𝓓rais.

on the road to hell, there was a railroad line.

[5poke]

SPOKE  DRAIS.  SHE/HER.  TWENTY-FOUR  YEARS  OLD.  DISTRICT  SIX  TRIBUTE.  CHASE  SUI  WONDERS. 

[brielarsonist]

REBECCA FERGUSON as LADY JESSICA DUNE (2021) dir. Denis Villeneuve

[minervadenier]

She spun a lone digit among the ice and inebriant that she currently held in her grip — a delightfully smooth and freeze-filtered spirit, housed in the most intricate of crystal vessels. These were luxuries that did not exist among the factories and squalor of Eight. She felt the warmth and sensation slowly seep out from her fingertip before finally succumbing to a painful numbness. Even still, she did not retract her finger from her drink. Her eyes glazed over as she stared blankly into the projection of Games’ past before her. On display in the room was a highlight reel of the 24th Games, a sickening display of rubble, sweat, and blood.

Minerva loved her drink, this was for certain. The rotgut liquor she received in exchange for bolts of conveniently misplaced yards of fine fabric was her guilty pleasure. She loved the burn; the knowledge that she was sipping on poison that would one day allow her to slip away from her dreary life once and for all. Her plan had always been to drink herself to death — and her current circumstances wouldn’t hinder this aspiration of hers.

“—I think last year was the mosttt brutal,” she spoke aloud, inhibitions and words made slippery by alcohol. “What do you think these bastards got waiting for us?”

[5poke]

how  long  has  she  been  here  ?  an  hour  ,  at  most  .  half  of  one  ,  at  least  .  spending  far  too  long  on  what  a  normal  person  would  shy  away  from  ,  a  screen  of  rotating  tragedies  .  spoke  slouches  against  the  backing  of  a  plush  lounge  seat  ,  attention  fixed  on  blood  ,  guts  ,  utter  bullshit—  she  grinds  her  teeth  as  one  tribute  finds  a  spear  between  their  ribcage  .  gruesome,  and  still:  spoke  is  less  concerned  with  the  moral  machinations  of  this  killing  game  ,  but  rather  that  she  may  very  well  be  its  next  victim  .  

so  she  is  preparing  ,  even  now  ,  through  the  art  of  desensitization  .  but  the  practice  only  irritates  her  more  .  it  offers  minimal  help  ,  seeing  as  the  girl  has  already  known  death  ;  and  one  could  argue—as  the  residents  of  district  six  do—inflicted  by  her  own  hand  .  a  voice  cuts  through  her  brooding  ,  but  her  eyes  remains  on  the  screen  .  

“  19  was  worse  .  ”  spoke’s  own  opinion  she  takes  as  truth—so  much  that  it  is  delivered  with  a  deadpan  edge  that  can  be  easily  mistaken  for  boredom  .  “  they’ll  do  something  grand  ,  i  have  no  doubt  .  don’t  you  know  ?  25  is  their—  ”  a  deep  breath  ,  next  words  exaggerated  in  mock  enthusiasm  .  “  special  year  .  ”