Entry tags:
Application: The Games
OUT of CHARACTER
Name: Amry
Other characters: Cecil Palmer | Welcome to Night Vale | (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
void_whereprohibited)
IN CHARACTER
Name: Cyrus Reagan
Fandom: Original Character
Canon point/AU: AU, right up at current game-canon events
Journal:currupted
PB: Jude Law
History: The major points in Cyrus’ history can be found in Krystal’s app for Stephen. The following will expand on the parts unique to Cyrus.
There are people in the Capitol whose job it is to enforce the laws that keep the Districts in their place. There are people who punish Tributes, people who give orders to torture and destroy. Cyrus is not one of those people. He is not an enforcer but a policymaker – he ensures through his hard work that torture, destruction, and oppression are not only acceptable, but legal.
Cyrus is the oldest son born to the fabulously wealthy and powerful Reagan family, a clan that gained its influence in the conflicts that established the Hunger Games, and in the generations since has risen to high political prominence.
From the beginning of his life, Cyrus fulfilled his family’s every expectation – he was intelligent and high-achieving, and most importantly, deeply loyal to the family’s interests. Like his younger brother Stephen, he was raised without much parental guidance; he spent most of his childhood in the company of nannies, and though they never lacked for any material want and were doted on by their grandmother, their relationship with their parents was always distant. Because of this, he and Stephen grew close – they provided each other with the love and support that they otherwise lacked, and as they grew older, Cyrus stayed Stephen’s guardian, guide, and confidant.
Cyrus entered the political arena young, ushered in by his parents’ influence and the weight of his family name. Only a few years after he began working, however, his father died under mysterious circumstances. Cyrus learned soon after that his father had been poisoned by a political enemy – and before long, he found himself complicit in a counter-poisoning orchestrated by his mother. This, he learned, was how the Reagan family had always operated: A threat to one person was a threat to the entire family, and threats to the family had to be eradicated swiftly and ruthlessly. Learning this truth brought him into the family’s full confidence, and not long after taking revenge for his father’s death, he found himself taking Julius Reagan’s place on President Snow’s cabinet.
That legacy, with its smooth surface and vicious underbelly, is Cyrus’ inheritance, and one he has been aware of even when Stephen is not. He has kept the secret of their father’s poisoning from Stephen, as well as every dirty political trick he’s pulled since rising to prominence—both in an attempt to keep Stephen safe from the dangers of high politics, and to keep him from meddling in it. He has no idea of the extent to which Stephen has begun to pull back the curtain – in his mind, his little brother is still blissfully unaware of the fragility of the system, too busy with parties and social entanglements and his job as an Escort to trouble himself with Cyrus’ world. It remains Cyrus’ intention that it will always stay that way.
Presentation: Cyrus is smooth, charming, controlled and competent. He’s grown up in one of the wealthiest families in the Capitol, surrounded by cameras from childhood – he knows how to guard his expression, how to keep surprise or anger or dismay out of his posture and off of his face. It was that control, in part, that made his family decide that he was capable of upholding the Reagan family’s presence in Capitol politics. He can talk with flair when he wants to, though normally he speaks with the practiced quickness of one who’s busy literally all the time.
He’s a persuasive speaker, and also an accomplished liar – good at promising action that he has no intention of taking, good at moving things along without actually moving them, and good at making terrible things look tragically necessary. His job revolves in large part around interaction with District leadership; he needs to be able to sell even the cruelest legislation as being beneficial to the people it affects. After all – how is the Capitol supposed to expand the list of crimes punishable by execution with a whole District’s opposition in the way, if not by selling it as a necessary measure for keeping the peace?
In appearance, he’s much less flashy than Stephen is. He prefers dark, sober colors with only flashes of brighter accents, allowing the quality and design of his clothes to say more about his wealth than garishness. Those who have any experience with such things will see easily that every garment he owns has a top Capitol designer's signature on it, and that every jewel he wears is real.
