Hello everyone! I'm so very glad to say that I'm on summer break now, so updates should be coming pretty regularly now. And, we're in the Capitol now! I'm super excited to get to share some of you guys' ideas for the tribute's parade outfits, but just so y'all know, there might be some that aren't featured. The only reason that I chose to not feature some of your ideas is because I wanted the tributes from each district to match, and I might have liked one submitter's idea more than the other. Other than that, enjoy the tribute parade, and I'll leave a list of the tributes' outfits after the last POV in the chapter. Enjoy!
Sublime Winterson, 18
District One Male
Sublime couldn't be more uncomfortable than he was right now. His prep team had gotten real up close and personal when they were washing him, making him strip down so that they could scrub every inch of his body. It was rather insulting to think that they thought he was unclean. His father was a surgeon for god's sake, Sublime had been taught to scrub himself raw since he'd been able to talk.
Well, there was no point in arguing and just getting on his prep team's bad side. They weren't going to let up anytime soon, and his protests would likely do nothing but annoy them. He could behave and keep up the image of a perfect Career whose goal was to become victor of the Hunger Games. Sublime was sure that he would be pleased with the results of their work when they were done, so he just sat back and relaxed for whatever portions of his preparation that he could.
Admittedly, it was rather hard to sit still when they yanked all of his body hair out by the root, but showing pain at that would be just like showing his neck in the Bloodbath. If a Career couldn't handle pain like this, even if it was unfamiliar, then they truly didn't deserve to be where they stood. Sublime didn't show that he was bothered by the sensation of his hair getting ripped out, and it was a great reason as to why he'd been the male volunteer chosen for One. He knew how to control his feelings and emotions, and he was going to win it all.
At last, he was done being poked and prodded and was handed a white, silky feeling piece of clothing. At this point, his privacy was a thing of the past, so he donned the article quickly and as soon as it had settled over his head, they were on him once more, making little adjustments and setting it perfectly on his body.
It was a toga style piece of clothing, and Sublime really didn't mind it. He was going to look fantastic in the parade. Although, he really was wishing that they were going to give him some undershorts to wear with it. (They did.)
Then, they were on him again. This time, his prep team was equipped with containers of gold powder, a spray that seemed to act as an adhesive, and feathery brushes. They frolicked around him as they worked, squawking to themselves as he was coated in a layer of gold. Almost every inch of his body that wasn't covered in the toga-like article of clothing was sprayed and then brushed gold within the next half hour. He spent the entire time standing, just ready for the whole process to be done with so that he could go out and show off to the crowd.
Finally, after his feet had fallen asleep and his focus had wandered elsewhere, his prep team brushed on their last little bit of golden powder and made their last final adjustments to his outfit. The man, who seemed as if he was the leader of his team, stepped back and clapped his hands together.
"Ooh, he looks amazing! We've outdone ourselves once again!" exclaimed the youngest of the trio, a woman who looked as if she was around Sublime's mentor's age.
The older woman and the man looked as if they both agreed, and the pair steered Sublime towards the floor length mirror at the corner of the room so that he could have a look at their work.
Upon his first glance, Sublime was a little bit surprised. His skin was so, shiny. The toga fell to just above his knees and only covered most of the left half of his chest, the rest of which was covered in gold. Every exposed inch of skin from his neck to his ankles was covered in golden dust and he looked more regal than ever. This would bring in a lot of sponsors and Sublime was confident that One would be the best dressed in the parade this year.
He was shooed out the door by his prep team after his short moment to inspect his appearance and he followed the flow of other tributes and their prep teams to the tunnel where the chariots would launch at. Sublime was clearly one of the last tributes to get there; everyone else was gathered around their chariots and waiting on the final few tributes to take their places. He really didn't care. It took time to create this amazing look, and it was a showstopper.
Luckily, One's chariot was near the entrance to the tunnel, being the first one to exit once the parade started. The Capitol would see them first and then remember them for the entire parade instead of any of the other districts. Luxury drew people's eyes in the Capitol, and this was a representation of exactly that.
Moments after he stopped next to One's chariot, Sublime spotted his district partner making her way over to take her place. She was wearing an identical version of the outfit that Sublime was wearing, and seemed to be covered in even more golden powder than he was.
