Me: only manages a little over 3,000 words for any given tribute even though they're all captivating and compelling
Also me: gets out well over 4,000 words on Capitol assholes wasting time
It's okay, I figured we all needed the review on the tributes. It's weird not to be ending on a kudos to the creator of some tribute, but... here we go.
Panem Channel 3; The Capitol
The camera focuses in on a desk.
The desk is long enough for three people to sit around it, but only two people are sitting at it. The top, a smooth, polished, light-colored wood, is covered with scattered papers, tablet computers, and coffee mugs. The side of the desk that faces the camera is printed with a lovely photograph of a mountainous tropical island at sunset. The mountain peak, a pillar of smoke coming from the top of the peak, palm trees, a waterfall, a beach, and the ocean are all in view, and the sky is a dark orange, everything else nearly black in the light. The picture is mesmerizing.
The two men sitting behind the desk are so different it's almost comical. One is blonde, with green eyes and a glittering purple suit, and a polished smile that looks made for television. He has a neat stack of papers in front of him, and his eyes are visibly trained on a teleprompter behind the camera. He knows how to manage his cadence to make sure the audience pays attention to him, how to maintain his smile through any Games event that occurs, how to shoot off a quick joke that will get a laugh and more engagement for whatever he says next. His evening reviews of each day of the Games and live commentary of pregame activities are nearly as famous as Claudius Templesmith's presidentially-endorsed Game commentary. He has been in this game for years.
The other man is much taller and bulkier than his companion, with much darker skin, and close-cropped curly hair. His dress choice is more conservative, with just a white linen shirt and a fitted black suit jacket over it. The clothes aren't cheap by District standards, but they're not something that could even be purchased in the Capitol. He has visible scars and his facial hair is rough and uneven, because no one ever taught him how to shave. He isn't smiling. He doesn't look prepared. He's not paying attention. He's all of nineteen years old and just beginning his path into Capitolite celebrity culture.
"Welcome, Panem! I'm Bo Young, and for this year's Games commentary, I will be joined by former District Eleven victor Farrow Buckwheat. For every episode but this one, we will also by joined by my colleague Kellyanne Winters," the blonde man says, his smile not faltering even for an instant.
Farrow Buckwheat scratches his chin disinterestedly, picking at a pimple. "Why isn't Kellyanne here today?"
"She's on her last day of maternity leave," Bo says with a wink.
"Maternity leave?" Farrow says, his eyes knitting together in confusion. This is a term he would have never heard before becoming a Capitol celebrity last year.
"I know, right? We pay her well enough that she should be able to hire a nanny to take care of that baby," Bo shrugs. A laugh track plays, which is perhaps too obvious a touch because Bo cuts his eyes somewhere behind the camera in irritation. "Seriously, though, folks, why should she be paid to relax at home? I guess it's just another way fellas like you and me are disadvantaged in this world, Farrow."
Farrow still looks visibly and obviously confused, but he nods, rubbing his forehead and grimacing.
"But don't let us waste your time, folks! It's time to go over the Reapings, and of course, at the end of the Reapings, Channel 3's World-Famous Staff-Compiled Top Ten Tribute list!" Bo says excitedly. The lights go down and he swivels around in his chair to face the back wall. Farrow doesn't. Bo whispers to him for a second, explaining, and Farrow follows his lead.
On the back wall, a clip plays. The District One reapings play for the eyes of the commentators and the audience. After Miss Astor volunteers, it pauses.
Bo turns back to the camera, Farrow following a second behind. "Not such a strong showing from District One this year, it seems. And that's too bad for a District that's traditionally so successful and so popular!" Bo turns to his compatriot. "What did you think, big guy?"
Farrow shakes his head. "The blonde girl... she looks like every other District One girl. Nothing stands out. She'll get sponsors, but not enough. The other... she ain't no Career."
Bo feigns confusion, knitting his eyebrows in a teasing way and tilting his head to one side. Technically, training for the Games is illegal, so no one usually acknowledges it on-air. That would be a little too on the nose. "Career?" he says through gritted teeth, his smile still not faltering.
Farrow yelps as something hits his leg under the table, and corrects himself, "She don't look very... strong."
"Definitely not," Bo agrees. "She's no classic beauty, and that lack of fashion sense won't win her any favors."
