etcircenses: (Default)
Panem Events ([personal profile] etcircenses) wrote in [community profile] thecapitol2015-01-20 10:58 pm

The Crowning Of The Signless

Who| Everyone.
What| The Crowning of The Signless.
Where| An alcove in a nearby mountain.
When| From dusk to dawn, on Thursday.
Warnings/Notes| This event is mandatory for all Tributes to attend. Even if you do not tag in, your character will attend this party. Peacekeepers will be on high alert. There will be no chance to runaway.

Tributes are encouraged to sleep all during the day, before the crowning. The reason for this is revealed when they are roused at sundown and brought to the closest mountain to the city, where they are greeted by an alcove within the moutainside that has been carved into a temple to what may be an illicit faith. The stone alcove is dim-lit by candles arranged along walls and by what appears to be altars set before iron cancer signs, some plain, some inlet with intricate carvings. Bright red drapery hangs about the room, tapestries with the cancer sign and cirles of blending color spectrum. There are also some waist high leggings hung upon one wall. In the center of the room, shackles hang, glowing bright from some sort of internal heat and light. A hole in the ceiling is set on each side of it, to allow the smoke to escape from the great bonfire that roars beneath it. If one takes a seat upon any of large stones and logs aranged around it, they can see both the stars twinkling down and the way the smoke looks as though it is coming off the shackles.

The only windows otherwise are made from stained glass depicting images from the Signless's life, such as his rescue by "Alternia's First Mother" (so described on the metal plate below), "The Recording of His Teachings" depicting The Disciple writing the Signless's words into a book, "A New Follower" showing the Psiioniic joining the Signless, a boat deemed "The First Ship", and "The Execution" which features the death of the Signless before thousands of followers, a fifth troll- resembling Terezi- bearing the shackles as a necklace and another with great brown wings, a single window of Karkat and Kankri Vantas, as well as a sinister depiction of six indistinct shadowy figures of cerulean, blue, indigo, violet, tyrian, and maroon. Cave-style paintings cover the stone walls, styles ranging from simple scribbled etching to circles featuring twelve colors in circle, with bright red at the center, and yet more elaborate shadowy depictions of those in the stained glass, esepcially the Signless himself, both prior and following his execution.

But not all is dedicated to the Signless and his old posse of biblical age trolls. A shrine has been set up for redeemed and then so quickly lost victor, Matthew 'Punchy' O'Conner. Punchy has been painted upon a cave wall like he fits right into the theme. Upon his shrine lay all varieties of bling; Bling-jewelery, a bling goblet, bling boxing gloves, a hoodie, a nun habit, and a stone with a memorial rap engraved atop-- with bling, of course, all shimmering by the spotlights placed before the shrine. Refillable 40 oz bottles are lain out so that sorrowful guests, wishing to pay their respect to the boy so cruelly slain by rebels when he had turned from them, can pour one out in his honor.

Marius is also honored there with a tea light and small framed photograph set upon an empty table with an empty chair, along with souvenir versions of his and Cosette's wedding rings that guests can take home. Beneath all these rings is a photoshopped picture of javert with a single tear running down his manly face.

The only seating besides the stones and logs and Marius's single chair, are those that are sat at a table at the end of the room. Each is draped in a different color, six on each side for each district and each blood hue-- presumably of the Victor's choosing. Between these chairs sits yet one more with a tall back like a flogging jut that got the redesigned at the base to make a throne that some trolls might recognize as belonging to the Empress. The arms of the chair feature open shackles. The throne is decorated in chains of gold and jewels of all colors. The victor is given a crown of gilded flowers and thorns on chain.

Food can be found upon the altars or the victor's table, in surplus. Alternian delicacies are served, featuring insects, flavored or plain, and food made from insects. Guests may find a giant beetle being served upon a spit roast. Even the meats appear to be topped with bugs. The cakes, marshmallows (which can be roasted with stick by the fire!), and orange creamsicles may be the only things truly bug-free. Drink options are water, wine, and soda.

Stylists are encouraged to dress their tributes primarily in black, with a single bit of color put into the design matched according to district (with exception to trolls), or any manner of draping fabrics, cloaks, and costumery reminiscent of religious iconagraphy that one might expect of ancient aliens. Waist high pants and leggings are also in high regard, as well as fake horn, fangs, contacts, and anything to make guests look more trollish. The only rule is for the main colors to match to the blood assignment.