Sublime really wasn't a huge fan of her at the moment, she was just so young and it meant that she could be a real weakness in the Career pack. He'd have to ask the others about whether or not they wanted to make her prove her worth and skills to them.
The blast of the trumpets signaled to him that the pair should get into position in their chariots, and they did so quickly. It wasn't but a moment after they'd climbed into the chariot that they'd started moving forward. Sublime stood there, looking ahead. He wasn't going to beg for the Capitol's attention by trying to wave and impress them. They'd be impressed by him and his looks alone.
Naymena Lachlock, 18
District Four Female
Naymena felt beautiful in the outfit that her stylist and prep team had put her in. She wasn't used to feeling like that. Normally, she just tried to keep herself clean and not looking like an absolute slob, so this was something completely foreign to her.
The grit and grime from the sea and the rusty old ships that she worked on were completely scrubbed away and all signs of her hard labor were hidden away with a series of different concoctions and serums. Her hands were no longer rough from calluses and some of her less prominent scars and markings were completely vanished by those strange creams and substances. The Capitol sure had some advanced technology.
Hopefully it wouldn't completely take her calluses away though. They were pretty useful when she was training with a weapon, that way her hands didn't tear or get blisters. After the long months training to get those calluses, Naymena wanted to keep them for when they would be most useful. After all, this was exactly what all that training had been for.
But training aside, she did think that the change would definitely be interesting. However, that's not what she needed to be focused on now. She needed to be locked in on her strategy for the parade and she needed to stay with it. Naymena would not be distracted by anything, especially her district partner and the noise of the crowd. She would ignore everything and just stand there. The only things that she would be doing in this parade were cherishing the elegance that her outfit made her feel and keeping her chin up high.
It was just going to be Naymena standing there, acting as if she was alone riding in that chariot in an empty stadium. Her strategy was easy for her to remember and even easier to execute. After all, being alone was what Naymena was used to in her normal day to day life. Even if she wasn't living in her normal day to day life now, she could still do the same things and feel the same feelings.
Strategy and feelings aside, the beauty and sheer elegance of her parade outfit were too incredible to just ignore. She looked positively stunning as she made eye contact with her reflection, and Naymena let out a small chuckle in her head at the irony of her outfit compared to her strategy. Naymena was sure that there would be someone upset at the fact that a tribute with this gorgeous of an outfit wasn't going to try and interact with the crowd at all.
Oh well. They could be upset at it all that they wanted, but Naymena couldn't care less. The only person that mattered when it came to surviving was her. She'd learnt at a young age to only depend on herself, and that's what she'd always gone by. It was yet another reason for avoiding the thing that most, if not all, tributes from Four typically involved themselves with: the Career pack. She thought it was rather silly to join a group of well trained tributes that could stab you in the back at any point. You would all become enemies at some point. There was only one victor.
With a tap on the shoulder, a member of Naymena's prep team kindly told her that it was almost time for her to make her way to the chariots. Naymena nodded back at the woman with a blank expression and turned to look at herself in the mirror one last time before she left. Her hair had been straightened and fell silkily down her back, and she'd also donned a headpiece with a lovely pink and purple hibiscus on it. Her heels had a similar decoration, being gold with a small pink and purple flower on the strap that crossed over the front of her foot. Lastly, her dress was the showstopper to pull it all together.
It was a layered thing, purple in color and having both pearls and golden details to really make it unique. She could tell that the theme of her outfit was a beautiful oceanside flower, and her outfit was certainly on point with that theme. It matched perfectly, and Naymena's reflection definitely showed the beauty and grace of that flower. Shame it was so afflicted with pain and misfortune.
Her heels clicked with each step that she took, now making her way to the chariots and her position for the Tribute Parade. It was a short walk to the tunnel where the chariots waited and Naymena appreciated the quieter environment that allowed her head to slow down a bit before she was thrust into the loud chaos of the parade. It would be quiet for a moment, but then that silence would vanish as the cheers from the eager Capitolites reached her ears.
