[OPEN]

[xanthous]

Who| The Psiioniic, the other trolls, and YOU! It might lean heavily towards trolls, but anyone is welcome to join them!
What| Watching the final week of the Games.
Where| The Training Center common area.
When| Final week!
Warnings/Notes| Trolls everywhere. And also mentions of violence, death, and etc in passing.

It's probably not unusual for people to group together and watch the violence unfolding. The Psiioniic certainly doesn't see why it would be strange, and he looks remarkably unimpressed as a recap plays some especially gory scenes. He seems to be prepared for a crowd, with plates of food nicked from the District 2 suites scattered around him. He even prepared a sign for his little shindig:


Of course, most people won't be able to read the sign, and do you even know how long it took him to find a marker even close to the proper shade of yellow? Too long, that's what. But now he's prepared for the final cullwatch, and ready to spend time with members of his species. And people who might be curious as to what the hell he's scrawled on the sign.

(You would think something like "fiinal cullwatch" is pretty self-explanatory, but you could never be sure with aliens.)

Comments

[savedbyasong]

Shion had been slowly getting used to the world he had found himself in. And by used to he really mean more and more disgusted by. He had only ventured out of the tribute home once and came straight back.

It still reminded him of home, just more colourful, more loud. And in many ways worse, being unaware or uncaring of suffering and death was one thing. He would never forgive himself for having been part of that, of being unaware that people were so hurt by his home, but here they delighted in it. The screens, the shops selling merchandise.

It was a different kind of control, of brainwashing. And he felt sick thinking about it. At least in the tower there were those who seemed to react normally. They watched but they didn't cheer, they hid their disgust behind neutrality and that told Shion a lot about the level of surveillance here.

He blinked as he walked into the lounge, seeing a gory scene, a lot of food and a sign in a language he didn't understand.

He concentrated on the sign, it was easier than taking in the rest and what it suggested.

[xanthous]

The Psiioniic hasn't ventured outside of the Training Center, so he doesn't know about just how much of the Games is a spectacle. Regardless, he wouldn't mind that much. He's so old that he's desensitized on top of the typical troll like acceptance of violence.

His focus doesn't stray from the monitor as he watches a recap of the dragon, a piece of fruit dangling from his lips. He's more fascinated by the food this center offers then the scene on TV, because he really doesn't see how a dragon is anything new or strange.

It doesn't take him too long to notice Shion, though. He's a human he hasn't seen before, but that doesn't mean much. Why is he just staring at the sign...? Can't these people read. "What are you doing?"

[savedbyasong]

He jumped at the voice, turned round in the direction of it and jumped again when he saw the troll. "Um... sorry... I didn't mean to."

General purpose Volanz mingle thread

[thebestoffense]

Volanz came because there's food. He's easy to motivate that way. It's not that there isn't good food all the time, it's just he's not sure what to ask for and the throngs of people at your average dinner party make him too nervous to keep an appetite. Besides, then they ask him questions and it's awkward and just leaves him wanting to crawl into a dark hole somewhere and never be looked at again.

This is an opportunity for him to find new things to eat and to not be entirely surrounded by aliens, so he could do worse than take it.

In general he's pretty quiet and unobtrusive, though he cringes a bit when his death shows up in a replay.

[xanthous]

There's lots of food. The Psiioniic might have gone a little bit overboard, and there's soups and meats amid all the snaps and cakes and fruit. He has almost everything he could get from his suite, and he might have made a few trips to get everything set.

So he can't blame Volanz for coming for the food. Really, he mostly wanted to have this shindig for the food. He'd be painfully hungry but he found it kind of embarrassing to just order everything for himself. He's not going to have him just sit there, though, because that's boring and this is a party, even if parties aren't something trolls typically have...

"Did you kill anyone at all?" he asks abruptly as he peels an orange.

[thebestoffense]

Volanz shakes his head, entirely casual about discussing murder. "No. Just some fish? They don't count as people though, they just kind of bite a lot."

He takes a moment to chew on a piece of.... he's not sure what it is. Some kind of beast. It's a little tough but that's what pointy teeth are for.

"So I saw you killed the slumberbeast. I mean, you know, kind of mutually?"

He's the best about bringing up topics of conversation. The best.

[tis_allgood]

"We all had the same exit from the arena, but I can hardly begrudge you not wanting to watch."

Cuthbert has long since gotten used to seeing trolls around, although it seems like there are more than he would have expected. This is the first one he's seen who hasn't been rude and outgoing though, that's a change of pace.

"Mayhap a bit of wine will ease the viewing." He isn't offering wine so much as suggesting it, they could go together to indulge.

[thebestoffense]

Volanz peers a little warily at Cuthbert, but doesn't try to avoid him.

