Mercury Kwildor

Mercury Kwildor is a tribute made by PoisonedPoetry. Please do not use him without permission.

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Name: Mercury Kwildor District: 1 (Or any other career districts)

Gender: Male

Age: 17

Personality: Mercury is not the stereotypical career in the slightest. Proof of this lies in how he is rather humane when it comes to everybody other than bullies. In that case, he can act quite hostile towards them by speaking his mind. This can be used to point out that he is slightly on the caring side, which he wouldn’t deny. Following this, he can be defiant and slightly rebellious if he truly believes in his opinion and wants to prove it. Mercury can be very determined in general, never giving up unless he knows that the effort put in will remain in vain. He is an optimist who is very proud of who he is. Overall these qualities make him an excellent candidate for leader, although he can be a follower as well.

Height: 5’8 ½

Appearance: Mercury is a somewhat good-looking lad, having attracted the attention of many trainees over the years. His once sandy blonde hair was dyed bright orange to make Mercury stand out but to also show how he was the ‘odd one out’. In contrast, he has pale green eyes that reflect a calm mood inside of him and take everything in. They also shine with a bit of outgoingness. His skin is tanned to a moderate degree after the amount of times he’s spent out in the sunlight.

Weapon(s): Preferring to stick with long distance weapons, Mercury’s first choice is a spear. He also knows of its potential in close range, which is why it’s the weapon he’s favoured the most. His other favourite and weapon is the bow and arrow, due to its simplicity.

Strengths: Just like any other career, Mercury is proficient when it comes to strength. This combines well with his prowess in combat, making him a tough opponent to beat. Although it may not be an important skill for the hunger games when compared to others, his ability to motivate and inspire others may come in handy if his alliance feels down.

Weaknesses: As is the case with many residents of urban districts, Mercury’s plant identification skills aren’t quite as up to scratch as they should be. He knows the very basics, but it doesn’t stretch out further than that. His climbing skills are also non-existent, mainly because he didn’t really think over how it could help him. Mercury’s final weakness that could play a role in his downfall is the one thing he sticks to: His morals. He will not tolerate any kind of torture or bullying among the careers, even towards each other.

Fear(s): If anything can make Mercury crumble, it’s psychological torture. Anything like bullying or feeling helpless will cause him to stress out, mainly because he’s faced it so much in the past and it’s caused him a lot of heartbreak. Sudden loud noises can also make him jump, ever since a gunshot helped him understand that he was alone.

Training Strategy: Mercury will train with the rest of the careers at the beginning. He will brush up on his weaponry and combat skills, as well as a couple of agility runs and things of the sort. In secret, he may have a small chat with the other tributes and show off his more humane side, possibly even making false allegations that he felt pressured at home by his family. This is so that he may have a bigger chance of joining them later on.

Private Training Strategy: So as not to be seen as too big a target, Mercury will aim for a score of either eight or nine. At the beginning, he will show off his skills with a spear at long distances. He will then follow this by establishing his accuracy and power when it comes to bows and arrows. To wrap it up, he will give a salute and leave the room.

Interview Angle: In the interviews, Mercury will act honourable by openly discussing his intolerance of psychologically damaging actions like bullying. Should he be asked about why, he will admit that’s he suffered before purely because he was gay. When it comes to the point where his sexuality is revealed, Mercury will be loud and proud, saying that he doesn’t care if people are homophobic and would rather avoid him, because it tells him that they should know better.

Bloodbath Strategy: Once the gong sounds off, Mercury will try to gather the supplies together in a place where he can easily guard them. Instead of trying to butcher as many of the other tributes as possible, he will only kill them if they approach whatever he’s guarding. If one of his allies is battling another tribute and they seem to be struggling, he will ditch his previous plan and try to save them before it’s too late.

Games Strategy: Mercury will follow the leader’s instructions and try to gain trust with the other members of the alliance. Should the leader die before him, Mercury will volunteer to be the new one. He will have no problems if a different one is elected instead, instead acting as the second-in-command unless the new leader doesn’t want him to. Should he be the one the other careers look up to, Mercury will always enlist two teams so that those he think are untrustworthy can be stuck with those who he believes are loyal. Afterwards he will desert the careers and leave them in newfound anarchy.

Alliance: Mercury will start off by joining the careers, but he will ditch them later to either be a loner or join the anti-careers without risking himself getting killed.

Token: A letter signed with Fraco and Mercury’s promise to stay together and to remain strong under the pressure they underwent.