Most noticeable about him is that he makes almost no effort to look younger than he is. At thirty-two, he looks well-preserved, but refuses to take any artificial steps to smooth out wrinkles or prevent aging. Most people in his political circle are years older than he is – he’s afraid that youth might be mistaken by some for immaturity, and he’s put a lot of effort into being taken seriously.
Motivations: Cyrus’ motivations can be summarized in a single sentence: There is nothing that Cyrus Reagan wouldn’t do for his family.
The reality of this statement, however, is complicated. The Reagan family as an abstract concept – as a political and financial force, as a collected group of interests that must be protected – is the most important thing in the world to Cyrus. He is willing to lie, cheat, bribe, and even murder at the command of his family; preserving the Reagans’ position at the top of the Capitol’s political structure is far more important to him than any token patriotism or ministerial oath of loyalty. However, when it comes to the actual people in his family, Cyrus’ relationships have always been distant. He barely saw his parents growing up; he and his mother interact more in the realm of politics than they do at home, and when his father was poisoned, Cyrus’ part in taking revenge was motivated less by filial affection than by anger at the insult to the family it represented, and the need to make clear that trying to take down the Reagans was a bad, bad idea.
The only person in his family to whom he is truly close is his younger brother, Stephen. It’s because of a desire to protect Stephen from the uglier side of the Reagan’s political dealings that Cyrus has gone to extreme lengths to hide much of the workings of the Capitol (and the particulars of his own job) from Stephen, and to protect him from any secrets that could endanger him. He doesn’t see Stephen as capable of handling the complicated (and morally dubious) truth of the family’s involvement in government, and something in him doesn’t want Stephen to have to handle it. If that means allowing Stephen to believe that things are kinder than they are, or stepping behind the scenes to make sure that Stephen never has to suffer from the consequences of a bad decision, well—that’s a kind of familial piety too, right?
Because of their position, supporting the family means supporting the status quo. Cyrus doesn’t much care about the integrity of the system for its own sake – he has no direct hatred for the Districts, no great investment in the Hunger Games, and no patriotic swelling of love for Panem in his heart. But the system is what allows his family to stay on top, what gives them their influence and power, and he will fight as hard as necessary to keep that system in place and of direct benefit to them. He knows the facts of the injustices suffered by the Tributes and by the people of the Districts, and he’s opposed to most actions that directly aggravate rebellious undercurrents; but it’s not out of any strong support for basic human rights or sympathy for the people involved. If it came between his own position and the lives of almost anyone else in Panem, he would always choose to preserve the former.
This pragmatism is the side of his devotion to family and country that most people see. Cyrus gets no pleasure out of other people’s suffering, and doesn’t enjoy seeing the Districts oppressed. He just cares less about the needs of the people he represents (whom he doesn’t regard as quite human, compared to Capitol citizens) than he does about the stability of the system. If people get hurt in opposition to the Capitol, it’s certainly a shame – but he isn’t going to stick his neck out for them at the risk of jeopardizing his position.
Related to this lack of empathy is the extent to which Cyrus has internalized the political culture into which he was unceremoniously shoved. He used to have more moral qualms about his work than he does – even helping plot his father’s murderer’s murder was difficult for him to justify as a younger man, and his motivation for going along with it was nothing more than family loyalty. Since then, however, he’s come to see things like social scandal, bribery, and yes, even revenge-poisonings, as simply an ugly but necessary part of the Capitol’s political landscape. He didn’t make the system, and it’s not his job to justify it – just to uphold it.
Setting: Cyrus is unfazed by violence and cares very little about the suffering of the Districts, outside of the immediate need to keep them under control. He’s been desensitized to the violence of the Games, having grown up in Panem’s culture. As the rebellion grows more powerful, Cyrus will grow more ruthless in his attempts to keep the status quo in place and his position secure, even at the risk of abandoning what scruples he has left.
SAMPLES
First Person Thread: An example of a first person post, at least 200 words minimum. Feel free to use introspection and scene setting if your character is not chatty. Please use one of the two following prompts:
For Capitols OCs and AUs: Somehow you ended up privy to a private post just gushing about how much they just LOVE the new games, how they think they are the best thing since sliced bread. Then the poster (Your friend? Some random person from a party who decided they wanted to send you their private thoughts? A rival trying to pin you into an uncomfortable spot?) namesdrops you for your opinion on the new format, versus the quaint, old-fashion style of the game.
