capitolprivilege: (and everything is fine)
Stephanus "Stephen" Reagan ([personal profile] capitolprivilege) wrote in [community profile] thecapitol2015-04-27 11:04 pm

I get dizzy when I think of all the ways we try to hide our maladies [OPEN]

Who| Stephen and anyone who isn't actively participating in the break-in!
What| A big, big party to celebrate the soccer match, and also to celebrate Stephen being much less of a disgrace than he was. This is the party that made it into Celebrus, people. The Capitol elite is invited, and so is anyone involved with the Games! ...except for the people Cyrus crossed off the guest list behind Stephen's back.
Where| An event hall in the Capitol
When| Backdated to the Binding plot, the night of the break-in.
Warnings/Notes| Capitol gilding-over of atrocious things. Disney-ified portrayals of the Districts. Avoxes being used as furniture. And what you bring with you.

For having such a short time to plan it, Stephen and Porrim have really outdone themselves. The event hall is round, with a hallway leading to a large, circular, central room and smaller rooms ringing the outside. The main area is half ballroom, half dining area: the dance floor is off to one side, large enough to accommodate anyone who wants to dance, but with the lights low enough to make it feel intimate and un-intimidating even if only a few feel like dancing. The translucent mist that whirls around the area helps with the intimate atmosphere without impeding visibility badly enough to make dancing difficult. The other half of the room is round tables, kept clean and refreshed with food by wait staff who will bring the guests just about anything they ask for. The wait staff are all perfectly groomed, polite, and in possession of their tongues.

The decor is soccer-themed, but soccer as it would have been imagined by the ancient Greeks. Marble statues of athletes (clothed or half-clothed or with strategically carved folds of cloth) are tastefully placed around the low-lit room. The Greco-Roman aesthetic characterizes the whole room: carved pillars hold up the sound system and the tables, embossed vases whose figures are animated adorn the tables as centerpieces, and the wait staff is dressed in sporty chitons and peploses. It's Classically classy, but the sports imagery and the popular dance music that's muted enough in the dining area to allow people to talk make it informal enough to be comfortable.

At even intervals around the center room are twelve doors. Each one has a Roman numeral on it. Step through any one of them and it will take you to a recreation of the corresponding District that's both full of real props and holographic images. The technology isn't as good as Gamemaker illusions and certainly doesn't feel as real as the dream tech, but it can be interacted with, even if it doesn't "feel" real. You can "pick up" a dandelion in District 12 and blow its seeds away. You can run a hand through the water of a District 4 beach and pier and watch the ripples spread. Each District room has comfortable seating, themed food, and appropriately-dressed wait staff; there are even cast members re-enacting District life around the dining areas, giving each room a sense of authenticity. It looks, sounds, smells, and tastes like the District it's imitating, just -- better. Cleaner.

Oh, also, those who participated in the soccer game and won will be given laurel crowns made of solid gold.

District One is a balcony of a manor house, overlooking a perfect view of manicured gardens. You're not outdoors, but it sure feels like it. The tableware is sparkling gold, the chairs made of silky fabric that is a joy to touch but doesn't seem to stain, and being there will make you feel like a prince or princess.

District Two is clearly built into the inside of a mountain. There are broad, open windows, of course, letting in plenty of fresh air, and the walls and floor and ceiling are impeccably carved, but it's all made of natural stone. Outside, down in the valley, you can see Careers and Peacekeepers training.

District Three is a charred husk no, not at all, that would be tasteless. Three looks like Tron: Legacy. Glowing LED lines run through the walls and furniture, and it all looks so clean and spotless it can't be entirely real. The tables are angular, unnatural, and around the dining area are color-changing glow pools.

District Four is a broad pier that juts out from a beach into the ocean. The sand is real, but the water is not -- don't worry, you won't ruin your clothes if you fall in! The sun is setting, painting the sky beautiful colors, and there's no mistaking that sea-salt smell. Off to the side, attractive fishermen and fisherwomen work to bring in the seafood the Capitol enjoys so much. Rough-hewn but splinterless wooden tables and comfortable canvas chairs are on the pier, with an awning above to keep the sun off. Part of the pier is made of glass, so you can look down and watch the tiny fish as they swim around.

