gcmmislapsis

[gcmmislapsis]

꒰ 🌼 ꒱ — open starter ﹕@pyrrhicstarters

the kids showed promise — they always did , of course , the academy made sure that they all left perfectly capable of leaving the arena . . . in theory . it had been enough time and enough turns around the block for cashmere to know that some tributes would never become victors , no matter how well they wielded weapons , and some years she knew she was undoubtedly returning home with closed caskets . this year , she wasn't so sure — silver had asked her for private training , and while cash could definitely compliment her training , it had been the questions she'd been asked that struck her — something about her tribute's curiosity was hopeful . aware of her advantages , but not prideful enough to think herself the best would be cash's assessment . she stopped at one to drop silver off and grab a drink , making her way up to the rooftop still in her workout gear — there was no such thing as privacy in the training center , but by god they really made sure you remembered they were always watching . listening . at least up here in the slight breeze and the windchimes twinkling , she could sit and breathe and pretend she was afforded luxuries like solitude. cash stiffened when the door opened , relaxing slowly when she saw the person entering , lifting her singular glass in greeting . " late night ? "

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꒰ 🌼 ꒱ — closed starter ﹕ @d1rect0r

running in circles playing pretend was exhausting , and right about now cashmere was dreaming of a warm bath and a moment to rest before the hell of the next few weeks started : the parade was stressful for everyone , the week of training the tributes and prepping them for interviews was worse ( and if she was unlucky , she'd get roped into doing a victor special with caesar again ) , and by the time the countdown started she knew she'd barely eat or sleep until she either had a victor to console or coffins to present back in district one . the thought weighed on her , it always did , and she'd just managed to stop for a moment to eat a bite of food when someone caught her attention . there was really no reason for cash to be surprised — everyone who was anyone ( or adjacent ) ended up at these parties and cressida was definitely a part of that circle , but it was always odd to watch someone else in this environment . the last time they'd seen each other had been a little more than two weeks ago , and the slight shame cash always felt when she showed up at her doorstep was pushed aside as it always was — there was no point in dwelling on the harder nights , not now . instead she piled some more macaroons on her plate and made her way over , a genuine smile on her lips as she approached . " you look like you're having fun . macaroon ? " she really didn't , but neither was cash and wasn't that always the punchline ?

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꒰ 🌼 ꒱ — closed starter ﹕ @hveyhrt

no victor enjoyed these parties — some could let that show on their faces , could take a page from chaff and haymitch's books and take a seat at the bar for hours ( how anyone was going to drag them both back to the tribute center was beyond her ) ignoring the world . cashmere didn't have that luxury , it was imperative that these people thought she was having the time of her life catering to their excitement , and so she did rounds . she greeted sponsors both old and new , engaged in mind numbing conversations with those considered capitol royalty , kissed cheeks and batted eyelashes until there were only a few left — effie trinket had ended up at the bottom of her list , but she was on it nonetheless . truth be told , cash didn't dislike effie — she was pleasant enough , seemed kind even if a bit disconnected from reality : of this specific brand of capitolite , she was one of the good ones , and it didn't pain the blonde too much to approach her , champagne in hand and a bright smile on her face . " effie , darling, has it been a year already ? you look lovely . "

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꒰ 🌼 ꒱ — closed starter ﹕ @freedomashes

you'd think finding her brother in a contained space would be relatively easy — he wasn't a small man by any means , and there was only so many places he could be . alas , she'd done two rounds of the party , been locked in about ten conversations she hadn't wanted to have , and she still hadn't found him — it meant she had to turn to the next plan , which was to repeat " my darling , excuse me , have you seen my brother ? " until she was pointed in his general direction . it still took far more work than she'd hoped , and by the time cash reached him , gloss was handed a fresh glass of champagne and given a subtle elbow on his side , a frustrated huff escaping her before she could stop herself . " i swear i've seen everyone in here three times over in the time it took me to find you . junius trent — the son , not the old man — wants to see us after the parade , i told him we couldn't finalize anything but he's insistent . apparently he liked the kids . " the plastic smile stuck to her face and the cheerful tone to her voice were perfectly manufactured , and her glass of champagne was finished and placed on a moving tray as she turned to face him — hands moving to straighten his shirt in an attempt to calm herself . junius was the sort of sponsor that she didn't entirely trust , and that was why keeping him close was important . but fuck , she hated it . " how's your night been ? "

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" last i saw him it was silver , but i'm sure he'll change it up tomorrow . start the parade with a splash and all that . " even in a corner of the room , eyes scanning their surroundings before they fell back on siren , cashmere straightened her back and lifted her chin , shifting perfectly styled curls off her shoulder — it helped keep up appearances as much as she hoped would keep eyes off siren and let her have a moment to breathe . " the worst part's over , and tomorrow we'll all have some rest before it's back on . " the words had been quiet , head turned to the blonde and the smile never dropping from her face even as she faced forward again , sipping her champagne . " i saw the reaping , you have some good tributes — strong , pretty , charismatic . . . mine were arguing alliances already , on their way to bed . i suppose it'll just be one of those years . you're not in the hub this year , right ? " there was no point in ignoring the reality of why they were here , the games were happening after all , and she preferred to breach the topic with friends — friends that understood — than with a reporter or photographer later .