She took her place when she arrived, climbing into Four's chariot alongside her district partner. Thankfully she was around the middle of the pack to arrive, so it wasn't as if she was being waited on. The last third of the tributes arrived rather quickly after Naymena settled into her position on the chariot, and soon, the fanfare started. The chariots ahead of them started to move slowly, and it was their turn only two or so minutes after the first had moved forward.
As Naymena and the chariot carrying her moved forward into the blinding light and loud noise of the stadium, she allowed herself to take in one last calming breath before steeling her face and emotions. With her chin up and face blank, Naymena Lachlock was ready to face the crowd.
Elias Walker, 17
District Nine Male
Elias was really frustrated with life right now. First, he got reaped for the Hunger Games. And now, he'd been put in possibly the worst outfit that had been created for the Tribute Parade. It was insulting, honestly. Why on Earth would anyone expect this to be a good idea for an outfit?
Said terrible, offensive outfit consisted of a "kilt" as they called it (Elias didn't see the point of calling a skirt a different name to make it seem better) and a vest. What made it worse was the material that it was made of: a woven straw material that reminded Elias of a basket. He had a feeling that nobody in the Capitol would be caught dead wearing this, so at this point, he was convinced that his prep team and stylist were just making fun of him.
He hated it. The outfit was so itchy and hideous and Elias was cringing whilst watching his prep team finish up their job in the mirror that he stood in front of. They seemed fairly satisfied with their job, and it made Elias just scowl more. How could someone be satisfied with this? It was barely an excuse for an outfit and it looked as if they'd just dismantled a few woven baskets to make a skirt and a vest. The boots, which were a navy blue color, were okay, but they weren't anything special.
Honestly, when most people from Nine thought of the Capitol, they would think of luxury and fashion that was incredible, but Elias was starting to doubt those beliefs. To him, it just seemed like a competition between the stylists and prep teams to see who could dress their tribute in the most ridiculously thought up outfit that was related to their district's industry.
The districts that were more loyal to the Capitol often got better looking outfits, namely the Career Districts and occasionally an Outlier District or two that the Capitol was pleased with that year. Nine was never one of those lucky Outliers, being one of the most rebellious districts in Panem. They usually were on the bottom of the Capitol's rank of districts in order from favorite to least favorite.
He truly didn't care. Elias was one of the causes that contributed to that most rebellious status as well. It was rather obvious to him that he wasn't going to be very popular or happy during his time in the Capitol. His father had told him to keep the hatred hidden for his own good, but Elias just truly wasn't sure if he could do that or how long he could do it for. It was just so hard for him to hide how he felt about the unfairness of the Capitol and its treatment of the districts.
Roughly being turned around by a member of his prep team, Elias scrunched his nose in annoyance. They proceeded to pat a crap ton of powder on his face, claiming that "he was a bit shiny" for their liking. Yes, apparently to them, having a shiny face was a worse crime than being put in a woven straw skirt and vest with boots. Honestly, the nerve of these stupid people.
Once they finished their attack of powder on his face, Elias coughed because of the literal cloud of the substance surrounding him. Goodness gracious, the amount that they had used was ridiculous.
Finally, they let him get out of that dreadful room and directed him towards the tunnel that contained the chariots. It was where the tributes needed to be before the parade started and Elias begrudgingly began making his way over there slowly. Truthfully, he didn't really want to willingly participate in anything that the Capitol wanted him to do, but knowing his father's words were probably the wisest piece of advice to follow, he forced his feelings back down his throat and put a blank expression on his face.
One brief walk of about three minutes later, Elias had arrived at his destination. The tunnel was already bustling with activity; however, it was a lot quieter than the hallway that the prep rooms were on. About half of the tributes were present in the tunnel at the moment, some having already climbed into their chariots and some standing near or beside them.
Elias himself began walking over towards Nine's chariot, which was near the back of the tunnel. Almost over there, he noticed that his district partner was already standing there with her arms crossed over her chest. To Elias' relief, she looked uncomfortable as well, and he was glad that he wasn't the only one. On the walk through the tunnel, he'd seen a lot of the other districts' outfits and Nine's had to be the worst out of all of them.
The pair had already introduced themselves on the train ride to the Capitol, but they hadn't done much talking otherwise. Natalia, which was his district partner's name, seemed decently nice, but it was kind of obvious that she liked to be alone and probably wasn't going to go for allies.