The music playing is the sort one might expect from a church, featuring mournful vocals, soft bells and melodies, and of course, organ music. But for one or two jarring differences. Where this music is coming from remains a mystery but since the space is open and clear, guests have plenty of room for dancing.

Those who don't wish to dance can talk and regale tales around the bonfire, or may instead seek out the book of "scripture" at one of the altars that features nothing more than various parables- with names that Tributes might recognize! Each Tribute has one parable contained within, telling a tale in flourished manner of a part of their life, featuring a pro-capitol moral at the end.

Elsewhere, are models of the flogging just, where guests can put their hands through the oversized cuffs and pretend to writhe in agony, an Alternian bioware helm where guests too can pretend to have their lifeforce and power used a battery for the sake of the Alternian empire, a dress-up station where guests can customize their appearance to match trolls sold into gruelling slavery to seadwellwers, and an area designed to look like a cave with extensive "Alternian" (gibberish) writings of the Signless's words, where guests too can pretend they've lost everyone they love and are carrying on their legacy by writing upon the walls and leaving their own messages of love and mourning. Not to mention, a life-sized drone with realistic piercing claws, for all your picture posing needs.

A sandpit lies just around a corner for children to make castles, dig trenches, and act out games of pretending they've trekked thousands of miles through zombie infested desert just to speak to a couple of people! Guests can also meet a "mutantblood lusus" a four-eyed crab creature with lizardlike structure-- only sized no bigger than the average dog and perhaps about as intelligent. Guests are warned not to put their hand too close, lest the claw pincers manage to pinch them.

Late into the crowning, everyone is brought out to the dark mountainside, well monitored by peacekeepers, and divided into teams. Everyone is given belts with velcro flags attached, colored according to the "blood" they were matched with by district. Those in the eighth, ninth, twelfth, third, tenth, and eleventh districts are deemed the "lowbloods. Those in the first, fourth, second, fifth, sixth, and seventh districts, are deemed the "highbloods". Each team is given a velcro board to attach the flags to. The first team to lose all their flags loses, winners getting tiny necklace copies of the shackles. The last one standing with a flag wins a larger necklace copy and the option to get it redesigned into a symbol of their choosing.

If you failed not to be "culled", fear not! All tributes receive a participation sticker at the end. This sticker features a number. It is not indicative of districts or of age, as will be announced shortly, but of the new scoring. These will be announced for everyone to hear- and pick out targets from.

The crowning officially ends with the coming dawn. And so begins, to everyone's surprise, preparation for the arena. Tributes will be going right from the crowning off to the Tribute launch tubes. Happy Hunger Games!

[Note: This is ICly on Thursday! Just before the arena on Friday!]
reassures: (shine ☙ if you'll be my star)

[personal profile] reassures 2015-01-29 01:43 am (UTC)(link)
It wasn't easy. She was very wary of letting people see them at first; while she always found scars interesting in other people, how own were just reminders of some of her failures. It was a long time before she could think they weren't reminders of failure, they were reminders of what she actually lived through.

It's part of why she so resents that the wounds they get in the Capitol or the Arenas leave no mark. But then again, it wasn't like anyone really survived the Arena.

There's no way for them to really have any privacy, but Nill keeps them walking for a little while at first, mostly as a distraction. Then after a few more moments, she stops near the sand, and gives his hand a gentle squeeze.

Better?

The fire pit without be more distracting, something to take up more attention. For now she plans to save it in case they need a better place to go, to make sure that he doesn't think about the things surrounding them here.
carnagecarnival: (the avox sads)

[personal profile] carnagecarnival 2015-02-09 12:04 am (UTC)(link)
He nods. "A BIT, YEAH." And he's grateful for that. He squeezes a little back, part to simply return the gesture, part to take comfort, and part because making communicative non-verbal still felt betterlike sometimes.

"Sorry," He says sudden. Not because he can think of any immediate thing he did her wrong by (though he probably could if he tried), but because it slips out as general thing in need to be heard by the universe. Someone ought to hear him apologetic. "GOT SO MOTHERFUCKING CAUGHT UP. Still get caught...."

All those windows... literal fuckin windows to the past. Someone needs proper paying for that perfect pun, and then maybe a piece of his mind to go after.

