thecapitol | The shocking and thrilling adventures!

The shocking and thrilling adventures!

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!

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The term means little to him on its own, but Enjolras thinks that he, very possibly, understands the man's statement all the same. He nods once, brows beginning to furrow and expression shifting from near stupefied apprehension to some strange mix of resignation and indignation. There's nothing they can do about the things being said about them, about their faces and words and images being abused like that. That reality doesn't make actively seeing it happen any less insulting, however.

"The tragedy is that the people here are so desperate for information about us that they will be willing to believe anything." His tone is level, reflecting the resignation in his expression as opposed to his pathological need to represent the right and the true.

Daniel watched the emotions playing out on his face, and considering everything, Enjolras was taking it a lot better than most of the people here. After everything that went on the Arena, this was just another slap in their faces. Something as simple as their own words had been turned against them, and with it, another bit of power taken from them all.

"We're a mystery waiting to get uncovered to them. Back home, they have something called tabloids; 'literature' or media that digs up anything it can about the "big celebrities". People consume it like crazy," Daniel folded his arms around his chest. "Except most people don't take it as word of God."

"There are newspapers and pamphlets which serve more or less the same purpose." As well as those more seditiously inclined, the overlap of which was more common than Enjolras really cared to admit. Still, the idea of a tabloid, even one which had become so overblown as the so-called "interviews" had been was relatively easy for him to understand. He nodded his agreement, golden curls bouncing around his ears ever so slightly. "They seem to accept everything the Capitol says without question, regardless of its plausibility."

For example, that a group of people all of whom were from very difficult walks of life would suddenly and immediately be taken over by such bloodlust, and that they would so cheerfully become that way. "It does, however, make me curious regarding the people who invent all of these fictions about us."

"Seems like you can't escape people's need for gossip and 'excitement', no matter the world or time," Daniel found that mildly depressing, personally, even if it showed that some things were all but universal for humans."The best place is at the top; I can see why they would buy into it or not think twice if they were raised into it. The other Districts, on the other hand..."

He trailed off, left that hanging. If the Capitol had eyes and ears all over the Arena, privacy probably wasn't a right in the city itself. Maybe other languages were safer, but he wasn't sure how many Enjolras knew or what would fly under the radar. Or worse, if they had technology to translate just about anything.

Daniel glanced at the screens, which were playing the highlights of the reel. There went the Victor's face again. "I'd say they've been doing this for awhile. It probably wasn't even an effort to twist everything."

"No," his voice remained level, almost casual. There was absolutely nothing for getting upset now. Everything was said and done, regardless of its truth, and the important thing now was to move forward. "It seems that they are remarkably quick-witted in that regard."

He crossed his arms, studying the recap with a degree of detached interest. The colors and bold fonts swirling across the screen were each fascinatingly offensive in their own way. He'd be captivated by them even were it not for the content, but Enjolras supposed that had more to do with their novelty than anything else.

"There's no need for you to convince me of your intentions, Monsieur. I am not so impressionable as to formulate my opinions based on their representation of you." He turned back toward Daniel suddenly, but with a far more friendly expression with rested somewhere between amusement and pity. If they'd made Enjolras look blustery and full of himself, this man had seemed cold hearted and bloodthirsty. Neither were particularly flattering, but of the two, Enjolras supposed Daniel had landed himself in the more vulnerable position.

"Practice makes perfect, and they've had plenty of time," Daniel agreed dryly.

They fell into a companionable silence after that. Enjolras's attention was on one of the screens. Daniel in turn, studied Enjolras out of the corner of his eye. The man had his arms crossed around his chest like he might set up a good fence right there and ward off all Capitol citizens, and maybe a few Tributes as well, and he looked detached for a moment, like this was only of an academic interest.

It kind of impressed Daniel how well he was taking it. He looked nothing at all like how they were trying to portray him. Daniel watched the screen as well, resigning himself to another round.

When Enjolras spoke again, it took him by surprise. His intentions-oh. Right, that. Daniel gave an awkward laugh. "Thanks for that. I'm not exactly Black Ops material either, even if a number of people back home would prefer Action Jackson to the real thing. For what it's worth, I think you're made of sterner stuff than they're trying to paint you as."