"Nah, I meant, she a twig," Farrow says. "That blonde girl, she has muscle, and she looks like she knows how to use it. This one ain't."
Bo nods pensively. "Well, we did some background digging, and it turns out that Miss Rose's father is a former victor- Ashleigh Rose of the 76th Games! He retired from mentorship several years ago, when his children first became eligible to volunteer, and was quoted saying that he "felt it would be unfair for them to have their father as a mentor when he didn't get to". However, it seems that Miss Astor's family is not quite as much in the Games spirit- they've never had a victor, instead relying on the riches they've earned through work."
"She's younger, too," Farrow said suddenly. "Younger than most volunteers."
Bo doesn't say anything in response. He's silent for a moment, then says, "I think it's time to talk about District Two!"
They both turn to the screen in the back, and the lights dim again. The reaping from District Two plays before their eyes.
When the clip has finished, Bo turns back to Farrow with a wide grin. Farrow looks a little shaken, leaning back in his chair.
"Wow, what a year for District Two, huh? These girls look like the epitome of Two's usual offerings, both clearly extremely strong. And how mysterious!" Bo says, nearly swooning.
"The first girl.. that Quench girl..." Farrow mutters.
"Miss Quench," Bo corrects, and he is clearly proud of himself for allowing only a hint of condescension into his voice.
"She looks just like the girl from Two... The girl..." Farrow says.
Bo pulls up a tablet computer, taps away for just a second, and then looks back up at Farrow with a wide smile. "Yes! Rain Quench is the cousin of Rosalin Mason, your competitor two years ago, who ended the Games in second place. Let's just watch a quick recap so the viewers can remember about Rosie Mason! She was a favorite of betters, sponsors, and fans alike..."
A clip starts playing before Bo and Farrow can even start to turn around, and hones in on the face of a blonde girl who looks strikingly like Rain Quench, with her set square jaw, her gray eyes, her long dirty blonde hair set in a Dutch braid. Her eyes narrow as she picks up a knife, aims, and throws with deadly accuracy from her hidden place in the underbrush towards a slightly younger Farrow Buckwheat.
The knife hits him, sticking out of his arm, horrifyingly, but all that he reacts is turning his head towards where Rosalin is hidden, running towards her, crashing through the underbrush before she has the chance to dash away, grabbing her by the neck and picking her up.
"I just want to go home. I'm going to kill you so I can go home," he growls through gritted teeth.
"We all want to go home," she returns, equally incensed. She spits in his face. "Don't you fucking get it? You're not the only one who has something they want to return to."
CRACK. Farrow smashes her against the ground, and there she lays, body broken, as a final cannon sounds.
The lights come up. Bo turns back to the camera- Farrow doesn't.
"That final confrontation between Rosalin, a fan favorite among many citizens including myself, and Farrow, a dark horse especially among betters, is some of the best TV from the last 25 years of the Games. That's going to be something that's hard for this year's Gamemaking team to beat! This is also promising for Rain Quench, since certainly her relation to Rosalin will guarantee her some loyal sponsors and betters," Bo says. He turns to Farrow expectantly.
Farrow stands and walks off-camera.
Bo turns quickly back to the camera, smile unfaltering. "And now, a quick word from our sponsors."
No advertisement plays. The screen goes black for a full minute. Maybe more. Then, the lights come up again, and Bo is sitting behind the three-person desk by himself, smile still unfazed, but a few strands of golden hair not-quite-where-they-were.
"Unfortunately, my dear colleague and friend Farrow Buckwheat had a very urgent appointment come up that he had forgotten about, so I'll be finishing up this post-Reapings summary by my lonesome! I'll be rejoined by Kellyanne and Farrow tomorrow night for the parade," Bo says, a little louder than he needs to.
"Let's return to District Two. While Rain is the cousin of a second-placed Career, and a star pupil at the District Two training center for future Peacekeepers, some minor digging from our reporters revealed that not only was it not Aelia's year to volunteer, the staff at the training center thought she was mute until today! Aelia is clearly an isolated girl, so whether or not she'll team up with the Career pack is currently up for hot debate," Bo says. He snaps his hand and the clip of Rain stomping her high heel and breaking a potential volunteer's hand plays again behind him. "I also must say, this was a great moment that I'm sure we'll be seeing more of in the next few days!"