"Uncomfortable? I am too," Elias mumbled to the girl standing next to him. Her head darted up and she offered him a slight smile before nodding.
"Yep. I really feel like they put effort into every district's outfits except for ours."
"Mhm. It does look that way, doesn't it?"
The blaring sound of a trumpet interrupted them and Elias gestured to the chariot. Time to hate the next half hour at the least. At least he had someone to dislike it with. It was a good couple of minutes before their chariot moved, and when they emerged into the light of the stadium, Elias scowled at all of the screaming Capitolites. They didn't have to like him and he definitely didn't like them.
Suddenly, there was an influx of shocked gasps and offended noises. What could this be? Elias wasn't exactly in view of the crowd just yet, so it must have been another tribute in the districts before Nine in the parade. He leaned forward in the chariot slightly, trying to catch a glimpse of this offensive tribute. Yes, it was easy to spot once he started looking for it.
A boy a few chariots ahead had begun to flip the Capitol citizens off and Elias chuckled at their shock. Now this was hilarious. He was fairly positive that the boy was from Five, after all, the white latex jacket and fake jetpack gave it away quickly. Maybe he would make a good ally. After all, the two boys shared a mutual hate of the Capitol.
Agri Cola, 15
District Eleven Male
Agri was astonished by all of the wealth and luxury that the Capitol just blatantly showed off. It was so different compared to Eleven. The fanciest building in Agri's home district wouldn't even come close to holding a candle to the most basic, run down building in the Capitol. The difference in money was so very obvious and Agri didn't see how it was fair. Why should the Capitol be so much richer than the entirety of Panem when most of that money could go back into the country to make it better.
He was sure that corruption and power had gotten to the heads of the people of the Capitol many decades ago and he doubted that they would even consider that as a viable option for their money to be invested in. Now, it was all about beauty, wealth, and looking like you never were over the age of twenty. It was ridiculous, trying to avoid a natural process that happened to every human being.
The process for getting prepared for the parade was interesting as well. He'd been scrubbed roughly until his skin was almost to the point that it felt like it was going to just peel off, then to make it even more painful, most of his body hair had been absolutely ripped out in the most aggressive way possible. Like, they couldn't consider the fact that he might want to have that body hair later. It would grow back, of course if he was alive for the amount of time that it would take. (No, he wasn't going to think about that now. It could wait until training started and he started thinking about how he wanted to truly prepare for the Games.)
After that painstakingly deep clean, they shoved a stack of clothes in his arms and barked at him to change into them. Thankfully there was a screen to walk behind for him to put them on, but at this point, there was no privacy for Agri anymore. They'd already forced him to strip down for them to clean him, so there was technically no point for having that screen. It was probably just for enforcing a false sense of security in the tributes.
The clothes that he'd donned behind the screen included a fancy looking light green and brown suit and a pair of loafers in a similar color. Once he'd emerged from behind the screen, his prep team was on him once more with makeup and hair products, attempting to style him into the perfect little doll for the Capitol crowd that would be attending the Tribute Parade.
The whole process seemed to take forever, although looking at the clock indicated to him that it only took around thirty minutes for the whole getting dressed and made up process. At least it was over now and he could go on to the parade, after which he would get to wash off all of these ridiculous products and potions and wear some normal clothes. The final touch that his stylists had to make was putting a headpiece on him, which had sticks and leaves on it, then they were finished with his parade outfit.
Agri was thankful to finally be able to breathe without people being all over him as he made his way down the hallway of prep rooms. His intended destination was the tunnel where everyone was taking their places and he was just following another tribute and their prep team there. It was the Three girl, who looked very, illuminated, with her outfit. The seams of her outfit were covered in a glowing blue piping and her boots had platforms that lit up the same color as well. Also, she was carrying a helmet with a visor made of that same illuminated material and color.
He only had to follow her and entourage for a couple of twists and turns among the hallways before they ended up being spit out into the darker area of the tunnel. It was really huge, bigger than two of the fields that Agri worked in combined. The sight was pretty incredible and Agri marveled at it as he walked to the back of the tunnel to Eleven's chariot. Just another benefit of Twelve being obliterated, Eleven was now the last district in every Capitol event.