"Um, that's okay, I guess?" he says. "I mean, I'm alright without it. Death isn't too bad, it's just kind of different when one of them is yours and there's a lot at once."

Really, he shouldn't flinch at it. For the most part the blood and violence doesn't trouble him too much, but it still has him a little more twitchy than most trolls would be.

He considers this yet another failure on his part.

The young troll pauses for a moment, then observes, "You talked to Karkat and the Signless."

He may not know Cuthbert personally, but he saw footage while trying to figure out exactly what he was dealing with in the fellow non-aliens department.

[carnagecarnival]

He catches sight of Volanz and doesn't even try to resist going to him. He goes, quietly so as to be unnoticed, and stops just a bit behind. Seeing Volanz shy from the death and violence only increases his vicious glee. The lowblood- which he almost certainly is, just by behaviour alone- is simply far too fun to toy with.

"Wriggler," He near purrs. "WONDERED AT WHEN A BENTHORN WOULD SHOW FACE UP TO A HIGHER AGAIN. Would think at you had been avoiding him."

open mingle

[carnagecarnival]

With the influx of royal fashion flushing the capitol, thanks to the current arenas theme, the Initiate takes advantage of an opportunity he couldn't quite get away with back on Alternia-- not when he had more important things to focus on, like the Church and survival. He barely gives it a second thought; he'd always liked troll Hamlet and now, and motherfucking now he could motherfucking be troll hamlet. Not to mention it got the aliens off his back who kept pecking and pestering him over his appearance, which was lucky for them because if they hadn't stop he might've just snapped their necks.

The Initiate sees the sign, not sure if he's happier over the bloodsport or being able to read some god-damned Alternian, and stalks into the common area in near-full princely garb- save shoes and a crown of course- without a single bit of shame. He finds a bowl of what appears to be... well, something like popgrubs, and he takes the whole bowl. He seats himself cross-legged in a corner on the floor, back to a wall. He's angled to the screen but not enough so that he wouldn't spot anyone coming near. He watches the deaths with interest and the flash of a grin at the particularly amusing scenes, but more than anything, he is studying.

[xanthous]

The Psiioniic almost laughs when he sees the Initiate's get up, but he knows how highbloods can get. Some of them are ridiculously flashy, but they can afford to be. So he manages to keep his laughter in check, but he can't hide the lopsided smile on his face.

He rolls his eyes at the popgrub thievery, pushing himself up off one of the soft elongated sedentary torso receptacles so he can go bother the Initiate. He kneels in front of him, crossing his arms and raising a disapproving brow at him.

Now he's not sure what to say, and he looks away awkwardly. "You could have athked firtht."

open mingle

[sleeplessinalternia]

Karkat's sitting in another sedentary torso receptacle with the Signless, watching the screen with a look of studious concentration. The Hunger Games broadcasters are making a big deal about showing everyone's deaths before they show the big finale and Karkat wants to study his competition for the next arena. Now that he knows that they'll just get resurrected and that the winners don't have to play again, his new goal is to get himself and Signless to the end so that Signless can get out of this shit because these Games are seriously no place for a pacifist.

He probably could have done this in the comfort of his room and not have had to deal with the dual assholes known as the Helmsman and the Initiate, but he's not really here for himself. He's here for Signless. Not the Signless particularly wants to be at the Cullwatch himself, but Karkat is absolutely sure that his ancestor needs to be at the viewing party, no matter his actual feelings about the subject.

He knows Signless wants to avoid the Helmsman after what happened between them, but if he does that then they'll never get back together. And Karkat wants Signless and the Helmsman to be moirails again--even if it means that he'd lose the own soft-of moirallegiance he'd so recently gained with Signless. His feelings don't matter so much in this, not in the face of such a tragically doomed pale love affair as theirs. (His blood-pumper swells with the romanticism of it all. It's just like one of his quadrant novels, only better because it's real. There's even a huge highblood involved by way of the Initiate.)

Since this is still sort of a pale date (even though the goal is furthering someone else's romance and not his own) he's managed to locate some formal wear: a fancy black suit with a bow tie in Signless' color. He is, in fact, as dapper as fuck. Karkat hopes his ancestor likes that visual acknowledgement of their shared blood. He feels kind of weird wearing it, like he's going to get culled any moment for the forbidden hue, but evidently they're only allowed to get culled when they're in the arena so he probably should just get over it.

The recap reaches Karkat's own first cull and he has to turn his head from the screen. It's weird. Now that he's talked to the girl he strangled he doesn't really feel proud of the cull anymore. Mostly he just feels kind of gross when he thinks about it too much.

[xanthous]

The Psiioniic isn't sure what to think about the two mutants. He's not surprised by their appearance, the sign was in Alternian after all, but he...He doesn't really know how to approach them. After his encounter with the Sufferer - with the Signless, he doesn't really know what to think about that mutant, much less his obnoxious miniature version.

