Tariq Bluegrass was the 18 year old tribute from District 9 in the 35th Hunger Games. Tariq was a troubled former addict who worked hard and fiercely protected those he loved. He placed 2nd, killed in one of the most grotesque manners in Games history.
Games Description[]
Arena: Wheat fields, just like home
When he was Reaped, Tariq responded in a very confrontational manner by struggling away from the Peacekeeper and both screaming and sobbing for them to let him go. He begged for them to allow him to keep his brother, even asking to bring him into the Games with him. Because he was so afraid of being alone, he struggled furiously against the Peacekeepers and did not relent, shredding his brother's hand when he tried to save him and leaving behind fingernails embedding in the stage. During goodbyes, Tariq calmed down and was mostly tired, having spent his energy fighting the Peacekeepers. He mostly just sat in silence with Elijah. Tariq would not allow John or anyone else to enter the room, although he briefly saw his friend Cassius because he was the Peacekeeper supervising the goodbyes. Tariq's token was the hospital bracelet put on Elijah when he was an infant.
Tariq formed a large alliance with the other tributes, desperate to keep a large amount of people around him to compensate for the feeling of being alone. His allies included Elyssa Advertease, Olivier Fowler, Logan Quinn, and Krunk Wickersly. Tariq's fierce fighting style with a sickle earned him a 6 in training.
A consistent factor in the Games was Tariq's dissonance between wanting to get home to Elijah while keeping his allies safe. Losing his friends nearly broke Tariq, and he even had his hand lopped off by an ax while trying to save Elyssa. He felt he'd abandoned both Krunk and Elyssa and genuinely believed their deaths were his fault. Tariq grew particularly close to his ally Olivier, especially after the death of Elyssa .Olivier taught Tariq that he wasn't just a big brother and protector; he was a person, too. The cow mutts provided a source of fun for the alliance in the Arena, and they even tried riding them unsuccessfully. When Logan was killed by a trapdoor spider, Olivier saved both of them by tricking the spiders with a pair of shoes. They then hid in a trapdoor during the fire Troy set in the fields. Olivier was ultimately killed by Bambi Kirkland, the Victor. Tariq stayed with him while he died. Already broken by the death of his friend, Tariq finding himself in a spider's lair was even worse. He became the host of a spider, having eggs laid in his stomach. He stayed in cobweb perdition for three days until the eggs erupted, completely destroying him. All of the healing Tariq did was reversed in that spider's lair; he truly believed that being the last of his allies was enough of a sin to sentence him to such a horrific punishment. He didn't die alone, and it was the furthest thing from solace.
If possible, his resurrection was even worse. Tariq's trauma from the previous Games exacerbated his Borderline personality disorder, making him an unbearable ally even to his best friend Olivier. Eventually Olivier had no choice but to abandon the paranoid, dangerous Tariq. He eventually died, alone, of the plague and despising the tribute who used to be his closest friend.
Personality[]
Tariq saw himself as the defender of the people he loved, and he dedicated that as his identity. He was fiercely loyal, especially to his little brother Elijah, who he was emotionally dependent on. Tariq is unhealthily obsessively attached to other people, and his care giving and protectiveness is mostly due to his personal selfishness and desperation as opposed to love or sacrifice. When Reaped, Tariq didn't care about saving his own life. He was concerned about being alone. Abandonment is the ultimately betrayal and ultimate sin to Tariq. He sees the world in a very black in white fashion: those who are with him, and those who are against him. He is savage and animalistic to the latter category. Tariq has Borderline personality disorder, something that makes relationships with other people very tumultuous. He thrives in the presence of other people and cannot tolerate being alone, but making friends his difficult for him due to a stutter. Tariq's favorite hobby was playing Capture the Flag, and he was an avid stargazer.