Deleted Scenes: Princess Charming

(During Phase One of the Party) 
Dania was glad to have Miya off her chest. Sure, telling her was hard, but at least it wasn't weird between them. That was seriously a testament to Miya's coolness, honestly. Dania was glad that they could keep going on being friends without either of them being weird about it. Well... Maybe allies was a better word than friends. The f word was dangerous, after all. Definitely not as dangerous as the l word, though, which Dania was trying her best to avoid. 
She was a romantic at heart, of course, but luckily for her, that part of her was currently at work on a very important project: trying to figure out why her brother would write to Nona and why she was refusing to say what he wrote. Part of Dania was slightly worried that her brother was exposing a weakness or talking down on her, but Dania trusted Carlen more than anyone else in the world and knew he wouldn't do that. Still, though. Why wasn't Nona telling her? Dania imagined all the sappy things Carlen could have said to her. And Nona hadn't reacted negatively. Had his goofy charm actually worked on her!? That was a little unbelievable. After all, they were talking Nona Amatore here. As in, the most beautiful woman to ever come out of the Games alive, maybe even the most beautiful woman to ever step foot into them. Dania was confused, but so, so intrigued. 
Even though the thought of her brother writing Nona a love letter moved her heart, though, Dania tried to stay focused on the task at hand. Luna was right in that they all had to talk to the rich people and instill their faith in the Career alliance. Dania wasn't totally sure that she had faith in it staying together, but she was going to do her best. Hopefully if things went sour it'd just be between Ester, Attila, and Luna so that Dania and Miya could just escape together. That was the most likely option at this point, or that was how it seemed. 
Dania knew how to carry herself like a lady, of course, and stood tall (well, as tall as she could) and walked gracefully, her ballgown swirling around with her wherever she went. There was a good number of famous people at the party too, and Dania wanted to talk to as many of them as could bet on her. She talked to a bunch of Symphony members when they were on their break, and greeted Pluto, but the 122nd Victor didn't seem intent on doing much dancing. She was just taking a break and getting some punch when she saw her. One of the prettiest girls Dania's ever laid eyes on. And she was coming this way!! Ahem, she was a Capitolite. Dania knew she would have to be charming. To get the money. That was why. Of course. Dania put on her most confident, dazzling smile, which the girl returned immediately. Her lips were a dark purple, skin pale, hair dyed gray and pulled back in some elaborate style that rivaled Dania's in elegance. Dania noticed a pendant around her neck colored pink, purple, and blue, and at that she couldn't help but grin. The other girl was wearing a blue-violet ballgown with a corset top and a huge skirt that bounced slightly as she walked. She was skinny but had a lot of cleavage, almost a perfect hourglass figure. 
"Hi there," Dania said. Everything about this girl's appearance was stunning and perfectly done, not a single thing out of place. 
"Hi!" the other girl said brightly. "Dania, right?" 
"Yeah, that's me." Dania felt slightly awkward when she got a whiff of the other girl's perfume, a flowery, delicate, pleasant smell (God, why were girls just so perfect?! she thought), but kept her cool. "You are...?" 
The other girl seemed caught by surprise, but Dania couldn't remember ever seeing her anywhere... "Maggie!" she said. "Nice to meet you." Maggie put out her hand, showing perfectly manicured nails, and Dania shook it. "You look great by the way!" she added quickly. 
Dania smiled. "Thanks, but the credit doesn't go to me, it goes to my prep team, as always." 
"Ah, I see." 
The symphony started to play a very lively dance in three, and Dania saw the spark in Maggie's lavender eyes before she asked, "Will you dance with me?" 
Dania couldn't help but grin. "Sure." There were no rules against it, of course. Just an innocent little dance. Luckily for Dania, Maggie was all that much taller than her, which made the dancing a lot easier than dancing with someone really tall like Acacia. 
Maggie took the lead, as she was probably a classically-trained dancer as many people from the Capitol were, and Dania followed. The girls swept gracefully across the floor. 
"I like that little pendant," Dania said. She left it open for Maggie to explain what it was if she wanted to. That was, if that was what Dania hoped- ahem, thought, what she thought it was. 
"Oh, thank you!" Maggie said. "My twin brother got it for me, actually. Since I probably won't be allowed to actually do pride later on." 
"Pride?" 
Maggie squeaked. It was an adorable little noise. "Um, I don't think I was supposed to tell you that. I think it was gonna be a surprise." 
Dania just laughed. "No problem. I can keep a secret." 
"Thanks. I don't want to get into more trouble..." 
"Don't worry. I'm a great actress," Dania said, as the girls spun around and their skirts swept around with them. Dania could feel eyes watching and couldn't help but hope they could get the whole room to watch them. Dania bet they looked pretty damn graceful together. Dania continued, overdramatically widening her eyes and saying, "Wow, Pride, I had no idea this was going to happen!" 
Maggie laughed so hard she snorted, and immediately a blush broke through her heavy foundation. 
Dania couldn't help but grin. Her laugh was really infectious. 
The song ended far too soon, and both girls were panting and grinning at each other. That ended pretty quickly when a posh-sounding voice was calling, "Anna Magdalena!" 
"Oh, shit," Maggie said, quickly reaching the necklace pendant and turning it around so all that showed was an engraved silver design. "That's my fiance," she said. 
Dania couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed. Of course this girl had a fiance. "Oh..." 
"Arranged marriage," she says quickly, "Hate the guy, but have no choice. I'm... I'm really sorry, I should go! Thanks for the dance though! It was really fun!" 
She quickly looked around and scurried off into the crowd, leaving just as quickly as she arrived. 
Dania sighed a bit. That truly sucked. It didn't take long thinking about it for it to click, though. Anna Magdalena. As in... The President's Niece. That would explain why she was surprised I didn't know her... And the whole arranged marriage thing... Dania's heart sank slightly. 
But at the same time, she couldn't help but imagine a future for them anyways. Dania would win the Games and come back home. She'd go find Maggie and save her from her arranged marriage. It'd be true love. Or at least, better than that asshole she hates. It'd be like... A fairytale. Dania could be a knight in shining armor. She took some punch and took a seat with the Two mentors. Acacia was talking to Vesperus about Pride that was coming up. 
"I thought we weren't supposed to know about that," Dania said. 
"Yeah, Pluto told me by mistake," Acacia said. "Wait, how did you know?" 
"I..." Dania wasn't sure what to say so she just smiled. "I didn't." 
Nona raised an eyebrow at her as Acacia went to find Wicke and keep talking to people.
"Saw you with the President's niece," Nona said, giving her a smirk. "You looked like you were having fun." 
Dania was flustered immediately, crossing her arms and puffing out air. "Oh, shut up." 
Nona laughed, but before long Dania felt a shit-eating grin spread across her lips. "So, what'd Carlen's letter say?"  
"Good try. Not telling." 
"Not even if it's my dying wish?" Dania asked. 
Nona's face became more serious. "Not even then. Because you're not dying." 
Dania grinned. "Rule of Three. I'm going to win. That's a promise. 
I'm going to win, she thought. I'm going to win and be a knight in shining armor. Some princesses love other princesses. I'm going to get back to save her from the dragon.   

Deleted Scenes: Worthy

Luna didn't want to admit it, but she was absolutely miserable. She knew that it was stupid, she shouldn't be mad that Attila kissed Ester, she shouldn't be this... This upset! Jealously flared in her chest, swirling around like a whirlwind that kept cycling, even when she took deep breaths. She was mad, and hurt. She thought she and Attila had a lot in common, never in a million years did she think he would be swayed by... By... By a little rat bitch from District Eight!! 
Luna wasn't dumb, though. The Capitolites were looking for drama, and they would get it however they could. They were going to be looking for her, watching, waiting for her to crack. Goddammit, she had to keep it together. There was no way in hell she was going to be weak. She would be the girl that didn't succumb to love in the Games. She had to be. 
But she couldn't help feeling absolutely miserable. Why had he chosen her!?  She didn't understand him at all! She didn't care about him, she was just manipulating him. He was just too stupid to see. 
Luna hated that she loved him. He was dumb as a doornail and never took anyone else's feelings into considerations but his own. He was selfish and rash, he was playing the Games how they were supposed to be played and Luna somehow couldn't help... Couldn't help loving him! And for letting him control her this way, for his total control over her emotions, Luna would never forgive herself. She would never forgive herself for letting this happen. She deserved better, hell, she deserved someone that actually cared about her for starters, and here she was, biting her tongue and keeping the tears out of her eyes. She absolutely couldn't crack. Not here. Not now. 
Maybe it hurt more, living in denial. Luna hated herself for that. Maybe if she'd just caught it early on she could have put an end to it before it came to this. Before she was standing there, surrounded by people talking and chattering and cheering that Ester and Attila were making out. 
Weak, Luna thought, clenching her teeth. She couldn't crack. Wouldn't her family just love to see that?! Wouldn't they just... Just love to see Luna cry over a boy like the silly, weak little girl they thought she was!? Well they weren't going to! Goddammit, it was hard, but Luna couldn't afford for them to see her like this. Not after everything she'd endured to get to where she was now. 
