#oc: sutherland acosta

[jessicatredes]

sutherland acosta; victor of the 68th hunger games & tribute for the 75th

sutherland acosta volunteered as tribute in the 68th hunger games; replacing a victor's child from the reaping. she believed she was exchanging district 10's community home for the grave, only to return for the victor's village. described as calculating and formidable, the seventeen year old quickly became beloved in the capitol. seven years later and sick of being a plaything to citizens of the capitol, sutherland would volunteer for a second time in the third quarter quell.

[jessicatredes]

tagged by @elvves to do an oc association game - the og template is on her post! i made my own version of it for my new baby girl princess angel sutherland <3333

tagging @queennymeria @chuckhansen @newbordeaux @raphaelsboudoir @jennystahl @lavampira @shadowglens @gwynbleidd & anyone else who wants to :-)

[jessicatredes]

the 68th hunger games

Modeled after pre-Panem national parks & nature preserves, the 68th Hunger Games featured crumbling buildings, dilapidated trails, and a wide-range of wildlife. The arena mainly featured swamps and marshes, with mangrove thickets and brackish waters. Tributes were dressed in thick cargo pants to protect against undergrowth, hiking boots, and thin, knitted sweaters.

The cornucopia featured a plethora of weapons; including maces, throwing knives, and swords. Typical survival gear was scattered around the area as well. Sponsors were in short supply this year due to the lack of interactions between tributes throughout the majority of the game. Those who did receive parachutes were primarily gifted food or fresh water.

After the initial bloodbath at the start of the game, most tributes succumbed to animals, traps, and infection rather than fellow competitors. Sutherland Acosta, that year's victor, utilized bear traps throughout the arena, luring and herding tributes into the paths she set. Sutherland herself almost died to a muttation designed after a bear, much to the humor of Capitol citizens.

[jessicatredes]

The town square was packed tight with people, corralled this way and that by Peacekeepers, dependent if you could be reaped or not.  Livestock or spectator.  Children moved slowly through the lines, fingers pricked and papers blotted with blood.  The southern sun already high in the sky, clothes specifically worn for the reaping showing signs of sweat and dirt already.  Banners with the Capitol emblem shifted with the soft summer wind.  While the nearby processing plants were closed for the holiday, the smell of leather still lingered in the air.

The front of the Justice Building had been transformed into a makeshift stage.  Several sets of chairs lined the outside of the building, each separated by a tall vase filled with native bluegrass and wild flowers.  Two glass bowls sat on either side of a microphone.  Thousands of slips of paper filled them, each adorned with a child’s name in identical print.  A small tapestry hung over the stands the bowls were on, embroidered with a cow skull and Ad multos annos; a wish for a long life.

Once the area had become claustrophobic and the cameras were rolling, the mayor’s family and living victors emerged from the building.  All look defeated, except for the woman following up the rear in a gaudy, bright outfit.  A pantsuit in deep navy, with what looked like tinsel running through the fabric, matched the woman’s hair, pulled into a high ponytail.  

“Sit! Sit!  We’re beginning soon everyone!”  The woman fretted, flocking between the two sides of the stage. “Everyone!  Good posture and big smiles!” 

Cordelia Poverly, Capitol Escort assigned to District 10 for a second year in a row.  Her anxious behavior was probably due to her opening year as an escort ending within the first ten minutes of the game.  Two twelve year olds reaped, killed in the immediate bloodbath.   In an interview alongside their mentors, Cordelia chirped that not all debuts were stellar; no indication of remorse for the dead.

Another handful of minutes passed before the Justice Building’s belltower rung out ten times, signaling the hour and start of the reaping.  The Capitol woman threw her ponytail over her shoulder, a bright smile on her face before stepping up to the microphone. 

“Welcome, welcome!  What a glorious morning to celebrate the start of the 68th Hunger Games,” She paused for a small clap, looking back at the others on the stage.  They followed suit, though less enthusiastically, before she continued.  “As we all know, the Hunger Games are a solemn reminder, brought forward by the Treaty of Treason, to never repeat the Dark Days.”

The many screens dotted around the square, presently broadcasting Cordelia’s introduction, flickered to a film all were familiar with.  Scenes of war and disarray, narrated by President Coriolanus Snow, shifted to peaceful clips.  Prosperity.  Joy.  Families together and clear skies.  As it came to an end, the screens switched back to Cordelia.

