Day 0: Gathering the Subjects [TGE]

[Kire]

Introductory Phase

All subjects and experimenters are required to check in on the first day. Failure to appear before the rolling over of the date will result in their removal from the experiment. In the case that a replacement is needed, Dr. Bethlem has a list of candidates who can fill the spot. Please note that this is a day for peaceable meeting and any attempts to cause another harm will be met with stern and immediate punishment. The Cells must be occupied and locked by no later than midnight tonight or else serious consequences will occur.

Below is a list of the volunteers, engineers, and scientists. The list will be updated as individuals check in. { a checked box [x] indicates a volunteer has checked in }

Ambrose Dempsey M D1 Volunteer [x]
First Last g D2 Volunteer [ ]
First Last g D3 Volunteer [ ]
Oakland Rogers M D4 Volunteer [x]
First Last g D5 Volunteer [ ]
Claudia Song F D6 Volunteer [ ]
Tansley Lipniki M D7 Volunteer [x]
First Last g D8 Volunteer [ ]
First Last g D9 Volunteer [ ]
Indigo Aithne F D10 Volunteer [ ]
Orion Embry M D11 Volunteer [ ]
Crane Aldalómë M D12 Volunteer [x]
Aristotle Carver M Engineer 1 [ ]
First Last g Engineer 2 [ ]
Maxwell Milgram M Scientist 1 [x]
First Last g Scientist 2 [ ]
First Last g Scientist 3 [ ]
First Last g Scientist 4 [ ]

Dr. Augustine Bethlem

Does, Says, Thinks

Finally everything was starting. I had arrived early that morning to make sure everything was ready for the experiment. The cells were clean and contained the basic necessities, the main area was clean and open, the entire place was so well washed that they could eat off of the floor. The earliest arrivals were scheduled for noon, and so I had an early lunch. The fact that I was still the only person here - you would think that the volunteer scientists and engineers would make a statement by arriving early and eager but such is the luck of a psychologist.

Slacking or only medial effort output would stop the moment these fools walked into my institution. I will not allow this experiment to fail a second time. If I must, I will take measures into my own hands in the search for volunteers. The pittance that we are required to pay them is a luxury that I can take away at will, and I will take it away if they do not cooperate with me. I am not patient enough for their foolery, and the sooner they learn that the quicker I can my results - and the fewer casualties I will have to report.

When a man calls into the space, identifying himself as one of the Peacekeepers in charge of transferring the volunteers I am on my feet in a moment. Striding briskly down the hallway, I shake the man's hand and then send him on his way. At least someone had arrived, and by the sound of it, there were more coming. Muttering voices - one cursing about the confusing layout of the building - grew louder. The scientist in me sent me to my office so I would be out of sight when the subjects, scientists, and engineers arrived. The cameras I had newly installed served to let me monitor every inch of the place. From my office I could see and hear everything.

This initial meeting would be the first part of the experiment, and then we would begin with the true tests starting tomorrow. Kicking back at my desk, I watched the incomers. Let's begin.

[~ Speedy ~]

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Oakland's Check In

As soon as I stepped in there with that Peacekeeper I knew I was in trouble. There were cells like a jail and the scientists looked evil. I barely know anything about this 'experiment' but I love to try things so whats the big deal? So I walk up to the desk and check in and the person sitting there tells me to go sit where I see my name. So I go to my chair as I wait for more people to arrive. I was the first one there acting like a fool trying to figure out what is going on. Minutes were passing and nobody showed up and I was starting to get bored. That's when I looked at the other chairs and there are people from all different Districts coming here! Its weird but I think nothing of it. I'm just here to experience something. Something that is going to be fun. Hopefully

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Day 0 - Check- In - Video Diary 1

[Knuckles]

Crane Aldalómë

Hey dad, look at me Think back and talk to me Did I grow up according to the plan