Everyone on the broadcast is just waiting for your input.
Oh, no. [He laughs.] Now this is a loaded question.
I guess there are a couple of ways I could answer this, huh? Speaking as a lawmaker, I have to admit—the new Games aren’t just a headache. They’ve invented whole new kinds of headaches. [His smile is wry; letting his audience in on an opinion he knows he knows isn’t politically correct.] Our new Tributes occupy a very interesting place in relation to the Districts we’ve chosen them to represent – and by interesting, I mean that we’re only just now figuring out what that place is. [With a shrug—] It’s hard to do right by people who have no understanding of the legal place they occupy in our society, as it turns out.
Speaking as a spectator, though? I’ll admit I was skeptical before I saw them – but at this point, I’d be disappointed to see our new Games go. [He flashes a grin.] It’s all we talk about at home anymore, and not only because Stephen can’t shut up about it—I mean, did you see Kevin’s last three days? I’ve never been one to sneak a screen into a meeting, but that Arena… can you blame me?
[His enthusiasm lights up his face; the lie slides off his tongue effortlessly. He’s skimmed a recap of Kevin’s victory, because a working knowledge of the Games makes having a social life much less of a chore, but he hasn’t watched them of his own volition in years.]
…Now, if you’ll excuse me— Unlike some of us, Laurel, I don’t have an afternoon’s reprieve from duty, and I need to keep this line open if we’re going to get this thing signed off by six o’clock. [It’s clear from his tone that there are no real hard feelings.] I’ll just have to make sure we’re at the same watch party next Arena.
[Another wry smile, and the feed cuts out.]
Prose: 200 word minimum. To mimic the spirit of capriciousness within this game, please write your third person sample based on the following prompt:
You have been set in a room in front of the Gamemakers to be judged on a score of one to twelve, with one being the lowest and twelve being the highest. The Gamemakers sit safely behind a force field and watch, and you are provided with an array of weapons and targets, though no gun to be seen.
If you are someone from Panem, then you are very unlucky. You know what's going on but... you were told all the tributes were from a foreign land now. So why are you in front of the Gamemakers fighting for your life now? Are you a criminal, a traitor, deeply in debt? Or do you even know why you were shoved in to this room?
He was intimidated, much as he hated to admit it. He’d seen enough people dragged off in shackles, come to work in the morning to find enough desks mysteriously empty. He’d never believed that he was untouchable, because thinking that way was stupid – but at the same time, he couldn’t think of any reason why this should be happening.
His mind raced. Was it the bribe? Did Julian--? No, that was stupid. They didn’t bring you before the Gamemakers for bribery. In fact, Cyrus couldn’t have said what they did bring you before the Gamemakers for, and that was the real problem here. If he didn’t know, then it meant that whoever had ordered this carried higher authority than he did – high enough to ignore laws that he’d damn well written. What will the family say? Has Portia been told? Has Livia--?
No. That was unproductive. Cyrus straightened his shoulders. He was standing as close to the center of the room as he could, directly under the bright lights. He folded his arms, a gesture that he hoped communicated that he had no intention of moving without an explanation. He wasn’t some desperate, cowering Tribute. He was a citizen of the Capitol, and at least as powerful as any person sitting behind that force field. (This, at least, was what he told himself.)
“What is the meaning of this?” His tone was one he reserved for things like meetings with overenthusiastic members of the press—short, polite, and with barely-disguised impatience. As though it was only a sense of obligation keeping him from doing something much more important with his time.
This received no reply. Cyrus shifted his weight from one foot to the other, and changed his tack. “I’m disappointed that I wasn’t informed. My absence won’t be easy to explain.” Either to his own superiors, or, he meant to imply, to the superiors of those watching him. “I am, of course, more than ready to comply—but I might be more ready given, say, three days to prepare.” He didn’t have much hope for his immediate dismissal, but he wasn’t going to miss an opportunity to buy time.