But at the same time, he had her heart. He had her fucking heart and he kissed someone else! He was so stupid, he probably had no idea he even had her heart. Goddammit. How did this happen? What was happening to her? Luna never had romantic feelings in her life, or, well, not any that were this deep, not any that she was going to cry over, and here, now of all times, now she falls in love with a fucking oaf who couldn't care less how she felt! Luna felt a lump in her throat, but stayed strong. She had learned well how to do that. 
It shouldn't have been a surprise. She was used to being mistreated. Mistreated by her family, mistreated for the Games, mistreated by pretty much everyone that ever saw her. Why did she even think, in any particle of her being, that this would be any different? It's always the same. She was tired of being chewed up and spit out. Wasn't that why she was here!? But no. Even in her glory, even in this week that was supposed to be all about here, she's been humiliated, and hurt. It never ends. 
Luna kept smiling as sponsors asked her about it, but there came a point that she just couldn't take it anymore and had to get away. 
She wandered to the more remote parts of town, parts where there couldn't be cameras, or so she hoped, parts that were lit by streetlights and where the music was just a blur of notes and people cheering in the distance. 
She sat on a park bench and balled her fists. She would not cry. Strong people never cried. Big girls don't cry. Luna refused to be the big baby that started crying, not here, not now. Somehow, as hard as she tried, she couldn't control the mist in her eyes. 
"Luna?" 
Luna jumped at the voice, immediately defensive. She was always this way, and that would never change. She relaxed slightly when she noticed it was just Michael. 
"What do you want?" she asked, crossing her arms. She wished he'd go away. The thought of her crying like a fucking baby was bad enough, let alone in front of a Victor from her District, one of the people that elected to send her here, one of the people that would wish he'd voted for someone stronger, someone who wasn't a fucking pathetic little girl! 
"To get away. I assume that's why you're here too." 
"Yeah." She took a deep breath to keep her voice steady and lied, lied like always, lied like she was forced to do, always lying, always lying to everyone, always lying to herself. "It's crazy out there." 
"I thought you loved the Capitol." 
Luna glared at him. None of this was any of his business. She didn't respond, though. She just didn't have the energy to. 
"You can be honest with me, you know," Michael said. Luna ignored him. "I'm your mentor, after all. I just want you to succeed. I know I'm not too great at it, but I can't help you at all if I don't know you." 
"You know me," she said coldly. "You're young enough to know that girl that spent her life living in the Academy, Trainers the only thing that meekly resembled parents. You're young enough to know who I am." 
"Maybe that's true. But I only know that Luna. There's more to you than just that." 
Luna's eyes grew mistier and she didn't respond for fear that her voice would wobble. 
"How about the Luna that loves cats?" Michael asked. "I don't know her very well. What's your cat's name again?" 
"Selina," Luna said quietly, arms still crossed. 
"See? There's more to you than just Luna the trainee." 
"Shut up," she said. She didn't like this whole sappy thing. It was just a cycle, after all. She would always end up being humiliated. 
"You know that you're better than him, don't you?" Michael asked. 
Luna didn't respond. She was a lot of things, but she wasn't arrogant. Not really. She may have been able to fake it, but in reality she knew that she was on the bottom of the totem pole, desperately trying to claw her way up. 
"You're Luna fucking Pentti."  
"Shut up!" Luna shouted at him. He was trying to make her feel better, but it wasn't working. "Stop with the bullshit!" 
"It-" 
"I've always been Luna Pentti, the girl that wasn't good enough, and I will always be that girl! Stop trying to make me feel better with your empty-ass words! I know I'm not good enough, not for him, not for the Capitol, not for anything, so just stop!!"  
Michael was silent at that. Luna sniffled and wiped her eyes angrily. She was just fine before he showed up, and he had to go and make her cry. Goddammit!! 
"I know I'm not good enough, too," Michael said quietly.
"What?!" 
"I know how it feels to be not good enough." 
"You're a Victor."  
"Look at me, Luna." Luna glanced at her mentor quietly through watery eyes. "I'm a Victor, but look at me. I... I can't even put my own socks on in the morning! I can't reach the top shelf, I can't get food and I take an hour just to get up and get dressed in the morning. I'm Michael, the Cripple. I'm the guy that isn't good enough. I'm the guy that can't even go to the beach. Can't have sex, can't swim in the ocean, I can't do anything." 
"But... You're Michael Spinnaker, the Victor of the-" 
"Does it matter?! I can't train, I can't walk, I can't use weapons and I can't fight anymore. I have no value to anyone anymore, all I need is other people's help, does that sound like someone that's good and strong and a role model to you?!" 
Luna was stunned into silence. 
"Sorry," Michael said quietly. "I just... It's so easy to feel like... Like..."
Luna stared at him. She understood how he felt, true, but... He was Michael fucking Spinnaker!  District 4's most recent Victor!" 
"You're District Four's pride and joy," Luna said quietly. 
"For now," Michael said. "And I don't think that's true now anyways. I haven't done anything since winning. Not like Thor. He's a pride icon, super successful and everyone loves him. Not me. I'm just... Broken. Not good enough." 
Luna frowned. "You made that pamphlet, didn't you?" 
"Yeah, I guess. But still." 
"So... There's the Michael that makes pamphlets." 
"Woo fucking hoo, a goddamn pamphlet." 
"Michael the activist. I don't know him very well." 
Michael made a face. "Using my own encouragement against me I see." 
Luna laughed a bit, glad that her eyes were dry now. "Yeah. You're Michael fucking Spinnaker, after all." 
"Yeah right," Michael breathed, staring at the ground. I can't even hold onto a friend. Port just kissed and just... Left." He clenched his fists around the wheels of his wheelchair. 
"You're better than him," Luna said seriously. 
Michael glanced over at her and she wasn't sure what to do so she just gave him a small smile. 
"Why can't you believe that about yourself then?" he asked quietly. 
"I..." Luna shrugged. "I've been told so many times. That I'm not enough. No matter how hard you try to pull yourself up, you never really escape it." 
"You are enough. And there are so many people out there that think the very same thing." 
"I'm not Nerio. I'm not in an adorable relationship," she spat out bitterly.
"That might be true," Michael said. "The Capitol loves Cherio and can't get enough of Wicacia. Even Ester and Attila." Luna's teeth gritted angrily but she didn't say anything. Michael continued, "But the smart ones, they're not betting on any of those six. The smart ones are betting on you." 
"...Is that true?" 
"They know that the others are going to self-destruct without the other. They know that Nerio pulled too many strings to keep up with, that someone's going to sacrifice themself for someone else. They can see a Victor. And that's you. You're not going to let anything, or anyone, stop you on the way." 
"Oh." 
Michael smiled slightly. "You're Luna fucking Pentti, and this is your night for the taking. What do you say?" 
Luna thought about it for a second. "Here's what I say." She took her flower off and handed it to him. "Take this. As a sign of friendship." 
Michael grinned up at her. "Thanks," he said. "Together, we'll get you out of there." 
"Of course," Luna said, smiling and straightening her posture as she walked back to the city. "I'm Luna fucking Pentti." 

Drawings: D4 Pride!Pluto

Don't judge me. I love my Victor child.

Drawings: Chance Magnusun, District 1

Headcanon Dumping!

Hello I'm UV trash and Eugene requested a deleted scene about #SpringBreak so I decided to throw together an entire HC dump about it and the #UVBandFam in general! 
-Wolf is kind of the glue that holds the group together, especially when there's a lot of tension between them. However, the dynamic of the band is changing as tensions rise between Wolf and the rest of them about... Certain issues on which the others aren't cracking quite yet. 
-Scorpio and Thor argue the most, and though they're ultimately close friends, they clash a lot. They always talk out their arguments, sometimes after the others force them to mediate. This kind of started because Thor's from a Career District and is, of the band members, the biggest patriot, while Scorpio is from the most rebellious District. Thor grew up rich and hasn't had as many struggles as Pluto and Scorpio and all the others, so he clicks with Thack well but sometimes it causes tension with the others if he says something that rubs someone the wrong way. In the end, though, they all recognize their differences and talk through their problems, so they still always have each other's backs.
-The people that bet on things the most are Wolf, Thack, and Thor. Scorpio bets a lot, too, especially when his pride is on the line. Phil usually bets when he knows that they others will do something ridiculous just to make him lose. However, the one of all of them that has the most money from bets is actually Pluto. That's because Pluto only bets on things they are ABSOLUTELY SURE about.
-The #UVBandFam began with Thack. Before he was the band's manager, he was their friend, after all. The next member to be added to the fam was Anakyn. It all started as a joke where Wolf would constantly tease Phil about his (at the time) silly celebrity crush on Ani, which the Capitol thought was hilarious so they were constantly pushing for Phil and Ani to meet. Well, one day, it happened. And soon Ani just kind of fell into step with the rest of the band, who kind of adopted him considering he was starting Uni and still didn't have a lot of friends because he didn't fit into the Capitol clique or the District kids. After that Helen joined, they met formally through Anakyn and Wolf and Helen immediately hit off because they're so similar and she meshed in with them well. Em came after that because Phil met him after dropping out of Uni and looking for music schools. He meshed well with the others. The last member to join the fam was Ambrose, and it happened after they tried (and succeeded) to sneak backstage after one of their concerts. Security was going to kick them out, but Wolf and Phil thought it was so funny (and were so impressed) that they insisted Ambrose stay for post-show drinks. Since then no fan has successfully gotten past security. 