Especially since the Signless seemed to have uncomfortably pale feelings for him, and the emotions he stirred within him made that all the more awkward and unwanted. He knew that once upon a time there was a reason for these pale feelings, but after so many sweeps he wasn't sure what was a memory and what was fabricated. He knew who the Sufferer was, but he didn't know the full story of what he meant to him. Everything was so fractured and wrong that he didn't even know how he could pick up the pieces.

And as for Karkat? Karkat was a nuisance, a loud-mouthed, disrespectful troll that needed a good shaking. He wasn't sure why seeing him with Signless made a pang of jealousy shoot through him, and he was afraid to question it. Even still, he would make his way over to them carrying a plate of oranges. "Thethe are frether then the oneth from the arena," he mumbles, looking to the side awkwardly.

Re: open mingle

[carnagecarnival]

He doesn't have a way of being able to sense people through voodoos anymore, but an inattentive troll is a dead troll. He searches the room with his eyes to find Karkat, the moment the recap reel of the pink fish-fake's cull ends. For all the small, seemingly unobtrusiveness of them, the mutants stand out. He does not wish to speak to the elder of them but he imagines them tied already.

The Initiate stands by the wall, with his arms crossed over his chest, and observes them, an unfriendly smile upon his lips. Should Karkat or Signless come close enough, they would hear him mutter, "SHOOK PENSIVE MOTHERFUCKING HEAD AS WHO SHOULD SAY, I dare not, too far in the failing nubsteps stray."

[tis_allgood]

Bert has been making the rounds of the room and talking to a lot other trolls, while giving the Initiate a wide berth. He knows when it's not polite to start a fight in public, usually. Besides, he's wearing a damn nice tuxedo and he wouldn't want to ruin it the first time out in it.

He tired to catch Karkat when he was relatively alone so he didn't have to worry about being overheard.

"Your friend with the four horns is a bit of an athhole, aye?" Bert has never been above mockery when it was fitting.

[thebestoffense]

Volanz, since establishing to this Karkat guy that he exists, isn't really one to approach people and speak before being spoken to. It's even harder in person than it was when his main means of communicating was just letters on a screen. Even worse, he knows that at least Karkat got some kills in and the recaps are doing nothing to make him forget that. He's a huge loser by comparison. He has no business even bothering this guy, he is too cool to be bothered with Volanz's dumb fail talking. And he's still a little ashamed of his first meeting the Signless, which makes talking to him weird too. He acknowledged arrivals, but hasn't approached or tried to strike up a discussion.

He'd gotten up to get water and is on his way back, past where the two are seated, when he sees the bright red blood on the screen. Volanz hasn't seen them culled, he's missed that particular bit of footage until now.

He freezes. He stares. He turns his head sharply from the screen to the mutants, eyebrows as high as they will go on his face.

How does he react? He doesn't know. You're supposed to kill mutants aren't you? But the idea of him actually managing to hurt either of them doesn't seem half plausible. Volanz is useless, as always.

"Mutants," he says, quietly and disbelieving.

Lemme know if I should change anything :|a

[shambler]

Given how R didn't make it this far in either of the Arenas before he'd been killed, his Escort thought this was a valuable learning experience. Her words, not his. Him? R grunted. "Ugh!" still counted, in his book.

(The fact the trolls with their horns were fashionable on top of that had absolutely nothing to do with her decision, his Escort insisted. It was a happy coincidence).

Besides, he shouldn't be anti-social. Get out there and mingle. Honey, you won't win allies or sponsors the way you stand around and groan about everything! she said and shook her finger at him for emphasis. R went just to get her to stop nagging. It was almost as bad as getting shot at, except he knew at least getting sniped in the head would be final. Even if he was a Living, breathing human, R's sure his Escort would find something else to complain about.

The zombie wanders in after the recaps, missing his own death which honestly looked terrible on-screen - not much to see with a bunch of piranhas in the way - and the commentators are speculating on the last batch and the Dragon. For now they've cut away from the carnage to discuss new tactics. There might even be diagrams up now, pictures of Tributes with the majority crossed out with X's. R spots several people he knew, some he remembered trying to bite, a few he did. The zombie turns away and distracts himself with the sign.

It's very...pointy. Staring at it, R thinks it looks like what Karkat was writing earlier. Problem is he doesn't have Karkat to tell him what it says. Maybe he needs a troll so he can wrangle it out of him. Stealing the sign, R shuffles off and tries to corral the first troll he runs into. Gray, orange horns, they don't smell like Living humans. Shouldn't be too hard, right?

"What's...it say?" R holds up the sign. He hopes he's found a real troll and not someone imitating them because it's suddenly fashionable.

it's all looks good to me!