Backstory
I’m not normal. That’s what the others say. There’s something different about me which means I should be the subject of conversation all the time. But I’m an average human being, just like you. I’m not special in any way. Some people have accepted it, but others refuse to let the subject drop. The reason why I’m the talk of the academy: I’m a homosexual and loud and proud of it. But there’s a very minor bit to go before that part, so listen up.

Everything was typical in the beginning: I had two parents as their only child, whom wanted me to train and win for the games. I held a fascination for them, but they weren’t exactly my favourite thing to watch. It was ok, but I always wished for certain contestants, mainly the other careers, to die because of their attitude. My parents would never approve, so I kept it a secret for ages.

When I first begun training, I was a beginner. Whilst the older recruits smirked as I failed a few times I later grew to improve, giving me some friends. As much as I liked them, they still had great determination to compete in the games. One of them got to volunteer when I was fourteen, only to die on the fourth day. As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t find myself missing him at all: Of all of the careers, he was the most eager to get a pointless kill.

Once I hit the age of fifteen, I began to notice something about myself: Whilst my friends were bragging about their girlfriends, I had no romantic interest towards any of the females in the academy. Come to think of it, I had my sights set on training only. Nobody seemed to click with me when I pondered over whether they would be a good couple with me or not. From this, I assumed that I was aromantic.

I told my friends about this, who agreed that I probably had no interest in anybody. They were fine with it, even giving me support and wishing me the best of luck in my love life if I suddenly developed feelings for any of the girls. Although I smiled at this, I didn’t approve of how they presumed that I would be straight. For all I knew, I could’ve been gay or bisexual. Later on though, this would be tested.

It was another average training day. I was hard at work, testing how far I could throw my spear. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see a weak-looking boy with blonde hair sheepishly opening the door. He appeared very weak, as his muscles were tiny. There was also sadness in his eyes. I pitied him, I truly did. It was likely he was struggling in his family and he decided that the only way to save them was to volunteer and win. The only problem was that he shouldn’t have looked so weedy if he was my age.

“Gather around, careers!” Called the head of the academy’s facilities, Krill Gryne. “We have a new recruit, Falco Sureg. Be sure to help him out with training if he needs anything.” The instant he left the room, a bunch of the other career trainees crowded around him. Of them all, Fierro was the most prominent. He stood over him like a tree standing over a resting person.

“Hey, wuss, I bet you wouldn’t even survive the bloodbath! In fact, you would fall off the platform right at the start!” As the group of bullies started to poke fun at Falco, I knew I couldn’t leave him be. I casually strolled towards Falco and the grief group.

“Chill guys. Relax. He’ll build up muscle in no time.” I wrapped an arm around his shoulder. “I can help train him up to be like us, so don’t you worry about that.”

“Look at him though. He’s stupidly timid, the little wimp.” When I glanced down, I could see that Falco was trembling like a frightened lamb. Fierro was acting deplorable, which I knew I had to stop.

“I don’t care whether he’s strong or weak. You don’t just go right up to them and call them a bumbling fool. I suggest if you want to keep that smile on your face, you’d better concur to stop with the quips. There’s no need for the hooey.”

“Ok, fine.” He mumbled. “Don’t linger in your inner triumph though: If I catch you being as much of a baby as he is, I’ll pummel you before you can scream my name.”

“Just stop with the anarchy. Nobody needs the turmoil you would freely give to others.” As Fierro strolled off with a plain look on his face, I turned back to Falco. “Sorry about that, Fierro is a big d*ck to every person with tiny flaws. Anyway, are you better now that he’s gone?”

“Yes, much better. Thanks.” He murmured. “Who are you?”

“Mercury Kwildor.” I said, shaking his hand. “Nice to meet you. Say, do you want to train or something?”

“I would, but I need to get to grips with the area. For beginners, I need a toilet break.”

“Ok, right over there.” I pointed towards a door. “I’ll be waiting outside for you. Afterwards, the tour will begin.” As he stepped through, I hoped that his preliminary impression of me would be good. I knew that everybody needed a log to lean on, and Falco was no exception.

As time flew by, Falco and I grew closer as friends, along with my buddies from before. However, the two of us could never be seen separate from each other for long. We were very amorous of each other, often training together and picking up tricks. Along the road of our friendship, I learnt that Falco was the grandson of a victor in the district, who had recently passed away. Because of this, his parents constantly expected him to carry the lineage of victory. Apparently, they had strived to do the same but they were never picked at the reapings. It reminded me of the constant prejudice Fierro put everyone under, based purely on their beliefs.

One day, Falco called for me to follow him by myself, with nobody else. I was confused at first, but nonetheless I didn’t doubt his wishes for privacy. I followed him to the back of the building, where nobody could pry about without our knowledge.