-Thus, the #UVBandFam was born. They didn't see Ambrose very often just because they all traveled so much, Ani for modelling and the band for touring, Em as an ambassador for his Uncle, and Helen for her work as a Victor. But whenever they were in Ambrose's neck of the woods they always made sure to get together. When Ambrose became an escort the fam got even tighter. 
-Pluto is still confused as to why Vesperus is the band dad when he isn't in the band fam, which is short for family, but has just learned to accept that their friends are weird sometimes. 
-Pluto asked for Cerena to be added to the Band Fam because they still don't really understand the true meaning of Fam until the others explained it to them. 
-The fam started a tradition of vacationing to different Districts during spring break. It started during #SpringBreak123 when Thor mentioned that some of the organizers of District Four Pride were looking for some LGBT+ celebrities to talk and Thor immediately wanted to get the band there to play for it because it means a lot to him. At that time Ambrose wasn't yet an escort, so they didn't go, but since Ani, and Helen were around and part of the fam, they decided to tag along too. Em was busy at that time with school and working as a secretary for the President, so he couldn't go. But the rest of the fam was all over it. 
-They needed a place to stay, so Thor's family opened their house to the others, who were greatly appreciative. Pluto was super excited because they'd never had a sleepover before, and that was basically what this was. 
-Thor's mother handmade leis for each of the fam, a tradition that passed to their culture from the sunken island of Hawaii. She always tries to make them based on what she knows of their personalities. 
-Thor's family is literally the sweetest (TM) but they also like to mess with Thor so as soon as all the band's overnight bags were in Thor's room, they had the baby pictures out of Thor. 
-The others loved it, of course, and a couple of those pictures he still hasn't quite lived down. Phil calls them "Wedding Pictures," because he believes firmly that they should be in the slideshow of photos shown at Thor's wedding because they're just so funny. 
-Thor's sister Malina was nervous about going to Pride and almost didn't go except for the fact that she wanted to see Thor sing on his home turf. 
-Thor's twin siblings Rowe and Remi were all over them the moment they all came in the door. When they were looking through the baby albums Remi was in Thor's lap and Phil offered his lap to Rowe who was more than happy to snuggle. Basically the band members fell in love with both twins the second they stepped in the door. 
-Rowe made Thack and the others promise to take him to the Capitol someday. Rowe says he's going to volunteer someday, but he's currently not broken the Top 20 of training yet and he wants to get to the Capitol however he can. 
-He jokes about meeting a beautiful Capitol girl that's super impressed by his naturally green eyes and that his older demibro is Thorlief Nazario. The others laughed. They have no idea. ;)
-They all stayed up late that night. Anakyn and Helen insisted that they make a pillow fort because Pluto's never made one before, and the others were more than happy to help out. They ended up making two opposing pillow forts and throwing pillows and blankets at each other. 
-Thack was the first to conk out, right in the pillow fort, he was just so pooped from traveling all day. The others talked about drawing on their face, but they just couldn't do it. One by one, the others fell asleep. Thor ended up staying up the latest of them all catching up with Malina.
-Pluto was one of the last ones awake. They were super tired, but anxiety about going to the beach the next day was keeping them up. 
-Wolf and Anakyn were also up late, for a different reason. They were on a holo making plans to meet with some important people in the District when Pluto just sat up and asked what they were doing. Wolf immediately put it away because he could tell Pluto was bothered by something. They all ended up staying up and having a really deep conversation about body image, because all three of them have had very different experiences being objectified. Wolf confesses that he's also anxious about wearing a swimsuit and not a shirt at the beach, and Anakyn encourages them, saying that all bodies are beach-ready and they can wear whatever they want, if that's what makes them comfortable. It's a very tender moment between the three of them, and soon Pluto's sleeping peacefully and Wolf's back to his normal cheerful self. 
-Helen was also awake, but just pretended she was asleep so she wouldn't intrude. That was also the day that she realized that she definitely wasn't a lesbian after all. 
-Helen wore her bi flag the first time at Pride the next day. She knew she was helplessly in love with a boy and she was comfortable in that label. 
-The next day, everyone was up early for a wonderful breakfast. Mrs. Nazario insisted on giving each Fam member a hug and a top-of-the-head kiss for good luck, even the ones that weren't performing. 
-Thor was bouncing at the chance to get back to the beach. He was nothing but excited to get back to the beach. Malina and the twins went too.  Cue an adorably fun day of beach shenanigans. 
-Wolf took off his shirt and faked confidence, but before long he was having so much fun he barely remembered that his chest has scars on it. 
-Pluto wore the most adorable little swimsuit with frills and polka dots. She was initially really embarrassed about it, but the others were nothing but encouraging and soon she was less anxious. 
-Thor taught the others how to surf. Phil actually wasn't so bad at it, but Wolf has no balance and kept wiping out. Helen loved surfing, and she really wasn't bad at it too. 
-They also had chicken fights. It started when Thor bet he could carry Scorpio on his shoulders, and of course the others bet that he couldn't. So he proved them all wrong. Soon, Wolf picked Phil up on his shoulders, and they were having so much fun Helen insisted that Anakyn carry her too. Thack and Pluto just watched, because Pluto really didn't want to carry Thack up on her shoulders and Thack knew he wasn't strong enough to lift her. Thor noticed, so he put Scorpio down (read: dropped him quite unceremoniously) and went to pick up Pluto, who was more than happy to be lifted for once instead of doing the lifting. 
-While they all chicken fought and laughed, Thack and Scorp were kissing underwater.
-Afterwards, Thor and Wolf did some tanning, while Anakyn, Phil, and Pluto made sand castles and Helen and Thack looked for seashells. Scorpio went to talk up some beach babes. 
-Ani let Helen decorate his sand castle with seashells. Thack lent Pluto some seashells to decorate with, too. 
-Phil made the saddest sand castle EVER (read: lump of sand with a stick sticking out the top) so Ani decided to jump in and help him out. 
-That was the day Phil realized he was in deeper than the ocean they'd just swam in and this stupid celebrity crush was much more than he'd initially planned for. 
-Thack bet that Thor wouldn't let them bury him in the sand. To prevent him from winning, Thor agreed to it, and soon he was totally buried except for his head popping out. Lots of pictures were taking. They joked about leaving him, but soon they dug him up again. 
-Anakyn tried to teach Phil how to model, and Scorpio was their photographer. Later Wolf posted it on their social media and captioned it "Trying to model with the best @mockingjay-named-anakyn! (Look how red his face is!!)" Phil responded insisting that he was just sunburned. 
-And he was sunburned. He burned like a fucking lobster. (but he was also blushing a bunch.)
-Then, that evening they performed at Pride. 
-Wolf kept his shirt off, as is common around Four. Pluto did wrap up in a robe but ended up wearing a grass skirt for the event with her T-shirt, which made her extremely happy. 
-She asked Helen to do make-up for her, who happily obliged, and even put her hair up in two cute little buns with Anakyn's help. UGH NOW I JUST WANT TO DRAW HER. 
-The band was in their pre-show huddle when Pluto mentioned to them that sometimes she uses she/her pronouns and there was a lot of hugging that happened that day. 
-When Wolf introduced her as "the fucking gorgeous Pluto Nicastro," she almost started crying up on stage. The only reason she didn't was because she knew it'd smudge her flags and she didn't want that to happen. 
-The band played Pride and the crowd was amazing. Thor was teeming with happiness. 
-They sang and played and danced the night away. Even Port Stradlater was there, which really excited Thor. 
-That night, after everyone left, Thor's parents set up a fire pit on the beach and brought s'mores materials. They passed around an acoustic guitar and sang some more songs, with Rowe and Remi's help of course. The first song the others ever heard Thor sing was Aloha Oe, a lullaby his parents always sang to him and his siblings. Even to this day when Pluto has nightmares about their Games when the band is on tour he'll stay up singing it to them. 
-One time Wolf was up because of nightmares of so much abuse and transphobia he faced back home, and he tried to play it off but when Thor started singing it quietly Wolf's eyes filled up with tears and he opened up a little about about his home. 
-Wolf doesn't talk much about his home back at District Six because it was absolutely horrible. He lived with a poor family that hated him, he saw so much addiction and death in the alleyways, and he always downplayed his own pain, just pretending it didn't exist. 
-Thor approached Ambrose alone for the first time to ask them to throw a bra at him so he could win a bet. It was a very awkward conversation but in actuality Thor was just itching for an excuse to talk to the super cute super fan. This was in the winter, before the 124th Games.