"What color is Caesar sporting this year? I haven't seen him yet." Siren did silently hope that it wasn't orange. It made him look as though he had been a mad scientist and not the good kind. That color had not been kind to him. The blonde had been thankful for Cashmere. It was comforting to know that someone had her best interest at this party, and while Siren tended to lean on Finnick, especially since coming back from the games - she learned that it was okay to lean on Cashmere as well - despite them coming from different districts. A small sigh fell from her lips, as she glanced around - keeping an eye out for someone who shouldn't be listening. "I know, I know." She nodded in agreeance. "The crowd, I think." Plus, the dress she was in, although beautiful, proved hard to breathe. The corset option would be one she opted out of the next go-round. "Better." She gave a small smile as she happily accepted the champagne.

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" tangerine , which is apparently very different from orange and she will take offense if you say otherwise . " while cashmere wouldn't go as far as to say she was close to one cecelia stark , there was a comradery shared between them — as victors , as survivors , but also as people who had to fulfill the role in the capitol that they both did . there was history between them , and there was something comforting in that — enough that she had no issues pulling the redhead along with her and away from an approaching middle aged man with bright pink hair , sipping her champagne and pretending she hadn't seen him . " i swear , there's more people here than there were last year — i dread to think how full the sponsor halls in the mentor center are going to be in a couple weeks . speaking of , and completely unrelated , " she turned , offering cecelia a smile , her voice holding genuine interest as she spoke . " how are the children ? "

Finding her footing in these Capitol parties at the start was still a challenge even after all these years. Cecelia seemed to have more grace and poise than she had when she was first a Victor; experience helped her learn more than some of the tips that District Eight's escort attempted to give her. Still, she needed some liquid courage to help her get through the night, and so, she had gotten herself a glass of champagne to start. A few conversations and passing small talk helped her warm up a little more to the crowds, and she had been taking a sip from her glass when she felt an arm link with her own. A surprised hum tore from her throat and she glanced over to find Cashmere Perdue of District One at her side. Not someone she expected to be conversing with that night, but not unwelcome, either. Her eyes flickered with recognition and she nodded, "I did, wasn't it already orange last year?"

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" next stop is color matching with caesar — i'm willing to bet a small fortune that after the parade coverage the poor thing will be dyed again . " cashmere was well aware she didn't come across as particularly approachable to the people she didn't know ( or at least to those who weren't mesmerized by the fact that she was not only beautiful and young , but also a victor ) — despite the effort she made to talk to just about anyone , she also knew how to keep people at arm's length : a delicate balance , really , but a useful one . with the other victors , most of them at least , she tended to be a bit more genuine , and she'd always appreciated sloane's company — honestly and straightforwardness was something the capitol lacked , and something she deeply appreciated . taking a slow sip from her champagne flute , the blonde snorted a laugh and shrugged , turning slightly to look at the poor dog in question . " more . she sponsored my kids a couple years back and we didn't get through everything she sent — maybe seven or eight . "

She had. She’d slipped the poor pooch a piece of salmon when the attendee was fawning over the bone and diamond accents in Sloane’s suit. “At least they’re not matching hair color to dog anymore.” She sipped from her spritzer, hand flexing against the glass. At the very least Cashmere’s arm through hers would keep others away. There was nothing quite like opening night to remind one that they were all part of Snow’s act. Here to dress and entertain. One more hand admiring her velvet pant legs and she’d need to switch to drinking something harder. “What do you think the reward would be if that thing went missing? Couple million?”