This also received no reply; only an expectant silence. Anger flashed across Cyrus’ expression. “I don’t know how much clearer I can make myself,” he snapped. “I don’t have time for this. I demand to see the arrest order, if one exists. I am a citizen of the Capitol, and I know my rights—you can’t just pull me from my office and expect me to—”
Behind him, a Peacekeeper cleared his throat pointedly. It caught Cyrus off-guard, and knocked the wind out of his sails.
He looked from the Gamemakers, to the Peacekeeper behind him, to the table of weapons across from him. Helpless rage, mixed with confusion and no little fear, flitted across his face.
“…Fine,” he said after a long silence. It rang lamely, thin and weak, in the air, or so it seemed to him. “If this is what it takes—if this is the only way to buy an explanation—“
He unfolded his arms, and with stiff steps crossed the room to the table.
What is your character scored: Were Cyrus actually to compete in the Games, he’d likely be scored a 5 or a 6. His only combat training came in the form of childhood fencing lessons and hunting for sport, but he’s not incompetent – he can spot danger and negotiate with people for what he needs. However, he’s not particularly fit, and used to a life of ease. He likely wouldn’t last long in a fair fight.
Additional information:
Hunger Games AU and OC: What is your reasoning for the capitol to include your canon doppelganger if they app in? What district is your character from? How do they feel about home?
That likely isn’t going to happen, as only one other person in the world knows Cyrus’ canon and she’s already playing his brother; but Cyrus would likely take the appearance of his double either as a mistake or as a threat, and react accordingly (by trying to ensure the doppelganger’s swift disappearance). Having two of him around would complicate things entirely too much for his taste.
He was born and raised in the Capitol, and has been out to the Districts only for family vacations and political trips. While he knows a great deal about their legal standing in relation to the Capitol and keeps a weather eye on events ongoing there, he has no real interest in getting to know the people of the Districts better. He has a familiar fondness for the Capitol, which, in his opinion, contains everything in Panem worth seeing. More importantly, it contains his family and everything that makes them who they are – he would never willingly leave.
Name: Amry
Other characters: Cecil Palmer | Welcome to Night Vale | (
void_whereprohibited)IN CHARACTER
Name: Cyrus Reagan
Fandom: Original Character
Canon point/AU: AU, right up at current game-canon events
Journal:
curruptedPB: Jude Law
History: The major points in Cyrus’ history can be found in Krystal’s app for Stephen. The following will expand on the parts unique to Cyrus.
There are people in the Capitol whose job it is to enforce the laws that keep the Districts in their place. There are people who punish Tributes, people who give orders to torture and destroy. Cyrus is not one of those people. He is not an enforcer but a policymaker – he ensures through his hard work that torture, destruction, and oppression are not only acceptable, but legal.
Cyrus is the oldest son born to the fabulously wealthy and powerful Reagan family, a clan that gained its influence in the conflicts that established the Hunger Games, and in the generations since has risen to high political prominence.
From the beginning of his life, Cyrus fulfilled his family’s every expectation – he was intelligent and high-achieving, and most importantly, deeply loyal to the family’s interests. Like his younger brother Stephen, he was raised without much parental guidance; he spent most of his childhood in the company of nannies, and though they never lacked for any material want and were doted on by their grandmother, their relationship with their parents was always distant. Because of this, he and Stephen grew close – they provided each other with the love and support that they otherwise lacked, and as they grew older, Cyrus stayed Stephen’s guardian, guide, and confidant.
Cyrus entered the political arena young, ushered in by his parents’ influence and the weight of his family name. Only a few years after he began working, however, his father died under mysterious circumstances. Cyrus learned soon after that his father had been poisoned by a political enemy – and before long, he found himself complicit in a counter-poisoning orchestrated by his mother. This, he learned, was how the Reagan family had always operated: A threat to one person was a threat to the entire family, and threats to the family had to be eradicated swiftly and ruthlessly. Learning this truth brought him into the family’s full confidence, and not long after taking revenge for his father’s death, he found himself taking Julius Reagan’s place on President Snow’s cabinet.