“So… what is it you wanted to talk about?” I asked.

“Umm, well, it’s something embarrassing. More than that, maybe. It-it could potentially bring shame to my family. The thing is… I’m gay. I only wanted to tell you because you are the only person I fully trust.” To be honest, the news wasn’t that shocking: Whenever my friends talked about their love life, Falco stayed silent in hopes he wouldn’t get noticed. It succeeded for the others, but not me. From then on, I knew something was up.

“Falco… do you feel better now that you’ve confessed it?” I enquired.

“In all honesty, yes. That was the very reason I was afraid. I know how badly careers can react to a ‘weirdo’ like I would be. At least you’re there to look out for me.” I gave him a hug, which he gratefully accepted. We stood there in silence for a few minutes before we let go of each other again. By this point, we were staring at each other. I wondered why he didn’t bother to move, until he leaned his face forwards and kissed me. I stood there in a hypnotic trance, not knowing how to react. Without thinking, I began to kiss him back. I was stuck in dream-like stupor. It felt unnatural, but good at the same time.

Once we gently broke apart, I felt my face flush. At last, I had discovered my true identity. My mates were wrong about me showing any signs of heterosexuality. It was a relief, finally knowing how I was supposed to love… but not everybody would accept it.

“Mercury, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to-“

“It’s fine, Falco. Honestly. Thanks to you, I finally realised my sexuality. And I’ll always have it proud in my heart.” I gave him a wry smile. “Though it might be recommended that we keep it a secret for now, until we’re ready to tell the world.”

“Yeah, probably.” He responded, this time with a smirk.

We managed to keep up our act for several weeks. Fierro seemed greatly annoyed at the fact that Falco was gaining strength on a daily basis. His personality never changed, though, and whenever I wasn’t around he would be taken advantage of. He always told me and I’d always try to rescue him from the torment. It was a toilsome effort which never desisted, so we eventually gave up on it and instead spent our time hiding our sexual identity. I felt confident in confiding it to my parents, but Falco was terrified. For the sake of what remained of his confidence, we made a small vow to tell our parents when we were both ready. And when we were, I felt the nerves get to me a little bit.

“Mum, dad, I want to tell you something.” I begun, the tips of my index fingers pressing against each other. My parents, who were previously re-watching some old games, spun around to face me with a smile

“Go ahead, we’re all ears.” I took a small breath just to calm myself down. I wasn’t sure on how they were going to react, but I did know that I would find out if I just admitted it.

“I’m not sure how much it matters to you… but I’m gay.” They both stared at me with a neutral expression on their faces. “I don’t care whether you throw me out or-“

“Mercury, it doesn’t matter!” My mum giggled slightly. “All we want is for you to be happy… and for you to win the hunger games, of course! Who you like isn’t going to affect how skilled you are.”

“Only training does.” My parents gave me a hug which, awkward as it was, I returned back. “If you ever need to confide in us again, feel free to do so.” I thanked them for it, before I returned to my room to chill out a little.

The next day, I walked with a lot of merriment in my step. Nobody noticed me though, which made me feel safe: I wouldn’t have known how to lie to them if they asked why. The day was even better when Falco walked in… but he seemed awfully quiet, even for an introverted guy like him. And like he did the other day, he asked for me to meet him in private. As ever, we went to the back of the building.

“Mercury, it didn’t go well.” He began. I could see pain in his eyes, one that would make you think somebody had searched for sanctuary when there wasn’t one.

“What happened?” I asked, stroking his arm.

“My mum…” He whimpered. “When I told her whilst my father was away, she locked me in my room until he came back. When he did, I was spanked with a belt and punched in the face. I had to leave the house for good and stay in the streets.” He began to shed more tears. “Do you think your parents might allow me to stay over?”

“I should think so.” I replied. “They were positive when I came out to them. They shouldn’t mind in the slightest.”

“Oh, thank you!” He wrapped his arms around me, sobbing into my shoulder. I soothed him with some words of reassure so that he wouldn’t be bullied for blubbering like a baby. We stood there for a couple of minutes before we returned to the academy to train. Other than one comment from Fierro, everything was pretty normal and boring. It was like that for a few days, but the peace would sound break.

At first, we had no clear idea that the cat had been let out of the bag. Everybody had been remarkably silent, but it happened sometimes when the careers just wanted to train and prepare themselves better. Falco and I shrugged it off. Later on in the day, it felt suspicious after the majority of the trainees started to whisper whenever we were around. I bit my tongue slightly in order to stop myself from asking about it: Something in my mind told me it was best left to them. Or rather, it had to be left to Fierro to break the news. For he blocked my path with a smile that suggested he knew more than I did,

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the f*ckboy again,” He then faced me. “And his boyfriend. How sweet. It almost makes me want to die.”