-Anyways, after that taking trips on Spring Break became a tradition for the guys. #SpringBreak124 was next. They went to the Capitol, and Thack's father hosted them. Thack showed him things in the Capitol they'd never seen before and they took a whole week off of doing concerts to see the sights. Thack's father was extremely kind and immediately took the fam members under his wing. Em did go on this trip, but Ambrose still wasn't in the picture enough for it to be possible. However, they did get together with them for one day, and they all visited the botanical gardens. Thor noticed that Ambrose seemed kind of starstruck and awkward so he picked a pretty white flower and gave it to them. The guard scolded him. Ambrose wore it behind their ear the whole time anyways.
-When the band members mentioned the Nazarios bringing out baby pictures, Thack's father jumped at the chance to embarrass Thack. He also had a fire pit, so they had another sing-along. 
-Helen and Anakyn sang Lucky and it was adorable.
-Em sang too and it was a lot of fun. He told the band members about his newest crush, a tightwad prodigy named Benjamin. 
-They made another pillow fort, this time they all teamed up for just one and they all sat there with hot chocolate and talked about life. 
-Capitol Pride was the biggest thing they'd ever done, and it was absolutely spectacular for all of them, even those who weren't performing. Wolf painted his entire face and eventually his entire chest too.  
-Phil almost lost his virginity, but had to shut the guy down because he knew he liked Anakyn and waiting till marriage is something very important to his family, and him by extension.
-Em promised that he'd host a different year, and they could all live in the Presidential Mansion and see his baby pictures. 
-Wolf loves these trips, but he also hates them because he knows that he has no family at home that would receive them and no baby pictures of him. He feels like a freeloader because he knows that nobody wants to go to District Six. It's not scenic like Four/Seven/Eleven/Two, and has nothing fun to do like Three and the Capitol. And, of course, District Six doesn't have any kind of Pride whatsoever. He's dreading the day it's his turn, because his entire family hates him and his only friend was killed for being a traitor. 
-Their next plan is for #SpringBreak125 to go to District Seven and live with Helen in the Victor's Village. While they're there Helen will show them the forest and they'll have a fire pit under the stars and meet her family and out will come the baby pictures. 
-((Also, Helen's parents are VERY interested in meeting this here boy Helen keeps talking about. I mean, can anyone be as absolutely wonderful as she insists he is?)) 
-Thor is also trying to plan a time to bring Ambrose back to District Four to meet his family and (mostly) to go to the beach with him and have fun beach dates. The Nazarios are anxiously awaiting to meet the person who is crazy enough to be dating their doof. Especially Rowe and Remi. 
-Why did I do this now I just have more scenes that I want to write RIP me.

Fanmail #13

From sakura-soldier via Tumblr: To the mentors/Victors and their dates (YES, I'M TALKING TO YOU) who attended the 125th Games' Pre-Games Party (both 1st phase and 2nd phase), what do you think of each other as a person, as well as your "date" for that night. Also, what did you guys do during the entire event and what is your favourite or memorable moment or thing about the Party (both 1st and 2nd phase), either by yourself, with other people, and/or with your "date" for the evening?
---
Cartier: I brought the projected male volunteer for next year, Crusade Chandler. He's a good kid, very dedicated to what he does and very good with the crowds. As a "date," he was fine. Starstruck for sure, wouldn't stop asking questions and taking pictures. He's a journalist at heart, going into the Games to have a shot at a real journalism job. During the party he spent a lot of time talking to Chance and Wicke, he knew both of them back home. He talked to Capitolites and Victors all night, took about a million notes and a bunch of pictures. He also talked to a lot of the Victors with stars in his eyes. I think Pluto was pretty intimidated at first, but they warmed up to him because I saw them dancing together during Phase Two. I just took it easy, talked to sponsors about Chance, and did some dancing. My favorite part of the party was definitely Pride. To see so many people so proud of who they are was... Absolutely breathtaking.
Crusade: Oh my God the party was absolutely SPECTACULAR! I'm so happy I got to go, honestly! And going with CARTIER CANDELARIA!?!?! Oh my GOD! I got to talk a lot with him and Blessing, like, one-on-one, a whole bunch! I'm going to write a HUGE article on it that will hopefully be read all throughout the District! And the photo opportunities! I got so many pictures of so many different Victors! I'm off track though. Cartier's a great person and he was actually a lot of fun to spend time with! As for what I did, I interviewed a BUNCH of people, made myself known to Capitolites, and got the foundation for a stream of amazing articles that are bound to make the front page of something! I had the honor of catching up with both Chance and Wicke on the way, that was super duper fun! But my favorite part was having the honor to meet PLUTO FUCKING NICASTRO. AND THEY'RE FUCKING AMAZING. Wolf was alright, too, he's really nice, but PLUTO. OMG. I LOVE THEM. They were so much fun and I got a lot of good quotes from them. Not to mention I got them to dance with me!! Absolutely the best moment of my whole life up to date. I dunno if anything will beat dancing with Pluto Nicastro. God... *puts his hand on his heart* Dream come true. 
.
Blessing: I also brought an Academy trainee, Cure Gallagher. She's the top of one of the smaller Academies, and this year started training at the bigger one that's closer to the heart of the District. She's extremely good at what she does and has a great shot. She's a strong, independent person that has her life together, which I admire. As a date, she knew what to do. She went out to talk to those sponsors and soon she had them all on her side. I was more focused on Wicke, didn't want to jump the gun to next year when I have such a worthy tribute this year, after all. I danced, caught up with Wicke, and advertised her to the crowds. My favorite moment of the party had to be the dessert at the party. Mm mm, absolutely amazing. I do like my sweets.
Cure: I have nothing but respect for Blessing, and Cartier too. They won the ultimate honor by winning the Games and did their District very proud. I aspire to follow in both of their footsteps to win the 126th Hunger Games. As a date, she is very kind. She did try to take bites of my dessert, though, but that's alright because I didn't quite have the appetite to eat something so rich. I spent a lot of time talking to Capitolites. I talked a lot about Wicke and Acacia from a strategic standpoint to show them how much I know about the Games. I tried to do the very best that I could to make them remember me for when I'm up on stage next year. Hopefully I made a good impression. My favorite thing about the party was the thrill of being on the city streets of the Capitol at night. I've never seen anything like it before and will always remember my first big party.
.
Vesperus: I brought my sister little sister Prisca. I needed someone to bring and frankly I did not want a Capitolite "blind date," that's a terrible idea. Anyways, I respect that my sister refuses to move and stands up for what she believes in, but I don't condone some of her actions. She's very loyalist and in that way appears stuck-up. However, I knew she'd have fun here, and I still love her, so I invited her to come along. As a date, there's not much to say. She was almost too prideful to take my arm, but she did take it. During the party I did a lot. Each of the Upward Voyager members insisted I dance with them, even Pluto, which surprised me because Pluto doesn't dance a lot. Very few people can convince Pluto to dance. That was really fun, though. Of course, I have my Capitolites to swoon, and put in good words for Acacia wherever I went. Pluto and I talked about when they were coming home, and if Skor could conveniently be there. *small laugh* My favorite part about the party was coming out at Pride! That's the happiest I've been in a long, long time. The smiles on Acacia and Pluto's faces when they noticed my bowtie... It felt amazing. 
Prisca: My brother is a Victor from the best District, so of course he's a respectable person. He deserves respect from everyone. He and Nona are a killer couple, of course. As a date, he was fine. He didn't have a flower or anything, but whatever, I can get whatever I want from the Capitolites. I spent the party enjoying myself and scouting out the hot guys. I could get whoever I wanted, so I only picked the strongest ones. This is my chance to marry rich, after all! I did a lot of dancing, a lot of winking, and got a lot of drinks from drooling boys before going after the men. My favorite part of the thing was the glitz and glamour of the first part, getting dressed up and adorned with jewelry and heels, hair and make-up, ballgowns and heels, whatever the hell I want before the first phase, then letting it all down and feeling good for Phase Two. And hot damn, Tertius Amatore!
.
Nona: Well, Tertius is my brother, so what can I say? He's annoying and intentionally likes to get on my nerves. Of course I couldn't live through the party without a plethora of teasing about everything because he's an asshole. However, he also did protect me from the stares of very old men, so I knew he was the right choice. He is an ass, but he's my brother and I love him and am glad he came along with me tonight. I spent Phase One of the party talking and barely danced. I'm rallying everyone behind Dania, after all, she's our best shot at winning in years and I have no doubt that she'll carry on the legacy of the Rule of Three. Although Tertius spent an aggravating amount of time teasing me at the party, all because Carlen wrote two notes, one to her and one to me. *crosses arms and blushes* But his note didn't say anything important. Not at all. 
Tertius: Yeah, that's why you stuffed it in your bosom quickly and didn't let anyone read it. 
Nona: Shut up!! Anyways, I spent Phase Two using my womanly charm to get sponsors on my tribute's side. Why wouldn't I, right? I know I'm one of the most desired people in Panem, why not use that to our advantage? After all, rules are apparently all off the table anyways. My favorite moment of the party was when Tertius spilled a cocktail all over himself during Phase Two. Hella embarrassing for me, hella funny for him.
Tertius: What'd the note say, sis? Huh? What'd it say? 
Nona: Nothing! 