That legacy, with its smooth surface and vicious underbelly, is Cyrus’ inheritance, and one he has been aware of even when Stephen is not. He has kept the secret of their father’s poisoning from Stephen, as well as every dirty political trick he’s pulled since rising to prominence—both in an attempt to keep Stephen safe from the dangers of high politics, and to keep him from meddling in it. He has no idea of the extent to which Stephen has begun to pull back the curtain – in his mind, his little brother is still blissfully unaware of the fragility of the system, too busy with parties and social entanglements and his job as an Escort to trouble himself with Cyrus’ world. It remains Cyrus’ intention that it will always stay that way.
Presentation: Cyrus is smooth, charming, controlled and competent. He’s grown up in one of the wealthiest families in the Capitol, surrounded by cameras from childhood – he knows how to guard his expression, how to keep surprise or anger or dismay out of his posture and off of his face. It was that control, in part, that made his family decide that he was capable of upholding the Reagan family’s presence in Capitol politics. He can talk with flair when he wants to, though normally he speaks with the practiced quickness of one who’s busy literally all the time.
He’s a persuasive speaker, and also an accomplished liar – good at promising action that he has no intention of taking, good at moving things along without actually moving them, and good at making terrible things look tragically necessary. His job revolves in large part around interaction with District leadership; he needs to be able to sell even the cruelest legislation as being beneficial to the people it affects. After all – how is the Capitol supposed to expand the list of crimes punishable by execution with a whole District’s opposition in the way, if not by selling it as a necessary measure for keeping the peace?
In appearance, he’s much less flashy than Stephen is. He prefers dark, sober colors with only flashes of brighter accents, allowing the quality and design of his clothes to say more about his wealth than garishness. Those who have any experience with such things will see easily that every garment he owns has a top Capitol designer's signature on it, and that every jewel he wears is real.
Most noticeable about him is that he makes almost no effort to look younger than he is. At thirty-two, he looks well-preserved, but refuses to take any artificial steps to smooth out wrinkles or prevent aging. Most people in his political circle are years older than he is – he’s afraid that youth might be mistaken by some for immaturity, and he’s put a lot of effort into being taken seriously.
Motivations: Cyrus’ motivations can be summarized in a single sentence: There is nothing that Cyrus Reagan wouldn’t do for his family.
The reality of this statement, however, is complicated. The Reagan family as an abstract concept – as a political and financial force, as a collected group of interests that must be protected – is the most important thing in the world to Cyrus. He is willing to lie, cheat, bribe, and even murder at the command of his family; preserving the Reagans’ position at the top of the Capitol’s political structure is far more important to him than any token patriotism or ministerial oath of loyalty. However, when it comes to the actual people in his family, Cyrus’ relationships have always been distant. He barely saw his parents growing up; he and his mother interact more in the realm of politics than they do at home, and when his father was poisoned, Cyrus’ part in taking revenge was motivated less by filial affection than by anger at the insult to the family it represented, and the need to make clear that trying to take down the Reagans was a bad, bad idea.
The only person in his family to whom he is truly close is his younger brother, Stephen. It’s because of a desire to protect Stephen from the uglier side of the Reagan’s political dealings that Cyrus has gone to extreme lengths to hide much of the workings of the Capitol (and the particulars of his own job) from Stephen, and to protect him from any secrets that could endanger him. He doesn’t see Stephen as capable of handling the complicated (and morally dubious) truth of the family’s involvement in government, and something in him doesn’t want Stephen to have to handle it. If that means allowing Stephen to believe that things are kinder than they are, or stepping behind the scenes to make sure that Stephen never has to suffer from the consequences of a bad decision, well—that’s a kind of familial piety too, right?
Because of their position, supporting the family means supporting the status quo. Cyrus doesn’t much care about the integrity of the system for its own sake – he has no direct hatred for the Districts, no great investment in the Hunger Games, and no patriotic swelling of love for Panem in his heart. But the system is what allows his family to stay on top, what gives them their influence and power, and he will fight as hard as necessary to keep that system in place and of direct benefit to them. He knows the facts of the injustices suffered by the Tributes and by the people of the Districts, and he’s opposed to most actions that directly aggravate rebellious undercurrents; but it’s not out of any strong support for basic human rights or sympathy for the people involved. If it came between his own position and the lives of almost anyone else in Panem, he would always choose to preserve the former.