District Five is a power plant, but an elegant one. Lightning crackles across the walls and ceiling, leaping between metal rods in a dazzling display. But don't worry: it's not real. You can touch it if you want. It'll cling to your fingers for a few seconds before sparking out. The hum it makes is quiet and unobtrusive white noise.

District Six is lovely, if Stephen does say so himself. It's a series of luxuriously-furnished train cars, with realistic-looking, picturesque scenery rushing past that reflects the geography of all twelve Districts. The floor hums gently; it feels like you're really moving. In one of the train cars can be found one District 6 Mentor, Linden Lockhearst -- usually. He's been part of the party's marketing: he has promised to, at this party, disprove fortune-telling completely. Come talk to him! You'll be surprised at what he can tell you about you. ♥

District Seven is a tree house! It's about a hundred feet up in the crisp, pine-fresh air, affording a gorgeous view of the surrounding forest. Birds sing, deer frolic below, and stunningly attractive lumberjacks can be seen going past, hard at work. They're also very attractive. Look, Stephen and Porrim planned this party -- what did you expect? Go watch the lumberjacks. It's worth it.

District Eight is artistic. It's divided into sections, almost mazelike, with walls made of cloth, but it's kept from feeling claustrophobic by the fact that the ceiling -- also made of cloth -- looks like the sky. No, really. Clouds are scudding across it, blown in the same direction as the light breeze that flows through the room, keeping it from feeling stuffy. The cloth walls are similarly illusory: touch them and they feel real, but projected onto them are broad plains with great lakes not too far distant. The chairs and tables are all cloth and wooden frames.

District Nine is grain. It's hard to make grain interesting, but Stephen's given it his best shot. This is the room with the most open-air feel. Grain, amber waves of it, as far as the eye can see. There's a trick to this room: walk out into the grain, and you won't hit a wall. You're on a moving sidewalk that responds to you, and the holograms will bend to give the illusion of distance between you and the tables in the crop circle in the center of the room. D9's bigger on the inside.

District Ten doesn't have real farm animals. Goodness, no. Too unpredictable, and the smell would detract from the Old West charm of this room. The door leads out onto the expansive porch of a ranch house, where the tables are. It overlooks paddocks of horses and fields of gentle cows. Two or three playful but impeccably trained herding dogs are the only real animals here: they are impeccably clean and will only approach if you call them over. Their handlers in cowboy hats and jeans aren't far away, keeping a watchful eye. Somewhere, Wyatt Earp wants to die.

District Eleven is an idyllic orchard. The apples can be picked and eaten. You won't be punished for stealing food, because you're from the Capitol! Ha, ha. The wait staff is dressed as sexy farmers, with straw hats and coverall-shorts and plaid shirts artistically tied up, talking in easygoing drawls. It's all very charming, like it's right out of Song of the Goddamn South. This is some unfortunate fucking shit.

District Twelve is probably the most ordinary out of all the rooms. The feel is of small-town Appalachia. Coal miners with impressive arms can be seen going to and from work along dirt tracks that wind between the little houses, a man plays a banjo and sings a little ways off, and pine-covered mountains rise in the distance. The food is rustic but delicious: warm baked bread, goat cheese and strawberries, roast goose with herbs -- you wish you lived in this dystopia.

Oh, and one more thing... In the main room, there are statues that are dressed more classically. Togas, chitons, flowy robes, bangles, sandals -- they're holding trays of food, trays of drinks, baskets of bread and fruit, all classically beautiful, all with -- very realistic-looking hair and eyes, now that you're thinking about it -- oh god they're moving. Cyrus Reagan has been involved in the planning of this party from the start, and he's BUTTED IN put a few of his own touches on it without talking it over with Stephen. Hand-picking Avoxes for their looks, dressing them up, and commanding them to stand perfectly still so they can be the tables, he felt, fit the theme perfectly.
contrarianlibrarian: (Judgey fudgey)

[personal profile] contrarianlibrarian 2015-05-21 03:56 pm (UTC)(link)
"I'm not usually the type to get my hands dirty, but yes." Horses are probably the one exception.

