The shocking and thrilling adventures!

[gamemakers]

Who| Everyone
What| The Capitols oh so exclusive interviews~!
Where| Primarily the common areas, but the interviews would be on every TV everywhere.
When| This evening, at 6 pm sharp
Notes| Use this post to ICly react to the interviews (if you don't make plans of your own!)

The advertisements hit hard today. Tune in at 6 o'clock, you won't want to miss this special! Everywhere a person could look, it was there, and the city was clearly excited for whatever this mystery event was.

As if that wasn't enough, escorts were encouraging Tributes to be in the commons, and a small feast of finger foods was laid out along one wall, extra avoxes available for drinks.

And, as promised, at 6 pm sharp, all the TVs flickered to the ever flashy Caesar, on an equally flashy tabloid-tastick reality style "interview" of the tributes. All the TVs in the common area light up with it, as well as the Districts suites, even if the TV had been off before.

Hope you all enjoy your dose of fame!

Comments

[polyturtle]

He kept thinking to himself, over and over as time went on, how glad he was that his gut instinct to keep his answers bland was rewarded. Sort of. He hadn't even appeared save for that one commercial, but even then, it was quite clear what the intent was with a good majority of the "special" was for.

Make certain tributes look bad. Make the more rebellious ones look crazy and dangerous, or silly or in situations they aren't really in. Use their answers to discredit and punish those considered dangerous. He managed to force a neutral expression to order some coffee, before going up the stairs to the eerily-empty roof. Its classic propaganda. The people of the Capitol now know which Tributes they should prefer in the next few Arenas...and the Capitol knows better who they need to keep an eye on.

Lottie was on the program. He wasn't sure whether to be worried, though, given that her answers were mostly pedantic, though the one about how she loved many people...

No. No, he couldn't think down that path. He didn't want to. Thinking of Lottie going through that - he'd seen the effects it had on Eliot - he hoped it was a bridge he never had to cross as his hand clenched ever so slightly around his mug handle.

[earthborn]

Shepard had watched the whole broadcast from the back, all folded arms and amusement. It hadn't been at all funny the first time she'd had a smear campaign run against her, right after Torfan. The second time had been a little less so; but by now she was able to take it in stride. It didn't matter what the sponsors did or didn't think about her going into this; and the capitol citizens meant almost nothing to her.

Besides, it was true that nobody in the arena should trust her, particularly if they were stupid enough to take the word of open propaganda. But not everyone could be so cavalier, as Donatello's stiff exit might attest; she went after him.

But slowly.

It was strange the way it always came down to this. You meet somebody, because you're looking for them, or by chance. A conversation, a handshake, something clicks. And then you feel responsible; it's only a few short steps to offering them a berth and a duty-list. You're a soft touch, Shepard.

"Hey," propping the rooftop access open behind herself was a precaution; it might as well be closed, "You got a minute to talk?"

[polyturtle]

It probably might have seemed a bit odd, at least at first. As Don's interview had not even been shown, he himself likely had nothing to worry about. He wasn't under the potential pall of slander or ridicule as a result. But when it came to some of the people he befriended...

"Hmm?" Turning at the sound of the voice, he saw that it was Shepard. He managed a smile as he sat down, his cup of coffee in hand. "Sure. Is everything all right?"

[earthborn]

"Look—" She stopped herself, aware once again of the hidden cameras, the microphones that no doubt lived in all the cracks. And what exactly was she going to say, anyways? I've been kidnapped to the surveillance capitol of the Northern Hemisphere, and big brother is deliberately pointing out that he knows I have a boyfriend, so...

"Nothing about this situation is 'all right'. But you left kinda quick," bluntness is the last bastion of sanity, "Wanna talk about it?"

[polyturtle]

"...Not sure what can be said." Don responded after a moment. "Just that I know that there are a lot of upset people downstairs. And that there are a lot of ways that what those people said and did can be interpreted by the people who live here."

A pause.

"Not always in good ways, either."

