Richard Siken, "Snow and Dirty Rain" // @headspace-hotel // @chenchenwrites on Twitter // Richard Siken, "Litany in Which Certain Things Are Crossed Out" // John Wesley // @jb-blunk // Anaïs Nin, The Unexpurgated Diary; 1939-1947 // @blue-july // Mandeq Ahmed, "Grow With Care" // When I Was Done Dying— Dan Deacon
" YOU HAVE A HEART THAT KEEPS OTHERS STRONG. "
alternative universe : modern.
IMPORTANT:
i am a white writer. this verse takes place within the context of our world’s systems of oppression, which cinna — as a black gay man, raised in an old money family — will be heavily affected by throughout his life. i say this so that if i ever write something in this verse — headcanon, reply etc — that seems out of place, or is leaning into a damaging stereotype, that you let me know. i am open to criticism whether we’re mutuals or not ; i will continuously be doing research, especially when it comes to the way fashion has shaped and been shaped by black communities, but there are undoubtedly nuances i will miss because i won’t ever have that lived experience. my ims are open to anyone if they have any questions / comments / concerns.
on that note, cinna is, at his core, an activist. he is very vocal in his work, and the foundation of his clothing brand is to give back to the various communities he believes need to be uplifted. as it’s an integral character trait, it will undoubtedly come up in threads / plotting etc. i don’t want to unintentionally put words in his mouth that have been skewed by my own personal lens, so discussions of his opinions / thoughts on topics that would directly affect black gay men in real life will never be in character.
last thing : i won’t be writing with any thg muses in this verse, as i want to keep them distinctly separate. the only exception to this might be portia, but i would want to build up a base dynamic in their canon first.
VERSE DETAILS.
media outlets can’t decide whether he’s a genius or a fool ; an activist or a mad-man ; someone to keep an eye on or someone to avoid. HEADLINES : designers crash met gala and set it ablaze ! their protest, his and portia’s — a model, holding a qr code with the words fire is catching beneath, stands in an outfit that draws everyone’s attention, set alight by synthetic flame that looks, to the naked eye, real.
the qr code leads to a series of infographics on the unethical sides of the industry ( poor working conditions, impact on climate change, over-consumption and waste generation ), how the met gala can lead the way for other red carpet events ( reuse / recycle old outfits if not already being used in the exhibition, ensure outfits are sourced ethically ), and small things average consumers can do to change shopping habits. the hashtag #girlonfire goes viral, and cinna and portia’s clothing brand does too, the risk of never working in the fashion industry again paying off.
reporters latch onto cinna’s last name : petreius, the name of a family-run business that spans the globe from upmarket hotels to shipping vessels to a high end airline, and accuse him of being wildly out of touch considering his family’s negative contributions towards the environment.
when confronted by this in person, his response ( did you know, having the last name petreius doesn’t automatically mean you can stay at a petreius hotel ? i haven’t agreed with them since i was eighteen, which coincidentally, is how long i’ve been blacklisted for. say hello to my parents for me. ) begins wild speculation on why they cut ties, enough that cinna is contacted by his family — through their pr firm — and pressured to make a joint statement in their favour. he refuses, and the next day a fluff piece on the petreius’ concerted efforts to neutralise their carbon emissions is published, condoning him and his company in the same breath. cinna can’t help but laugh as sales climb, although he promises portia no more public family talk, the slip-up of his usually composed facade forgotten by the next news cycle.
thanks to the protest, their business — rebranded to GIRLONFIRE — has flourished in the past four years, with limited, made-to-order stock selling out in every run.
they had started out by renting a floor of a building in the garment district — intentional, as much for the district’s immigrant and fashion history as it was their own personal ties to the city — more of an experimental space than anything concrete. they were students then, creating in a way neither had had the freedom to do before, just the two of them against the world.
ten years later and they have expanded to five floors, which covers space for design, sample creation, in-house production and in-house distribution. the fifth floor is a space that was first reserved for photoshoots and promotion, but has since expanded to include events, one of which is a monthly music night showcasing local black and queer artists that helps support the pay-it-forward side of their sales. at the very heart of their brand is community, and a want to change fashion from the inside.
GIRLONFIRE.
the brand’s name has become synonymous with being a topic of controversy, from the protest that set it alight to their unconventional business model. it’s a talking point they’ve used to their advantage, the name a statement : we’re not going anywhere. you can’t put us out.
