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Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 1,114
Top Banana
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OP
Top Banana
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 1,114 |
"Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat: "we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad."
"How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn’t have come here.”
- Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
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Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 54
Freelance Reporter
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Freelance Reporter
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 54 |
Let the tour begin. And may it finally take Clark back to Lois.
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Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 1,114
Top Banana
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OP
Top Banana
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 1,114 |
Let the tour begin. And may it finally take Clark back to Lois. It'll be quite a tour. Lois, though ... hmm ...
"Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat: "we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad."
"How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn’t have come here.”
- Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
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Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 3,800 Likes: 30
Pulitzer
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Pulitzer
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 3,800 Likes: 30 |
Oh boy, late again! Clark walked slowly down the road in the direction of Victor’s Village, lost in thought. Today was the first day of his Victory Tour.
He’d been dreading it for months, but now that the day was here, he felt resigned. He had to go through with the tour; he had no choice in the matter. The feelings going through Clark are indescribable, he is quite simply a caged man, pushed along to do the bidding of others. Luckily, Rachel had been understanding, blaming the Capitolites for their insistence upon focusing on the week and half Clark had spent in the arena, rather than on his life outside of it. She’d also pointed out that had Lana not been married to Pete and noticeably pregnant, she would probably not have been invited, either — after all, she and Clark had been an “item,” as the Capitolites called it, when they were in ninth grade, and she was an attractive young woman. Because Lana was married, though, she was considered safe and not a threat to the love story the people in the Capitol had gotten so worked up over. Rachel has come a long way and is more understanding and mature than anyone in the Capitol. She knows how the game is played. From the stage, Clark would have to give a speech — one which had been pre-written by Marcius — while the families of the dead tributes watched him, trying to pretend that they were happy that he was alive while their own children were dead. Then the families would have to bring him gifts — plaques, flowers, and small items representing their district — and if they balked at this, they could be flogged, made into Avoxes, or executed, depending upon the severity of the offense. Barbaric. The parents of the slain was have to deal with a final insult. The Victory Tour also showed the power the Capitol had over victors. Rather than allowing them to adjust to the changes in their lives and find a way to live with what they’d done to survive, the tour put them back into the public eye, forcing them to play the Capitol’s game and act happy about their victory, regardless of how they actually felt. It was also the first time the new victor would meet the other victors outside their own district — people who had been mentoring the kids who had died in the Games. How will Clark react to this? Will it tear open wounds that have only begun to heal? Martha occasionally joined them, but she had discovered that she enjoyed the luxury of sleeping in until five or even six in the morning, then enjoying a leisurely cup of coffee before starting the day. Clark always built a fire and banked it before he left, so the house was warm, and he left coffee brewing for her so she didn’t have to make it herself. Martha deserves to sleep!  “I’ve made neat copies of all the stuff I’ve written and put it in nice folders. I can’t type it, no matter what Marcius thinks. Even if I had a typewriter or a computer, I wouldn’t know how to use it and I might break it figuring it out.” I know this was not meant to be funny, but I remember the typing scene in the pilot where Clark was typing so fast, the laptop started to smoke! Hilarious!  Clark chuckled at his discomfiture and replied, “Because I like chickens. I even write about them. If you think that’s bad, wait until you smell a barn on a hot day.” Yikes! He's right, that smell on a hot day is not one you will ever forget!  Would it be too much to ask if Clark could throw Marcius into the barn and lock the door behind him? Say, on a really sweltering day in July? Just a suggestion .... It seemed to take forever. Clark had trimmed his hair and nails that morning so his prep team wouldn’t attempt to cut them. He still had to put up with them rubbing him down with a scented lotion that would have attracted every bee in District 9 if it had been spring, and with their painting his fingernails and toenails with a shiny, clear polish that added a faint hint of blue to them. Supposedly, this was the very latest style for men in the Capitol, though Clark thought it made him look like he was suffering from oxygen deprivation. Having seen the fashions from movie prints, Clark should be happy this is the worst make-up they made him wear. Coming home, Clark thought, but he said, “Seeing all the places I’ve never seen before, Caesar —“ – at least not during the day — “— and meeting all the other victors. It’ll be nice to see the Capitol again, too.” I agree with you totally! After seeing the parent's grieve over their children in the other districts and the political infighting of the Capitol, it will be a relief to return to normal life in the'rustic' District 9. Clark waved as he stepped onto the train, Marcius fussing at him about staying on schedule. Even as the train pulled away, heading in the direction of District 12, he stood at the window, watching until everyone was out of sight. Why do I get the feeling Clark will not return for a very long time?
Morgana
A writer's job is to think of new plots and create characters who stay with you long after the final page has been read. If that mission is accomplished than we have done what we set out to do, which is to entertain and hopefully educate.
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Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 1,114
Top Banana
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OP
Top Banana
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 1,114 |
Clark walked slowly down the road in the direction of Victor’s Village, lost in thought. Today was the first day of his Victory Tour.