Making his way to the left side of the chariot and stopping, Agri turned and spotted Indigo about ten yards away from the chariot. As she made it closer, he offered her a smile and waved with his good arm.
She waved back and soon arrived next to him. "Hey, Agri! You clean up nice."
"Thanks, you look good as well."
Offering a smile of gratitude to him, Indigo said softly, "I think we should probably go ahead and take our spots in the chariot since all of the other tributes are pretty much here now."
"Sounds good."
The pair climbed into the chariot and soon enough, Agri could hear the brassy noise of an instrument being played and he knew that the parade had probably started. He was planning on waving, but he also wanted to appear strong, so he wasn't going to smile all that much.
Soon, after several minutes, the pair was finally rolling out into the bright daylight of the stadium. The Capitolites' cheers were deafening and Agri waved, keeping a strong and confident look on his face. His strategy worked fairly well, with many cheering when they spotted him and his district partner.
Agri had a feeling that good things were going to happen soon. All he had to do was keep up that good mindset.
Tribute Parade Outfits
District One
Goldena - a silky white toga dress with golden jewelry and gold body powder, golden strappy heels
Sublime - a silky white toga with golden threaded hems and gold body powder, golden sandals
District Two
Goneril - a sleek, shiny cobalt blue dress that's covered in mirror shards and small shards of hammered steel;
Ruga - a sleek cobalt blue suit that's covered in mirror shards and small shards of hammered steel
District Three
Reverie - a silver sleeveless top and pants that have glowing blue piping attached to them, knee high silver boots with a blue, glowing platform, silver helmet with a blue glowing visor
Zeno - a silver short sleeved shirt and pants that have glowing blue piping attached to them, calf height silver boots with glowing blue details, silver helmet with a blue glowing visor
District Four
Naymena - layered purple sleeveless dress with golden details and pearls attached, a purple and pink hibiscus headpiece, golden heels with a flower on them
Kasai - a teal suit with purple and golden details, golden loafers
District Five
Taraji - white polyester long sleeved shirt and pants with neon yellow and blue piping, neon yellow and blue boots, fake gray and black jetpack
Zain - white polyester long sleeved shirt and pants with neon yellow and blue piping, black boots, fake black and neon yellow jetpack
District Six
Annette - black strapless dress that falls to mid thigh with silver details that resemble gears, headpiece with three large gears on it, chunky black and silver heels with gear details on the straps
Milo - black suit with silver details that resemble gears, black bowler hat with two larger gears on it, black loafers with silver details
District Seven
Val - a tan dress with "sticks" and vibrant green leaves attached to it, a headpiece with vibrant green leaves, deep green and brown flats
Vince - a grayish brown suit that resembles the texture of a tree, a hat with barren "branches" on it, brown loafers
District Eight
Georgette - a short sleeved crop top made of a patchwork of red and orange fabrics and a pair of bell bottom pants with the same fabrics, chunky white platform sandals
Billy - a white short sleeved undershirt, a red and orange patchwork fabric jacket and pants, white boat shoes
District Nine
Natalia - woven short sleeved dress made of a material similar to straw, straw hat, calf height dark blue boots
Elias - woven kilt and vest made of a material similar to straw, straw hat, ankle height dark blue boots
District Ten
Kassi - long sleeved olive green button up shirt with blue jeans, leather boots, white cowboy hat
Oscar - long sleeved navy blue button up shirt with blue jeans, leather boots, red cowboy hat
District Eleven
Indigo - light green and brown dress with leaves and flowers attached to it; silver and brown heels; headpiece made of branches, flowers, and leaves
Agri - light green and brown suit with silver details and leaves and flowers attached to it, silver and green loafers, headpiece made of branches and leaves
And the second Pregames chapter is officially finished! I had so much fun coming up with these parade outfits and I hope you guys like them! I have a few questions below that I'd be interested in seeing you guys' answers to, so feel free to answer them in the reviews! Thank you so much for reading, and I'll see you with the next chapter (morning one of training)!
1. What was your favorite parade outfit?
2. What was your least favorite parade outfit?
3. Do you have any predictions of alliances or things that might happen in the Games?