FASHION FOR ALL started out as a wry joke when cinna and portia were still students and interns, a phrase that they never saw fully reflected back in the parts of the industry they studied in. it became something to strive for the more they learned, the more they witnessed and heard about through gossip freely passed along in work spaces. they had their core values, but it would take 6 years of middling-to-successful lines around private stylist work, and one viral hashtag, before these values are realised.
each limited-release collection is based around a theme — their first being fire and rebirth — and is linked to a message or statement they both want to make. nothing cinna or portia designs is arbitrary, and every collection benefits a charity or organisation in the proceeds. they only sell limited units and make everything in-house as a way to reduce waste and prevent overproduction, any materials sourced externally having gone through rigorous supply chain checks.
as clothes are made-to-order rather than mass produced, this has meant they’ve been able to follow the fashion for all mantra, and forgo standard sizing for a made-to-measure model which uses a standardised base pattern tailored to the customer’s measurements submitted with the order. none of their clothes are gendered, with everything being sold on one page.
this adaptability in manufacturing has also helped them follow the example of brands like izadaptive and unhidden, adjusting the way the end product is designed / made for customers with disabilities if requested through their regular ordering system, at no extra charge.
higher costs due to the efforts to make the brand sustainable means the price point for their clothes is higher than high street stores, but around the same as other sustainable brands ( ~$100+ depending on the type of product ). after a year of consistently sold out lines and climbing profits, cinna and portia came up with an idea to try and bridge the gap between sustainable clothing and pricing out lower income communities. now, after their general sale is over and units have hit a certain threshold, they open what is called the GIRLONFIRE LOTTERY. customers can enter their details into a ballot, with a short line on why they want to wear the brand, and if their name is drawn, they win an item from the collection that was just on sale for the cost of shipping. this accounts for 1/3 of the units in that collection — 2/3rds are full price.
the money needed to fund these free items has its own budget, collected in three main ways : customers who buy an item in general sale have the option to pay it forward, giving any amount they like which is set aside for those that may not be able to afford a full price piece. the second is through events like the monthly music night, where guests can donate if they wish. the third is cinna and portia themselves, who offset any extra cost with their own funds gained from continuing to one-off style celebrities and charging more as their brand grows.
GIRLONFIRE has signed up for the fashion pact, is an advocate for the stop waste colonialism campaign, and has joined pledge 1%, with paid volunteering hours for staff and interns within choice community projects ( like FEAST ) built into their business model.
neither cinna or portia are chasing a profit — as long as they aren’t putting the brand and their employees in danger, and can redirect money earned from one collection into the next while still being true to their community values, then that’s all that matters. for cinna, this is his dream job ; he might overwork, never take a vacation, and spend more time in the studio than his actual home, but he wouldn’t trade it for the world.
MISC.
i will default to cinna being 31 in this verse, 4 years after the viral protest took place. earlier years are available for plotting.
cinna has a dual british and american citizenship, although he hasn’t lived in the uk since leaving for new york when he was eighteen. he was educated at eton college, a decision he both resents and appreciates his parents for. eton’s structure and wealth of information, as well as his parent’s extremely high expectations, instilled in cinna a reverence for learning and continuing to expand his knowledge — a core value he uses every day, especially when it comes to fashion. the college was, however, a breeding ground for racism, homophobia, and being treated differently despite his family having as much — or more — wealth than those he went to school with. he might have come from money, but that didn’t give him a free pass from prejudice, and it's a massively fundamental part of why he's grown the way he has and is using fashion continuously to make a statement / to pour back into the local communities, especially black and / or queer initiatives.
despite developing a very pronounced rp ( received pronunciation ) accent while at eton in order to fit in, upon moving to new york to study fashion design, he very quickly learned to re-mould his accent into something resembling “general american” — again, to fit in, the rp accent not as common outside the old money walls of eton. today he still uses the “general american” accent, although on certain words, inflections of the rp accent can still slip in on syllables ( especially if around a more southern english accent ).
GIRLONFIRE has only ever repeated one collection theme, and that is the obroni wawu collection. based around obroni wawu october, these pieces are one-of-a-kind, upcycled designs made out of textiles bought during the brand’s visit to the festival for the past few years, specifically sourced from kantamanto and inspired by ghanaian fashion innovation. in order to reduce waste and ensure every item is sold, a pop-up store is launched in new york where customers can try the clothes on, while textile artwork made by locals of kantamanto from clothing waste helps raise awareness of the inequality of overproduction. the artwork is then sold, and any money raised goes straight back to the artists. a percentage of profits from this collection is donated to the or foundation.
aside from the monthly music night, their events space has grown to host everything from numerous talks from fashion industry leaders, public workshops on upcycling and thrifting responsibly, school groups learning about sustainable fashion, to one of the most sought after pride events in june, drag shows, and staff-only games nights. their business, at the heart, is for the community, and they want to reflect that by the events that are put on in their space.