Tertius: *shit-eating grin* My favorite part was definitely seeing Non get all flustered. 
Nona: I was not flustered!
Tertius: That's how you know she was flustered. Anyways, as a person my sister's the worst. But also the best and I love her and if you come near her I will fight you. 
Nona: I'll fight you first. 
Tertius: Yeah, she'll kick your ass. As a date she wasn't half bad. Probably just because I'm her brother. I have no idea what she'd be like if she were escorting a real boy. Like Caaaaarlen. 
Nona: *kicks him where the sun don't shine* Shut up! 
Tertius: *groans and collapses to the floor* 
Nona: *smirks* 
Tertius: *fifteen minutes of agony and groaning later* Anyways, during the party I just had fun. Had a couple drinks, danced with some people, it was pretty hot. Some creeps were talking about banging my sister so I made sure they knew that if they came near her they would definitely die a horrible fucking death. My favorite part was Phase Two, especially the dancing. Damn, it was hot.
.
Ellie: *small smile* I brought my husband, Wilson. As a person, he's absolutely amazing. Gentle, kind, patient, he knows how to take care of people. I absolutely loved having him by my side, even if just for a night, in the Capitol. Mentoring is pretty stressful, especially for a Quell like this. A lot of pressure. I'm so happy that he's here with me. As a date, of course, he's absolutely spectacular. He's wonderful, so thoughtful and romantic, as always. We spent pretty much the whole night together, talking about Kaelys and dancing, enjoying the city together. He gave me a lot of emotional support through the night as well. Even after all these years, I love him so much and am so thankful that he's in my life. My favorite part was dancing with him in the first phase with the symphony playing. 
Wilson: Ellie is a spectacular, beautiful woman who I love more than anything. She is incredibly strong person that has seen too much tragedy. As a person I have nothing but admiration, respect, and love for her with all my heart, and I love to see her smile. As a date, she's just as lovely and fun as she was all those years ago when we first met. She deserves the world and I'm glad to be her date. We spent the party together, and she showed me the Capitol. We advertised Kaelys to sponsors and just kind of talked. It was really fun. My favorite part, I have to agree with El, I had the most fun dancing with the symphony during Phase One. 
.
Tav: *bright grin* Well, I had an amazing time with my beautiful little daughter Lottie. As a person she's absolutely sweet, I chose her over the other seven because I wanted to have an adorable little kid advertising Bec and being sweet and adorable. I would have loved to bring Marinka here, but she understood why I did what I did. She was an adorable little princess that had a lot of fun. She barely left the dance floor during Phase One, she danced the entire time. She just loved the music and swishing her skirt happily and of course there were a lot of people that wanted to dance with her. She stayed at Phase Two for about an hour before she got sleepy and dozed off. I left her with a trusted nanny that lives in the Capitol and kept campaigning for Bec. My favorite part was definitely seeing Bec's eyes light up the first time he saw her. He told me that he liked kids a lot and seemed genuinely excited to meet her. He immediately crouched down to tell her hello and introduce himself. It was truly adorable as fuck. 
Lottie: I went with Daddy to the party! I love my Daddy, he's so much fun and he danced with me a lot! Lots of people danced with me actually. Mr. Bec is so nice too! He's my friend! Daddy said I should tell all the people who danced with my why I love Mr. Bec, so I did! I got to wear a dress that poofed out real big! My favorite part was dancing with Mr. Bec! He's a great dancer!
.
Port: I also escorted an Academy Trainee, the set male volunteer for this year, Percival Mallory. Percival's a pretty loud dude, not the nicest, and he has some bad blood with Nerio so I did my best to keep the two apart. He did a lot of talking to the Capitolites and tried his best to get them behind him. As a person, he's alright, meaner than I think is necessary, and it was pretty satisfying to see Nerio kick his ass once and for all for the spot. He's a strong trainer, though, and will be absolutely bloodthirsty in the Games, so I can respect him for that. As a date, he's not really one. He talked a bit to me but other than that was just focused on the crowds, which I don't mind. As for what I did, I advertised Cherio some and spent a lot of time hiding by the snack table just like I usually do at parties. My favorite part was the cupcake table. The decorations were amazing and they tasted great. 
Percival: Well, I figured that I deserve to go to the stupid party because I should have been there as a tribute in the first place. *sighs* But it was quite fun. Low pressure on me because I'm just here to have fun. As for Port, he's alright. Quiet, a pushover, but not too bad I guess. We didn't talk very much or spend too much time together. I spent a lot of time talking to people. I got to meet the One tributes that will be in my Games with me, they're alright. Crusade's annoying, Cure is strategic. I'll watch out for her, she's definitely going to be a threat. I talked to the crowds, I'm going to make sure they remember my name and show them all what I can do! I'm totally going to blow Nerio out of the water, just you wait! My favorite moment of the party was being in the Capitol for the first time and getting a taste of fame. It's only made me hungry for more!! 
.
Michael: I also escorted a Trainee, the prospective female volunteer for next year, Eleanor Terranova. Eleanor is a sweetheart on the outside, but I've seen what she can do and can say that she should be feared. She's very positive and nice, so I like her as a person. She's got a lot of potential to win, too. As for being a date... *shrugs* I dunno. She's alright I guess. She and Percival met for the first time and they met the tributes from One too. I just hung out during both parts. I didn't do much. Didn't feel like dancing, especially not in this stupid chair. Didn't want to do anything. Luna was the same way, so we did get to talk for a little bit. That was probably my favorite part, because I really got to know her better and now there's definitely a fire under my ass to do everything to get her home.  
Eleanor: I have nothing but respect for Michael, after all he is a Victor, and he did endure so much trauma in his Games. Who could forget it? As a date... *giggles* He's a great date. He's so cute and I like to spend time with him, even if he's grumpy. I did meet a lot of other really nice guys my age at the party, too. I did a lot of dancing, it was so much fun! I loved wearing the ballgown for the first phase and pulling my hair back for the second part to have fun. The lights, the nighttime, the thrill of the party, it was all absolutely amazing and I look forward to doing it all again when I'm a Victor, honestly! The people were super nice and now I'm not too worried about my other allies because none of them seem too threatening, and they're all underestimating me, of course they are! My favorite part was definitely riding in the limos! They were absolutely spectacular! 
.
Kelly: I hate parties, but I liked having reign over the city because it makes it easier to get away. For the party I was given a blind date from the Capitol. Basically, if a Victor is so sad and lonely that they have absolutely no one to bring, the Capitol had its citizens in the correct age range and gender spectrum to submit video introductions, and we had to look through them all and choose one. Ugh, so many videos. I just gave up and chose a random one. He's an alright person I guess. He talked a lot and I didn't. As a date, he was really really nice. He gave me flowers and didn't pressure me. I... I ended up running away, though, when we hit the city. I don't want to trust people so I already knew it was never going to happen. I do feel kinda bad, but that's just how it is. I just sat still during the first part and during the second part, I retired early. My favorite part... I don't really have one. It was nice that he gave me flowers, but... 
Cassian: I was the one out of hundreds that got the insurmountable honor to escort a Victor to the Games party! God, I can't believe it. The entire night was a dream come true. The party was amazing, I got to talk to a bunch of tributes and see them: and the President: up close in person! It was such a star-studded event, all of it was absolutely spectacular. God. All my dreams came true. Oh, and Kelly, of course, she looked absolutely stunning all dressed up. She didn't want to do much but I still had fun anyways. She was beautiful, and shy but that's alright. As a date... Well, she just kind of ran away for Phase Two. So that wasn't all that fun. Overall though it was still fun! My favorite part was definitely seeing the tributes up close, though. I even got Chance's autograph!! 
.
Tim: I brought my lovely wife Trina. She's the best person I've ever met, of course, the love of my life. She's bright, kind, patient, sweet, funny, absolutely beautiful. She would be a spectacular mother, and I really think this is going to be a good experience. I missed her so sorely, and I have no idea what I would have done without her. I told her everything about what was bothering me at the pavilion and she gave me advice. We also danced a lot. As a date, she's absolutely wonderful. We still have so much fun together, which is why I married her. She's my best friend, after all, I trust her with everything. She gave me a lot of confidence that I can get Joule home yet, and I'm determined to follow through. We danced during Phase One and talked to Capitolites about Joule before Phase Two, where we did the same. I also rode the Ferris wheel twice and Trina and I played some games together. My favorite part was probably being on the Ferris wheel with Joule and showing him the adoption papers. That kind of made everything so much more real and exciting. 
Trina: Oh, Tim. He's the sweetest person ever that gives the most amazing bear hugs. For all people to have a situation like this, Tim is the best one you could ask for. As a date, he's just as charming as always. He makes me laugh because he's funny and kind and has a good sense of humor. He's absolutely spectacular as always, and we had a great time together. We played a lot of games together and he got his face painted with pride flags, which was absolutely the sweetest thing ever. He was such an excited little puppy, God, he's amazing. My favorite part of the party was definitely dancing with Tim. I loved it when he was holding me close to him, smiling, dancing with me. He's going to be an amazing father someday. Someday soon.
.
