A/N: This isn't crazy long since it's just Marionette, our Capitolite gal, watching the parade with her friends. Enjoy!
Trigger warnings: profanity
Cos these lights won't kill me now
Saying these clothes won't change me now
Saying these words won't scare me now
Saying I will be myself
I will be myself
Friendly people
All around
And time to put
our best face on
Yeah
Smiling like there's
Nothing wrong
Though deep down you feel
So alone
Marionette Brocklinde, 24
Capitol Resident
Model and Avid Hunger Games Fanatic and Sponsor
The beat of the timpani floods into my ears and dulls my senses, and I laugh out loud and tilt my head to the star spangled sky, lit with fireworks and iridescent floating lanterns. I lift the martini to my lips and take a small sip, the fruity taste exploding across my tongue. Adoria and her fiance, Regius, sit on my right, cuddling and sharing a bag of sweet popcorn in rainbow colors, and Aurorius and Angelico on my other side are downing a couple of hearty beers. They're leaning close to one another, and I swear that they're going to kiss. I always suspected they were gay. I've never caught either of them staring at me or Adoria's...finer body parts, to be prude. They pull away, however, when the timpani booms swell and the Horn of Plenty rises throughout the promenade. There's the far off clop of hooves down the cobblestone road, old fashioned compared to the rest of the city on purpose. The moment Trinity Vegas and Zircon O'Dile are pulled into sight, I can't hear anything besides the beat of the drums and the incessant yells around me. I find that I'm screaming, too. They really are beautiful.
Junova has once again outdone herself. The pair from One are dressed like a waterfall of yellow-white crystals, and the lights of the Capitol bounce off of them, sending kaleidoscope bursts of light all over the road, the parts of the bleachers close to the road, the white-gold horses pulling the chariot, and the tributes themselves. They almost look like avant garde chandeliers, and I absolutely love it! Trinity smiles slightly, standing ramrod straight and looking rather menacing and dazzling simultaneously. Zircon grins widely at the crowd, waving like a maniac and throwing his arms up to tell everyone to yell louder. He's surely rearing to get going.
Two comes out after One, their chariot lead by two dark slate gray steeds. Their outfits, courtesy of the straightforward and detail oriented Grecia Mathilde, are the same as usual but they're still a showstopper. Ardin and Tyberios, dressed in dark brown leather gladiator armor, show off the muscles on their arms and legs. The golden stitching and other golden elements flash under the lights, although the silvery necklaces, which Two tributes always wear, clash a little with the gold. Tyberios looks stern and set and ready to bash apart my head, while Ardin smiles lightly at the crowd and waves shyly. She surely looks more meek than I expected her too. Seems like someone is already playing the Games. She's one to watch out for.
Three is a wildcard; Amandus has his good years, and his bad. I'm betting this year with be controversial. Fujitsa and Millard roll out on the promenade, guided by two black and white horses. They are dressed in a dress and a suit respectively made entirely of computer keys. Thousands of letters line the outfit, glossy under the streetlights. Some of the keys are new, others yellowing and old. A few of them flash with colors. I personally love it, but others might find it garish. Millard smiles politely, smiling and revealing a perfect set of teeth. He sure looks pretty regal for an Outlier. Fujitsa grins widely and waves a bit to everyone around her, and receives some enthusiastic screams as the light glitters off of her engagement ring. Everyone's been thirsting to hear that story.
Four comes out next, their chariot guided by two gray-blue horses. I can't help myself, chuckling wildly like everyone else viewing, as Cordelia and Chavez roll out on their chariot, decked out as...as...as PIRATES! What was Pufelle thinking?! They're not even scary pirates, they're cartoonish and childish. The babyish outfit mixed with her short height makes Cordelia look like she's thirteen years old, and she's clearly not amused. She tries to smile, but just ends up grimacing. Chavez, meanwhile, totally ignores the little pirate hat on his head and the eye patch strapped across one eye, waving and smirking and wagging his eyebrows at the crowd and driving them wild. He sure is handsome, he looks like modeling material. People would pay a lot to sleep with him. I'm sure he's Snow's favorite.
