BS? This certainly isn&#x27;t the kind I&#x27;m used to.

#acpupdate3 #acpday3 #Parker Yim #(Big gif.)#(oops)

Keep reading

#womp #ks

Notable events

After immediately waking up, I delved further into the cave I was residing in to help my frostbite. I was cured, yet I became a glow stick. As a result, another tribute, Everest, found me. I think we have formed an alliance for the moment.

Current location

Small igloo in the northwestern part of the arena.

Injuries

Fractured rib, broken right shoulder, and cuts across his chest. All of which have been minimally treated.

Weapons

1 bullwhip, 1 long sword, 1 tomahawk, and 1 dagger.

Items

Sleeping bag, gloves, two containers, extra rope, and rose quartz.

Sustenance

Multiple squirrels and a bit of snow.

From Nature Itself | Day 3 | Everest and Parker

Everest reached out but grabbed Parker’s hand instead, pushing it back towards him. “Not hungry.” The wolf meat still remained in his stomach, but that wasn’t to say he didn’t need to eat the following day.

As Parked filled up on squirrel meat, Everest unzipped his pack and placed it in front of him. Though no words were exchanged, it was clear he was letting Parker offer whatever he couldn’t finish.

#From Nature Itself #Everest McKinley #Parker Yim #acpday3

Delicately, I nibbled on my last squirrel that I had cooked, looking at the ground to avoid his gaze. It was only until I finally finished did I look back at Everest, handing him the rest of the cooked meat.

“I think it’s getting late,” I started, “and maybe we should hold back on going to a different part of the arena. Y’know, conserve our energy and then tomorrow we can continue?”

“Shelter,” Everest replied. He certainly was blunt with his words, but I didn’t mind at all as I stood up and looked around. It actually wasn’t that late. Probably 4 o’clock or so, but finding a shelter would take the rest of the day.

“Mind helping?”

For the rest of the day, Everest and I spent our energy into making another igloo, far enough from the bridge. It was discreet from a distance and easily layered from view by the immense amount of trees in the area. By the time we finished packing the very thick walls, it truly was late, the skies having turned a dark shade of blue. Having called it a day, we crawled inside, my skin illuminating the tiny room.

We both seemed to be comfortable even if our igloo was relatively small. I pulled my uniform down from my chest, looking at the writing Pearl carved into me. The cuts looked inflamed, some still open, others hard and calloused. They seemed to be doing alright regardless, but I needed some sort of antibiotics.

I unzipped my sleeping bag and wrapped it around myself to try and limit the amount of my light exposure. The room immediately became darker. It was quiet, and I wasn’t sure if it’d be worth it to talk. But I spoke up anyways.

“Did you have to fight with any of tributes yet?”

From Nature Itself | Day 3 | Everest and Parker

I brushed the dust off myself after he helped me up, paying extra attention to my shoulder. I lifted the layers from my shoulder and peeked underneath my bandages. It was bruised, just as it was when I woke up.

“Hm?” I said, “Oh, no. I’m– No. It’s okay. I already had this before.” I adjusted the bandages before I spoke again, “Uh… Thank you… for not murdering me.”

Keep reading

Though his stomach was full, Everest could hear Parker’s growling loud and clear. Everest sat in the snow and fished through his supplies to find the broken macehead. As Parker peered down, he noticed some food wrapped together in paper deep in the bright pink pack.

“Hey are you gonna eat that–” Parker started before reaching down. Suddenly he felt a swift slap of his hand.

“Not food.”

“Oh uh….okay?” Parked was perplexed, but continued to observe the peculiar tribute.

“Watch.” Everest indicated towards the zipped up pack in the snow before disappearing behind the trees.

Parker took a glimpse from his spot as Everest walked through the woods, walking carefully and quietly as he held his ear up to a tree. With a sharp knock against the trunk, a family of squirrels swarmed out of the crevaces and holes in the tree, fleeing for their lives but only found demise.

Parker flinched as Everest smashed and stomped and even bit at the creatures, returning back to their spot with two arms filled of the critters. He dropped the squirrels at Parker’s feet, with one final one dropping from his mouth with a soft plop on the pile.

#From Nature Itself #Everest Mckinley #Parker Yim

Some of them still seemed to be moving. I bent down, shuffling through the pile of squirrels and came across one screeching violently. I picked it up, gently. I didn't want to cause the squirrel any more excessive harm, so I made it quick and snapped its neck in half. Looking back at the pile, the rest seemed to finally die.

I reached into my bag and pulled out my quartz along with my dagger and sat down, the snow crunching under my weight. I started to skin five, washing the blood off my hand with snow. I looked up at Everest and asked, "Mind getting some tinder and sticks?" He nodded, and went back into the forest to collect bark and some branches as I cleared the area for the fire.

It took awhile, but I finally was able to get the fire going with the quartz. It was a little nerve wracking to have Everest watch me the whole time. But only because I didn't want to make him impatient. I offered him the first cooked squirrel.

"Want it? I figured since you got the squirrels, you get first dibs."

From Nature Itself | Day 3 | Everest and Parker

It didn’t take a genius to tell the difference between predator and prey, fortunately Everest was far from one. And fortunately for Parker, the brutish tribute had no reason to attack what would cause no harm to him.

Everest reached down and helped Parker to his feet with a heave. Though he had no idea who this person was, as long as they weren’t aiming to off him, the feeling would be mutual.

“Hurt?” Everest asked. If he was going to have a new ally, he didn’t want them to be a burden.

#From Nature Itself #Everest McKinley #Parker Yim #acpday3

I brushed the dust off myself after he helped me up, paying extra attention to my shoulder. I lifted the layers from my shoulder and peeked underneath my bandages. It was bruised, just as it was when I woke up.