“Say what now?” Falco did his best impression of a confused person, but not even it was enough to throw Fierro off of the scent.”

“Don’t you dare disclaim anything: I know the two of you are gaylords. I can warn you now, it’s not going to end in rainbows and unicorns and god knows what for you.”

“You little-“

“Falco, be quiet for one second.” I said, before turning my attention back to our bully. “I do admit that we are homosexual. But consider this: Does it actually matter?”

“Yes! If you are gay, then you are a dumbass weakling who would be the first death in the games!” He hissed. “None of the careers are going to accept you for who you are, and they’re right to! You’re a freak who belongs in the circus, so if you don’t want to be laughing stock here, then run away there!” At this point, several of the careers had rushed over to see the commotion. They were making stupid noises to signal that I had been burnt. But I had a comeback of my own.

“You do realise that being in a freak show also makes me a laughing stock? And to see the public staring at somebody they might be able to relate to or who looks completely ordinary would be boring, if, a little offensive: The complete opposite of what you said there.” Silence.

“You know, I hear words but they don’t have such an impact coming out of a p*ssy like you.”

“I’m only explaining them simply because you barely understand any English and-look; I’m not going to stoop down to your level.” I said proudly.

“So what you’re saying is that you’ll plead until this ends?”

“I might start off with that: Who knows?” I shrugged. “But I can go further. 'Push me and I’ll push back. 'If you want to continue this, then fine: I may not be able to prevent this from repeating, but I can sure as hell make you doubt this if I wanted to. In fact, how about a fight every Friday after training hours to see who is the strongest, hmm?”

“Just because I don’t want to look like a coward… fine. Suit yourself. If you can beat me, I will legit stop all of this. Don’t get your hopes up though: The gay careers don’t fare well against me.”

“Who you like isn’t going to affect how skilled you are.” I quoted from my mum.'' “Only diligent training does. And'' if you excuse me, I have a fight to practice for. Come, Falco.” Every single one of Fierro’s cronies began to make chicken noises at me. Whilst Falco cowered in fear, I took his hand and led him to the toilets.

“They need to leave me alone.” He said in a monotonous voice. “It was ok when they only bullied me because I am a scaredy cat, but it’s even worse that they’re discriminating a lot of people in Panem.”

“Calm down.” I responded, using my finger to tickle the palm of his hand. “They’re only trying to make us break. If we can show them that we will stay strong under the pressure, they’ll get bored of it.”

“But, what if they don’t?” I didn’t understand how Falco could be pessimistic, even though it would’ve made the situation worse. Although it bugged me, I had to adapt the plan to suit us both.

“Don’t worry about that. We just have to worry about staying alive for each other. There’s no point worrying about the future if there are troubles in the present day.”

“Ok, I guess. Just try to keep me safe from harm’s way.” “I will do my very best. I won’t lie and say that I can guarantee it, because I’m not sure what the future wants to happen.” After giving him a peck on the forehead, I led him back outside where we continued training as normal. Some of the trainees tried to district us, but I managed to ignore them. It was a bit awry for him, but Falco also made it through the pressure.

Every Friday, me and Fierro had a fight as promised. Though I came close a couple of times, he was always the one to come out on top. Those that supported him made mockery of me, but I laughed in my head. They were all a bunch of idiotic homophobic dullards. I never cracked under the pressure, but Falco always had a nervous breakdown when we got home. Although I wanted to tell my parents, I knew that deep down there was nothing they could do to stop it. Most of all, I didn’t want to leave the school because then they would think of me as a weakling who couldn’t take the heat.

One dark and twisted day, I found a couple of splatters of blood on the floor of the bathroom. Inside, there was the sound of crying. And though I knew what and who was the course of it, I secretly hoped it was just my mum in pain over her period. Luckily for me the door was unlocked. I pushed it open and strolled in, preparing myself for the sight I was going to come across.

Falco knelt over on the floor, making tiny cuts in his arm with a pair of scissors. He took no notice of me as he sacrificed more of his crimson liquid to the floor. His eyes were pained, his face was pained. Everything about him was pained. It had to stop.

“Falco.” I said. After the sound of my voice, he slowly rotated his head towards me like a possessed doll. All of his troubles melted away momentarily as he saw me, giving me a forced smile.