Five is next, and Speciallo is always reliable, never amazing, but never terrible. The crowd starts to quiet down; the Outer Districts are still good fun, but they're almost always much less of a show compared to the Career Districts and Three. The chariot is pulled by two bay stallions. Bernadette and Jayce are dressed in thin black spandex suits covered in flashing light bulbs of various colors, though they're mostly white, orange, and yellow. They're not the best, but they're not bad at all. Bernadette waves enthusiastically, smiling brightly and seeming very excited. Jayce is the same, grinning widely and throwing his arms around in what must be an over-exaggerated wave to the crowd. They both look a little worn out, however, despite their excitement.
Six follows Five, their chariot pulled by two flea bitten gray horses. Twinkle is a...curious...designer. Her designs are usually sort of boring, and almost every inch of skin on her tributes are covered. It's no different this year. As Liberty and Fender come into full sight, it is revealed that they are dressed as hovercraft pilots, every inch of their bodies except their faces covered. They were thick, rubbery black boots, a black jumpsuit with a silver hovercraft printed on the right breast, black gloves, and a glossy black helmet with the visor flipped up so we can see their faces. It isn't Twinkle's worst at all, but it is a little boring. I'm waiting for jetpacks to burst out of their backs or lights to pop out somewhere but that never happens. Liberty waves a little and tries to smile, while Fender has a good natured grin on his face, and he waves a little too, his back ramrod straight. Both tributes seem to be sweating in their heavy garb.
Seven is the next out. Glitzya Hispa has been throwing words throughout every platform she can that her plan is "golden and dazzling" this year. They even got white-gold horses like the ones One uses unlike the muddy brown ones Seven usually gets to match the secret theme. Seems like either a.) Glitzya's original plan flopped, or b.) we misinterpreted crazy Glitzya just saying more trees would be exciting. Hey, at least they're golden, right?! Oh this is a disaster. Neither Ivy nor Baron can move, which is so sad. They could easily be riling up sponsors, laughing and waving and grinning, but they're paralyzed, standing ramrod straight in their golden coffins, their faces barely visible, trying not to fall over from the weight of their costumes. They seriously should fire Glitzya, after last year's "trees on fire" shenanigan that almost got the entire parade cancelled, and now this year with the golden trees. She has good intentions, but horrendous output. Like, it doesn't even look like a golden tree. It's just a golden tube with several golden sticks sprouting from it in a very angular and very artificial manner. I just shake my head, and the noise dies down considerably except for those that are already drunk who continue to whoop and holler in excitement.
Eight comes out, following Seven, their chariot pulled by dark brown horses. Usually Fashionista goes for a simple style of mixed fabrics, maybe some needle or spool accents here or there, but it's usually the same. They aren't bad by any means; the first time she died them, it was an improvement over the tired shawls and burlap sacks the other Stylists from Eight would turn out. They're still dazzling, but not new. Fashionista has decided to recapture our imagination, and I'm in utter awe. Gaia and Calico move around the chariot, not from their own accord, but from the huge machine they're connected to, an enormous loom. They're dressed in simple brown t-shirts and shorts, but then loom starts to weave fabric of every color around them. It's simply awe inspiring. It would take me ten years to get bored of this, and Fashionista will probably change what is woven around them to spice it up. This year it's a conglomeration of every color known to man. Gaia is smiling thinly, trying to not show her fear of being flung around the machine, while Calico is on the verge of tears and looks like he wants to run and hide. It's a shame that such a marvelous contraption and outfit idea must be wasted on two...lacking...tributes.
Nine clops out next, drawn by two palominos. Cravat is the oldest Stylist and has been doing it for an astounding twenty years straight. His designs have lacked vigor recently, but that's surely changed for him this year. Sage and Luke stand in the chariot dressed in outfits crafted of swirls of blue, green, white, and brown fabric that shift and morph and change shades. It's obvious that they're dressed as Mother and Father Earth. Sage waves enthusiastically, smiling wide and playing off the crowd. Her sister is a well known poster child, she probably learned some tips from her. Luke is quiet and immobile, not even smiling, his eyes and jaw hard set and his muscles tensed. He looks imposing, and I'm guessing that's the image he's going for. If so, it's working.