"Crane, what were you thinking?" His words echo through my mind piercing straight through my body. My head drops towards the floor of the house as tears swim from eyes. "You shouldn't ever volunteer for an experiment of any kind. I don't care how great it sounds." My heart sinks deep into the pits of my stomach. A lump forms in the back of my throat. Each breath catches beneath it fighting for an escape. "You should've came and talked to me about it instead of just volunteering, Crane." I thought Papa would be proud of me. I thought he would finally love me and care for me, but he's not happy with me. He's not proud of me. He probably hates me. It hurts knowing that he's not pleased with my decision because he's never pleased with me. He never spends time with me. He's always too busy being the mayor leaving me behind, and truthfully, I feel like he's hiding something from me. "I just wanted to make you proud. But I guess I can't even do that." For a moment, I raise my gaze from the floor shifting my eyes towards his looking for something that may help me. Something that'll show me Papa cares, but I'm met with none of that. Just a pain stricken facial expression as he rubs his fingers above his eyes. "Crane, I'm always proud of you. Always. Don't you ever think I'm not." "But you never show it! You're always too busy for me. You're always doing your mayor duties. You never have time for me anymore papa." Tears roll rapidly from my eyes as I turn away from him again. I can tell my words hurt him. Maybe I spoke too soon, but I honestly don't know anymore. Papa and Mama should love me, and deep inside I know they love me. I know they care about me, but it just feels like they don't. Papa sighs as he turns towards me. "Crane, I know it's hard, but I'm always here for you. Always. And I know it feels like I'm not around anymore, but I am, and I love you so much more than you could ever imagine son." He pauses as he places a hand on my shoulder. "Papa, I don't wanna go. I wanna stay here with you." Panic races through my body as I wrap my arms around him. I beg him with all that i have inside of me to not make me go. I want him to read a story to me. I want him to hold me forever. But the moment I look into his eyes, I know something's wrong. I can tell that he's not happy - he hasn't been happy this entire time. "Crane, I...you were chosen. You don't have an option right now. You volunteered-" "But Papa, you can save me. You can make them not take me." I interrupted him before he could finish speaking. Part of me knows I'm out of luck. I know he's powerless when it comes to these things, yet I'm holding onto hope; I'm praying to a god above that somehow he can save me. But he can't. All Papa does is hold me in his arms while I cry until it's finally time to head out. I just hope and pray that I'll see him again sometime. ****** They put me in some sort of vehicle and took me the train station. I've never been on a train before, or in a vehicle, but it seems interesting. I watched as the trees flew by as the driver sped by them. It's amazing what it all looks like from this perspective. I can see how the winter is messing with them. The trees are all broken and frozen. The leaves are gone. Yeah, I've seen it from the outside of my house before, but I've never seen it this close. I want to roll the window down to see if I can touch a branch, but the idea quickly flies away the moment we roll up the train station. They usher me out of the vehicle and onto the train. And there I sit in a lonely train cab filled with food. My mind races as the train speeds down the track. I've always wanted to ride a train before. Seeing the outside of the district amaze me. It makes me want to figure out more about where other districts are located. It seems like it's all a different world here. I've never knew much about some places although it seems that's what the Capitol wants - nobody can know about the other locations. Grabbing a plate from the table, I slowly pile food on top of it before taking my place next to a window passing time as I watch the world fly by way into the dark hours. Resting my head against the window, I finally drift off into a very uneasy sleep. ***** The moment the train arrives, peacekeepers are waiting. Looking around curiously, I try to figure out what's happening right now. Fear inches it's way through my body with each step I take towards the building. My eyes are wide, and my chin drops towards the ground. This is unlike anything I've ever seen before. I want to speak to them. To figure out what's going on right now, but it seems like the words can't maneuver themselves from the tip of my tongue leaving me completely lost. Other people have already moved through the halls. Step by step I follow behind them instantly regretting my decision to volunteer. What is this place? I keep looking around at the white walls. The white tiled floor. In a way it's kind of peaceful right now. Part of me is curious to figure out what this great experiment is, but the other part of me wants to run away while I still have a chance. I try to spot a place to go. A place to get out. Surely I'm not too far from district twelve. Surely I can make it home if I tried hard enough. But something is holding me back. I want to know what this place is. I want to know what goes on inside of it. Soon another set of doors appear before my eyes at the end of the hallway. Silently, I keep moving forward following behind a single peacekeeper until I'm inside the room. Different rooms are set up inside of it. A desk sits in the middle of it, and someone else has already checked in. Fear leaps through my body as I force myself to stand tall and remain calm. As I make my way forward the door shuts behind me leaving me and this other person trapped within. I swallow hard as a single thought races quickly through my mind. What have I done?