He’d been dreading it for months, but now that the day was here, he felt resigned. He had to go through with the tour; he had no choice in the matter. The feelings going through Clark are indescribable, he is quite simply a caged man, pushed along to do the bidding of others. Yes, because in spite of his powers, Snow can destroy those he cares about, and he's not about to let that happen. Luckily, Rachel had been understanding, blaming the Capitolites for their insistence upon focusing on the week and half Clark had spent in the arena, rather than on his life outside of it. She’d also pointed out that had Lana not been married to Pete and noticeably pregnant, she would probably not have been invited, either — after all, she and Clark had been an “item,” as the Capitolites called it, when they were in ninth grade, and she was an attractive young woman. Because Lana was married, though, she was considered safe and not a threat to the love story the people in the Capitol had gotten so worked up over. Rachel has come a long way and is more understanding and mature than anyone in the Capitol. She knows how the game is played. Rachel was disappointed by the loss of the future she'd hoped for, and even more upset that Clark wasn't being honest with her (as she saw it, anyway), but she's forgiven him now. From the stage, Clark would have to give a speech — one which had been pre-written by Marcius — while the families of the dead tributes watched him, trying to pretend that they were happy that he was alive while their own children were dead. Then the families would have to bring him gifts — plaques, flowers, and small items representing their district — and if they balked at this, they could be flogged, made into Avoxes, or executed, depending upon the severity of the offense. Barbaric. The parents of the slain was have to deal with a final insult. Rewarding someone who is, in many cases, their child's killer. At least Clark managed to avoid that for most of his fellow tributes. The Victory Tour also showed the power the Capitol had over victors. Rather than allowing them to adjust to the changes in their lives and find a way to live with what they’d done to survive, the tour put them back into the public eye, forcing them to play the Capitol’s game and act happy about their victory, regardless of how they actually felt. It was also the first time the new victor would meet the other victors outside their own district — people who had been mentoring the kids who had died in the Games. How will Clark react to this? Will it tear open wounds that have only begun to heal? It'll be hard on him, but he's trying to find the good aspects of the Victory Tour (like seeing more of Panem during the day, and not having to hide while doing so). Martha occasionally joined them, but she had discovered that she enjoyed the luxury of sleeping in until five or even six in the morning, then enjoying a leisurely cup of coffee before starting the day. Clark always built a fire and banked it before he left, so the house was warm, and he left coffee brewing for her so she didn’t have to make it herself. Martha deserves to sleep! After a lifetime of working on farms, she's still an early riser, but she has the luxury of time to herself now. “I’ve made neat copies of all the stuff I’ve written and put it in nice folders. I can’t type it, no matter what Marcius thinks. Even if I had a typewriter or a computer, I wouldn’t know how to use it and I might break it figuring it out.” I know this was not meant to be funny, but I remember the typing scene in the pilot where Clark was typing so fast, the laptop started to smoke! Hilarious! I thought of that, too, when I was writing this, and if Clark ever does learn to use such machines, he'll have to learn to adapt his speed to their capabilities.  Clark chuckled at his discomfiture and replied, “Because I like chickens. I even write about them. If you think that’s bad, wait until you smell a barn on a hot day.” Yikes! He's right, that smell on a hot day is not one you will ever forget! Would it be too much to ask if Clark could throw Marcius into the barn and lock the door behind him? Say, on a really sweltering day in July? Just a suggestion .... Marcius is used to the Capitol and can't understand why people from other places don't see things the same way he does. It seemed to take forever. Clark had trimmed his hair and nails that morning so his prep team wouldn’t attempt to cut them. He still had to put up with them rubbing him down with a scented lotion that would have attracted every bee in District 9 if it had been spring, and with their painting his fingernails and toenails with a shiny, clear polish that added a faint hint of blue to them. Supposedly, this was the very latest style for men in the Capitol, though Clark thought it made him look like he was suffering from oxygen deprivation. Having seen the fashions from movie prints, Clark should be happy this is the worst make-up they made him wear. Luckily for Clark, Rosaline prefers the natural look, so he still relatively normal. (Of course, if his prep team tried to cut his hair or give him a tattoo, they would soon find it impossible, due to Clark's invulnerability.) Coming home, Clark thought, but he said, “Seeing all the places I’ve never seen before, Caesar —“ – at least not during the day — “— and meeting all the other victors. It’ll be nice to see the Capitol again, too.” I agree with you totally! After seeing the parent's grieve over their children in the other districts and the political infighting of the Capitol, it will be a relief to return to normal life in the'rustic' District 9. Becky's family will have to give him gifts, but at least they know he did everything he could for Becky, and they don't hate him. Clark waved as he stepped onto the train, Marcius fussing at him about staying on schedule. Even as the train pulled away, heading in the direction of District 12, he stood at the window, watching until everyone was out of sight. Why do I get the feeling Clark will not return for a very long time? Well ... the tour is a little under two weeks long, but Clark's life is going to undergo some immense changes in that time.  Keep reading. The new chapter will be up shortly.
"Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat: "we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad."
"How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn’t have come here.”
- Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
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