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!]
dead_black_eyes: "Secret Agent Man" (La tricheuse)

[personal profile] dead_black_eyes 2015-02-15 04:45 pm (UTC)(link)
Nill is highly transparent that way. It's a terrible thing to be when an entire bloodthirsty Capitol city is watching out for transparency, cracks, anything to indicate weakness or vulnerability. They're windows to humanity, after all, and so many citizens have forgotten what that looks like so thoroughly that they clamor for chances to see anything resembling it, even at a distance.

He laughs slightly when he sees what she's written. She's getting to know him pretty well, which makes him bristle inwardly, but she hasn't run away, so... that's good? Or maybe he's trapping and choking her gentle spirit with his infantile needs and selfish addictions. He has a feeling that she would never say if that was the case, but her eyes tend to be good indicators of the truth, and it's a vulnerability she has that he exploits shamelessly.

"I'll do my best. And if my best was enough to win the Hunger Games once, then it can't be that shoddy, can it?"

An attempt at playfulness, now that his caked-on foundation and artificially darkened eye sockets are letting some of his sincerity shine through. He swallows, on-edge, realizing that he's broken a rule by telling her, even if it's too soon to matter. But she's the only Tribute he's told, the only one he will tell. As sins go, it's a mild and understandable one, and as a Victor, he is permitted the occasional sin.

"...Do your best, as well."
reassures: (shine ☙ we have the rest of our lives)

[personal profile] reassures 2015-02-19 10:51 am (UTC)(link)
Nill would never, under any circumstance, let Linden take the fall for something like that. Even if it were to happen while she was gone she would find a way to get him out of trouble - tell any lie, make it sound like manipulation on her part. Anything. He's not going to suffer just because he cares about her. It would be one of the last things in the world she ever allowed. She'd rather die (again).

it's not shoddy at all.

For as much as Linden struggles, Nill has faith in him. Even if it's more difficult than it should be there's a lot to be said about his efforts, and she's so far taken the frequency of his smiles as a good sign. There have been much more of them recently than when she first met him - ones that are actually genuine, too. Right now is a rough point, but he's still doing so much better.

I will. I promise.

Nill still has no intention of winning a game, but she can still do better in Arenas. Keep herself relatively safe, watch out for others. Not sink into the miserable husk of a person she was at the end of the last Arena before she ran into Karkat. It had been stupid, a mistake, but the last Arena was too much for her on a lot of levels.

She'd have to drink more water before the crowning was over, find something to eat if they had anything not made of meat or bugs, but that could wait for a little while longer. Nill picks up the small bag she was given and fishes out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. She puts one between her lips and lights it automatically, before holding the pack towards him in offering. Drinking would honestly be an awful idea fir the moment, but there was no reason she couldn't smoke before the night was over. It wasn't like she could get cigarettes in arenas.
dead_black_eyes: "Nickel" (Tout ca n'est pas)

[personal profile] dead_black_eyes 2015-02-21 05:32 am (UTC)(link)
While Nill might have moved mountains and sky to ensure that Linden wasn't blamed for anything unfortunate, the truth is that she's unlike to possess that authority. Linden knows it, and he believes that on some level, she must know it too. Even if she's willing to die for him, and even though Mentors are supposed to be relatively untouchable as people in Panem go, some crimes are unpardonable and indistinguishable from treason.

Such a world, they live in.

Her faith is clear and as usual, it breaks his heart. It always surprises him to feel that slight, squirming pressure in his rib cage; he is, after all, the Victor without a heart. He'd traded his for hatred and righteous vengeance a long time ago in his Arena, killing someone he had kissed and slept beside. So romantic. So tragic. So dramatic.

...so tired.

He accepts the cigarettes gladly. For the moment, there isn't much else to say; the sleepy haze he sees the world through shifts around him like a boat that no one is steering, the light cast off by the stained glass is soft and drowsy. He bumps one out of the back, taking it carefully between his teeth and drawing it out, waiting his turn for the lighter. His hands look relaxed and limp enough that it might be better for Nill to light it for him and save him the trouble of attempting to light his knuckle or cheek.
reassures: (shine ☙ i do adore the way you are)

good spot to stop? or did you wanna do more?

[personal profile] reassures 2015-02-24 05:23 pm (UTC)(link)
Truthfully, it's about the only kind of denial Nill has left in her that hasn't been broken down in some way - no doubt because it would be a bigger strain on her psyche to be without it than to live with it. To admit that she's unable to protect the people she loves when they need it would be the thing to do her in. Without that delusion she has no agency, no control, no kind of power in her own life, and every single thing she cares about is a fleeting concept, easily taken away from her no matter how tightly held on to. The delusion is all the more powerful here, the only world she's been in where she arrived entirely alone, and the friends she has made are the only things she has left to hold dear.

It's a part of why she carries such guilt and punishes herself so thoroughly. If she didn't then it would require her to admit that while her losses were not her fault there was nothing that could have been done about them, and all of her loved ones were doomed from the start. Largely Nill does know it, but to admit it, to give it the power of being by acknowledging it, might be more than she could bare. It would drive her back into a bottle right beside his syringe.

It's clear that his vices are leading him towards the more sleep-prone side of the high, and Nill doesn't even bother to hand him the lighter. She takes the pack back and sets it between them before leaning a little closer to light his cigarette. After that she leans back against the wall, and doesn't move to write anything, content enough in their silence. She'll have to move and prepare as subtly as she can later, allow herself a moment for her hands to shake at the idea of what morning means, but for now she'd really rather just be where she is with him.