Bo turns back to the screen behind him, the District 3 reaping plays, and he returns to the camera again as the lights come up.
Teeth shining, Bo says, "As usual, much less of a strong showing from Three. Miss Data's fainting spell doesn't leave anyone with much hope for her performance in the Games, though we heard that because of it she was unable to say goodbye to her family. We extend our sympathies to Miss Data and the family."
"Meanwhile, it would appear that Miss Butler is physically stronger than most non-volunteer girls! In addition, she's wearing a suit, and that deep voice had some of our ladies and gentlemen in the studio swooning! A few theories have floated around that the tribute is trans, but those would have to be confirmed by Miss Butler herself to be taken as truth," Bo says. "Regardless, she is taller and healthier than many of the girls coming up that did not train!"
District Four plays, but Bo doesn't even bother to watch this time.
"That quick leap up onto the stage, without even using her hands, and those muscles and scars, are I think betraying just how dangerous our first tribute from Four is going to be," Bo says. "Some quick investigation turned up the fact that Thalia Waters has not gone to school regularly since she was eight years old. The going theory is that she dropped out to spend more time training instead of wasting precious daylight learning about fishing like her peers were!" Cue canned laughter from Bo and maybe from a few of the cameramen, though it's hard to tell.
"Meanwhile, the second competitor from Four is a little bit more of a classic Career- look at that fashion sense! She's a modern young woman, but you can tell she betrays her fear when she encounters our other competitor. Braelynn Etchnet is clearly well-trained, but maybe not so hot as a competitor for sponsors, betters, and the championship," Bo says. "Let's go to Five."
Lights down, Five plays, lights up. Bo is cut off from having a hurried sign-language conversation with someone behind the camera by the lights coming back up.
"In District Five, our first competitor was Lyanna Aslett, the niece of the winner of the 92nd Games, noted celebrity and sex symbol Alys Cambrella. Miss Aslett certainly has an advantage in that regard, but her inability to keep herself together onstage doesn't bode well. Still, look at those lips, those freckles! Miss Aslett is certainly cute enough to have sponsors swooning, so ultimately, it seems that her ability to perform in these Games is up in the air."
Bo seems to be getting visibly nervous, pulling at his collar like it's too scratchy or tight, eyes trained on someone standing just behind the camera.
"Meanwhile, our second tribute from Five was Rose Tanaka. A few experts on Five have told us that the Tanakas are a previously-influential family that has fallen from grace in the District. Poor Rose! She didn't do great at keeping herself together, either, but next to Lyanna, she looked stoic. She falls aside a little bit beside her dramatic District partner, but perhaps she still has a chance to bring it back," Bo says. "On to District Six!"
Lights down. Clip plays and Bo doesn't even pretend to watch it this time. Lights up and he looks significantly more relaxed.
"Our first tribute from District Six is Acadia Marano. She does a good job of staying stoic, though we can still see those tears. That particular dark-eye-bags, gaunt-little-face look isn't my bag, but I think that we can be sure that when she's in the Capitol Miss Marano will clean up nicely, snagging her at least a couple of sponsors," Bo says.
"Meanwhile, the second tribute from Six is little Lilac Sum. Some digging has revealed that she's an apprentice of the local apothecary and healer, so even though she's little, she may have what it takes to eventually become a real competitor in these Games!" The camera goes wildly out of focus for a second, but Bo keeps talking. "Now, for this back half of the Reapings, I'm going to be joined by very special guest, Gamemaker Jeanette Heavens!"
The camera refocuses, revealing a short, dark- and wispy-haired, tired-looking woman in her late twenties sitting in the chair that Farrow left not twenty minutes ago. A relieved Bo sits next to her, takes her hand and shakes it vigorously.
"We're so glad to have you today, Miss Heavens," Bo says, beaming.
"And I'm so glad to be here," Jeanette mutters. "Do you have a caffeine patch?"
Bo shakes his head apologetically. "No, but guess what I do have?"
Jeanette remains perfectly and stubbornly silent.
"The video of the District Seven reapings!" Bo says in a voice that gets progressively higher as he speaks, trailing into a faux-excited mess. Luckily for him, the lights go down, and the clip plays.