"A family friend invited us to ride once. They're very interesting animals."
conifer: (003)

[personal profile] conifer 2015-05-21 05:47 pm (UTC)(link)
"Does it feel like flying when you go fast on them?" She'd always imagined it to be so. She's aware that her questions match the simple excitement on her face, but she doesn't care particularly right now.
contrarianlibrarian: (Smile)

[personal profile] contrarianlibrarian 2015-05-21 06:49 pm (UTC)(link)
Seeing honest excitement about something so innocent is actually pretty charming, in a way. China feels that she sees so many emotions that are just politics or tools--and, of course, she's very guilty of that herself.

Her own smile takes on a note of the genuine as she nods. "It really does. It's a much more extraordinary feeling than driving, I can tell you that. And the view is even better than that which you would get from standing atop the tallest tower."
inrestlessdreams: http://icon-victoly.livejournal.com/527.html (Default)

[personal profile] inrestlessdreams 2015-05-23 06:47 pm (UTC)(link)
"The pillow was the only thing I had. The medicines made her sicker, but...I can't get her out of my head."

His love for his wife, the woman he murdered, still showed in the pale expression on James' face. He knew what he did was wrong, so disgustingly selfish, because he couldn't stand to see her wither away.

"I-I only wish I could take it back. I left her letter in the car, her last words before-" Sunderland did his best to hold his breakdown back, "Mary wanted me to be happy, after all that pain? And I did that to her. Oh God."

Without the monsters and the fog, there was gravity to James' plea. "I'll do anything if the Capitol brings her back...let her be happy here with someone else, but just undo what I did."
lex_paciferat: (smirk)

[personal profile] lex_paciferat 2015-05-23 11:26 pm (UTC)(link)
"If the women looked and dressed like this our forces wouldn't get anything done there either."

As he speaks, a woman happens to catch his eye--a Capitolite dressed in a pink robe, with jewel-studded hair and gaudy makeup. It's someone he recognizes from his early days in the city, a sight that elicits memories of being embarrassingly drunk and flirtatious, and when she sees him and starts to move towards him with a smile he finds himself fumbling for Emily's hand.

"You mind pretending to dance with me for a second?"
lex_paciferat: (friendly)

[personal profile] lex_paciferat 2015-05-24 12:04 am (UTC)(link)
He shrugs. "There's exceptions to every norm."

The mention of Penny's name brings a slight tension to his posture--he'd never approved of her tactics, having viewed the wrath she incited as unnecessary trouble. Not that he'd ever expressed as much when she'd been alive, of course.

"She was damn tough, I give her that. You guys got along well?"
president_evil: (weskerSneer)

[personal profile] president_evil 2015-05-24 02:12 pm (UTC)(link)
"Implying that Penny 'got along' with anyone, well or otherwise."

Behind the lenses of his sunglasses, Wesker's eyes narrowed, noting the the shift in Quintus' stance. Not unusual when Penny came up... but still, worth remembering.

"I think it would be more apt to say she recognized that the decision to bring me into the fold was above her pay-grade, and thus not her place to resist. Openly."
dead_black_eyes: "Secret Agent Man" (Don't you know I suffer?)

[personal profile] dead_black_eyes 2015-05-26 01:51 am (UTC)(link)
Linden stays quiet. He's imagining the scene based on the sparse information he has, in an unfamiliar, surreal context. In the Capitol, such a scene would never occur, but in the Districts, ones like it are all too common. Perhaps not the smothering by pillow part, but slow death with loved ones helpless to intervene? Everywhere, and never any less painful.

He's bad with crying people. He's not inherently good at comfort and outward signs of compassion. James is emotional, and that inherently means unstable, and Linden hesitates to get too near anyone in that state.

"I won't tell you that you did the right thing or the wrong thing," he says. "And I won't tell you that the Capitol will or won't bring her back. But in any case... I can tell you, for certain, that nothing you do will change the outcome of what's happened already or influence the Capitol's decision. Be happy about that second one; if they brought her here, it would almost certainly not be in a way you would want."
inrestlessdreams: http://dioxidane.livejournal.com/1634.html#cutid1 (A World of Madness)

[personal profile] inrestlessdreams 2015-05-26 02:07 am (UTC)(link)
There was a moment of utter dread as James' mind reminded him that Mary did come back one more time. And it was the most dreadful experience in the world. If the Capitol could manage to bring him back from the depths of Toluca Lake, what stops them from inflicting that memory onto him?