Anatoly: Well, Evelyn is my sister, so of course I love her as a person. She's wonderful, and she takes such good care of me. I decided to bring her because I knew she'd enjoy it, and she deserves a night of fun while not having to worry about me. She worries so much about me, it's probably not good for her health... As a date, she was alright. Didn't force me to do anything. She asked if I wanted to dance, but I didn't so she didn't go on the floor. I feel like she had a miserable night because I didn't want to do anything... *sighs* As I said, I really didn't do anything. I just didn't feel like it. The food was good and I can tell Evelyn enjoyed getting all dolled up for the ball, but we pretty much just sat and talked all night long and didn't do much else. My favorite part was definitely that I was able to get my hands on some wonderful morphine. That was wonderful. 
Evelyn: Toly is a good person, I know she is. She's just... She just... Needs help, I guess. I don't know. As a date, she was alright. She didn't want to do much but I didn't put pressure on her to do anything she didn't want to. I didn't want her to be alone so I stayed with her. I didn't partake in the party very much, but I still had fun! I like spending time with my sister, it's pretty nice. My favorite part was getting all dressed up for sure, that was so much fun! I felt like a princess, having my hair and nails done and putting on a big poofy ballgown. It was just so much fun.
.
Gian: *frowns* The party was... Fun. I had... A bunch of fun. I didn't go in expecting to do much, but I did. As for Agalia, she's a friend. She's super smart, and I figured she'd be a good date because she doesn't talk very much and would deal with the crowds politely. And she wouldn't drag me out to the dance floor. I wanted her to tutor me, during Phase Two, but that didn't happen because Riggs kept bringing me out to the dance floor. I enjoyed it, though. I... Since winning the Games, I've never really had fun. I always felt guilty for having fun when there was too much work to be done because I'm not super duper smart and always work so hard. So... Yeah. I'm glad I got to... Have fun, for once. I danced, I ate, I laughed... That was really good. My favorite part was socking it to the stupid pair of Prentice's tributes. He'll never get away with this!
Agalia: Gian is a really nice person. He works really hard and is trying to make the best of being a Victor, which I really respect. He's studious and organized and a really good student (and also have you SEEN him? Like, have you?). As a date, he was very nice. Always polite, he gave me a flower, and he was very attentive when we were chatting at the party. He was kind of whisked away by Riggs to dance, but I don't mind because he looked so happy up there. Plus, I got to do some dancing with Prentice, who is from the best District (#D9Pride) so it was really a win-win. As for what I did, I got to know Riggs a lot. Dinner was better than anything I've ever had, really it was, I've never been to the Capitol before. And getting all dressed up was something I've never done before. The luxury is absolutely shocking to me, I've never been through anything like that before. It was really spectacular, and in a way being famous for a night was actually pretty fun. My favorite part was definitely seeing Gian laugh so loud when he was dancing with Riggs. I've never seen him that happy before, it was really nice.
.
Kendal: I took Gravity, of course. I would take any of the kids in a heartbeat, but none of them were really feeling like going, which I totally get too. Gravity also brought one of the dogs he's working to train, Rocky. I mean, what can I say about Gravity? I think I already said it all in the epilogue of Silhouettes. *quiet laugh* 
Celtic: QUIT BEING SELF-AWARE
Kendal: Alright, alright, geez. Anyways, he's certainly the love of my life and I'm so glad to know him. And going out on dates with him is always a fun thing. We mostly just spent the night relaxing together. We may have gone out for a dance or two, but just having him here with me is more important than most anything. We just walked around, we did ride the Ferris wheel, and of course we had to get all decked up for pride. My favorite part was just seeing him again after being gone for so long. Yeah, I've mentored a lot and been fine without him, but I never realize how much I miss him until he's there. 
Gravity: *soft smile* It was an honor to marry Kendal and live such a great fulfilling life with him. The party was good, I always like to see how the District One Victors are doing considering I know a lot of them from when I was mayor. Kendal pretty much covered it, we spent the whole time together, only separating for Kendal to dance with Helen and with Syca. We campaigned for Syca as we went, he's a really nice kid. I guess my favorite part would be being together with Kendal in the Capitol for a date night. We rarely do date nights anymore, but this makes me want to do them more often for sure. 
.
Helen: I brought... ANI! *twirls around like a princess* What do I think of him? Well, he's my best friend, practically! And for the night we decided on a pranking truce, for each other anyways. We didn't want to risk ruining each other's outfits and, worse, doing something to interfere with Syca and Persei. It's a very important night for them especially. As for a date, he was wonderful! So polite and kind, as always, and we spent a good deal of the night together dancing away! (Also damn he looked good. Don't tell him I said that, though, he'd tease me about it I'm sure!) It was super fun though! Phase one was great- did you know Anakyn's a super good dancer? I have no idea how he learned to move so well. I also got to dance with Wolf as a member of the #UVBandFam, which was super duper fun! Phase Two was great, the music was amazing and I was on the dance floor for a LOOOONG time. (Also we slow danced. *giggles* Y'know just for the experience.) And God, Pride was absolutely spectacular!! It was so much fun!! I felt like a queen all night, that's for sure. My favorite part was Pride! Woop Woop! (*whispers* Although the slow dance was amazing too. My heart was pounding so hard, though, I'm sure he noticed. #Embarrassing)
Anakyn: Helen is wonderful, of course! She's a very good friend and I was pretty surprised when she asked me to be her date, honestly! Mostly because I think she might secretly hate me... Anyways, it was so much fun. There were some shenanigans, but I think when you have the entire #UVBandFam in one place you can't escape shenanigans. Helen was a really cool date. I mean, we did a lot of stuff together but she wasn't suffocating and we did separate to do some stuff with friends, which was pretty neat. As for what I did, well, I did a lot! I danced with Helen a lot and about a million other people too. I tried to help Syca out to keep his cool and Persei didn't seem to want advice. Wolf and I locked Hoke in the closet, too. And I fought a bitch that thought he could take advantage of my tribute. There were lots of other shenanigans, of course, I couldn't list them all here. Also, um, Helen asked me to slow dance... Which was... Super surprising, because I thought she hated the Capitol, and me by extension so... I have no idea what's happening at this point. #It'sComplicated. ALSO NO PRANCING HAPPENED OKAY LET THE HASHTAG DIE.
.
Anthony: I brought my sister Giselle. As a person I think she's absolutely amazing, of course. We've all been through so much tragedy but she's survived through so much. I have nothing but respect for her, that's for sure. As for a date, she was good. We stuck together and didn't do very much, but that was expected. During Phase One we talked to some of the other Victors, I tried to avoid Tartan as long as humanly possible. As for Phase Two, I just sat and got food and we didn't do much. Giselle would have loved to dance, but now she's so subdued because of everything we've had to endure over the past years. My favorite part... I don't know, I guess just seeing Giselle all dressed up and beautiful. She looked spectacular.
Giselle: I've only been to the Capitol once before, for a much sadder reason than this. Well,this is a Games party, so I suppose this is actually a sadder reason than the first time. Less gloomy, I suppose. Oh Ant.. He's one of the strongest people I know. Nobody would have thought that he would live through as much as he did. He was always the youngest, sweetest little kid in our family. Now this... Zayne would be so proud of him, I just know he would. As a date, he was good. I didnt want him to do anything dramatic for me. We just enjoyed our time together. Ant covered all we did, pretty much, just sitting and eating together and relaxing. My favorite part was definitely the atmosphere of the Capitol, the city is beautiful and the food was delicious!
.
Tartan: I also escorted a Capitolite blind date! I spent FOREVER watching tapes of desperate Capitolite scum that was just dying to meet me, and I decided to choose a daring woman with a lot of promise named Nikita Washington. I chose her because she's young, beautiful, daring, and spunky: and those are always the most fun to break. As a person she was just how she was in her video, full of boundless energy, all smiles, all excitement, and of course by the end of the night all she wanted was to wake up bleeding in my bed. I have a certain charm when it comes to making people desire me. As a date, she fell into every trap I placed. Far too easy to get these ones all over you, that's for sure. During Phase One, I laid down the charm, chatted with people, kept a very polite facade, and discussed the only tribute from this District that actually has a feasible chance at having what it takes to win. Then, during Phase Two, things escalated quickly, as always, got real hot real fast. I totally fingered her in the bathroom. Not the most ideal place, but doing it in public is always a thrill. That was definitely my favorite part. 
Nikita: Okay, I went to the party with TARTAN FUCKING VINCENT! God, that was so exciting, I still couldn't believe it was his signature on the letter, honestly! I was nothing but excited and wore my best Gothic ballgown. And for Phase Two, I let my hair down and wore a corset top with short shorts and had some fun. As a person, Tartan has always interested me, he's dark and I like that, like some kind of forbidden indulgence I got to enjoy and no one else did. I liked it. He was all kind, such a gentleman, but I saw the coldness in his eyes. Most people would probably be put off by it, but not me. After all, how many other people would have this chance, right? Mm, I was gonna take advantage of it while I could. I just listened to what he said and enjoyed dinner, that was good. Then we went out for Phase Two, and his real intentions started to surface. I like being rough handled, though, so I could handle it. And he's very good at what he does, that's for sure. It was so hot. I don't even care if I ever see him again, he was fun to mess with for just one night.