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fwd ﹕ enobaria ．

" well , yes , but unless you want to argue with her and be given a speech on the subtlety of colours , i'll just take her word for it . " it wasn't particularly polite for her to lean against the wall the way she was , leaning her perfectly styled hair against the cool stone and allowing herself a moment to relax , but cashmere was sure president snow wouldn't come running from his cosy little mansion to scold her — as long as she played pretty for the cameras , she was safe . it didn't mean she — they — didn't have to watch their words even here , but the illusion of isolation soothed her enough that her shoulders lost a bit of their tenseness . " i lost gloss hours ago , the sponsors are ruthless this year and we haven't even started , i think they're trying to recoup their losses from last year . " savoring the champagne , cash merely nodded sparing a glance at the wild rush of people inside before she continued . " mine are good this year , they've got the spirit — the girl , silver , reminds me of myself . might just make it to the end , but we'll see . " the shrug would seem perfectly unaffected if it wasn't for the tiredness in the blonde's eyes — the games were hard on them all , mentors or no , and cash particularly hated years where the female tributes took her back to the past , to a time where she'd been a stupid girl with too much hope and too little experience . the talk of olives pulled her from the depths of her own mind before she allowed herself to go down roads she'd stay in for hours , instead laughing at the idea of enobaria being presented with them , a slow amused smirk spreading on her lips . " see , no one ever gives me olives , i resent that . but i can work with that , we can use them as a focal point for the dish — god knows i'll need the sustenance for the parade . if tonight's any indication , all mentors will be screwed tomorrow . "

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perhaps it was just one of the few benefits of her job in the capitol , but cash handled herself well in the shark tank — the longer conversations were grating and sometimes she had to escape , but it was rare that they would shake her these days : these parties got considerably easier when you'd seen the vast majority of the guest list naked . it also meant that more often than not , she liked to go around running interference for those who had a harder time , or those who ended up stuck with the less . . . desirable company . she'd just grabbed another glass of champagne with the promise of insider information on her tributes when she saw emersyn — taking a long moment to study her face before sighing , recognizing the man she'd been cornered by , sipping her drink as she approached them . " cosmos , darling , here you are ! " there was familiarity in the way she rested her hand on the man's shoulder and kissed his powdered cheek , shooting him a million dollar smile before giving emersyn a subtle nod . " darling victoria is looking for you , i told her i'd send you her way if i saw you . " it took her a minute of chatter to get the man to disappear back into the crowd , leaving more than enough room for the other woman to move if she so wished . " he's certainly something , i hope i didn't misread the situation . "

location? : ballroom ! starter? : open ! Her  smile  stayed  present  as  her  heels  pressed  against  the  marble  flooring  against  her  heels.  The  smile  gave  a  acceptance  of  reaction  and  helped  give  some  people  relief  from  more  of  the  harsher  attitudes  that  stuck  out  inside  the  party.  However,  even  if  her  smile  showed  the  happiness  of  her  presence  at  the  quarters,  her  soul  stayed  clutching  at  the  home's  front  door.  It  clawed  and  prayed  to  escape  the  constant  reminders  of  her  past  trauma  and  the  reminder  of  the  lives  she  practically  had  to  live  through  till  they  took  their  last  breath  or  made  someone  have  theirs's.  

She  bowed  her  head  to  the  few  friends  and  capitalists  that  were  lingering  around.  Emersyn  soon  moved  and  grabbed  the  closest  glass  of  water,  not  wanting  to  dare  drink  any  sort  of  alcoholic  beverage  due  to  the  knots  that  made  her  wary  of  getting  sick.  "It'll  be  fine,  stay  for  a  few  hours  then  go  back  to  the  suite.."  She  mumbled,  her  mastered  forced  grin  showing  as  she  pressed  her  cheek  against  each  side  of  a  sponsor's  to  mimic  the  usual  greeting.  "It  is  lovely  to  see  you..  I  hope  my  tributes  give  you  the  catch  that  I  know  many  of  you  had  given  me."  Her  giggle  escaped  softly,  her  softened  blue  eyes  hiding  away  her  faint  scared  expression  as  she  felt  the  cold  chill  of  the  ice  sculpture  behind  her.  

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" tangerine , actually , caesar was the blue one last year . come on , we'll go find it , the poor thing looks ridiculous . " the smile cashmere gave siren was bright as diamonds , shifting her hand slightly to give the girl a comforting pat on her side of her arm , a little nudge of her elbow when she spoke again , sweetness in her slightly hushed voice . " you look tense , the tenser you look the more they want to talk to you . relax a bit , if anyone approaches i'll let you slip away . " on the way to the aforementioned dog , a poor poodle who seemed more interested in trying to get to the food than follow its owner around , cash managed to exchange their empty glasses for full ones , and carefully sidestep two incredibly boring potential sponsors , slipping into a relatively quiet corner so they could people watch for a moment . siren was her responsibility — well , she'd made siren her responsibility , as she had finnick and those after him . victors were nothing without each other , and if she could offer the girl a moment's rest she'd do so . " feeling okay ? "

The games were supposed to lead to a life of riches and luxury, yet ever since the 68th games, she emerged the victor - Siren felt anything but. She had more money than she knew what to do with, but she felt so oddly alone. Despite, being in a room full of people - she felt as though all eyes had been on her. (Which they were. All the victors were being watched, as they usually were. The moment she felt someone's grip around her arm, Siren immediately tensed, but when she recognized who it was, she let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding in. "No, I haven't seen it yet. Orange is a bold color though. Wasn't it blue last year?"