This pragmatism is the side of his devotion to family and country that most people see. Cyrus gets no pleasure out of other people’s suffering, and doesn’t enjoy seeing the Districts oppressed. He just cares less about the needs of the people he represents (whom he doesn’t regard as quite human, compared to Capitol citizens) than he does about the stability of the system. If people get hurt in opposition to the Capitol, it’s certainly a shame – but he isn’t going to stick his neck out for them at the risk of jeopardizing his position.
Related to this lack of empathy is the extent to which Cyrus has internalized the political culture into which he was unceremoniously shoved. He used to have more moral qualms about his work than he does – even helping plot his father’s murderer’s murder was difficult for him to justify as a younger man, and his motivation for going along with it was nothing more than family loyalty. Since then, however, he’s come to see things like social scandal, bribery, and yes, even revenge-poisonings, as simply an ugly but necessary part of the Capitol’s political landscape. He didn’t make the system, and it’s not his job to justify it – just to uphold it.
Setting: Cyrus is unfazed by violence and cares very little about the suffering of the Districts, outside of the immediate need to keep them under control. He’s been desensitized to the violence of the Games, having grown up in Panem’s culture. As the rebellion grows more powerful, Cyrus will grow more ruthless in his attempts to keep the status quo in place and his position secure, even at the risk of abandoning what scruples he has left.
SAMPLES
First Person Thread: An example of a first person post, at least 200 words minimum. Feel free to use introspection and scene setting if your character is not chatty. Please use one of the two following prompts:
For Capitols OCs and AUs: Somehow you ended up privy to a private post just gushing about how much they just LOVE the new games, how they think they are the best thing since sliced bread. Then the poster (Your friend? Some random person from a party who decided they wanted to send you their private thoughts? A rival trying to pin you into an uncomfortable spot?) namesdrops you for your opinion on the new format, versus the quaint, old-fashion style of the game.
Everyone on the broadcast is just waiting for your input.
Oh, no. [He laughs.] Now this is a loaded question.
I guess there are a couple of ways I could answer this, huh? Speaking as a lawmaker, I have to admit—the new Games aren’t just a headache. They’ve invented whole new kinds of headaches. [His smile is wry; letting his audience in on an opinion he knows he knows isn’t politically correct.] Our new Tributes occupy a very interesting place in relation to the Districts we’ve chosen them to represent – and by interesting, I mean that we’re only just now figuring out what that place is. [With a shrug—] It’s hard to do right by people who have no understanding of the legal place they occupy in our society, as it turns out.
Speaking as a spectator, though? I’ll admit I was skeptical before I saw them – but at this point, I’d be disappointed to see our new Games go. [He flashes a grin.] It’s all we talk about at home anymore, and not only because Stephen can’t shut up about it—I mean, did you see Kevin’s last three days? I’ve never been one to sneak a screen into a meeting, but that Arena… can you blame me?
[His enthusiasm lights up his face; the lie slides off his tongue effortlessly. He’s skimmed a recap of Kevin’s victory, because a working knowledge of the Games makes having a social life much less of a chore, but he hasn’t watched them of his own volition in years.]
…Now, if you’ll excuse me— Unlike some of us, Laurel, I don’t have an afternoon’s reprieve from duty, and I need to keep this line open if we’re going to get this thing signed off by six o’clock. [It’s clear from his tone that there are no real hard feelings.] I’ll just have to make sure we’re at the same watch party next Arena.
[Another wry smile, and the feed cuts out.]
Prose: 200 word minimum. To mimic the spirit of capriciousness within this game, please write your third person sample based on the following prompt:
You have been set in a room in front of the Gamemakers to be judged on a score of one to twelve, with one being the lowest and twelve being the highest. The Gamemakers sit safely behind a force field and watch, and you are provided with an array of weapons and targets, though no gun to be seen.