.
Prentice: I escorted my little sister Rumi! And, well, what can I say, she's my sister! She's creative, kind, and always wants what's best for everyone. I dread the day she's going to have to stand in that reaping group... Oh God... Anyways, everything I did for the Games was all for her, to get back to her, so it only makes sense that instead of picking a Capitolite and making all my other partners butthurt, I chose to bring Rumi. As a date, she was nothing but fun. She was a little bit adamant about setting me up with people, though, which was pretty awkward, especially when that person was Gian... She seemed to notice and backed off, though. As for what we did, well, we danced a lot! This was her first time in the Capitol, so she wanted to do as much as she could. We played games, her face was painted, and we went on the Ferris wheel. We did everything we possibly could, that's for sure. It was absolutely wonderful. My favorite part was just being with Rumi in the Capitol. She was amazed, it was really nice. Gave a happy new perspective.
Rumi: Prentice is amazing! He fought so hard, all for me and our parents. He won the Games, and he's District 9's first Victor in years! I'm so happy for him and excited but also Mom and Dad say that he's not doing well so I hope he's alright! As a date he was super fun! He had to dance with a lot of Capitolites, but that was okay, I still had fun with him! We did a lot together, I went everywhere and we did everything together! It was so much fun, really amazing!! My favorite thing we did was the Ferris wheel! It was so big and the view was amazing! 
.
Vale: So, I went to the party with a blind date. I could have brought someone from Prentice's family, but I thought maybe if I took a Capitolite I could get them on our side for some sponsor money towards my tributes. And the one that stood out to me most was a video that wasn't even made by a willing person. *laughs* It was a kid, Prentice-aged, and he was making a video for his Dad. To be exact, it was Dalton Thackeray. Not a lot of people know who the kid is, but he's the manager for Upward Voyager, and if I could somehow get him on our side, surely the rest of them would follow. That's how I ended up taking Jacian Thackeray to the party with me. He's an incredibly kind man, that's for sure. He seems very devoted to his son and his pawn shop and was full of interesting little facts. The conversation was never dull, which was nice because I'm not really much of a talker. We had dinner together with Prentice and Rumi, and I got to chat with Pluto and Wolf a bit, they knew who he was immediately, they were also in his video for me. So yeah, I actually enjoyed my time with him, surprisingly. It was nice to have someone my age that would drive the conversation, and he invited me back to see his shop and have some refreshments. And I think I'm going to do it. As for Phase Two, I mostly just talked to sponsors. He accompanied me, said he admired my drive, asked about the drawings on my arms and said that Wolf does the same thing with a glow in the dark marker, so that nobody else could see. I thought that was interesting, I didn't know that. He's just really easy to talk to, which was nice because I haven't really had good conversation with anyone in... A very long time. 
Jacian: Well, you can imagine my surprise when I get a rose and a letter in the mail signed personally by Vale Dimitrov inviting me to be his date to the party. I didn't even know I had been thrown into the running. I'm a very simple man, I don't live the lavish life like the others. I had no idea Dalton and his friends even made an application video! I knew they were filming me, but I had no idea why. I almost didn't do it, but the hope in Dalton's eyes that maybe this would be something was just too irresistible. I actually had a great time. Vale's a simple man, a good listener, and doesn't hold back the truth. He's a nice guy that cares a lot about Prentice and just does the best he can. He has his own battles to fight, just like I have mine, and I respect him for that. He's a good person and I enjoyed talking to him and gleaning some information about him. I would definitely have him back to the shop, whenever he wants to drop by. It'd be a pleasant surprise, for sure. *smiles* We talked a lot and he talked up his tributes, which was very nice. He obviously cares a lot about them and their lives, after all these years he still has tenacity and determination to bring tributes home. I hope things keep looking up for him. My favorite part of the party was seeing my boy do karaoke! It appeared he was having a wonderful time up there with his friends, even if the song they were singing was... A bit ridiculous.
.
Arthur: I brought my husband Caspar. And we brought our daughter Lethia because, well, she's just a baby. We had a great night together. I mean, I love Caspar with everything in me, he's absolutely spectacular. He's one of my best friends, after all, one of the apples of my eye. We always have fun together. As a date, he was wonderful as always. He looked amazing and his optimism and sunny attitude always cheers me up. This year has been a fucking nightmare and I had no idea just how much I needed my Caspar and my Valenty by my side. It was fun to just... Just for a little while, forget all the shit that's happening. Phase One was good, I love when Caspar tries new foods, it's always funny to see him wrinkle his nose when he doesn't like something and he always gets so excited when he likes something new. And, of course, we got to dance together too, and with Lethia. Phase Two was really fun though. We met up with Valenty, had pride, and danced all our worries away. We did pretty much everything, which was fun. Lethia got passed around, but it was smart of Valenty to have a bib that said who to return her to so we got her back before we panicked TOO much. My favorite part was probably just talking to Valenty and Casp again and blowing off steam. It was nice to just laugh and not worry about District Ten's future for a little while. 
Caspar: The party was wonderful! I always like to come back to the Capitol, it's a lot of fun there and there's always so much to do. Arthur is wonderful, of course. He's been through too much, and he's still kicking, still strong, hasn't touched alcohol or drugs... He made his own life after winning. And I know that it's hard for him to stay clean, to deal with the PTSD of the Games and be an attentive husband, celebrity, mentor to tributes, and father, but somehow Arthur does it all. He must be a super hero. He's much stronger than I would ever be, that's for sure. I have nothing but admiration for him, and I always try to make it easier for him however I can. There's not much I can do, I've accepted that, but I do my best. As a date, he was great. As always. Lots of fun, sappy and romantic, and he's a great dancer. I think he covered most of what we did, trying new foods, dancing, passing Lethia around, hanging out with Valenty... It was spectacular. As for my favorite part, I can't choose just one so instead I'll get it down to two. The first favorite part was seeing Arthur so relaxed and smiling so big. The second... *blushes faintly* This one is kind of embarrassing... But... Slow-dancing with Valenty. I just... I've never slow-danced with him before, so it was... Really nice. It's kind of a unique dynamic, because I'm in the Districts and he's in the Capitol, and Arthur's kind of like the in-between. Doesn't mean I love Valenty any less, it just means that... We don't really see each other that much. Arthur's really understanding about it, sometimes I just miss him so much. Arthur gets it because he feels the same way, but... He can just go hop on a train and have some intimate time with him, and I can't do that. I love Arthur so much, but sometimes I just get so heartsick missing Valenty. And when Arthur's away, I just miss them both. I'm glad I can go back home to my family when they're both away, that's kind of how I cope. Anyways, I like having more intimate moments with Valenty when I can, so that was really nice. I... I hope that... Maybe we'll get to spend the rest of our lives together. *quickly* But I haven't discussed it with Arthur yet so I'm not really sure! 
.
Roxanne: I took my little brother, Vaughn. He's one of the only people I can actually stand. I poured a lot of money into his ranch so now it's one of the biggest in the Districts. He's a loyal person and a hard worker, and stuck with me through my worst times. He's my baby brother, of course I love him. As a date, he was alright, he talked to a lot of people and helped me advertise for both of our tributes. He always listens and agrees with the work I'm doing in the Districts, he even put his kids into training, and his younger ranch hands. We spent Phase One catching up, eating, he told me about the ranch and his wife and kids, I told him about training and the tributes and life in the Capitol. Then, it was straight to campaigning, which both of us did the rest of the night. He danced with a few people, I didn't really do any of that, just talked to the higher-ups and pleaded my case. My favorite part... I don't think I have one. It was just another day of work for me. 
Vaughn: I haven't been to the Capitol very much, so every time I go I'm absolutely in awe of the place, it's amazing! Roxanne is my sister, of course, so I love her and stand by her. She's a good person, people just fail to see it because of her rough exterior. I was trying to get her to take a blind date, see if it works out at all, but she was obviously uncomfortable at the thought so I agreed to go. I'd love for my sister to find a good companion, but I don't want to force her into anything. After all, she's already been forced to witness so much horror. I can't imagine living through what she has. I don't blame her for being the way that she is. If I had gone through the Games and come out at thirteen, I certainly would have been the same way. It's important to prepare our kids for the Games, just in case they're reaped. I don't want anyone to live through what Roxanne did. As a date, she wasn't very good, she was all business, but that's what I expected so I jumped on the bus helping her out. Both of these tributes have a very strong shot, so I want to get as many people behind them both as possible! That's basically what we did the whole party, but when a couple of the rich snobs asked me to dance, I couldn't resist going out on the floor for just one song. My favorite part was probably just catching up with Roxanne, we haven't done that in a very long time so it was good to hear about what she's been up to and see how she's doing. 
.