" I SEE FIRE AND IT'S COME TO TAKE US HOME. "
encompasses events post-war ( can be adapted to different canons )
I.
war’s end is abrupt, a hollow victory. too many innocent lives lost, too many of those he’d loved. but as is engrained in his being, he carries on, bearing the weight of those he feels responsible for on shoulders that tremor, but take the load.
he would be there for katniss throughout her recovery without complaint, no matter how difficult, an unwavering pillar of support he can see she so desperately needs — cinna's heart breaks for the person she’s had to become, and he almost regrets his part in making her such a symbol.
he’s there through her initial burn recovery, through learnt betrayal, through the president's assassination. he’s there fighting for her each day when her trial drags on for weeks — and finally, joins her in 12 once he is no longer needed in the witness stand of his own family's tribunal, pleas to stay in the capitol rejected.
II.
there, he makes a home, with the few people he could still call family. it isn't an easy adjustment for anyone, and cinna finds himself drowning in all of the pent-up emotion he hadn't allowed himself to feel since waking in 13. it's his turn to find stability in the comfort of others, and as time passes and the quiet peacefulness of 12 becomes a balm, he learns to let go.
designing is off the table for good until a compromise is made — peeta, with his steady hands and artistic talent, offering to draw whatever outfit springs to mind. at first it takes a lot of patience, patience that is uncharacteristically hard to come by when cinna recalls how easily his ideas had formed from mind to paper in the past. but eventually something clicks within, and their team work means cinna’s designs are once more put into production, not just for the capitol, but for every district in panem. he takes frequent trips to district 8, pouring what profit he makes back into their rebuild, and slowly but surely finds his purpose, remembering his roots, just like his grandmother wanted.
but 8 would never be home. that title belonged to 12.
" YOU CANNOT STOP A REVOLUTION. ONLY INFLAME IT. "
encompasses mockingjay ( heavy trigger warnings apply incl. torture )
I.
when mockingjay bursts free from wedding attire, the heaviness in his chest isn’t due to a costume gone wrong — rather it’s the knowledge that the outpouring of emotion into his work to provide a symbol of resistance against a sickening regime has most likely put him in the firing line.
it’s why cinna leaves his mockingjay armour designs with plutarch, why the promise to not reveal said sketchbook to katniss until the time is right isn’t one he believes he can fulfil in person. acceptance that that may have been his last rebel act is a worthy pill to swallow, but not even he had anticipated the speed in which retaliation came.
II.
he didn't hear the peacekeepers' arrival. it was katniss' expression that alerted him first, and by then, it was too late. his last image is of katniss, frantic, her palms pressed flat against glass mottled with his blood before darkness takes hold.
what occurs next is a process both fleeting and everlasting — whenever consciousness pulls him back into agony-ridden existence, interrogation on his knowledge of rebellion begins anew, denial easy when picturing those that would suffer if he were to verbalise the truth. refusal to answer only brings more bouts of progressively intense violence, until once again, he succumbs to the void.
III.
each awakening is unexpected, belief that his death was imminent never wavering — this intensifies when footage of a fiery woman clad in self-designed armour is shown, the words ‘IF WE BURN, YOU BURN WITH US’ raising the first shadow of a smile in weeks ( that’s my girl ).
he can’t deny the armour’s design, any capitol resident would be able to connect the dots, and so he doesn’t, a part of him relieved that this ordeal would finally be over, buoyed by the fact katniss was alive and the rebellion was seemingly thriving. his stubbornness is taken as defiance, no matter how weak, and this time, the darkness is so whole it feels like an ending.
it should have been. it was meant to be.
but instead, rescue comes in the form of district 13, and his battered body is loaded onto a hovercraft, clinging onto life by a thread. the coma lasts nearly two weeks, a result of numerous head injuries and wounds left untreated, body emancipated as befell all those imprisoned by snow’s command. it isn’t until he finally wakes that the full effects of his torture is realised : a permanent tremor that made holding anything steady impossible, hands unable to grip ; the most prominent burn scar stretching from right eye to jawline, pupil glassy & unfocused ; bruises littering skin where bones were fractured beneath.
but he was alive. and that meant the fight wasn’t over.
