The Signless (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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thecapitol2015-06-07 12:03 am
69problems) wrote in thecapitol2015-06-07 12:03 am
Entry tags:
(no subject)
Who| Signless and Beck | Signless and OPEN
What| Signless has a chat with the new D12 stylist and does his best to stay occupied.
Where| Around the Tower
When| Arena Week 2
Warnings/Notes| None I can think of!
A. For Beck | D12 Stylist Area
Stylists are, admittedly, not Signless's favorite part of the Tower staff. He doesn't like being fussed over and prodded and put in outfits that are more impractical than they are comfortable. It's incredible how much he misses Cinna and Cinna's understated style, even if the stylists that have been looking after Twelve since Cinna left have been giving him increasingly more and more freedom in what he wears. There are some perks to seniority, he supposes.
It's therefore with only a little trepidation that he steps into the domain of Twelve's new stylist, an as-yet mostly unknown entity to him. When she introduced herself over the network he was still steadfastly ignoring his communicator and so he has no idea what to expect from her. These tattoos aren't going to update themselves, though, and she's the best place to start.
"Miss Scordato? May I come in, or are you busy?"
B. OPEN | Tower Commons
A new rack of Celebrus is always something to at the very least take a glance at. Most of the time Signless just hopes he and those he considers his have been overlooked, but it seems this time he hasn't escaped a mention. Frankly he's surprised there wasn't more of a focus on him given his connection with the Initiate, but he's grateful that connection wasn't mentioned or, god forbid, the focus of a whole tragic chunk of an article.
No, they chose to talk instead about the time he thought providing a mercy kill as someone who'd never killed before was a good idea. They chose instead to focus on a relationship with the Psiioniic he doesn't actually have (wrong quadrant, still very much up in the air) instead of the relationship he does have and has had for months. It's not really that bad but he knows his small but dedicated group of fans are going to have a field day about what they see as confirmation of their 'ship'. Panem humans are weird.
"At least cloaks are finally in fashion," he mumbles to himself, flipping idly through the pages.
C. OPEN | Around the Tower
If there's one thing Signless has noticed about Capitol fashion, it's that male humans seem to wear an awful lot of dresses. He may be somewhat biased by the large amount of drag queens on staff, but he still feels as though that might be something he should get in on. And why not? Leggings are 'feminine' clothes (apparently?) and those are perfectly serviceable and comfortable. The right dress should follow the same principle -- and, furthermore, should show the Capitol that he's making an effort to adapt to their norms and lifestyle.
Alright. So it's possibly a little flawed, as plans go, even if it comes from a good place. It doesn't stop him from talking with Beck, and it doesn't stop Beck from making the dress or setting him loose on the Tribute Tower with it on. As expected, the dress itself is quite comfortable -- he asked for one that wasn't restrictive and that showed off the floral tattoos on his arms, and that's exactly what he got. He doesn't even mind the makeup, simple black eyeliner and red lipstick; it's no worse than any of the other makeup he's been put in and for once it actually suits him. No, the real problem is the heels.
Signless doesn't like shoes at the best of times. He's worn heels all of once, a pair of low chunky blue things that were part of his disguise during the first jailbreak. These heels -- bright red, fairly tall, strappy -- are an entirely different beast. When he's not wobbling around like a baby giraffe he can be found sitting on the nearest flat surface giving his feet a break.
What| Signless has a chat with the new D12 stylist and does his best to stay occupied.
Where| Around the Tower
When| Arena Week 2
Warnings/Notes| None I can think of!
A. For Beck | D12 Stylist Area
Stylists are, admittedly, not Signless's favorite part of the Tower staff. He doesn't like being fussed over and prodded and put in outfits that are more impractical than they are comfortable. It's incredible how much he misses Cinna and Cinna's understated style, even if the stylists that have been looking after Twelve since Cinna left have been giving him increasingly more and more freedom in what he wears. There are some perks to seniority, he supposes.
It's therefore with only a little trepidation that he steps into the domain of Twelve's new stylist, an as-yet mostly unknown entity to him. When she introduced herself over the network he was still steadfastly ignoring his communicator and so he has no idea what to expect from her. These tattoos aren't going to update themselves, though, and she's the best place to start.
"Miss Scordato? May I come in, or are you busy?"
B. OPEN | Tower Commons
A new rack of Celebrus is always something to at the very least take a glance at. Most of the time Signless just hopes he and those he considers his have been overlooked, but it seems this time he hasn't escaped a mention. Frankly he's surprised there wasn't more of a focus on him given his connection with the Initiate, but he's grateful that connection wasn't mentioned or, god forbid, the focus of a whole tragic chunk of an article.