It took a few shaky sobs to finally get James back into a less than afflicted state but he nodded in agreement, "I think I understand. I-I'm sorry to have troubled you with this."
dead_black_eyes: "I Am a Rock" (I touch no one and no one touches me)

[personal profile] dead_black_eyes 2015-05-26 03:22 am (UTC)(link)
It's bound to be a strange sight, the two men sitting across from each other with one patient and staring and the other sobbing his eyes and his heart out. Fortunately, no one passing by the car seems interested in lingering long enough to peer in the windows and really try to sum up the situation, and they're afforded as much privacy as one is ever bound to find in the Capitol.

"No trouble," he replies, averting his eyes out of something like respect as James sniffles and nods. "I hope you'll believe what it says on the sign, now, at least."
conifer: (006)

[personal profile] conifer 2015-05-26 05:23 pm (UTC)(link)
Emily jerks away as he reaches for her hand, her first thought being that he's going to handcuff and lead her away. She looks baffled as to why he'd want to dance with her, and then she looks over and sees the woman, then looks back at Quintus, amused. "You don't seem her type at all. Okay, sure."
theflyingone: fly like an eagle (leap of faith)

[personal profile] theflyingone 2015-05-27 09:03 am (UTC)(link)
He had no time to wring hands. He asked about transportation because clearly this land was larger than he took it for. Methods of getting around just the city exceeded his wildest expectations. If he was to escape, a horse might not cut it.

"But what moves the--Ah. Like the horseless wagons on the streets. A metal caravan." He cast a look around again at the tables. Rather like a moving house. But the next interested him far more.

"And you say there are airborne methods of travel?"

Now it was time for him to look more like a dazed newbie as he leaned forward. To fly.... a dream that captured the imagination. To laugh at gravity, truly, like a bird. Altaïr's art of movement, though it took him leaping on and off perches hundreds of feet high, only involved a series of fancy falling, grabbing, and climbing.

"I suppose I could ask things such as 'how large is this city' or 'where can I get books and ink', but those I can find out just by listening or looking at a map."
conifer: (008)

[personal profile] conifer 2015-05-27 07:25 pm (UTC)(link)
"I can imagine," Emily enthuses, but she can't, not really. She just has her own daydreams, and she knows deep down that the reality won't match them. "Maybe one day I'll get to ride one."
lex_paciferat: (glance)

[personal profile] lex_paciferat 2015-05-28 12:55 am (UTC)(link)
"I'm not," he agrees, leading her out of the room and back towards the dance floor, his grip gentle yet firm. "Bit of a four-drink mistake a few years back, if you know what I mean."

The song that happens to be playing is forgivingly slow, and as he shifts into position, his other hand finding the small of her back, he does indeed pretend to dance--swaying back and forth rather than following any steps. Partner dancing is a skill that, for all his travels, he never bothered to pick up. He supposes he was just never that romantic.
lex_paciferat: (smirk)

[personal profile] lex_paciferat 2015-05-28 01:10 am (UTC)(link)
He has to laugh at that. "I know how that is. Speaking as a control freak myself, it can be frustrating when someone up the chain of command makes a call without your input. But that's just how it works."

He takes a sip, smiles and asks, "How much shit did she give you?"
president_evil: (weskerEdge)

[personal profile] president_evil 2015-05-28 11:53 am (UTC)(link)
"Indeed," he replied, as if he understood.

And he did, if in the opposite direction. How many times had he 'made calls,' as Quintus put it, only to have some fool bungle it down the line?

"And less than she was known for, I'm sure. Once she realized I am a difficult man to cow--" and he clearly had no shame in saying so, the words said with the same, purred confidence as everything else, "--things simplified."
inrestlessdreams: http://dioxidane.livejournal.com/1634.html#cutid1 (Letters)

[personal profile] inrestlessdreams 2015-05-28 12:44 pm (UTC)(link)
James wasn't an emotional man, not as much as others that the town called with its' subtle siren call. But these rare outbursts seemed to do the job, they aired out some of that baggage, and let the stench of rotting wood and wet cloth evaporate from his skin.