If you are someone from Panem, then you are very unlucky. You know what's going on but... you were told all the tributes were from a foreign land now. So why are you in front of the Gamemakers fighting for your life now? Are you a criminal, a traitor, deeply in debt? Or do you even know why you were shoved in to this room?
He was intimidated, much as he hated to admit it. He’d seen enough people dragged off in shackles, come to work in the morning to find enough desks mysteriously empty. He’d never believed that he was untouchable, because thinking that way was stupid – but at the same time, he couldn’t think of any reason why this should be happening.
His mind raced. Was it the bribe? Did Julian--? No, that was stupid. They didn’t bring you before the Gamemakers for bribery. In fact, Cyrus couldn’t have said what they did bring you before the Gamemakers for, and that was the real problem here. If he didn’t know, then it meant that whoever had ordered this carried higher authority than he did – high enough to ignore laws that he’d damn well written. What will the family say? Has Portia been told? Has Livia--?
No. That was unproductive. Cyrus straightened his shoulders. He was standing as close to the center of the room as he could, directly under the bright lights. He folded his arms, a gesture that he hoped communicated that he had no intention of moving without an explanation. He wasn’t some desperate, cowering Tribute. He was a citizen of the Capitol, and at least as powerful as any person sitting behind that force field. (This, at least, was what he told himself.)
“What is the meaning of this?” His tone was one he reserved for things like meetings with overenthusiastic members of the press—short, polite, and with barely-disguised impatience. As though it was only a sense of obligation keeping him from doing something much more important with his time.
This received no reply. Cyrus shifted his weight from one foot to the other, and changed his tack. “I’m disappointed that I wasn’t informed. My absence won’t be easy to explain.” Either to his own superiors, or, he meant to imply, to the superiors of those watching him. “I am, of course, more than ready to comply—but I might be more ready given, say, three days to prepare.” He didn’t have much hope for his immediate dismissal, but he wasn’t going to miss an opportunity to buy time.
This also received no reply; only an expectant silence. Anger flashed across Cyrus’ expression. “I don’t know how much clearer I can make myself,” he snapped. “I don’t have time for this. I demand to see the arrest order, if one exists. I am a citizen of the Capitol, and I know my rights—you can’t just pull me from my office and expect me to—”
Behind him, a Peacekeeper cleared his throat pointedly. It caught Cyrus off-guard, and knocked the wind out of his sails.
He looked from the Gamemakers, to the Peacekeeper behind him, to the table of weapons across from him. Helpless rage, mixed with confusion and no little fear, flitted across his face.
“…Fine,” he said after a long silence. It rang lamely, thin and weak, in the air, or so it seemed to him. “If this is what it takes—if this is the only way to buy an explanation—“
He unfolded his arms, and with stiff steps crossed the room to the table.
What is your character scored: Were Cyrus actually to compete in the Games, he’d likely be scored a 5 or a 6. His only combat training came in the form of childhood fencing lessons and hunting for sport, but he’s not incompetent – he can spot danger and negotiate with people for what he needs. However, he’s not particularly fit, and used to a life of ease. He likely wouldn’t last long in a fair fight.
Additional information:
Hunger Games AU and OC: What is your reasoning for the capitol to include your canon doppelganger if they app in? What district is your character from? How do they feel about home?
That likely isn’t going to happen, as only one other person in the world knows Cyrus’ canon and she’s already playing his brother; but Cyrus would likely take the appearance of his double either as a mistake or as a threat, and react accordingly (by trying to ensure the doppelganger’s swift disappearance). Having two of him around would complicate things entirely too much for his taste.
He was born and raised in the Capitol, and has been out to the Districts only for family vacations and political trips. While he knows a great deal about their legal standing in relation to the Capitol and keeps a weather eye on events ongoing there, he has no real interest in getting to know the people of the Districts better. He has a familiar fondness for the Capitol, which, in his opinion, contains everything in Panem worth seeing. More importantly, it contains his family and everything that makes them who they are – he would never willingly leave.