“Mercury…” He started sobbing again. “I’m sorry, but I don’t know how much of this I can take! I know you can protect me physically, but mentally and psychologically it’s not possible! As much as I want to end everything, our promise binds me to this scum of a nation. I want to fall back into dusk for good. I want to enter eternal sleep.” He lunged for his scissors again, but I grabbed them before he could reach.

“Oh no, you don’t. There’s one person counting on you to survive, and that’s me: Your own boyfriend. Look love, I think you need something to help you carry on. 'Think back to the days we laughed. 'Pretend that everything is ok. Try to. I can’t go on without you.”

“Yes you can: You’re much stronger and completely saner than me.”

“Maybe I could, but I highly doubt it, which is why I need you to stay. It’s always darkest just before the dawn, so stay awake with me, let’s prove them wrong.” I held my free hand out towards him, waiting for the moment he would grab it. After a minute or two, he finally took hold of it. I noticed how tightly he latched onto it, meaning that he was more than insane: He was broken. All of it due to bullies picking on him due to his sexuality.

Even when I was around, Falco’s conduct became dicier. Sometimes he would end up in trouble because his behaviour was troubling. Were somebody to try and pick on him, he would attempt to stab them with a dagger. He often rode his personal emotional rollercoaster, glued to it all day. He still committed self-harm, but I fared preventing him from risking the one slice that would damage a major artery. It sickened me how a human being could turn into a monster. I often pondered 'what God would damn a heart. '

Then came that one fateful day where my life would change for good. On my sixteenth birthday, nobody visited me to say happy birthday. I didn’t care: The best present would’ve been if the students stopped. Unfortunately, I was still being made fun of. They all asked me whether Falco was stuck in bed, exhausted from the ‘fun’ we apparently had last night. In fact, I also wondered where he was. I hadn’t seen him in the morning.

All of a sudden, I heard the sound of a click combined with sniffling. The only place I could’ve heard that come from was the janitor’s closet. Cautiously I approached the door, peeking inside the keyhole. Falco was there… and he had a gun. There was a glazed expression on his face as his eyes stared towards the ceiling. I watched as tears trickled down his cheek. He was shivering slightly as well. Deftly, he held the gun to the side of his forehead. His eyes squinted together as his hand itself trembled. His index finger was on the trigger… it didn’t take rocket science to know what would happen next.

“Falco, don’t!” I shrieked as I pulled open the door. By then, it was too late. A bang resonated through the training hall, blood pouring out from the bullet wound. Falco’s newly exterminated cadaver slumped to the floor, just as the gun fell out of his hand. '‘Bang bang from the closet walls, the schoolhouse halls, the shotgun’s loaded. 'Or at least it was…’ I knelt by him, examining him briefly. He almost had a serene look on his face, as if he knew that more peace would’ve came if he cut his rope for Atropes. I didn’t understand though: How could he possibly have got that gun? Only yesterday, he appeared as tranquil as he had ever been since the incident. Today, he again looked tranquil. '‘It seems just like yesterday. How did I miss the red flags raise?’ 'I began to feel something drip down my face, which I swiftly wiped away. At this point, everybody was crowding around me and my love. I could feel their gazes bore into the back of my head. ‘What God drove us apart?’ I wondered as two trainers sprinted over to examine him.

Once they left to grab the telephone, an outrageous and most unexpected event happened: The majority of the students cheered. All of them broke into chatter about how it was just a matter of time. To rub salt into the wound, Fierro stepped forwards and tried to pull me back up. I wouldn’t budge.

“Since he’s gone, you may as well spare yourself the sorrow.” He smirked. “Go on, nobody would miss you. That’s what you get for choosing this path.” I could not believe the cheek of him. In my sudden fury, I found myself delivering a punch to his cheekbone.

“Don’t you f*cking talk to me like I’m a piece of trash. I’ll have you know that this was not what I intended to happen. I never thought I’d become gay. 'I’m born me… no, I can’t change. This life chose me; I’m not lost in sin. 'No matter what, you little prick; you’ll never get me at all. You know what?! I’m done asking, I demand that you make this stop, let this end.”

“Why should I, you f*ggot?”

“Let me just say something: We braved these bitter storms together. That was how it was supposed to stay. The only reason I challenged you to weekly fights was to prove that homosexuality doesn’t affect how well you do. Remember when I said that? Of course you don’t: You were too busy fuelling your egotistical nature in order to come across as the star of the limelight. To see that you were willing to let people die for that is truly appalling. A poor, pure soul suffered for this. 'Brought to his knees he cried, but on his feet he died. 'You never followed his pleas. He went out whilst he made a stand with me. I can tell you’ll target me next. Well, I hate to break it to you but I will still go on. But proud I stand of who I am, I plan to go on living.” 