[googlefont="Nothing You Could Do:400"]

[d6a georgie cham 🍓🐢 frankel]

Tansley Lipniki

”Where are you going Tansley?””You didn’t volunteer for that experiment thing did you?””Please don’t leave!” They would’ve been the words of a caring family, a passionate family that has concerns about me but I can only dream on. I needn’t bother inform my parents to where I am going; I am sure they wouldn’t notice me being gone. For sure if they did, they would be quite relieved. The weight on their shoulders would be finally gone! No longer will their disappointment of a son tarnish their family. Finally they can live their lives be free from the retched soul that has been dragging them down.

However I didn’t volunteer for them, I haven’t left to a new District just so they can live a better life, I’ve done it for myself. I have no clue on what these experiments entail but I am sure whatever they are, they will help me.Help me eradicate these thoughts from my mind, help me adapt to this world that I want to change so much. I can no longer live this separated life, I have coped for so many years but slowly it is hard to function. Hard to function when nobody understands me believes what I believe in. Everyone is against me, nobody is here to help me but maybe this doctor will be my saviour.

Resting my head on the train window, it was at first hard for me to get used to these different types of transport. When meeting the peacekeepers in the District square, I was quickly thrown into a vehicle. I have only seen the outside of them; I have never sat inside of them. Being escorted by peacekeepers is also rather weird for me. Normally they’re restraining my protests in the square, not behind solidary and offering me glasses of water. However the most surreal thing was this train, I have seen them fly down the tracks, nearly knocking me off my feet with the speed. Forever I have wondered what it has felt like to be inside of one and right now, I am living that thought. As soon as the engine kicked into the train and the movement began, my body panicked. I have never travelled at this speed before in my life.

An hour or less has passed and I have now gotten used to the speed of the train. The peacekeepers were very amused by my worry, as I sat with my face buried into my knees, worried that the train would fly off the tracks. However now I have been able to look out of the window. As the scenery moves quickly, I’d try to capture every shot of it despite how fast it is moving. No longer do I feel queasy with the movement and I hope the journey lasts longer.

Slowly the train squeaked to a sudden halt, jolting as it slowed down in speed. Quickly I was removed from my seat and escorted by the Peacekeepers. District Six looks entirely different to Seven…there aren’t as many trees. Despite not participating in the Highland games, I was still able to see the many faces from Eight and Twelve and the few Six residents that are bustling about look slightly different to the faces I see in Seven. Hopefully, I will be able to explore Six more between the experiment…that is if the doctor allows it.

Curiosity runs through my veins and a hint of excitement poisons my emotions. I don’t even know what is going to happen to me…yet I am excited.

Brought to a large building, I was met by hallways filled with endless swinging doors. One by one, the peacekeepers swung open the doors and before they could shut, we were through another set. Every hallway looked the same but I took in the interior.

Finally we would enter the final room, being met by two others; I’d presume they’re both candidates for the experiments. Flashing them both a smile, I would join them by sitting down on the appropriate seat. Silence falls on us all as I wait eagerly for the others to arrive.

You’re going to change Tansley…for the better!

[charade]

Ambrose wiped a hand over his beleaguered face as he exited the train. The debt they owed the hospital hung over his head like a storm cloud, ever increasing in size, and the money Leandra’s shop was making just wasn’t enough to make it go away, not when they kept getting slapped with late fees and other nonsense. He’d have worked in the hospital if he could have, but they refused, saying that his last name alone would make some of the patients uncomfortable. Ambrose found that ridiculous. When had his nephew vanished? Six? Seven years ago? Granted, Kaelan had had many victims, but it was coming on a decade since all that had happened.