Ten comes out of the tunnel, lead by two black steeds. Powder's a nice girl, she's my second cousin actually, and I love her, but she's gotta. Get. Over. The. COWBOYS! Sure, they are cool for the first four years. Last year, they were okay. This year, they're just sort of boring. Yeah, it is more menacing than a cow or a fluffy rabbit or whatever else you'd dress up someone from Ten. But still. It's like Glitzya and her trees, Fashionista and her multi fabric outfits. Time to move on. Miriam and Rufus stand together at the front of the car but don't touch in any way. Miriam is trying to looking strong and she's actually pulling it off rather well, she's the most intimidating thirteen year old I've ever seen, no sarcasm. Rufus smiles lightly at the crowd and waves a little. He doesn't seem very memorable in my opinion, like a Bloodbath, but it's always the least memorable ones who slip through the cracks and make it to the end sometimes.
Eleven is the next chariot to come out, its chariot hooked up to two chestnut coated horses. I'm absolutely mortified. Everyone's heard about Ygga Tossel's big breakup with her fiancee Alehenia Marcusso, but I didn't think it hit her this hard. She still has to do her goddamn job! She's literally put poor Soya and Omri matching burlap sacks, stamped with the words VEGETABLES in big, bold, black print. No makeup, no hair styling, no other accents. Literally just a burlap bag. With the words vegetables on it. Awe-inspiring. Anyway, Soya and Omri don't seem to realize how horrid they look, or at least they're trying to make the best of their situation. Soya waves happily and is laughing the whole time, and Omri smiles calmly and waves a little shyly. Oh my Snow, how much perseverance these two children have. They should be given the Panemian Medal of Freedom just for doing what they've done.
Twelve is the last chariot out, headed by two roan stallions. I'm already ready to pack up my bag, setting my martini glass down. Better get out early to avoid the foot traffic. It's just going to be the same old, the miners that look exactly the same. Then I remember. Amazingus Amarillo took over from Peachie Arden. There's not going to be any more miners. I sit back down. Never have heard of this Amazingus kid. I wonder what he's done-
HOLY MOTHERFUCKING GREAT GRANDMOTHER OF SNOW THEY'RE NAKED!
They're-they're-this is a crime to fashion! THIS IS A CRIME TO FASHION! But why is everyone shouting in glee and approval?! Gaylord has a thin scrap of black cloth over his genitals and is otherwise naked, his body dusted in coal dust. It's practically porn! But then, that's not the worst part. THE PREGNANT CARMEN GIRL?! She's naked too! Black scraps over her breasts and her crotch, and her huge baby bump IS PAINTED LIKE A GEM. IN A SEA OF COAL! IT'S SHINING! It's admittedly pretty cool. BUT WHY WOULD YOU SEND PEOPLE NAKED OUT INTO THE PUBLIC EYE?! That's just wrong!
"Why aren't you laughing, Marionette?! This is even better than the golden trees from Seven!" Adoria giggles.
Sometimes I don't think I fit in with these people, but then I laugh to myself. When you're President Snow's niece...if I didn't fit in, let's just say I'd be dead by now.
A/N: I hope that was good! I seriously love Marionette XD She's a fun character for sure. Suddenly just made her Snow's niece, but welp, that's just what happened so deal with it XD
Nice quick update, hope it wasn't rushed! :D I think that's my first time having 2 updates in 1 day. :D
Celtic noted that we only really saw 12 tributes with the Stylists. That's because the 12 not highlighted in those pieces (Bernie, Zircon, etc.) will be given quick, similar-length Countdown POVs before the Games begin. :)
So, thoughts overall? Best outfits? Worst outfits? XD
Marionette (1 pt.): What did Marionette say Soya & Omri should be given for wearing the sack outfits?
Until Next Time,
Tracee