gamemakers: (Default)
The Gamemakers ([personal profile] gamemakers) wrote in [community profile] thecapitol2013-09-02 11:22 am

The Crowning of Maximus Decimus Meridius

Who| Everyone
What| Maximus' crowning
Where| Victory Hall
When| Today
Warnings| Violence.


Prior to the Crowning, the Stylists and Escorts were given information: the color scheme for the Crowning is brown and gold, the theme is fire, and for Tributes, Games Staff and Victors in the Capitol alike, attendance is mandatory. No exceptions.

The Victory Hall has been completely refitted to the theme. Great brownstone pillars reach up from the floor, now made of polished marble. Rose petals and dying embers flutter from the ceiling like confetti, and long panels of fabrics embroidered with Maximus' kills pour down the walls. Rather than tables, Tributes are given wooden chairs to sit around fire pits in groups of four, where pigs and sheep are roasting whole, tended by attentive Avoxes. The smell of charring flesh and rosemary wafts through the hall.

In the center of the hall is a pit, fifteen feet deep, ringed with brick and filled with sand. Torches line the inside wall, casting light in every direction. A circular screen up above lets those not close to the edge view the contents of the pit in real-time video.

Maximus' private table has a theme of anachronisms; Tributes from 'less-developed' timelines and worlds are seated around a long table, facing the gladiatorial ring where, at the moment, a full-grown, well-fed Bengal tiger paces. Compared to the muttations of the Arena, it may seem positively demure, up until it bares its fangs and reveals that it's been modified to have saber teeth gilded in gold. Occasionally an Avox will dangle something into the pit and jerk it away if the tiger looks bored and lays down.

Occasionally, with fanfare of music pumped in to announce it, a challenger enters the tiger ring - a hologram of one of the Tributes who were cuffed and marked by the Capitol. The hologram must be affixed with smell, too, as the tiger takes note and attacks like a kitten following a laser pointer, making dramatic roars as it does. The holograms put up valiant fights, and their deaths are brutal, illusory blood flying and the sounds of death rattles and bones cracking coming from speakers embedded in every table.

"A speech," Maximus' Escort says to Maximus. "The General must give a speech."

Tributes who attended Wesker's Crowning ceremony should notice a remarkable increase in security. Visibly armed Peacekeepers lurk behind the panels of fabric, and bulbous, obvious cameras dot the ceiling. Even the Avoxes seem shiftier than usual, and are equipped with discrete tape recorders pinned to their rough-hewn tunics.
disciplewhomsignlessloves: (And hold me fast)

[personal profile] disciplewhomsignlessloves 2013-09-03 03:21 am (UTC)(link)
Disciple opted for the seat closest to the wall, awkwardly throwing the sash over her shoulder when it keeps sliding down. They said she looked good in it and she did admit that the gold tips on her horns were visually striking, but she didn't like wearing such odd colors. Not to mention how long they made her sit still to straighten her hair.

She couldn't help staring occasionally at the boy opposite. The second coming, the moirail of Signless, she wanted to know more about him. Why had Signless gone off again--Oh right, because he liked to talk. She held the cup up for more soda and tilted her head at him.

"Karkat, correct?"

sleeplessinalternia: (49 They're cutting off the phone)

[personal profile] sleeplessinalternia 2013-09-03 04:01 am (UTC)(link)
Karkat looks up at her. Oh. The Disciple. Meulin, Signless called her. She was his ancestor's matesprite, Karkat remembered. He didn't know that much about her, mostly because he'd cut off Signless a lot when Signless had started to talk to much about her, mostly because he really didn't need to know in great detail how his ancestor had sloppily made out with a giant Nepeta.

"Yeah."

He turns his head back to watching Signless talk to Terezi. "Tell me if you think she's gonna attack him."
disciplewhomsignlessloves: (Cause I'm a hopeless wanderer)

[personal profile] disciplewhomsignlessloves 2013-09-03 04:04 am (UTC)(link)
Disciple swivels her head automatically to watch the two, eyes narrowed. She's used to threats to him. Still, she doesn't see the telltale signs. That doesn't mean anything of course, so she keeps on guard.

"Is it likely?"
sleeplessinalternia: (48 When they say)

[personal profile] sleeplessinalternia 2013-09-03 04:12 am (UTC)(link)
"I don't know," Karkat says miserably. "She... used to be my friend. Maybe the best friend I have left from when I was a wiggler." (He's still a wiggler, really.) "But then she murdered Signless in cold blood last Arena after I'd asked her to keep him safe."
disciplewhomsignlessloves: (With no right to criticise)

[personal profile] disciplewhomsignlessloves 2013-09-03 04:32 am (UTC)(link)
She doesn't quite know how to process that. Why is he talking to a person who killed him. Especially one who betrayed him. God he's dumb. He's an idiot. She uncurls her fists and takes a deep breath.