No, they chose to talk instead about the time he thought providing a mercy kill as someone who'd never killed before was a good idea. They chose instead to focus on a relationship with the Psiioniic he doesn't actually have (wrong quadrant, still very much up in the air) instead of the relationship he does have and has had for months. It's not really that bad but he knows his small but dedicated group of fans are going to have a field day about what they see as confirmation of their 'ship'. Panem humans are weird.
"At least cloaks are finally in fashion," he mumbles to himself, flipping idly through the pages.
C. OPEN | Around the Tower
If there's one thing Signless has noticed about Capitol fashion, it's that male humans seem to wear an awful lot of dresses. He may be somewhat biased by the large amount of drag queens on staff, but he still feels as though that might be something he should get in on. And why not? Leggings are 'feminine' clothes (apparently?) and those are perfectly serviceable and comfortable. The right dress should follow the same principle -- and, furthermore, should show the Capitol that he's making an effort to adapt to their norms and lifestyle.
Alright. So it's possibly a little flawed, as plans go, even if it comes from a good place. It doesn't stop him from talking with Beck, and it doesn't stop Beck from making the dress or setting him loose on the Tribute Tower with it on. As expected, the dress itself is quite comfortable -- he asked for one that wasn't restrictive and that showed off the floral tattoos on his arms, and that's exactly what he got. He doesn't even mind the makeup, simple black eyeliner and red lipstick; it's no worse than any of the other makeup he's been put in and for once it actually suits him. No, the real problem is the heels.
Signless doesn't like shoes at the best of times. He's worn heels all of once, a pair of low chunky blue things that were part of his disguise during the first jailbreak. These heels -- bright red, fairly tall, strappy -- are an entirely different beast. When he's not wobbling around like a baby giraffe he can be found sitting on the nearest flat surface giving his feet a break.
no subject
"But I know what you mean. I don't think I'd like Leo half so much if I hadn't been tipsy the first time I met him." It had made him funny instead of incredibly awful.
no subject
"Leo? Leonidas?" He asks, squinting and choosing his words carefully as they round a corner with brisk paces. "I feel sorry for him. We have something he wants, having played the Games and won. It makes it slightly easier to be kind... in addition to alcohol, of course."
no subject
He knows that he in particular is an affront to what Leo wanted and was denied, considering he's an offworlder who not only had multiple chances to win but was crowned by sheer luck of the draw. Even with Linden he's aware that their experiences are wildly different -- Linden grew up knowing he might one day be reaped. He had to watch children die and know they weren't going to be revived in the tower a few days later. He lives with an entirely different kind of trauma; no wonder he's trying to slowly kill himself.
no subject
"Are you familiar...? I confess that what I know about your life was picked up as a result of attending your Crowning, and I confess I wasn't in my most clear and present state of mind."
I had to be carried back to my suite, but we don't have to discuss that now.
They're at the bar, now, and he slides into a seat and gestures in a way that is a clear invitation for Signless to sit beside him.
"Let me buy you one, and if it pleases you, you can tell me what you worked toward and lost. I'm told that I'm a very good listener."
no subject
He'd forgotten that some people probably wouldn't know. He's so used to feeling as though his entire life is on display at all times that the idea of someone who hasn't seen it smeared across the back pages of some gossip rag is a strange one. But then -- of course Linden wouldn't know. He doesn't read those magazines, he burns them.
The drink he orders is probably disappointingly tame, but he's made it his rule to not touch the harder liquor. This is both so he doesn't make an ass of himself in public and because until he came to Panem he never drank. He has no tolerance. Even wine used to be too bitter for him to have more than a few sips, even if he's used to and quite fond of the taste now.
"It's a long story, and a lot of it is wrapped up in troll politics and culture. If I get distracted on a tangent, feel free to rein me in."
He's well-aware that the endless deluge of troll-centric explanations can be as grating for some people as it is fascinating for others. Much as he wishes that weren't the case, he's the minority here and his culture is the alien one.
no subject
"I know some things already. Karkat's in my District and he will talk forever about the subject if you let him. Why don't you assume that I know or can pick up certain concepts based on context? I'll stop you and ask if there's something I can understand better with help."
Linden orders his own, which is a whiskey double.
no subject
He falls silent for a few moments, looking down into his drink. He knows where to start -- there's nowhere else really to start but the beginning -- but he needs a moment to gather his thoughts all the same. It's a story he has to be careful telling because it's a story of revolution, something it can't sound as though he supports in Panem.
