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modulation: a change from one form or condition into (another).

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Pluto Solaris was so incredibly done with it all. He was done with insomnia, done with coffee, done with the President, done with gamemaking, done with life, and most certainly done with Gorgeous Lasse.

Of course, all of that was because of his fellow Gamemaker. But with eighteen tributes still prancing around the arena, his job was far from finished.

Since the first deaths in the arena had been proclaimed with the sounds of eight melancholy cannons, the situation had only worsened. Hours had painfully passed, and for every minute of it, there was one person by his side- Gorgeous. She repeated identical tales over and over of the sexy times she'd had with so many high-ranking officials, going round and round in the same flirtatious cycle. He was almost beginning to feel sorry for her- that her life had gone from being a model to just being a hooker.

Scratch that, he still felt more sorry for himself.

At least for Gorgeous, life still had meaning- even if he wasn't a fan of her "meaning". Pluto's life dream of becoming a Gamemaker had lost its flavor without the friendly competition he'd had in the past. More and more, he was feeling as though bits of him had died alongside Paella, and Gorgeous definitely wasn't reviving those missing pieces. Every moment he sat in his chair or worked on future plans for the arena or was even in the presence of the technology that showed him exactly what was going on everywhere in the arena (which was, unfortunately, all the time) was a further reminder of his victory, yet simultaneous loss. The job he'd so desperately wanted was something he didn't even want to do.

Still, to create a distraction from the misery meddling with his emotions, Pluto further submersed himself in it, trying to find a light in the darkness that had enveloped him. Deep down, he knew it was an endless search for something that would never be found, but the work never ceased, and so he continued. Every ounce of effort was put into his work- creations so meticulously crafted, no flaws could possibly be found. His games would be perfect.

He forgot to attend the celebration planned in his honor for a successful start- an occasion the man he had once been would never have missed. But somehow, Capital parties struck him as trivial and insignificant. Why attend only to exchange pleasantries? Why show up when his only purpose in being there had been to earn the favor of those above him, and he's already reached the top?

Few have noticed that he has become a mute at the workplace. The only responses he vocalizes are wedged between the horrendous comments of Vice Gamemaker Gorgeous Lasse. To "Dicks out for Gamemaker" , he would either loudly exhale or remark on how the only dick out would be President Necare's in her presence, and to "It's dat Gamemaker, oh shit whaddup" he would provide a long sigh. At best, he would voice his discomfort after Gorgeous batted her eyelashes, uttering the words, "If a gamemaker worse pants, would he wear them like this or this?"and inform her that her hand placement was getting a bit too... saucy for comfort.

HR representatives were given many phone calls as Pluto's time with her increased, yet still the beast of a woman stayed. It was likely she had a high figure on her side- maybe a President- that was able to override her numerous undermining incidents. So Pluto's torture continued, locked in the Gamemaker's Tower with a woman he liked to consider a demon, sent to bring him mortal agony- a horribly unattractive demon sent to distract, seduce, and make his life a living hell. It made him wonder if maybe he should have truly wanted died instead, if maybe he should have begged to have been executed, and her presence was the eternal punishment he would have to live through for being the survivor.

But despite the many suicidal thoughts that flashed through his mind, Pluto continued working. She wouldn't have wanted to die just for him to kill himself- or somebody else. No, he had to make someone proud.

He had to make the best games he possibly could.

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Apologies for the delay in continuing forwards with the games! We've been having some issues with hosting, but can assure you there will never be a wait quite so long again. And now, the long-awaited task...

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THE TASK:

Whether your tribute made it to the hospital or not, you will encounter a gas, flowing through the hallways/streets at a fast-paced rate. Your tribute will (most likely) attempt to outrun it, but their efforts will, obviously, be in vain. Though you will be equipped with the gas mask you retrieved during the events of the bloodbath, it will only soften the effects the gas will have on your tribute.

This gas is designed to relieve you from your symptoms (how kind of us!). However, with the break from the fever, chills, muscle aches, cough, congestion, runny nose, headache, and (worsened) fatigue you've now developed (feel free to only mention one or a couple of these, as they won't be relevant for long), will come a certain alternate reality, similar to one your tribute might feel if intoxicated by alcohol. Your tribute's judgement, behavior, mood, and thoughts may be very different than how they normally are. A person adverse to killing might find themselves with blood on their hands, or a tough character might turn soft towards another competitor.

Additionally, we'd like you to interact with the setting of the hospital a little more this task (tributes who haven't made it here yet in your storylines, you may want to have the gas chase you here). At some point this task, your tribute should find themselves in a wing that means something or has a connection to them, or, alternatively, sparks a memory. Examples of this can be found in the different branches of medicine, or, alternatively, places such as the waiting room, operating room, or other non-specific locations.

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Word Count Maximum: 2250

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Due Date:

EST: Wednesday, 11 January 2017, 20:00pm

CST: Wednesday, 11 January 2017, 19:00pm

MST: Wednesday, 11 January 2017, 18:00pm

PST: Wednesday, 11 January 2017, 17:00pm

GMT: Wednesday, 11 January 2017, 1:00am

UTC+8: Thursday, 12 January 2017, 9:00am

AEDT: Thursday, 12 January 2017, 12:00pm

Please note the change in time. If your time zone has not been listed or you have difficulties converting, alert us and it will be added.

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Deaths/Ballots:

Deaths: as many as fits your character's alternate personality

Ballots: 3 [as this is an odd round, these will count against scores]

Please note that five of you will be going up for votes at the conclusion of this task, with three leaving us.

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Bonuses:

First Entry: +0.5 points

Best/Most Interesting Personality Change: +0.5 points

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Sponsorship Gifts:

Though these will be offered in future tasks, we've deemed them unnecessary for this round.

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Have fun, everyone! If you have any questions or need to confirm something, please do not hesitate to ask. We hope to read great things from you this round!

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