Who had been the victor during that crime spree? Goravich? Bryze? Not that it mattered. Ambrose was sure they would have found something else to complain about; a different Dempsey they had a problem with. Something in the air rankled his nose and he took his first real look around district six. It was strange, being in another district. It smelled like rubbing alcohol, glue and medicine. It wasn't a pleasant odor, but he didn't have much time to dwell on it as he was shuffled off to the building conducting the experiment. There were only three other people in the waiting area when he arrived, and it made him uneasy to see that they were all reaping age; hell, the one couldn’t have been more than twelve or thirteen. Always with the children.

The Capitol couldn’t sneeze without finding a way to punish the young for the sins of the old; yet this was purely voluntary was it not? The boys in front of him were present of their own volition, though he couldn’t fathom why they would have chosen to participate in the study. Perhaps that’s just how things were in other districts. There were chairs at least, twelve of them and labeled for convenience. Ambrose eased into the chair that had a large number one on the back and stared at the others. District’s four, seven and twelve. He wondered if he should talk to them, but then, he supposed he didn’t really know what to say to the boys.

Having six daughters will do that to a man.

So instead, he sat back in his chair and waited for the rest of the participants to arrive. He supposed he'd be getting to know them sooner or later anyway. 

[Lyn𝛿is]

Maxwell Milgram

{now these points of data make a beautiful line
and we're out of beta, we're releasing on time}

He's nervous with anticipation, hands fidgeting in his pockets as he strides down the hallways of the Institute towards the inner sanctum where Dr. Bethlem's office lies. Keen eyes scan the surroundings; there's a couple Peacekeepers escorting volunteers through the building, but he seems to be the first of the other scientists to arrive.

From their preliminary correspondence, he feels that Dr. Bethlem must be a much stricter and more well-organized person than his college mentor is. He'd sent the psychology students several of Dr. Arocratus' published works to read as part of the job application, after all. 
"He sounds like a real micromanaging type," one of the grad students had told him. "You got so lucky - the last time my advisor had a semester off from teaching I couldn't get in touch with him until I found where he lived, and even then it was his wife that answered the door!"
Max was less than comforted by that statement, but he knows that Dr. Bethlem is rather famous, is a social psychologist, the subfield he was most interested in, and most importantly continued to be active in the research community, having recently published a paper on Avox limit testing. Patterns and correlations - they were everywhere, even in Avoxes, and he can't wait to see what would emerge from this experiment. While regression analysis was all well and good, though, he looks forward most to watching the subjects themselves changing over the course of the experiment. It was so much nicer to be able to participate and contribute his ideas than to read the often dry prose and summarized data in the literature.

The Capitol grant was truly a blessing for everyone involved; they would get more data on how these conditions of deprivation affected the subjects, he was getting a nice stipend and a great resume booster, and the subjects themselves would return to their districts with the wealth they needed, as long as they survived the simple series of tests.

He whistles a little tune under his breath, which is drowned out by the whirring of fans and humming of machinery as he nears the office, evidently occupied as he could see a shaft of light from the door. This would be his home for the next few weeks, and it was always good to spend some time taking in the surroundings and getting to know his way around the place before the research began. And always good to plan things out enough to have a bit of buffer in case things went wrong - he'd learned that the hard way with the Undergraduate Psychology Association event last month. Taking a deep breath, Max poises his knuckles over the cool metal, knocking on Dr. Bethlem's office door.

[ghosty]

[googlefont="Francois One:400"]

dee aithne

district ten

the shadows on my wall don't sleep
they keep calling me
beckoning...

If I'd known that this was going to take me away, I would have signed up quicker than I did. In fact, Father wouldn't have needed to push me, to scream at my face, "Go and be useful for once in your fucking life." Not just his punchbag, his knife holster, his canvas. I was planning on running, and then I was pushed, like that person that you always think is your friend when all they want to do is accelerate your grave towards you, faster than even you could do yourself. And I happily stepped onto the train from District Ten, along with everything that makes my life hell, the whispered voices, the silent threats and the warping bodies of my mind. A mind that's a prison to the demons from hell itself.