[earthborn]

She shook her head, amused despite the seriousness of the situation, or the bitter edge in his voice, "You're worried what the— the Capitol thinks? That you won't have enough fans to survive? It wasn't that long ago that these games ended in deaths you didn't come back from."

Should've grabbed a coffee of her own; or better yet, something stronger. This was a conversation that needed the fortifying buzz of alcohol to get through unscathed.

"Donatello, so far as I've seen, none of the people who live here are on our side. None of them."

[polyturtle]

"That's not what I meant." Don shook his head. "I mean, not about the fans."

He'd disagree, point out that he knew the Rebellion existed, but--then he'd be committing suicide. And he couldn't do that. Not yet. But how to word it...

"Shepard, what do you know about ancient Rome and gladitorial games? And I don't just mean the games themselves...I mean...the culture around them? Around the gladiators themselves, and how they were perceived?"

i'm sorry about how long this took and how tiny it is

[earthborn]

"Not a lot," she admitted, "They...weren't exactly big on history education where I grew up. What you gettin' at?"

Re: i'm sorry about how long this took and how tiny it is

[polyturtle]

"Well, gladiators..." Don gulped. "Many of them were...well. Sexually desirable. Targets of sexual fantasy."

[earthborn]

Shepard was a statue, watching him with steady stone eyes, like chips of metal in her scarred face. Her lips thinned; that was a new angle. Maybe she should've expected it: wherever people are given total control over one another, natural results follow naturally. The blood at Pragia hung in the back of her mind.

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

[polyturtle]

"I'm afraid so." Don nodded. "The less human of us have been..well, that kind of attention hasn't been given to us, at least thus far."

[earthborn]

That made her blink, and take a pause— but then, maybe she wasn't the best case study for that kind of thing. Shepard sighed, rubbed at the deep bruises under her face, and looked away; well, alright. So these people were monsters, and— what? What could any of them do about it?

"Don't tell me you feel guilty because you've won this particular lottery."

[polyturtle]

"That's not it." Don shook his head. "Its that...well."

No way to really get around it.

"There are others I'm worried about. Who might be targeted because of that show."

[earthborn]

"Listen, Don. Take it from someone who's deliberately ended the lives of...a lot of people," She reached out, took him by the shoulder and shook him gently, to ground him, "You absolutely cannot, start blaming anyone but your enemies for who they target. They're going to go after who they're going to. You'll probably be better off assuming it's already a foregone conclusion, and acting accordingly. Vengeance is better than grief."

[polyturtle]

Don was quiet as Jane spoke, as he let those words sink in. But was it true? Was vengeance truly better? Violence better than restraint? Could he really blame just his enemies? Was he not fallible?

"Its hard to," he admitted. "Vengeance and anger...my father spoke of it as a sharp cliff leaning inward."

[earthborn]

"I'm guessing your father told you that from a place of peace," She replied, and it was a question, but still confident. She was good at confident guesses, "Don't let the view fool you; just because there aren't any bombs dropping yet, it doesn't mean this place isn't a warzone. Different rules apply."

[polyturtle]

"...Depends on your definition of 'peace'." Don looked out. "We were fighting others, people who want us gone. No bombs, but bombs aren't the only weapons in a war."

His father, either way, would look upon him with sadness and shame, seeing him now. Learning what had happened and what he'd been doing. Don just knew it.

"My father was a master warrior. But he always taught us that the ultimate aim of a warrior is not simply to fight. He would always say that the perfect warrior is not simply blessed with a sharp blade or heavy fists, but with other gifts as well, such as mercy, love, rectitude, intelligence and honor. All are honed so one might become an instrument greater than any sword."

[earthborn]

She listened, and more and more it was like listening to Thane describing his philosophy towards work, or Javik. Those two were warriors, men of deep principle and thought. Hell, she could even think of a few Krogan who spoke almost like Donatello, and from the sound of it, strove to be something more.

"I'm begining to think that I'm not really the right person to ask about all this. I've been called a warrior, but— I'm really just a soldier," Maybe there was a certain amount of intersection between her job and being a warrior, but they weren't the same things, "You should talk to Thane Krios sometime. I think you two might have something to say to each other."