"I was hatched a mutant with an abnormal blood color in a society where blood color defines everything about one's life, including one's right to live at all. I should have been culled for my abnormality the moment I hatched, but instead I was taken in by one of the attendants of the brooding caverns. We lived in the wilderness, only ever passing through settlements for supplies, but that was enough for me to see the injustices that ran rampant in troll society. Lowbloods used as slaves, worked until they died, considered disposable because of their numbers and short lifespans. Our Empress's focus on war and conquest led to a culture designed to mass produce soldiers, and the most effective way to weed out those unsuited to serve in the fleet was to encourage the culling of those weaker than oneself -- and lowbloods, with no right to defend themselves against those higher in rank than them, made easy targets. It produced a world where it was safer to lash out, to push people away, to attack first even without threat because the threat was automatically assumed.
"All I wanted was to change that. Not to upset the social order, not to overthrow the Empress, but merely to dispel the hate and fear that hung over her people. I spoke of compassion and unity, of using the vastly varied skills and talents of the different castes to work toward a better whole. People began to listen. I thought I was getting somewhere. I thought I was making the world a better place, a place where even mutants like me might find some way to contribute to the Empire such that everyone might benefit."
He's twisting things a little, of course. In the end he did want to do away with a lot of the system in place, or at least change it significantly. But the core of it is truth: he wanted a better world for everyone, highblood and lowblood alike.
"And then I came here and learned my own future. If I go back to Alternia, I will be executed for my philosophy and all those who followed me will be murdered or exiled. Hundreds of sweeps in my future, the descendants of those followers will try to rebel with violence and hatred, not against the flawed system itself but against the highbloods they think are the only trolls who perpetuate it. Not only did everything I worked for come to nothing, but it inspired an army of zealots to do the one thing I actively fought to prevent."
He shakes his head minutely, as though trying to clear it. He's dangerously close a tangent, he can tell; time to rein himself back in.
"So. You can see why I'd rather stay here. The purpose I had on Alternia is meaningless now, but Panem needs people who believe in unity and peace. If I can do my part to facilitate that, then I can still do good."
He hopes Linden might be able to read between the lines a little. He hates spouting what sounds so much like pro-Capitol drivel, but it's safest. No one can say he isn't trying.
no subject
He listens, not drinking but instead stirring his whiskey with its straw. It's the kind of story that actually doesn't make him want to drink himself senseless, and those are rare.
"Good, indeed," he agrees quietly; even drunk, he's sharp enough to catch the gist without blowing what Signless actually means. "Whether or not it's meaningless in your world, I agree... this one can benefit from such a philosophy and those who are willing to practice it."
Hopefully it sounds like pro-Capitol drivel. They're both trying.
"For what it's worth, I don't think you're a bad Victor, for an Offworlder. I don't think your win was the fluke that so many make it out to be."
no subject
"I think it matters less how I came to be a Victor than it does what I do as a Mentor. It comes back to the same thing -- I want to do good, by my Tributes and by the district that's been so kind to me. I've been around long enough to have been on a District Tour, you know. I've seen Twelve, and I remember how well they treated us Offworlders even though they had so little to give. Winning for them, no matter how I did it, was an honor."
None of that is drivel at all. Even if he's not a native of Panem he feels a deep connection to Twelve and its people, and seeing them in person as he did profoundly changed his view of his place in the Games. It was like walking into a lowblood slave camp. It was like being home.
no subject
"Being a Mentor is one of the best jobs in Panem," he says, "but no one's claiming it's not one of the most difficult. Even your best might not be good enough, especially in the outlying Districts... but your sincerity will come through. A lot of people here aren't used to it, so they notice it instantly. Your Tributes will pick up on it too, even if you're all from different places."
no subject
"I know how to run and hide, how to hunt small game, how to stay alive as long as someone who won't kill can. Things most tributes dismiss, or can learn in other places without having to rely on their Mentor for guidance. But if they know that someone genuinely cares for their wellbeing, wants them to succeed, that has to count for something."
He looks over at Linden, his expression thoughtful.
"Doesn't it?"
no subject
"I... really wish that I could answer that definitively," he finally settles on saying. "I hope so, at any rate."
we can probably wrap this unless you had anything else?
There are things he can do, things he has been doing. He's been going to socials, talking up his District, trying to keep hold of the support that the back to back win he and Tony managed brought them. Maybe that's the thing. Maybe by the very nature of the games, nothing he does will ever really feel like enough. It's a sobering thought and he doesn't dwell on it long.
"Mm. Me too."