Two weeks later, it was time for the funeral of Falco. I was slightly worried, mainly because I had planned a eulogy which was designed to give everybody the fighting spirit. Somebody had to spread the word of his verbal abuse, and if it was going to be down to one person it would be me.

I waited patiently during the service as the people paid their respects to Falco. Surprisingly a lot of people attended. I questioned whether they were genuinely friends of him or his parents or if they just pitied him. Either way, I was glad to see that many people cared. Heck, even his homophobic parents were there. I recognised them from a picture he had shown me once. His mother was sobbing her eyes out like there was no tomorrow as she leant into her husband’s arms.

Soon, it came for the time eulogies were meant to be read out. First of all was his mother, who stated the regret she had after she learnt of his suicide. She blamed herself for kicking him out days before he might’ve needed her. However she stated that she was grateful for my family for taking him in. There was nothing else interesting to take note of, so I didn’t pay attention to the rest.

The next and final person to deliver a final message was me. I guessed that Falco was almost as close with his mother as he was with me, hence why she also got to deliver her message of forgiveness. I took a couple of deep breaths before I walked onto the stage, glancing up at the sky as I did so. As cheesy as it sounded, I hoped that the sky was where Falco would be waiting for me. All eyes were on me as I reached the stand. Silence. Then I began.

“First of all, I would like to thank everybody who has attended for helping me realise there are others who still care for him. Falco has always been important to me, and at first I believed I was the only one to feel this way. He was the best friend and boyfriend I could’ve asked for. He accepted that he wasn’t as strong as the others, and still he strived to do well. In this cycle of life, he should not have been destined to go down this path. It’s funny how the future can be altered by events, creatures and fellow human beings. I feel it’s love like a cattle prod,” This was the part where I had to spread the message around. There was a risk that I would provoke those who had attended, but at that point in time I felt I had no other choice.

“'The cold river washed him away, but how could we forget? 'He has battled through the odds at the academy through day one thanks to several recruit who called him out for being weak. Every day, he waltzed through the doors knowing well that he would receive threats and otherwise not-so-nice messages. It got worse when we became an item. I did everything in my path to keep him on his feet. No matter how much we begged, how much we demanded, it wouldn’t stop. I bet at this moment in time, he would break down and tell everybody of his torment. 'The gatherings hold candles, but not their tongues. 'Everywhere in Panem, somebody is stuck in a world where nobody will accept them. They cut, they shoot. All these years pushed to the ledge, they search for an escape. For some of them, the only way is down. 'And too much blood has flown from the wrists of the children shamed for those they chose to kiss. 'This attitude towards the LGBT people must. Stop. Now. And for that, the word needs to be spread. Falco was one of the cases where this all could’ve been prevented. It’s come to this, a weightless step on the way down singing.” That was where it ended. The people continued to stare, as if they were expecting more to come. There wasn’t. After a few seconds, they made a rowdy round of applause. Some of them were making big whoops whilst others whistled. I smiled, knowing that I had inspired practically everybody who had attended.

After an hour passed, I watched on as the coffin was sealed shut. 'Bang bang go the coffin nails like a breath exhaled, then gone forever. 'No longer would I see Falco in person again. Never would I be able to reach for his hand and tuck it into mine. But no longer did he have to experience the ills of the human world. He was finally free from humanity… however, it was not in the way he should’ve. And that made me feel ashamed to be a human.

The next two weeks were the most challenging days I had to endure. Not only was everybody turning their attention to me, but I didn’t have Falco to join me. At my darkest moments I wondered whether I should just end it all, but my will to prove myself was stronger than any other feeling I had. No matter what, I had to reach out to the few people in life who would accept me for who I was. That would likely never happen though, since Fierro would just stomp on me like I was some unwanted trash. There would soon come a day though, where I overcame him.

It was on a Friday in the afternoon. We were both still continuing our scheduled fights from before. This match was like all the overs, with him having the edge. In fact, the edge was so sharp that he managed to draw blood. My face was bruised, whilst my arms and torso were bleeding quite badly. Instead of ending the match there, he knelt over me and begun to squeeze my neck. It became evident that he was going to murder me there on the spot.

