away from him.

Nonetheless, he's willing to do it. He's willing to go there, because with a system like that, there's going to be rebellion. Every rebellion needs as many brilliant minds as it can get.

Well, if you're not scared of what the Capitol would do, maybe you would be of Spencer. Because he would hunt you down the moment he was out of the Arena and chew you out like you've never been before. (And there may be a couple tears to be had because that would be a lot for Reid to deal with.)]

The media, the food supply, the entire economy, our friends lives, whether we find a way home... And they have security cameras everywhere. I only know of one place where we have any kind of privacy.

What place is that?

Our future, apparently. They call it Panem.

That can't be our future. We... what could possibly happen to turn us into that?

I know there was a civil war about 75 years ago. But the basic structure was already there. I haven't heard how that happened yet.

On apping to route_29

Oh, hey!

Hey there! How've you been?

Mostly good, you?

Busy, but it's easing up thankfully

That's good. Also been busy...

Has it been easing up for you at all?

More like just started...

Ugh, that sucks. >.< You have my sympathy

Well, my boss cut my hours for at least the next two weeks. Good for my schedule, bad for my budget

Hopefully you can tighten the belt enough to make it for two weeks?

Yeah, but with the kind of shit he's been pulling, I suspect it'll be 8 hr weeks for a while...

Jesus, that sucks. Anyone you can complain to? :(

Kinda... Just a bit afraid that it won't do any good. Think I know why he did it, but no proof...

Do you think there's discrimination or something?

Harassment, yes. Discrimination, no. He tries to cause problems for everyone from what I hear.

If enough people come forward, isn't that acceptable proof?

Proof that he shouldn't be in management, theoretically. Not proof of why he cut my hours.

If you can prove a pattern of behavior, then you could make a case...

Which would depend on if they'd talk to my coworkers and if they'd corroborate it :-/

Maybe you could ask your coworkers about it. I wish I could help. :\ Good luck with that.

Looking for something else...

Like what? You could call up one of those free legal advice lawyers and ask how this'd go down

There's an idea... I wish I could go all Leverage on his ass.

You can always see if there are thieves for hire, but I think lawyers would be easier to find

Except I'd rather not have to go either route... Just wish I knew how to pull off Sophie's tricks.

Don't we all >.<

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Oh, hai! :-)