The lights come back up and Jeanette stares into the camera. She quite clearly hasn't bothered to watch the clip at all. Bo turns back to her.
"Looks like a much stronger showing from Seven than the last few Districts," he says.
"Yes, that first girl is clearly a strong one. I'm reminded of Johanna Mason," Jeanette says.
Bo laughs, a hint of nervousness in the air. "Without the crazy rebellious tendencies, right?"
Jeanette's face flushes, and she checks her wristwatch, and glances at the camera, and says, "Of course."
"Well, our ground reporters have said that apparently Lindie Bennett is a big favorite in her community. Everyone knows her for both her strength and her integrity. Certainly she'll be a big competitor in the Games if she's like some of her past peers that have shown similar virtues," Bo says, staring into the camera. He seems to be finally back on his game, cadence rising and falling to keep the audience captivated, smile shining and hair back in place. "How about the second girl, Sabina Ash?"
"Sabina-" Jeanette begins, but she's cut off.
"Miss Ash," Bo corrects.
"Certainly, Mr. Young," Jeanette says, and Bo laughs again, but Jeanette ignores him and talks over his chuckles. "Sabina is clearly a lovely young lady. I'm sorry for her family."
Bo is silent.
"Well,, on to District Eight," he says uncertainly. The clip plays, the light returns. Jeanette has not moved an inch from her previous position, arms folded on the desk, eyebrows sagging wearily, looking directly and harshly into the camera.
"Now, Apate Pendragon is an unusual pick. Not only is she yet another tribute who's related to a victor- one of Eight's very few victors, in fact- but she also has never taken a single tesserae, so the odds were well in her favor. And they continue to be, as she's attractive enough to win as many sponsors as any typical District One tribute and already has experience on camera. Jeanette?" Bo says. He appears to have finally relaxed a little, now with a partner to banter with.
"She's certainly unusual, and so was her dad. I met him when I was young and he had only just become a victor. If she takes after him, she'll certainly make it to the Final Eight," Jeanette says. She speaks each word deliberately, as if it perhaps means something a little more than the literal meaning, but if anyone knows what she's saying, they don't show it.
The double meaning, if there is one, flies over Bo's head. He laughs. "Meanwhile, Adeline Flores is not quite such a looker. Nor does she appear to be particularly competent," he says.
"Maybe not," Jeanette says noncommittally.
"On to District Nine!" Bo exclaims.
Clip plays, lights come back. Bo sits up perkily. "Our first tribute from Nine was Skye Miller! That little girl doesn't look like she's going to be much of a big deal in the Games, and our sources confirm that her biggest hobbies include climbing trees and playing piano," Bo says, his voice dropping into a parody of a babying snivel as he speaks, ending on a chuckle.
"You never know who'll survive in the Games, Bo. For all you know, I've set up a music-based arena where tributes only win by playing Concerto No. 9 on a giant piano," Jeanette says with some obvious irritation. She leans away from Bo, who has been inching closer while the clips are played to give the cameras a tighter shot.
Bo laughs a second too long. "Well, let me check that one off of my list! You'd never say a thing like that if you actually had designed an arena like that!"
Jeanette shrugs, and Bo's confident look flickers. He quickly regains ground by continuing with, "Next from District Nine, Melissa Spark. A much stronger contender than her District partner, Miss Spark is still not particularly strong as a tribute, just a rank-and-file part-time factory worker in District Nine's most urban area. One has to wonder if that experience will serve her better or worse than the average Nine field worker."
"Nine hasn't had a victor in more than twenty years," Jeanette says. "That's the second-longest current drought in Games history; I don't think their chances have much to do with the occupations of their tributes."
Bo kept smiling. The lights went down.
Once the clip for Ten had played, Bo started speaking rapid-fire, seemingly not wanting to let Jeanette get another word in edgewise.
"Our first tribute from Ten, Blair Alp, made quite a fool of herself! And on national television, no less. The poor girl is neither charming nor even appealing as she comes up to the stage to accept her fortune. We have to forgive her a little, though, because ground reporters have told us that apparently she spent much of her childhood without a graceful presence in her home."
"Do you mean a mother?" Jeanette attempts, not straying from her deadpan, but Bo barrels on.