"Are you certain. He isn't acting like that."
sleeplessinalternia: (48 When they say)

[personal profile] sleeplessinalternia 2013-09-03 05:21 am (UTC)(link)
"Yes, I'm certain," Karkat says miserably. "They've got a recording if you don't believe me." Then, after a second, "Don't watch it. It's awful. She made it quick. But still."
disciplewhomsignlessloves: (And hold me fast)

[personal profile] disciplewhomsignlessloves 2013-09-03 06:04 am (UTC)(link)
She shakes her head sharply. She wouldn't want to watch it anyways. But quick doesn't sound like cold blood. Unless she's simply a good troll.

"Does she always kill quick?"
sleeplessinalternia: (30 Cause in this life)

[personal profile] sleeplessinalternia 2013-09-03 11:06 pm (UTC)(link)
Karkat nods, his eyes still on Signless and Terezi. "Yeah, when she can. She garroted him. I don't know if he even knew it was her until he came back here and saw the recording." He lets out a pensive sigh. "Fucking ironic as shit. That's what I did with my two culls in the arena before this, because I didn't have a blade. I almost got Signless until I saw his blood--some alien nooksniffer had stabbed him over oranges, I found that out later, you'll probably see the clip eventually, it's one of the few ones of him they keep showing."
disciplewhomsignlessloves: (And hold me fast)

[personal profile] disciplewhomsignlessloves 2013-09-03 11:35 pm (UTC)(link)
Well she's completely off her food now just hearing about this. Bigger sips of soda now and looking the female wiggler up and down.

"He would forgive her I'm sure. Because he's an idiot." She tries to say it fondly but worry tinges her words. "He blames himself you know. For me being here. Idiot all around. He probably blames himself for her killing him."
sleeplessinalternia: (49 They're cutting off the phone)

[personal profile] sleeplessinalternia 2013-09-03 11:48 pm (UTC)(link)
Karkat shakes his head. "Yeah, no, even he's not so cracked in the 'pan as that. And... fuck, look, he's probably right you're a punishment for him. These assholes take no prisoners. Capitol humans are basically the human equivalent of highbloods, while the district guys we're dying in the place of are the lowbloods. I have no fucking clue where the midbloods are. Maybe they don't distinguish anything besides high and low."
disciplewhomsignlessloves: (I will call you by name)

[personal profile] disciplewhomsignlessloves 2013-09-03 11:58 pm (UTC)(link)
"...I know. I know I'm his punishment. I'm always his punishment. I just don't want him to blame himself for it." She didn't really want to admit that and she never would to Signless. But she knows highbloods of all sorts have used her against Signless. Why wouldn't another type do the same thing.

"But you know what he believes, I'm sure. You couldn't expect him to see a situation so similar and not say something. Kankri doesn't come in quiet and obedient."
sleeplessinalternia: (63 And you keep it inside)

[personal profile] sleeplessinalternia 2013-09-04 12:13 am (UTC)(link)
"Yeah," Karkat says. "I know. He's a pain in the ass that way." But there's something fond about the way he says it.

He glances away from watching Signless and Terezi again.

"When are you from, anyway? Me and Nepeta got snatched practically the same night, but Terezi's from half a sweep ahead of us. The Helmsman's from probably less than a perigee before that, but there's thousands of sweeps between Signless, Dualscar, and the Initiate and us."
disciplewhomsignlessloves: (We are books)

[personal profile] disciplewhomsignlessloves 2013-09-04 12:21 am (UTC)(link)
"Several sweeps after Signless died and the rest were lost. I don't know how many. Time tends to go faster when you're older." She thinks. She really has no idea.

"Thousands of sweeps. And little changed." Bitter and sad.
sleeplessinalternia: (49 They're cutting off the phone)

[personal profile] sleeplessinalternia 2013-09-04 02:19 am (UTC)(link)
"Well," says Karkat after a moment, "even a little is something, isn't it? I mean, shit, by the time they grabbed me here I had friends up and down the hemospectrum and we managed not to cull each other."

Since Karkat has no idea what the twenty-four hours after the end of Sgrub would have had in store for him had he not come to the Capitol, the irony of that statement is lost on him.
disciplewhomsignlessloves: (You know you are better than this)

[personal profile] disciplewhomsignlessloves 2013-09-04 03:34 am (UTC)(link)
She smiles. It's small but with genuine feeling. That is something. Something worth considering. A little change was all she could hope. She could only hope it got better. She doesn't the irony in that hope either.

"Then at least something worked. I'm glad something managed to get better over time."