“Wonderful,” She sang. “And now, before selecting our brave tributes, let’s remember our living victor’s who proudly represented District 10 in prior games.”  

Turning slightly, she faced half to the crowd, half to the right of the stage.  Six chairs lined this side, with four occupied.  Two instead had a small card embossed with the district’s emblem.  Cordelia listed off the living, clapping as each briefly stood and waved to the crowd. 

“Falabella Hackett, 43rd Hunger Games… Colter Barlowe, 39th Hunger Games… Lusitano Whitlock, 27th Hunger Games… Valencia Camacho, 22nd Hunger Games…

“Fantastic! Now,” Cordelia said, turning back to the front and clasping her hands together.  “For the main event.”

The tinseled woman moved away from the microphone, standing behind the bowl on the right side of the stage.  She slipped her hand in.  Dug around the slips.  Pulled a lone paper out.  Moved back to the center.  All this done while the spectators looked on, holding hands and breath.  The late morning sun baking the already restless crowd.      

“For our brave young lady…” Cordelia paused long enough for a true hush to fall over the district.  “Marlo Hackett!”

There was a second of stillness as the name settled over the crowd, creeping across their minds.  The last name, just briefly said moments before, began to register.  Hackett.  Prior victor.  A startling and hysteric cry was let out on stage.  Falabella attempted to stifle her outburst, hand covering her mouth as she turned away from the cameras that would be focusing closely on her.  

In the last rows of the pack of children, a small girl, only thirteen, stepped out.  She looked pale.  Wiped the sweat from her brow as the sun continued to beat down on her.  She half-tripped, caught by another girl before they released her just as fast, like they’d somehow be reaped as well.  Eventually she staggered up the stairs.  Ushered by Cordelia to her spot on the stage.  Marlo looked to her mother, tears streaking her cheeks.  

“What a reaction from our latest victor,” Cordelia said, placing her hands over her heart in faux pity. “As always, after a tribute has been selected, a volunteer may step forward.  Do we have any valiant girls in the crowd?”

A beat.  Stifled crying was all that could be heard at first, little Marlo rubbing her eyes constantly.  Another.  Falabella racked with sobs.  Cordelia surveyed the crowd, preparing to move on to the boys.  Then, before she could speak, only a few rows away from the stage, a single hand raised.

“I’ll volunteer,” a seventeen year old called.  Her eyes briefly met with Falabella’s, before looking back to the Capitol woman.  The front rows parted.  Staggered away, confusion on their faces. Volunteer? This was a girl from one of the community homes.  No relation to the Hacketts, and little to no reason she’d feel the need to replace Marlo.  No reason to sign herself to certain death.  

The teenager walked forward, back straight and head high.  She reached the top of the stairs.  Her vision felt tunneled despite her attempted confidence, sunspots dancing in her eyes.  She copied Marlo, wiping the sweat from her face in an attempt to look more put together.  During this, Falabella had rushed to Marlo, yanking her daughter away from the front and back towards her chair.  Clutched her to her midsection.

“Lovely, I don’t believe District 10 has had a volunteer in several years!” Cordelia said, pulling the new tribute towards the microphone.  “Please, introduce yourself.” 

The girl cleared her throat.  Eyes danced to the cameras closest to her, ignoring the harrowed faces across from her.  A cold dread seeped into her.  The reality of what she’d done sinking in.  She stepped closer to the microphone, voice not betraying her nerves.

“Sutherland Acosta.” 

[jessicatredes]

i was tagged by @lavampira for an oc tag game :-)

name: sutherland acosta

nickname: usually just called sutherland, occasionally shortened to "sut"

gender: lady

star sign: randomly choosing her bday to be may 14th which will make her a taurus (which is a bull.... and she's from district 10.... GALAXY BRAIN) ♉🐂

personality type: prior to the games, she was outgoing and chatty. after, she becomes much quieter and reserved. she's great at acting happy tho

height: 5'7

orientation: mayhaps bi since most my ocs are but she's got a man

nationality/ethnicity: white girlie from district 10 (so basically a TEXAN)

favorite fruit: apples 🍎 she does like trying different fruits (& all foods) while in the capitol