[xanthous]

He's not too surprised by R when he sees the grey human. He's hasn't seen a human that looks similar to him, no, but he's seen quite a few aliens in different colors so he imagines he's just from a different caste or something. He's not bothered by the odd smell of decay, either, but there's more important things to worry about.

He looks down at the sign he wrote, but it probably doesn't look like he does. He has no visible pupils; his eyes are completely solid, one red and one blue and there's usually a more noticeable glow coming from them, but with the Capitol's dulling his powers they're a lot more dim.

"Final cullwatch," he mutters, raising an eyebrow at the human. "Nobody here knowth Alternian yet, do they?"

[OPEN]

[amourtician]

Jay, figuring that he doesn't to make too much of an effort to watch television (an entirely novel thing for someone whose civilisation only very recently got around to the idea of cinemas), turns up in an acid-blue floor-length skirt, a matching suit jacket and a black cape. Being indoors, he's mercifully hatless, else he would've dug up something extra ridiculous.

He's currently sitting on the floor in front of the screens, mouth slightly open in shock and wonder. Colourful picture! Sound! And, ah, murder. He's transfixed.

[thebestoffense]

Volanz is easily distracted by the brightly dressed stranger that plunked down in front. He's used to capitol people, or at least as used to them as he's going to get, but it's weird to see someone in a get up like that running around the actual training center.

He manages to contain himself for a solid fifteen minutes before the curiosity outweighs his fear of upsetting the guy. He simply must know.

Volanz gets down off the chair he'd been in (complete with shoe soles on the cushions) and scoots up to sit beside Jay.

"Why are you dressed like that?"

By contrast, he's in the typical tribute uniform. It's a bit scuffed up from clambering around the center, but other than that unremarkable.

[xanthous]

Wow, so much color. Are all humans this flashy? He doesn't like it, and he's already got a mild dislike for Jay. He insulted his lisp, and it's different coming from a troll. At least a troll would understand why he'd want to keep his fangs! But this obnoxiously bright human doesn't, and they're kind of an asshole.

He doesn't bother getting up from his perch on the couch, but he knows Jay will recognize his voice. "You thhould clothe your mouth before anything flieth in." And chokes you to death.

Re: [OPEN]

[carnagecarnival]

The Initiate is watching too, but Jay- unsurprisingly, all things considered- catches his eye. He observes him for some time, watching Jay's reactions, until he decides to get his attention. From where the Initiate sits on the floor, against the wall and away from others, he tosses a not-popgrub at Jay. If Jay doesn't notice the first time, he will only continue to do so until Jay looks to see him gesturing to him to move closer, a smirk upon his face.

open for mingling

[tis_allgood]

There's no reason for Cuthbert to avoid a party, especially after he's gotten such nice new clothes from his stylist. He can show them off and meet some new people, this is like catnip for him. He's smiling to everyone and tipping his hat to any ladies he comes across.

So far Cuthbert has had a good time with the trolls he's met, even the one who hates him. But this is a new one was a little different and he still hasn't figured out just yet what that means. He had heard about the troll with more than two horns, and now he had a chance to see him first hand.

"Hile, horned friend. At least, I hope we may yet be friends. I am Cuthbert Allgood, and I would ask what you've written here for all to see."

[xanthous]

There are all sorts here at the Capitol, aren't there? The Psiioniic looks unimpressed by Cuthbert's appearance, but he's used to trolls wearing body suits and with hair bigger then their whole body so he can't really be impressed by Cuthbert's hat.

He's less impressed by the way he speaks, immediately labeling him a pretentious highblood douchebag. He doesn't even know all of those words he said. "Right." He shakes his head. "It thayth final cullwatch. That'th what thith ith. We're watching the final cullth."

You'd think that would be obvious by all the food around.

Re: open for mingling

[shambler]

That is one huge hat. It's so big even R's impressed.

Someone stuck a drink in his hand while he was wandering around, the glass of wine sitting there looking pretty and untouched. It's basically eye-candy at this point. Some expensive vintage R has no idea where it came from. As far as he's concerned, it magically appeared in his hand.

He's more interested in that hat anyway. The zombie shuffles up, the closest thing to a sidle a corpse can manage, and decides maybe he could start things off by being friendly. Gift-giving, right? That's what you do? R can't quite remember. He has these blurry snap-shots of Do's and Don'ts from his previous life swimming around in that Dead fog. Making a guess, R holds out the wine glass like a peace offering and maybe it is: it still feels weird to be around Living people who aren't wigging out about a corpse stumbling around.

The hat gets his attention and the guy's big open, friendly smile reels him in. R's a sucker for smiles. Maybe it's because he was stuck in a world that had killed off most of them.

"Do...you want this? They said...it's good."