"I haven't the slightest idea what you mean by Black Ops, I'm afraid, but I appreciate your sentiments quite regardless." And there is was again, a subtle reminder of just how little he knew about his fellow Tributes, just how little he could relate to them. In a sense, they were all from different worlds with differing problems and extremities, but he couldn't help but feel at a distinct disadvantage due to his own particular case of time displacement. It wasn't until arriving here that he'd even ever thought of associating those words together. "We can assume that our interactions with the Capitol will now be colored by this video. All the work which we have done to to explain our positions or present ourselves will have been undermined."

"It's short for Black Operations: guys who are Black Ops are guys run secret missions for a government or agency when they don't want it tied back to them. I think. Like kidnapping and infiltrations and assassinations," Daniel explained. At least he was pretty sure that's what they did, and it might have been in Jack's past somewhere, the part he avoided talking about.

Daniel tried to imagine Jack kidnapping someone for an off-the-books interrogation or looking down a sniper scope at some poor bastard, and found he balked at it. Not the Jack he knew now.

But the Jack he'd first met...yeah, he could see that. That Jack would have done well in the Arena. Probably take down a few of the "enthusiastic" Tributes, but he'd have let himself get killed in the end. The Jack before Abydos had desperately wanted a way out.

Daniel hastily put that out of his head. "And turned us further on each other. Now we get painted as liars and threats or as weak targets to get picked off."

He supposed, intellectually, he ought to be horrified that so called modern respectable governments would employ such agencies. It was disturbing, of course, but Enjolras couldn't say he was surprised. The more shocking, and almost impressive, thing about it was that they'd choose to hide those things from their people. He couldn't ever imagine such a thing in France, and certainly never in Panem. Not when the government had purview over absolutely ever facet of the peoples' lives.

Almost absently, he nodded along, taking in the information with the air of one listening to a particularly interesting and complete lecture. "I hope that our fellows are both angry and intelligent enough to see through it."

He liked that about Enjolras; the man was clearly intelligent and a quick learner, and just as much a good listener. Most people back at the SGC tended to glaze over his part of the briefings....although in hindsight maybe they could be a little well, more "brief".

Daniel hoped he never had to fight Enjolras. If it came down to just the two of him, he wouldn't.

The archaeologist studied the nearby Tributes. "I think some will. Most even; most have gotten a taste of the same medicine. Others don't care; they don't need much reason to kill. Any excuse will do."

Daniel had a point, although Enjolras was philosophically loathed to admit it. He made a policy of taking men in Rousseau's tradition that drew less from their societal developments and more from the basic goodness of human nature. It was a way to compartmentalize the inequality rampant in the world, especially in places like Panem, but perhaps such thoughts were too lofty and impractical here. 'Taking men as they are', theoretically rather than tangibly, 'and laws as they can be' left one open to abuses both inside and out of the Arena. He recalled the calm resignation in the boy he'd met days earlier at the Training Center, and the feeling of Hyperion's hand around his throat. It was doubtful that they'd mind their designated role in this society regardless of the Capitol's tauntings.

"Until recently I might have argued that position with you, Monsieur." He glanced away, almost ashamed at the compromise to which he'd driven himself. Men may be born good and live in the interest of mutual happiness, but perhaps there were some who were so influenced by their world that they were genuinely beyond saving. "However, I am coming to the belief that you may very well be correct. I cannot help but find it unfortunate."

There was a naivety that was almost charming about Enjolras, and a little frightening too. And here Jack thought Daniel was sometimes oblivious, wandering trouble; Daniel might be the first to wade into whateer weapons the locals were using, hands up and doing the peaceful explorer spiel, but the thing was he knew it was dangerous and he also knew that there was a chance someone in there was going to want him dead for whatever reason. And that there were some in the universe who just didn't deserve to live.

Kids were born as blank a slate as you could get, but there were already so many factors from minute one that it could never be completely clean.

"I wouldn't have minded debating it with you either," Daniel said quietly. Here's to hoping he hadn't put him on the spot. "It is unfortunate, but they wouldn't have much of a game if they didn't throw in people who got off on violence."

Under different circumstances, he might have accepted those words as a challenge. Nothing malicious, of course, simply the opportunity for a genuine philosophical debate, the likes of which he hadn't experienced since Paris, since before the barricade, and since Lamarque's illness had taken over the lives of Enjolras and his friends.

"Perhaps we should make time, eventually, for such a debate. Let us not allow our captors to determine our pass times." He found himself smiling at the very notion, the fond expression being somewhat at odds with his sentiments on the situation at hand. "And I must confess that I was under the presumption our selection was entirely random. Do you have evidence to the contrary?"

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The shocking and thrilling adventures!

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