“Well, it looks like it’s time for this little sh*t talker to choke on his own words.” He smirked as he gazed into my seething eyes. “Such a shame that you’ve lost your energy at this point. I was expecting much more of a fight. Unless, of course, you’ve developed a crush on me.” At this point, my vision was going black at the edges. I didn’t care about whether I’d die or not, just as long as I could continue my legacy one way or another. “You can go to hell alongside that p*ssy of yours. He deserves it for being the worst fighter I’ve ever met. Even better, he deserves it for trusting a bastard like you.” Despite how close I was to the brink of death, I felt something inside of me churn. Not in a good way though: Boiling point. Fierro had taken it way too far. Thanks to adrenaline, I found a sudden burst of energy. I used it to my advantage and kneed him in his private area. He grunted out loud, holding his hands ‘down there’.

It felt like I was being possessed. At first I just glared at him blankly, but then I delivered a powerful roundhouse kick to his head. He almost got knocked unconscious, but not quite. I repeatedly punched and kicked him whilst he was weak, until he was in a similar situation to me. As he lay there writhing, I stomped away and grabbed a spear from the station. He moaned as he lay on the ground, too exhausted from the battle. When he saw my spear gleam wickedly in the light though, he gave a wry smile.

“Do it.” He insisted. “Kill me. Then you can see who the real monster is. Come on, I know you want to.” At first, I raised the spear above head so that it was an inch from his head. His cronies gawked at me in shock to begin with, but then they began chanting for me to finish him off. It felt so tempting to stab him in his brain-dead skull. Then all of a sudden, the ghoul that once took control of my mind vanished. I blinked thrice in disbelief at what I could easily have become. Not wanting to stoop down to his level, I threw the spear away from him (and the spectators as well).

“Pah, weakling.” He spat, coughing slightly in the progress.

“No,” I responded. “It’s not being weak; it’s being the better person. You had the will to kill me, but that wasn’t the same case vice versa. I refuse to stoop to your level in order to get what I want.” The room was left silent as I limped out of the academy, silently celebrating my first win.

Of course, my parents were very concerned about my wounds but I reminded them of the weekly duel I had. And when I told them that I had finally won, they congratulated me for finally pummelling the bully. I didn’t want to reveal about almost killing him, so I left that out. They patched me up in preparation for my return to the academy.

Apparently news had spread, because nobody bugged me for the whole day. Fierro was still inside, but when I went over to apologise he backed off and whimpered. Once again, I felt lonely. That was, until a group of four invited me to sit with them. I obliged, not having much else to do. It turned out that they were LGBT like me. Their names were Marcus, Gina, Sam and Verona. Marcus was bisexual, Gina was lesbian, Sam was transgender and Verona was a supporter of LGBT rights. They admitted that they wanted me to join them for so long, but were too afraid in case they also got attention. I was praised for my determination to keep on going. All in all, it was a good day and for the first time in ages I smiled with meaning.

From that point on, there were rarely any cases of LGTB bullying. Most people had finally moved on and accepted us, which made me feel happy because my goal had been reached. We still had a few haters here and there, but the overwhelming majority got over the drama with ease. Fierro had to move academies as well because he feared what I would do next. Whenever somebody got picked on, I always stood up for them and helped them with training. Though I never found another love, it didn’t really matter. In the end, I was still alive and still deadly.

Then, on one morning, I announced to my parents that I would try to volunteer for the games in order to prove myself to a whole nation. Unlike the typical career parents you would expect, they wished me luck for whatever happened and went along with me to the reapings. Against all odds I was selected for the male tribute spot. And after the female tribute was chosen, I stared out to the crowd and grinned at my parents, who saluted me. Once more, I felt the pride of who I was kick in. I was going to try and win for every single LGBT person out there.

Backstory Summary
Mercury was born to two parents as their only child. Like many career families, he was expected to be a victor for the games. Although he had a fascination with the games, he wasn't that keen on it due to the way some of the contestants behaved.

He attended a career academy, where his skills would develop. He managed to earn friends, but he felt left out because he still didn't have a crush by the time his was 15. Thinking he was aromantic, he confessed it to his friends who accepted it as so.

One day, a wimpy little boy by the name of Falco Sureg entered the academy for the first time. A set of bullies begun picking on him, which Mercury stopped. After the bullies left him alone, the boy thanked Mercury and started training with him.

The two of them grew closer together as time passed. Falco confided in Mercury for everything, but his biggest secret was that he was a homosexual. Mercury accepted this, little knowing what would happen next: Falco kissed him, which he managed to accept. He knew that he was gay, but he did not care. Falco on the other hand was nervous about the truth. To assure him, Mercury persuaded him to tell his parents.

