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.
currupted: (I've run out of Bastille lyrics)

[personal profile] currupted 2015-06-09 11:56 pm (UTC)(link)
There's only so many records that are kept for Avoxes. It's a delicate balance, between the needs of bureaucracy and the need to make Avoxes' prior identities disappear as though they never existed.

Cyrus knows Avox conditioning weakens over time. But in his eyes, can't and won't are the same thing where the Avoxes are concerned. There is no reason that the Capitol would reverse an Avox's conditioning; it's less an outright falsehood than blithe recitation, a doublespeak detail he doesn't even think about anymore as it falls off his tongue.

"Do you think you can put up with it for an evening?" Cyrus asks, and he keeps his tone level, but the words come quicker-- he's not bothering to hide his impatience as carefully anymore. "You know. Since I've already gone to the trouble."
fusshionable: (18)

[personal profile] fusshionable 2015-06-10 02:37 am (UTC)(link)
"It's a real shame," Porrim agrees, as sincerely as she can imagine. "Funny, Stephen and I were just talking about how long it's been since we've—caught up properly." And then she goes and says something she'll probably regret. "Really, we should all catch up over dinner sometime."

It's all she can do not to cringe. That was stupid and she certainly doesn't find the idea appealing. Ah, well, she's said it now and there's no taking it back, really. She shoots Stephen a look that's vaguely apologetic.
theflyingone: what are you looking at (look indirect)

[personal profile] theflyingone 2015-06-10 06:25 am (UTC)(link)
Altaïr would have to watch the skies for these so-called air carriers.

"Why does anyone want books and ink? To read and write. Everyone must do it here, even the children. All your signs are lettered instead of symbols. It cannot be so strange."

Altaïr thought it was a silly question. Surely this land wasn't so different that books and ink were nonexistent. How did the people here write then, with clay and stylus?
dead_black_eyes: "Secret Agent Man" (Ground control to Major Tom)

[personal profile] dead_black_eyes 2015-06-11 03:56 am (UTC)(link)
Linden furrows his pale brow. It's a silly question for someone with the other man's background, maybe, but to Linden in the technologically advanced Capitol...

"I suppose you could find some if you really wanted to," he settles on saying. "But whatever you need them for, there's probably a easier way to do it available."
conifer: (009)

[personal profile] conifer 2015-06-11 05:33 pm (UTC)(link)
Her eyes linger on the scar across his face as he mentions his injuries, and tentatively she raises a hand to stroke gently across it, fingertips following the line of the scar over his cheek. After a few seconds she realises what she's doing, quickly withdrawing her hand as though recoiling, her face red with embarrassment.

"I guess it all depends on your definition of fun. Though I suppose your job's one where you'd want to let off some steam."
lex_paciferat: (serious)

[personal profile] lex_paciferat 2015-06-12 03:11 am (UTC)(link)
He twitches slightly at the contact, his smile dropping, but doesn't take hold of her hand to stop her. The reconstruction of his face hadn't been perfect, the innervation patchy, and so the sensation of her fingertips is as though over thawing skin--numbed near his lips and more palpable towards his ear. When the blush rises to his cheeks it only serves to make his scar more obvious, the thin, light line demarcating what he lost.

"Couldn't act like that now if I wanted to," he says, glancing past her. "Burden of having a public face. The media's always biting at my heels."
talltaleteller: (Alert)

[personal profile] talltaleteller 2015-06-14 04:05 am (UTC)(link)
"Good! That's good. You get in trouble if you bruise the guy running the party, right? Right?" She grins a little too wide and laughs a little too loud, but at least she can joke a little. If you can't joke, what've you got left?

He guides her along easy enough, because the idea of sitting is sort of appealing. Heels are tricky to walk in and hard on the arches, too. "I'm okay, though! I, I should probably eat something, but I'm okay. It's okay. Everything's okay." Really, nothing's scary and weird, nothing at all. Surely she's doing a good job convincing him of that?

Once at the table, she plunks down into a seat with a loud sigh.
talltaleteller: (Sweetness)

[personal profile] talltaleteller 2015-06-14 04:55 am (UTC)(link)
"You are!" There's a pause to cough, as some of that glitter is still airborne. It's hopeless, isn't it? She'll just have to confess to her misdeeds and blame the glitter guy. Maybe... maybe she can play it off as this dress has been touched by a famous Tribute and it's special now? The crazy glitter Tribute is kind of handsome, she has to admit. Surely she's not the only one to hold the opinion.