“Hm?” I said, “Oh, no. I’m-- No. It’s okay. I already had this before.” I adjusted the bandages before I spoke again, “Uh... Thank you... for not murdering me.”

From Nature Itself | Day 3 | Everest and Parker

Everest stood still as he heard the breath of another tribute. Knowing behind him were his former allies, it was clear it was a possible predator. Hunching down, he crept forward as the footsteps grew.

As Parker stepped into proximity, he saw the bright eyes of Everest one second too late to bring his weapon forward. With a leap and a thump, Parker found hiself under the pin of Everest, with his neck suddenly being gripped.

Everest wore a feral face as he pressed his thumb down under the tribute’s collarbone. The pulse was quick, but not quite at the speed of one who was ready to attack.

“Not. Fight.” He mumbled with a low tone.

#From Nature Itself #Everest McKinley #Parker Yim #acpday3

I spun in circles, trying to place where the other tribute was. The darkness was immense. Admittedly, I was afraid of the dark, yet I was more so afraid of what was in the dark. My heartbeat accelerated and my fingers twitched for my dagger. I reached for it, but at the same time, I saw the eyes of the other one in the cave, illuminated in pink.

He tackled me to the ground with another reverberation of pain reawakened in my shoulder. I closed my eyes and held my breath, already accepting my death. I waited for a blade to enter, yet I got a firm press of his finger instead. My eyes shot open and I looked at him, bewildered. What was he doing?

“Y-Y... Okay,” I sputtered back at him. He glared back at me, the intensity of his eyes doing most of the damage. He removed his thumb off my neck, but I wondered if he could still see my jugular vein continuing to throb. It was only until I spoke did I realize my mouth was gaping in amazement. “I-If it’s something you want from me... Go ahead and take it. Just p-please... don’t...”

From Nature Itself | Day 3 | Everest and Parker

I stood in solidarity, looking into the darkness that my light could not touch. There seemed to be no other life in the cave at the time. It seemed safe to continue exploring. Clenching the ropes that wrapped around my shoulders, I was torn between leaving the cave or delving in it further. The hot springs were beneficial (at least to a degree), and the possibility of finding other wonders was exciting. But I certainly couldn’t leave the cave in my state. I was too vulnerable, a glowing firefly.

I headed north inside the cave, the walls glowing fuchsia around me. The crunch of gravel and gems beneath my feet were the only sound I heard during the 10 minute duration of my walk. When I stopped, I continued to hear the crunch, my stomach lurching inside of me and a bead of sweat running through my hair. I couldn’t tell where it was coming from, and for a moment, I thought even the walls were producing the sound. Whether the other footsteps were behind, above, or in front of me, there was another person in the cave.

#From Nature Itself #Parker Yim #acpday3

Shine Bright | Day 3

I soaked in the hot springs for a good while, letting the warmth literally wash over me as I sat on its floor, my closed eyes barely peeking above the water’s surface.

When I finally got out, my frostbite was gone. But when I wiped the water from my eyes, I saw another unimaginable event.

I glowed. It was no longer just my fingers that did, but every inch of my body glowed a bright purple-pink. This is BS, I thought to myself, trying to scrub at my arms. Though no matter how hard I scrubbed, my newly formed bioluminescence did not dim. I sighed, agitated, as I dried myself off. My tactics for hiding were now useless. At least I didn’t have the possibility of losing my arms and legs now, and maybe the glowing would stop after a while. Then again, after all the things that have happened so far, maybe it would just intensify.

I gathered my things and started walking back to the entrance of the cave. It was dark when I was walking into the cave, but given my glow stick appearance, I navigated with ease. I saw the exit, but stopped momentarily. There was another pathway that I didn’t see initially. I was curious yet listened for anything that would convince me to leave the cave.

#Shine Bright #acpday3 #Parker Yim

Sugared Plums | Day 3 | OS

Instantly, the ache in your hand is soothed. Unlucky for you, though, is that the frostbite has spread well past your elbow– you hadn’t even noticed.

I notice the dark plum shade that my sleeves had exposed. I panicked. When did that happen? Really? It wasn’t there when I woke up. I lifted my hands out the water and watched as they turned dark again in a matter of seconds, the freezing numbness coming back as well.

The springs were hard to resist, too tempting. Cautiously, I stepped into the water before I finally submerge into it completely, curious as to see what would happen.

Sugared Plums | Day 3 | OS

The light leads you to a cavern, shimmering with numerous hot springs. However, there is something different about them– they look like galaxies, spiraling with stardust. They all look warm, inviting, and their coloration looks fairly similar to the frost on your skin…

I watched the water swirl as if fractals were forming before my very eyes. I took off my gloves and looked at the intense glowing that my fingers were exhibiting. They were a very dark shade of purple now, dusted with the small crystalline structures of ice and matching the iridescent swirls in front of me. I place my hands into the water, a liquid mixture of sugared plums.

Sugared Plums | Day 3 | OS

It becomes progressively hotter as you walk, though it does nothing to quell your aches and pangs. Up ahead, there is a strong, glowing light.

My feverish chills only grew as I continued to walk. If I was a dessert, I would be a baked Alaska. I notice a light and walked closer to it, curious as to see what was causing it.

Sugared Plums | Day 3 | OS

You enter into the darker parts of the cave, and notice something peculiar. Your skin, where it is purple and blue, is also glowing through your gloves. A genetically modified kind of frostbite, courtesy of the capitol. You are then presented with an option; do you go left or right?

At this point, I’m fully aware that your typical medical treatment for frostbite would not be sufficient. My only question, why the glowing?

I turn left at the fork in the cave.