The results were very different. Whilst Mercury's parents accepted it, Falco's went ballistic. He ended up having to stay at the Kwildor household for shelter. A few days later, the secret would be let out. Everybody at the career academy begun to gossip them. However it wasn't until the lead bully, Fierro, told them he knew that they understood what had happened. After a bunch of insults, Mercury challenged Fierro to a fight every Friday after training. Falco was evidently distressed, and Mercury had to lead him to the toilets. There, they vowed to stay strong for each other so that they could prove their worth.

The fights weren't that good at first. Mercury was always beaten by Fierro, even though some of the matches were close. Almost all of the trainees begun to hate them more and more, verbally bullying them. Mercury managed to hold his ground, but Falco ended up self-harming in hopes that he would soon be able to get out. Not even Mercury's soothing words could stop him from doing the one thing that would end it all for good: Suicide. He shot himself in the janitor's closet. Rather than feel sympathetic, most of the trainees cheered and celebrated. Mercury never let out his tears until he got back home.

After the funeral, Mercury always kept up the fights. He still lost most of the time, until there was a match in which Fierro taunted him with insults about Falco. Something inside of him snapped, causing Mercury to pummel the bully almost to death. Though the other trainees egged him on to finish it all, Mercury saw that what he was doing was wrong and that killing was not the right answer. He let Fierro go, announcing that if he stooped down to his level he would become the monster.

He never felt proud of what he almost did. However, a couple of outcasts joined him revealing their LGBT stories. Mercury felt inspired, knowing that others were facing the same things as him. They became his new friends.

Eventually, most people got over the fiasco and begun to accept the LGBT group for who they were. There were a few exceptions, but they didn't matter in contrast wit the majority who saw the truth. And though Mercury never loved anybody else again, he knew that it did him good to be proud of who he was. Wanting to prove that he was still deadly despite his sexuality, he volunteered for the games.

Song Inspiration
Make it Stop (September's Children - Rise Against

 'It seems just like yesterday, how did I miss the red flags raise?' - Mercury not detecting the signs that Falco was going to commit suicide.

 'Think back to the days we laughed, we braved these bitter storms together' - Mercury and Falco standing up to their tormentors, whilst keeping strong with their memories.

 'Brought to his knees he cried, but on his feet he died' - Though Falco was practically helpless, he died making a stand.

 'What god could damn a heart?' - Fierro's cruelty to the couple, though it may not be his fault.

 'What god drove us apart?' - Mercury if he felt Falco's death was destined.

 'Eighteen years pushed to the ledge' - How the couple were pressed to let go (Though it wasn't for 18 years)

 'It's come to this, a weightless step, on the way down singing' - Making the bullying known through Falco's death, speaking out about it.

 'Bang bang from the closet walls, the schoolhouse halls, the shotgun's loaded' - The setting were Falco's suicide occured.

 'Push me and I'll push back, I'm done asking I demand' - Mercury showing that he isn't a weakling.

 'I feel it's love like a cattle prod' - Because of the effect of the loss, his love feels sharp

 'I'm born free but still they hate, I'm born me no I can't change' - The bullies, Mercury accepting himself.

 'So stay awake with me, let's prove them wrong' - Mercury when he persuaded Falco to stay strong and to stand up for themselves.

 'The gatherings hold candles, but not their tongues' - Nobody listening to the couple ('Nobody' refers to the students)

 'And too much blood has flown from the wrists of the children shamed for those they chose to kiss' - The numbers of the LGBT people who commit suicide is too much for Mercury's standards.

 'But proud I stand of who I am, I plan to go on living' - Mercury's pride of who he is.

Escaping the Arena
Katagma's 441st Games - Insanity

Allies: Tux Bowden (1), Miiko Dejong (1), Courtney Dax (2), Bo Haven (4), Harpy Diadem (4), Tessa Griffin (10), Kroe Mosome (14)

Kills: Glacier Frost (0)

Co-Escapees: N/A

Notes: Mercury was entered into these games along with Antoine Boudoir. In private training he got a score of 8. He also allied with the careers.

He did nothing on the first day, but on day 2 he got his first (and only kill) in the form of Glacier, who was trying to steal bags from the Cornucopia. The very same day, he and Harpy got into a verbal spat after the death of Kroe. The next two days are uneventful, but on day 5 his best friend, Courtney, died after bleeding out. Weary he started to wander around the arena when he found himself in a graveyard. Then something happens (Idk what, it was ambiguous) and he was greeted by his stylist. She confirmed that he had escaped the arena.

The games were abandoned before a victor could be decided.

Trivia

 * Mercury is my first homosexual tribute
 * He is one of my longest tributes, standing at 6,051 words in length