Skeeter: I escorted an old friend, Oliver Porter. By the way, she's not a Mary Sue anymore. Celtic told me to say that. I have no idea what that means, but whatever. Anyways, she's a good person. Too kind for her own good, always ends up dating jerks and getting her heart broken and such. She's been with me through all the worst, though, so it only made sense for me to bring her. As a date, I dunno, she was alright. She didn't like getting all made up by the Capitol because of all the waxing and painful stuff, but in the end she was glowing with happiness, so I guess that was nice to see. We really didn't do much. We just talked and sat together through it all. After all, I'm not going to celebrate sending children away to die. I really shouldn't even be here, if only I'd just been smart and walked off of that goddamn podium before the gong rang. Then I wouldn't be here, I'd be somewhere much happier. I really don't have a favorite part. Who would? 
Olive: I was supposed to be retired as a character but Skeeter's need for a party date brought me back to life! No idea what that's all about but oh well. Anyways, yes, I went to the party with Skeeter. It's so heartbreaking that such a lively, energetic, goofy kid has been turned into such a hollow shell, all thanks to Snow and his no-good Games, all thanks to abuse and pain. I've always had a soft spot for him, and I think I always will. He's lost so much of his livelihood and that's just horrible. As a date, he was fine. I don't have much to say because neither of us was really in the mood to do much, considering the reason for the party was the horrible Hunger Games. We mostly caught up, then just hung out and waited for it to be over. I asked if he was going to participate in Pride, and he said no. That poor boy was never allowed to be proud of himself and now he's so empty... Anyways, I did get to meet Bonaventure, which was nice I guess. He's very quiet and awkward, but doesn't seem like a bad person. My favorite moment? I don't know. I suppose just meeting Bonaventure and catching up with Skeeter. That was nice.
.
Chervil: I brought my cousin's son, I mean, child, dammit, my cousin's child, Jude. H- *clears throat* They are thirteen. And Jude is- I mean, are, um, are a good person. Very sunshiney, but shy. I thought that maybe, they, would like to come to the Capitol and maybe that would bring, them, out of, their, shell a bit. Yes. Jude's brother Lauro is at home, babysitting my pets, but Jude really wanted to come and I figured that bringing, them, was better than a Capitol blind date for sure. Especially when I have a romantic inclination towards... Someone else. Anyways, Jude's a good person. H- they were a good date, I suppose, as good a date you can be when you're with an adult and you're thirteen. Very energetic, and soon, they, were talking to people left and right. They really liked Ollie. I can't blame, them. Jude left to go scout out people and make new friends, and did a lot of socializing, which surprised me. I just kind of hung out and ate. I advertised Ollie a lot, and he convinced me to go ask Miracle to, um, dance with me. *scratches the back of his neck awkwardly* Ollie made me do karaoke with him so after I did a song by myself and... somehow got the courage to dedicate it to her. But maybe that was a mistake... Maybe that's a douche move after everything I did to her... Um... Anyways, my favorite part was actually dancing. I haven't danced in years, but I enjoyed it a lot. It was fun. 
Jude: I went to the party with my Uncle Chervil, it was really fun! As a person, he's alright. He scared me a lot, my parents said that he didn't even try to understand people like me, so for a while I was really scared of him. But I think he's trying to be better now. He invited me to come to the party and I wasn't sure if I wanted to, but eventually decided that I should at least try. It was totally amazing! Ollie and Daria are both really really nice, and both of them danced with me. And a lot of people were really interested in me. I've never been to Pride before, District 11 never had Pride, and I will never forget how I felt when a kind, smiling person wrapped that flag around my shoulders and told me I was really brave. It was definitely an unforgettable moment. It was also a really good moment when Chervil gave Ollie his flag and wrapped it around his shoulders and Ollie hugged him. I'm sure the pictures of that moment will become historical. I danced and felt really confident so I talked to a lot of people, it was really nice and I enjoyed it. My favorite part was definitely getting my flag, though. I will never, ever forget that moment. It might even be the best moment of my LIFE up to date, really! I'm so thankful for the opportunity to come and experience it all in person!
.
Braelyn: I brought a friend of mine, Lorette Sedaite. I barely knew her before tonight, though. I only knew of her because of her husband. He just happened to mention one day that his wife was a therapist, and I knew that I had to look into it. I contacted her in hopes that she could help Allegra, and get her away from her horrible fiance Hoke. Anyways, it was fun getting to know her, and she had a lot of good insight in how to cope with Allegra's PTSD. As a date, there's not much to say. I think we became fairly good friends through the course of the night, and I think that she did help Allegra a lot. Over dinner we just sat and talked with Allegra and Hoke, and Lorette got an idea about their relationship from there. Our job was made much easier by the fact that between the first and second phases, Hoke just... Disappeared. I honestly have no idea where he went. That gave Lorette plenty of time to talk to Allegra about their relationship and the themes of abuse we've all been seeing. I really think it helped her, honestly I do. I sure hope so, anyways. My favorite part was when Allegra sang karaoke. She really seemed to understand what was happening to her and I hope now, with some help, she can start to heal.
Lorette: I was quite surprised to be asked to a party by a Victor, especially one like this! At first I was confused, but upon meeting Braelyn and talking with her I realized why she needed my help. She's just a concerned friend worried about the poor Allegra, and I understand her worry. Braelyn herself is a nice person, very simple, just like she is on television. She's very honest and I would probably consider us friends after this. She also paid me a generous amount for my services, which she really didn't have to do, considering I got to enjoy such a lavish meal and royal treatment in the Capitol. I spent Phase One eating the wonderful food and having a conversation with Allegra and Hoke. It is possible that sometimes a friend may be overreacting to the situation or have false fears. But, based on the way they interacted and how he treated her, I could tell that there are a lot of red flags. I wanted to talk to him, but for some reason nobody could find him in the second Phase. However, I got to have a very good, very honest conversation with Allegra, where I started to understand more about how she ended up in this situation and gave her advice on what to do. Then, she went and had fun with some of her friends, which was nice to see. She even sang some karaoke. I always like to see my patients succeed and be well, of course, but other than that my favorite part was definitely the food. It was all delectable and I would have any of it again in a heart beat. 
.
Allegra: *quiet, scared voice* I brought... My... Um... It's complicated. I brought Hoke. I... I don't know what to think about him anymore. I... He can't be abusive, can he? He loves me... He always apologizes... I'm just so broken already after going through the Games, I need someone to be my constant, always there for me, and he was. I just... I can't... Who else would ever want this poor, broken girl? Who else would care? Nobody. He's my only shot at a romantic relationship, he's my best friend and I really, really love him. He makes mistakes, but so does everyone. I love him at his best and at his worst. Isn't that what relationships are all about? As for what I did... I spent the first part with him. We talked with Braelyn and Lorette, but Hoke didn't seem to like Lorette very much, and he has a lot of tension with Braelyn, so it was very nerve-wracking. I hate conflict, especially after my Games, so... I was terrified the whole time that they'd start yelling. Then came Phase Two. Hoke just... Disappeared. I was horrified! I was so worried, what happened to him, was he alright!? Wolf and Anakyn found me and said that they knew he was okay and that he'd just retired, but that sounded fishy to me because Hoke would never willingly leave me alone. Wolf sat me down and told me what they did, that it was for the best, but I didn't believe him. I wanted my fiance let out. Somehow Wolf convinced me to just spend some time without him, but it was terrifying. I was constantly worried about having an episode, Hoke is the only one who can pull me out of my panic attacks, what would I do without him?! I talked with Lorette for a while, I figured that if anyone could help it was her, a therapist. She helped me talk through a lot of things, and she dared me to at least try to see things differently... Soon, I was with my friends, and I didn't even have an episode! I was just having so much fun I forgot about all the horrible memories, just for a little bit. The UV guys were all spectacular, and the younger escorts were all dependable and right there for me. It was wonderful. I realized that maybe the only reason I have those flashbacks is because Hoke forces them. Maybe he's just trying to make me depend on him. Somehow I ended up singing karaoke, and somehow I ended up feeling empowered, somehow I ended up feeling every single word. Now I don't know if I want to marry him or not. I don't know what to do. I love him, he loves me, so we should keep seeing each other, right? But I can't help doubting... 
Hoke: This is absolutely ridiculous!! That old hag Braelyn and her old hag friend are corrupting my Allegra. They have no idea what goes on behind closed doors, they don't see her for the times that she hurt my feelings, they only see her bearing her punishment, and that's frankly not fair. They only have one side of this goddamn story and it's hers! And because she's the sweetheart, the Victor, the girl, they're just going to throw my feelings out the window! I never hurt her without her hurting me first, she earned the punishments because she hurt me first. Hell, her crazy-ass friends locked me up in a car to keep me from my Allegra! She said herself, she was lost and terrified without me, because I'm the only one that can help her! They're fucking crazy and they don't really care about Allegra because they can't seem to see that I'm the best goddamn thing that ever happened to her! So why the fuck am I the bad guy!? I sacrificed everything for her and she never gets held accountable for her fuck-ups! I always apologize and we make up because that's what couples do! There's absolutely nothing wrong with how I treat her, if she didn't hurt my feelings so much then she would never hurt. So lay the fuck off, all of you, there is nothing wrong and oh, we're going to get married, you just watch. We're going to work through this just like couples do, without any help, so everyone fuck off and leave us both alone.