"...why's this your thing, anyway? All the sparkles?" And she clasps her hands before her, keeping them low, giving a cute sort of sway from side to side. Research.
whydoyoushine: (talking)

[personal profile] whydoyoushine 2015-06-14 09:25 pm (UTC)(link)
"Because now there's no one here who can stop me." And he laughs. It sounds vaguely villainous and sinister, but somehow the effect is blunted with the way he's tossing back that glass of wine. You'd think no one had ever let this guy out of the house to party before.
conifer: (021)

[personal profile] conifer 2015-06-14 10:04 pm (UTC)(link)
"At least they're not snooping after you for a story the whole time. That's one part of being a Victor that I'm never going to get used to." She manages something of a smile as she forces herself to look back at him. "Thank you for the work you do. It's nice to know there's a shield between me and the reporters."
talltaleteller: (Alert)

[personal profile] talltaleteller 2015-06-15 02:28 am (UTC)(link)
"Oh?" Up go her impeccably groomed eyebrows, arching in curiosity. That is a little sinister, but that just makes the story more interesting, doesn't it? "They used to stop you? Back before you were here? That's cruel...."
reallynow: (pic#8082184)

[personal profile] reallynow 2015-06-15 05:14 am (UTC)(link)
Jolie is blissfully unaware of the forces known as Cyrus and their intent to keep Stephen pure or whatever. Those forces probably should have intervened years and years ago, because he gives Jolie a run for her money where debauchery is concerned. If only because being a classy lady is part of her character, which is of course immediately obvious to everyone and nobody can deny it.

"Pretty much all of them." Jolie admits solemnly, pressing her lips together and nodding as if it burdens her to have to tell him this. "But it wouldn't be the first time you wore your birthday suit to a party, would it?"
whydoyoushine: (talking)

[personal profile] whydoyoushine 2015-06-15 09:00 pm (UTC)(link)
"Yeah, no one wanted me to have any shine of my own. It's a tragedy." Granted, he's not quite so bothered by it as a normal person might be; he still seems to be having a good time.
lex_paciferat: (friendly)

[personal profile] lex_paciferat 2015-06-21 07:25 pm (UTC)(link)
"Wow. Our troubles have got to be boring by comparison." And thank goodness for that, he reflects. "Are you glad to be away from that place?"
lex_paciferat: (glance)

[personal profile] lex_paciferat 2015-06-21 07:40 pm (UTC)(link)
"Somebody's got to keep them in check." He smirks, feeling her gaze on him and meeting it, studying the points of light in her dark eyes in lieu of her expression. "We've got to be careful about what messages we send people, what things we turn into spectacles. It's tough to change people's minds once you've planted an idea in there."
president_evil: (weskerDesk)

[personal profile] president_evil 2015-06-22 12:15 pm (UTC)(link)
"I loath to leave work unfinished," Wesker replied, the tip of one polished shoe twitching slightly, keeping some slow beat only he could hear. "But the problems are merely different, and they do keep me occupied."

Somehow, he managed to make it sound magnanimous. As if he'd volunteered to help them first, instead of being an inter-dimensional kidnapping victim left with little choice in the matter.
conifer: (006)

[personal profile] conifer 2015-06-23 12:33 pm (UTC)(link)
"Like those ideas in there?" She nods toward the District Seven door, its idyllic lumberjacks and fawns capering in the trees beyond. "Or lack of ideas, really."
currupted: (at a pace you'll understand)

[personal profile] currupted 2015-06-24 02:09 am (UTC)(link)
Cyrus looks between them, sees the glance and doesn't understand it. When it comes to Stephen, few things irritate Cyrus more than feeling excluded.

Not that it shows in his face, unless it's in a very slight shortening of his smile; a brief second's pause, to allow whatever's hanging in the air between them to clear out of his way.

"I think you're right," he says, breezy and pleasant still. "How does that sound, Stephen? At the estate, you think? Livia's always telling us to bring back more guests. I think she and Ms. Maryam would get along well."
currupted: (at a pace you'll understand)

[personal profile] currupted 2015-06-24 02:20 am (UTC)(link)
"Good." And like that, Cyrus' shortness is gone, replaced again with the cat-who-got-the-cream smile he walked in with, this momentary problem resolved and behind him.

He steps closer, even, steps up beside Stephen and puts a hand on his shoulder, letting them survey the party together. They can see most of the rotunda from here, and glimpses of the gaudy Districts through the doors. He drops his voice to speak, quieter but more warmly than before.

"Hey," he says, "Even if it's not everything you wanted-- I'm proud of you." This is an intimate conversation, one meant just for them, that not even the cameras and microphones are meant to pick up. Cyrus is practiced at looking like he's saying something less important than he is in front of observers. "This is exactly what I meant, when I asked you to... make some changes. You're doing great."
fusshionable: (45)

[personal profile] fusshionable 2015-06-24 03:50 am (UTC)(link)
Well, she's made her bed, and now Porrim has to lie in it. Really, how terrible can it be? At least the Reagan brothers both aren't bad to look at. She can deal with it.

Right on cue, she tilts her head at Cyrus, ever so politely and inquisitively. "Oh? And who is Livia?"

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