District Six was very different from 10. No more drawled out lazy accents, or laid-back, Ripred abiding nonsense. And no monster of a human waiting for me with a knife and a grin, with his hands clasped in prayer, the blade pointing to the Lord above. And then you visit the building, where the volunteers are kept. Housed almost. And then, well, my room in 10 was inviting, a candle lit sanctuary of a star, a pentagram of hell, not help like it's normally spelt. A straight out lie that was spoon fed almost as soon as the blended mixture I was living off when I was younger. This is a prison, and one that I now live in. I might as well have been a lab rat.

But, in essence, that is what I am now. Something that runs around doing tasks that some faceless voice is going to be telling us. I guess I'm used to that, but not with the lights on. I never thought that it would even cross my mind in the moments that my heart still beated; I want to go home, and face the pain. Embrace it, because that's what makes me Dee, not Subject.

The door shuts, and then Dee is no longer I. I'm a letter, one that decides which cell I'm in. At least the tears that fill my eyes, and the screams caused by a whispered voice. I'm going to pull each of those pretty little nails out of your hand, and you're going to like it. And then, the door shut, and I was alone. Well, as much as I'm going to be. There's enough room for me, a voice, and the river of tears that are bound to come.

even if my way is wrong
i keep pushing on and on
and on and on...

made by anzie

[~ Speedy ~]

It was so boring just sitting there staring at nothing. Those other kids from the other Districts seemed scared and anxious. Me? Well I was just being a normal 14 year old kid. Five minutes later I had to pee. I didn't see any restrooms so I stood up and asked the lady where the bathrooms were. She told me, I left and when I came back it was the same boring environment I left. So when I sat down I decided to enlighten the mood. It felt like the Hunger Games in there! "Hey guys. How are you?" I guess everybody was so quiet they were shocked to hear someone talk. So many shocked faces locked on me I felt popular! And then again everyone went back to their blank faces staring at nothing. Oh well.

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Day 0 - Video Diary 2

[Knuckles]

Crane Aldalómë

Hey dad, look at me Think back and talk to me Did I grow up according to the plan

More and more people kept walking in. People from each district, and for the first time I’m unsure of what to do. Everyone here thus far is older than me. Perhaps I’m the youngest one here, but then again would it even matter? One man walks in, and fear creeps through my veins. Every muscle inside my body convulses rapidly. A lump forms in the back of my throat making it impossible to breathe and swallow. Papa wouldn’t know what to do right now. Oh how I miss him, and it’s only been a day since I’m away from him. Looking around carefully, I do my best to take in all that’s around me, but all I see is chairs and these tiny rooms. One girl seems almost my age. Perhaps I can bond with her, but would she wants to help me? Could I help her? I don’t even know what this great experiment is. I thought it was something amazing. My family doesn’t exactly need the money or anything, but maybe it’ll allow me the chance to buy Papa something good. Maybe it’ll show him that I do care, and that I do love him. It’s hard to explain the love I have for him. Papa is a good man, and one day I want to be like him. I want to grow up and follow in his footsteps. Would he be proud of me? He didn’t seem happy when I volunteered, but he has to understand that I’m curious, and I want to know what’s happening in here. It’s worrisome seeing so many tiny rooms, and in a way it’s sad because some of my friends in the district have rooms this size. A shy grin creeps across my face as I look from person to person in the room. And one person in particular catches my attention. Maybe the man could tell me a story like Papa would. Perhaps he could help me right now. But how can I ask him? He probably doesn’t care about someone like me. Shrugging my shoulders, I ignore the man who’s speaking. Surely he doesn’t think he deserves an answer from me. Yet I refuse to say anything as I keep my eyes fixed on a spot on the white tiled floor. Finally I decide to stand up and walk over towards the man. Gritting my teeth, I allow the small smile to spread further and further across my face. "Hi, I'm Crane, and I was wondering if you could tell me a story like Papa does back in twelve." I keep my voice quiet because I'm not sure what to do right now, and I'm kind of afraid. Talking to others isn't my strong point, but I realize that talking may help me get through this.

[googlefont="Nothing You Could Do:400"]

ooc: he's specifically talking to Ambrose, Rade, but anyone can respond <333