" HOPE IS THE ONLY THING STRONGER THAN FEAR. "
encompasses events up to catching fire ( some vague sotr mentions )
I.
it isn’t hard to see the disparity between districts if only eyes were to look closely between the lines of capitol propaganda and the lies told within. but for the majority of those fortunate enough to be born as capitol citizens, there wasn’t much desire to pay attention to those outside city’s plentiful walls once game’s thrall had passed.
the petreius family are synonymous with shipping, containers emblazoned with their name ferrying goods — and previously tributes — to the capitol. they have heavy ties to district 6, and are responsible in secret for the steady supply of morphling that keeps the largest district in panem in check. cinna petreius is born, another in a long line that is expected to carry on this family legacy.
he's only 7 when he begins questioning the capitol. the 50th games are a special occasion, and as a treat, the family purchase highly sought after tickets to the tribute interviews. cinna attends with his four siblings and extended family, the petreius' taking over two rows of the auditorium. they witness the formation of the newcomers — something a young cinna latches onto — only for the footage aired by the capitol to be nothing like what he saw live.
as a child, he's oblivious to the social faux pas of asking plutarch heavensbee himself at the after-party why he edited the footage to make some of the tributes look bad. his parents are mortified, apologising profusely while blaming his overactive imagination, and cinna is taken home by his mother before he can say hello to the 50th victor.
he learns an important lesson that night : not all thoughts are meant to be shared.
II.
cinna is 12 when his grandmother on his mother's side passes at the age of 94. she was never a petreius, kept hidden by the family as she aged and became more vocal in her hatred for the man her only child married and what he represented. one of cinna's last memories of her was them both secreted away in her musty-smelling living room, her swollen, arthritic knuckles gripping one of his hands with surprising strength, the other handing over a palm-sized battered tin box, the image on the lid faded with time. ❛ don't forget your roots, boy. ❜ her voice was unusually clear, her eyes unblinking. ❛ before we were capitol, we were eight. ❜
he didn't understand then. didn't have time to ask, his father's appearance devolving their conversation into a shouting match he was quick to leave. it isn't until he's back home and hidden beneath his duvet that he opens the box to reveal a sowing kit, needles sharp and reams of thread in every colour imaginable. district 8. textiles.
this sewing kit is the tinderbox that starts the fire of his own personal rebellion. he pretends to be the loyal son in the years that follow, soaking in all his family have to teach as a way to figure out how they work. he agrees to a trip out to district 6 with his siblings as a celebration of his graduation, a chance to see the petreius dynasty in person. while they gleefully revel in their power, ordering the mayor around for fun, cinna observes the quiet determination of those from the district that meet his eyes, solidifying his decision.
he wouldn't play his family's game any longer.
III.
they ostracise him like they did his grandmother, cutting off his funds when they realise that, despite blocking his application to study fashion design at the university, he was going to pursue that career anyway. no petreius worked with clothes — the chance of becoming a stylist for the games was practically impossible, therefore so were the accolades — so the work was beneath them. cinna moves into a house with his best friend portia, and drops his last name, distancing himself from the petreius legacy as they do the same to him. there have always been too many petreius' to count, what's one less ?
it takes over a decade of hard graft, but cinna's resourceful, finding a niche in sourcing unique and hard-to-find fabrics thanks to the few sympathetic family members that trade material from the districts — at a price far more than the capitol would offer — for custom-made designs. they admit he's a natural, offer to plead his case to the family as he gains more recognition, but cinna refuses, telling them to keep his designs a secret.
preparations are ramping up for the 74th games when a drunken aunt lets slip at a party hosted by plutarch that cinna is the one that designed her dress, and suddenly he's in the spotlight. he's deliberately avoided the games, doesn't want to willingly participate in a tradition he doesn't believe in, but plutarch offers an alternative view. appearances were everything in the capitol : with designs like his, tributes could actually stand a chance at surviving.
when asked, offhand, what district he would choose to style for, cinna doesn't hesitate when he says 12. he's never forgotten the boy in the cage, nor the utterly unremarkable outfits each year since. they deserved a level playing field, not one disadvantaged from the start.
plutarch's smile catches him off guard, his next words even more so. ❛ i can make that happen. ❜
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