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fwd ﹕ enobaria ．

"  you'd  think  she  had  ,  but  i  asked  and  according  to  her  it  was  the  farthest  thing  from  orange  last  year  —  it  was  tangerine  .  "  there's  honey  in  cashmere's  voice  ,  a  sweetness  that  coats  her  tongue  when  she's  in  events  and  around  people  that  expect  her  to  be  a  caricature  of  herself  —  but  there  also  an  edge  of  sarcasm  that  only  people  who  knew  her  as  well  as  enobaria  would  pick  up  .  "  i  bet  on  chartreuse  ,  so  i  guess  we're  both  in  the  red  tonight  .  "  she  sipped  her  champagne  and  led  them  with  surprising  ease  from  the  crowded  hall  onto  the  balcony  —  it  was  blissfully  empty  as  she  imagined  it  would  be  ,  all  the  action  was  inside  anyway  .  the  breath  of  fresh  air  was  much  needed  ,  and  although  she  knew  exactly  what  would  happen  she  still  lifted  a  hand  up  to  the  forcefield  ,  amused  in  an  incredibly  unfunny  way  that  it  was  here  too  .  "  how  is  brutus  ,  by  the  way?  i  haven't  seen  him  around  yet  .  "  the  blonde  paused  ,  turning  back  to  her  friend  and  sipping  some  more  of  her  flute  before  continuing  .  "  and  i'm  stopping  by  yours  tomorrow  ,  while  the  kids  are  prepped  .  i  haven't  treated  you  to  lunch  in  forever  .  "  it  wasn't  entirely  true  ,  they'd  had  lunch  not  too  long  ago  ,  but  before  spending  weeks  stuck  in  places  where  there  was  no  way  to  escape  the  mics  or  the  cameras  ,  she  needed  a  few  hours  stuck  in  her  friend's  bedroom  ,  eating  food  cooked  by  her  own  hands  .

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you're  the  thorn  on  a  rose  ,  the prick  of  a  needle  they  thought  they'd  secured  ,  the  storm  they  thought  was  just  a drizzle ; you're unaccounted  for  ,  overlooked  ,  they  forget  so  foolishly that  you  have  violence  in  your  veins  and  that  counts  for something  .  you're  grace ,  you're whispers  ,  you're  seeing  the  life  you  longed  for  slip  through  your  fingers  but  moving  forward .  toughness  is  subtle  but  it's  your  gospel  ,  shadows  are  your  friends  because  it's  easier  to  win  when  they  don't  see  you :  you're  the  girl  who  wanted  everything  but  drew  the  short  straw  of  life  and  ended  up  with nothing but  what  they  made  of  you  .  you  stand  by  the  doorstep  and  listen  . they  keep  talking  .  they  wish  they  hadn’t  .  .  .

perdue  ,  cashmere  .

(  victor  ,  district one  ,  twenty-four   )

BIOGRAPHY    /    PINTEREST    /    PLAYLIST

[gcmmislapsis]

—    open starter   ﹕ everyone

even  after  all  these  years  ,  stepping  into  a  capitol  party  still  felt  like  travelling  into  another  dimension  —  not  the  food  that  had  been  worked  so  thoroughly  it  seemed  like  anything  but  ,  or  the  decorations  that  would've  been  pretty  ten  gold  details  ago  —  the  people  .  the  way  they  kept  their  eyes  on  victors  like  they  were  watching  both  prey  and  predator  ,  an  odd  mix  of  love  and  hate  and  awe  .  "  thank  you  .  "  the  shiver  up  her  spine  was  internal  and  the  glass  of  champagne  she  snapped  from  a  passing  tray  with  a  perfectly  manicured  hand  would  help  ,  rehearsed  smile  poised  on  her  lips  as  she  nodded  towards  the  woman  who  still  hadn't  stopped  talking  about  the  latest  capitol  gossip  .  "  my  darling  ,  i  can't  believe  all  of  that  happened  in  just  one  week  .  you'll  need  to  tell  me  the  details  soon  ,  but  i  believe  someone  needs  me  .  "  one  set  of  air  kisses  and  ten  goodbyes  later  ,  the  blonde  managed  to  escape  —  the  way  she  looped  her  arm  through  theirs  was  casual  ,  but  her  grip  was  tight  .  the  universal  victor  signal  for  '  let  me  stay  here  a  while  '  .  "  have  you  seen  the  dog  ?  it's  orange  this  year  .  "

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David Foster Wallace | Infinite Jest | 1996

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CHARLOTTE JORDAN in CORONATION STREET

but you can’t cry pretty

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dont ignore me ?? i despise being ignored ?? i mean im ignoring like 8 ppl right now but still ???

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im so tired of always being right and having the best opinions