At Linden's request, the clerk nodded, "I don't believe in psychics, don't worry...though it was nice to dream that somehow she'd be with me some way." His hands played with the dials on the small broken radio he never left tower, "If I may you: have you ever had someone like that? So wonderful and kind, you'd do anything for them?" A little bit of the town of quiet spirits exhaled from Sunderland's mouth as he asked this, a lingering fume that never left his lungs.
contrarianlibrarian: (Judgey fudgey)

[personal profile] contrarianlibrarian 2015-05-29 04:03 am (UTC)(link)
"You would like to try?" She lets a real smile free--finding a shared hobby is kind of pleasant, especially one that might turn off a lot of people with the possibility of dirt and grime.

"I don't believe I could point you to any sort of riding club in the Capitol, but there must be an avenue for you somewhere..."
conifer: (007)

[personal profile] conifer 2015-05-29 06:15 pm (UTC)(link)
Emily nods eagerly, though her smile fades a little at the reminder that of course it would be difficult for her as a districter to get a foot in the door, even as a Victor. "Maybe if there's something similar to that retreat we went on," she suggests, though she knows even that's a long shot.
dead_black_eyes: "Poison" (I wanna love you but I better not touch)

[personal profile] dead_black_eyes 2015-05-31 06:05 pm (UTC)(link)
"That's correct," Linden says, inwardly marveling at just how different this man's world must have been for him to be so captivated by such mundane things. "Horseless and airborne, and they're everywhere. You'll see them soon enough, if you haven't already."

He sighs. In this newcomer's place, he'd be daunted. Districters who are brought to the Capitol tend to be kind of starstruck, but at least they have context, and more or less know what to expect when they step off that train.

"Why do you want books and ink?"
contrarianlibrarian: (Smile)

[personal profile] contrarianlibrarian 2015-06-01 10:28 pm (UTC)(link)
China's smile grows all the brighter to make up for it. "What an excellent idea. Perhaps you could suggest it to whoever's running those things now--I'm happy to be an agreeing voice if you need someone to back you up."

She'll be surprised if they don't get forced into one of those team-building things again. They might as well try to make it something fun.
talltaleteller: (Wait What)

[personal profile] talltaleteller 2015-06-02 06:56 am (UTC)(link)
The way he exclaims it, that she's shining, it's as though it's the most wonderful thing in the world. But it's not wonderful. This is not her dress and someone's going to be mad. She's starting to wonder just how drunk this guy is when she actually looks at him. And it clicks. And she inhales sharply. It's the crazy glitter Tribute.

"I-I-I don't want to be shining, though! I'm taking away your shining by being all covered in this stuff!" And now she is trying to brush the glitter away, though it's pretty fine and thus getting smeared all over her hands as she tries to do so. "Ugh..."
dead_black_eyes: "Secret Agent Man" (I hope I become a ghost)

[personal profile] dead_black_eyes 2015-06-02 04:58 pm (UTC)(link)
Linden stares, having not expected the question. He's here to needle others, after all, not to be himself needled. Certainly not by offworlders with no reason to find a shabby, washed-up former Victor interesting.

"Perhaps," he answers, after a long pause. "That being said, I don't have a lot of context for what you're describing. Being a Victor, the only person I would do anything for has historically been myself."
conifer: (007)

[personal profile] conifer 2015-06-02 06:06 pm (UTC)(link)
"I do, but not through personal experience thankfully." She'd never really gone through the 'trashed and sleeping around' phase, being whored out for Snow had killed any desire to participate in that part of Capitol culture. She's not too good at dancing either, rhythm not coming naturally to her, and steps back and forth rather awkwardly, glancing around to make sure no one's staring at them too much.
conifer: (031)

[personal profile] conifer 2015-06-02 06:19 pm (UTC)(link)
Emily looks somewhat encouraged, both at the idea itself and the idea that she'd have a Capitolite to back her up. "I'll definitely find an opportunity to ask about it, in that case."

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