favorite season: she likes the spring and summer time since the weather is nice :-)

favorite scent: leather & citrus

coffee, tea, or hot chocolate: sweet tea

average hours of sleep: def not enough, and what she gets is crappy

dogs or cats: doggies :-) cattle dogs

dream trip: she thought district 7 was very pretty with all the trees, so she wouldn't mind getting to visit outside of the victory tour

number of blankets: she likes having a bunch available but only ends up using one or two

random fact: when it was announced that the 75th games would come from the pre-existing victor pool, sutherland immediately knew she would volunteer for her district. she couldn't stand the idea of any of the other victors from her district being forced to go, especially since some had children. she was also later in on the escape plan, and wanted to assist in keeping katniss alive.

[jessicatredes]

sutherland acosta // the hunger games (template)

"the house and the money, the parties and clothes; all on the backs of some dead kids no one remembers the name of."

[jessicatredes]

if you're comfortable, i'd love to learn more about your hunger games oc, sutherland. she seems so cool! do you have anything you could share? 💖

awww thank you!!! im still kinda workshopping her character but here's what i currently have established for her :-) i wrote more than i though i would so under the cut lol

because suzanne collins named her characters with the influence of their district (i.e. glimmer from d1), i wanted to do the same for sutherland! district 10 is typically shown in the southwest of north america on panem maps, & sutherland literally means "southern land."

her faceclaim is emmy rossum! sutherland is around 5'6, and with her work in the fields of d10, she's got a slightly better build than those from other districts. she has brown hair & eyes, and is mainly dressed in a palette of oranges & browns.

at first she isn't really sure why she volunteered. she didn't know marlo or the hacketts well at all, but there was just something about seeing a family already so affected by the games having another child reaped. she was also going to be kicked out of her community home soon, because she's 17 at the start of the 68th games. during her interview with caesar, she plays up that she volunteered to win & is confident in her ability to, but really she didn't think it fair that a victor's child was reaped.

her main mentor is falabella hackett, marlo's mother. she coached sutherland to turn everything surrounding her reason for volunteering away from marlo & her family, and instead because she wanted to win the games. falabella didn't want any fallback on her family because sutherland decided to say she thought it was fucked up victor's kids get reaped.

in d10, she worked with both horses & cattle. compared to the other livestock raised there, she was happy to work with cattle since it felt "freer" working in the pastures & riding horses. bc im making her a #horse girl, if she hadn't volunteered, she would've liked to work solely with the horses raised for the capitol (tribute parade, etc.). as a victor she owns a couple herself & rides as her talent.

she knows the basics of leatherworking, but she prefers embroidery as a craft. after she won her games, her stylist always dressed her with something that had embroidery throughout it.

she had a similar mindset to gale (how different can it be killing an animal vs tribute) when entering the games. because of this, she made no attempt to make allies, even with her district partner tatum. she stuck to herself and avoided other tributes for the first few days of the game. she eventually would use bear traps scattered around the arena to take out most of the career pack.

speaking of bears!!! she almost dies to a muttation that's basically a crazy bear monster. it was down it the final three when it attacked her, but the other two tributes took each other out before she could be killed by it. the capitol initially had her keep the scars it gave her, since the citizens were so enamored by her survival. she is often gifted bear trinkets or furs, and she cannot stand it.

im not having her story have a huge influence/change on the source material, but i am retconing the d10 tribute dying in catching fire lol. i haven't decided if i want her to have been rescued during the games OR from the capitol yet though (either way she was in on the plan).

for the 75th games she volunteers again (technically making her the only person to ever volunteer twice lol) she's the youngest out of all the living tributes, doesn't have children, & knows she can help keep katniss alive during the quarter quell.

by the time cf & mj roll around, sutherland has been a victor & mentor for 7 years. she also has spent a significant amount of time in the capitol. while it appears she's paraded around by the same guy (justinian) all the time, they're both actually part of the underground group plutarch was a part of to overthrow the capitol. he also manages to get to district 13 for mj.

sutherland would absolutely vote no for a ceremonial final hunger games. ik the math wouldn't work out then with the vote at the end of mj, but idc enough to figure that out LMAO. she knows justinian's nieces/nephews & also can't imagine any child being put through that.