"Our second tribute from Ten is one Penny Reens. As you could clearly see, her family is Mesotec in origin; but rest assured, dear listeners, we're sure that her family's heritage has had no impact on Penny's status as a loyal and patriotic citizen of Panem."
For the first time, Jeanette sits up.
"One's family heritage, I've found, quite rarely has an impact on how they feel about Panem," she says, a bit sharply.
Bo laughs nervously. "Of course! As I just said," he says. His eyes cut to just behind the camera.
"In fact, many children of rebels have become very loyal indeed," she continues. "Really, it's part of the miracle of this beautiful country."
"Yes, of course," Bo says helplessly. "Um, we're going to pause now for another word from our sponsors."
There's a slight crackle, only enough to notice anywhere reception is good (which is only the better parts of the Capitol, really) and the screen cuts to an advertisement. It's different in different places; in the Capitol, an ad for limited-time half-price tickets to the First Arena plays, while the richer and more favored Districts get an advertisement for the job training that comes for a few weeks every fall, and the poorer ones, of course, watch a few minutes of promotion for tesserae.
The camera returns to the desk, and Jeanette looks a little more relaxed, just slightly slumped, though Bo sits as tall and prim and shining as ever.
"Welcome back! There's only two more Districts to go before we cap off the evening with Channel 3's World-Famous Staff-Compiled Top Ten Tribute list! We'll start now with Eleven."
"The first girl from Eleven is Soya Delon. Though she's young, ground reporters tell us that she has a long history of wrestling, and she's obviously big and bulky, so it's not yet time to count her out, betters!" Bo says with a wink and a smile.
Jeanette giggles a little at the old catchphrase that's been used to describe Eleven tributes since Rue Emmilleti said it in her interview at the Seventy-Fourth Games. She says nothing, however.
"Our second girl is Wisteria Evans. She comes from the Community Home near the District square, and her permanent record," Bo says, pulling something up on a tablet again, "says that she has lived there her whole life, and that no one knows who her parents are."
"Poor girl," Jeanette says. "Those homes can be rough. It's not easy being passed off on the State as a child." She appears to burp a little.
"Through no fault of the State's own, of course," Bo corrects. "Some bad people- rebels- slip past the screening system for matrons and caretakers. Now, let's continue on to Twelve."
The clip plays, the lights come back, and Jeanette's eyelids flutter. She will not last much longer. Whatever sedative the producers pumped into her during the commercial break the dosage was just slightly too high for their aims.
"Our first tribute from Twelve is Raven Hastings. Miss Hastings' typical Twelve appearance won't do her any favors in the Games, and as is typical of Twelve tributes, she appears to have been raised in poverty with no particularly incredible achievements in her life," Bo says. "Cross this one off your list, betters."
"We're all special in some way," Jeanette says in an insistent voice. Bo looks over at her and appears to soften, just for a moment.
"We really are, Jeanette. But not all of us are special enough to win the Games," he says. "Continuing on, Twelve's second tribute is Maya Green. Miss Green is only twelve, but she is from a fomerly-merchant family, and so is likely a bit stronger than your average tribute. Still, as usual, Twelve has put up a weaker showing than any other District."
"They had a chance a few years ago," Jeanette grumbles. "With that Hopper Hawthorne.. he won."
"Well, but that's the exception to the rule, Jeanette," Bo says. He smiles and appears to scoot closer to her to keep his hand on her back while she tries to slump down onto the desk. "Let's get that World-Famous Staff-Compiled Top Ten Tribute List queued up!"
The list appears onscreen.
Rain Quench, 16, D2
Aelia Degano, 17, D2
Thalia Waters, 18, D4
Ruby Rose, 17, D1
Braelynn Etchnet, 18, D4
Lindie Bennett, 15, D7
Apate Pendragon, 17, D8
Lyanna Aslett, 15, D5
Penny Reens, 16, D10
Soya Delon, 14, D11
Bo, voicing over, says, "Here you have it- this year's Top Ten Tributes. The full list will be posted online with commentary! Thanks for watching, folks-" he's cut off suddenly by a loud thump. Then- "Fuck! Can someone get a doctor in here?"
The list disappears, the image cuts to a commercial. For what?
Depends on the place. But something sparkly.