"KNEW CAPITOL WOULD BE AT TO DO SOMETHING. Still don't fully fathom though... ARE YOU ALRIGHT, SISTER? Here?"
reassures: (shine ☙ alone with you)

[personal profile] reassures 2015-02-16 07:49 am (UTC)(link)
Nill offers him a very small smile, though it's plenty warm. She nods, and lifts her free hand to sign it's ok in response for him. She's more than certain that the apology isn't for her, especially given how obvious it is that he's more than a little ashamed of his past and potential future. I'm ok.

Though this place was a horrific sideshow none of the images meant much to Nill on a personal level outside of the stained glass Dolorosa. It's so much worse for him, she knows, it must be.

She makes a gesture with her free hand, an indication that she needs the other one before she gently pulls her hand away from his. The reason becomes clear quickly; she needs both to write. When she's done, as always, she lifts it up for him to see.

I don't think I told you before.
I don't care about the Grand Highblood.


She doesn't care that he's the Grand Highblood. All she cares about is the person standing in front of her, who has been nothing but a good friend to her.
carnagecarnival: (fade to the background)

[personal profile] carnagecarnival 2015-02-17 06:44 am (UTC)(link)
She's okay. In this hall of tortures and traumas, she's making fine of herself. He supposes it's not so disbelieving, for ones what all ain't knowing what it means. Or even one what do, just don't have the context and experience for it. That too could make a difference. But ultimately, he thinks, her being okay is a good thing.

"I'M BEING GRATEFUL FOR IT. I'm glad." Even though he doesn't sound it. It truly does mean more than he can say, that she's willing to look past it. That she'll see him without his shadow, looming as it is.

His breath shudders. "JUST STILL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW NOT TO CARE NEITHER. Whether all it's right to." Whether its being safe to, or if losing his care is losing his ability to better than all of that. There was so much to think on.

"...WAS AFRAID. Everybody knowing what I was, seeing what I am. I DIDN'T THINK NO ONE WOULD WANT THAT. I think... they shouldn't. BUT I'M TOO MOTHERFUCKER SELFISH AS TO TURN NO ONE AWAY." He glances at her, from under his lashes, then looks back down. "What I'm meaning to say is... thanks, for staying."
reassures: (shine ☙ i live to make you free)

[personal profile] reassures 2015-02-25 04:39 pm (UTC)(link)
you still wanted me.

It's a dangerous thing to write in a place that systematically destroys through fear and secrets, and even more so when she has painted herself as a largely harmless entity within Panem and its structure. But it's true, and it meant so much, and if the Initiate doesn't know that then he should. There was really only one other person in any world that knew about what she did to Spencer, and only he really knew the extent to which she was fucking glad when he screamed. Even then, with her fear and her anger adding to the mess of his head, he'd thought it was understandable. Justified. Nill's not completely certain what that means for either of them, the implications it holds about their minds, but it was enough at the time. It was still enough.

Nill writes more, and when she holds it up this time she reaches for his hand, fingers barely brushing against his - she doesn't take it, and she doesn't smile, but the warmth she regards him with has not left.

I don't think I could have done this without you.
thank you.


As selfish as he might think himself, Nill is plenty selfish too, and he's not the only one getting something endlessly important from their friendship.
Edited 2015-02-25 16:39 (UTC)
carnagecarnival: Haircut (For that stolen heart.)

[personal profile] carnagecarnival 2015-02-25 10:56 pm (UTC)(link)
He doesn't understand. Not at first. He's frowning at her, trying to parse her meaning, wondering what all would make him stop wanting her near. He can't think of anything. Maybe he's looking at it wrong. Isn't he surprised she had stayed? He's looking at her from a troll perspective. He's seeing her past violence as a non-issue. But if he were human, would he feel the same? He thinks so. If all else were still the same of him, he can't imagine why any of that would be important than one thing; staying.

He understands the point. If he's looking over it all, she's willing to also. The relief keeps growing, and part of him wants to cry out for not deserving it.

Her hand brushes his, and his breath is sharp. But she pulls away. His fingers chase after hers automatically, then settle in just a moment more.

His heart feels like it's being held tight, as he speaks, "BACK ON THE FUCK AT YOU, SISTER. Wouldn't want to. WOULDN'T NEVER NOT WANT YOU 'ROUND."

Mutual selfishness. That sounded like something he could live with. He smiles hesitant.