For any of your D2 OCs. I KNOW I went ham on these. The first two are very Career-centric because I am still thinking about my Career-OC essay the other day (which I still need your thoughts on😡)! Thankssssss <3
did they volunteer ? as a Career, for a loved one, etc ?
do they feel ostracized, embraced, famous, etc in their home District?
do they see their reflection the same since their arena ? how is it different now ?
how do they think the Capitol vs the Districts vs the other Victors perceive them ?
what does “home” mean to them ?
I'm gonna answer for Icilia Nerry-Lyme (41st Games), Cicero Manic (53rd), and Penny Escher (69th) bc I've been haunted by the concept of a Cicero fic (my brain loves to get the best ideas when I'm already balls deep in a long fic...) so this will help me figure it out!
did they volunteer ? as a Career, for a loved one, etc ?
Full-blown Career kool-aid volunteer and everything. Not a question asked, thought winning was an honor, saw losing as irredeemable failure, but technically always held on to the mentality of 'if I volunteer my little sisters will be financially secure for life so they'll never need to' which is her 'replacement' reason after disillusionment.
Having come from the mason faction of D2, Cicero had no intentions of volunteering and had thought he'd be 'safe' at his final Reaping. For reasons he never could get a straight answer on, however, the elected volunteer (D2 functions on a system of holding a pretend Reaping a few days before the real one to settle who will go in) never raised his voice when Cicero was called. He owned it as happenstance to the point of lying to Caesar during his interview that he had wanted to volunteer but hadn't even needed to bc fate decided for him.
Volunteered in the very classic-Career sense. She had stiff competition from a 'rogue' volunteer (not an Academy girl) but won out. Her District partner, Mars, was considered her biggest competition but even the Academy backed her more than him bc they knew the Capitol was getting tired of the boy-Victor-streak that had been going on since 64 (Gloss' year).
do they feel ostracized, embraced, famous, etc in their home District?
She's wildly celebrated by her District, even decades after her win but to say she hates it is an understatement. Her disillusionment was quick but quiet. No one knew she hated the Games until she was actively rebelling against the powers that made them.
The culture in D2 was wildly split about him. Most saw him as a 'phony' Victor but, at the same time, they had to respect both his grind to get out and the fact that he did so in such a classically D2 way. His image turned more sour as years passed and it became obvious where his loyalties to the Academy, or lack of, lie. By the 60s, he's largely considered a pariah that even Brutus, despite being lowkey creepy towards, wanted to avoid publicly.
She's technically D2's last ever Victor and, as such, holds a special spot in their culture, propaganda, etc. That being said, she isn't necessarily famed or revered like Enobaria considering both her Games were far more 'tame' and overshadowed by Terminatius 'Titus' Zurich's cannibalism and her own relatively 'tame' Victor persona.
do they see their reflection the same since their arena ?
She's forever haunted by what she did in that arena. Even knowing it was all to survive, she can't move past how stupid she feels for every thinking it was honorable. She doesn't so much blame herself for the killing/violence but for the mentality she held that made it possible. It's only compounded by a combination of D2's fanaticism for her and her 'closeted' resentment towards subsequent Victors for being 'genuine' Careers.
He doesn't recognize himself. Not only is the Cicero who went into that arena a farce who lied and manipulated his way to a persona he doesn't embody but he had some of the most drastic alterations to his physical body of any D2 Victor. He went from a slim-fit boy eager to 'bulk up' as an adult full-time mason to a monster, described by many as 'an adonis to rival Brutus Folley' which is saying a lot.
She refuses to think she's different now to the Penthesilia that went into the arena filled with rage, closeted terror, and a need to prove herself to her shitty parents. Maybe deep down and/or eventually she'll figure out how different she is to that girl but, for now, Penny sees only the physical alterations (mainly a boob job) as prizes (and prices) for her well-earned Victory.
how do they think the Capitol vs the Districts vs the other Victors perceive them ?
All three of them share similar views of the views of them. The Capitol reveres them as perfect Victors who paid in blood to prove their loyalty to Panem (even tho Cicero especially knows that's bullshit). The other Districts (other than a few in D1 or D4 who see through it) largely only see the terrifying 'Capitol dogs' (among other unsavory terms for the trained tributes of D2) who are loyal to a fault above all else. It's within the other Victors' circles, however, that there is nuance. Cecilia, though they never explicitly talk about it, sees right into Icy's disillusionment almost from the jump. They become fast friends despite almost 20 years between them. Haymitch, Chaff, and Blight are quick to welcome Cicero into their circle of sad drunks bc, despite a persona the Capitol still tries to maintain, they see the ruined Victor inside. Extra HC that Enobaria lowkey judges the absolute shit out of all of them bc she (and Penny) see it as a cop out to use drugs/alcohol to manage their trauma and, also, a weakness that doesn't lend itself well to best supporting their tributes. And Penny is welcomed very easily into D1's circle (Gus and Cashmere especially) despite some undeniable animosity between her and Rhubae and Temper in particular that never truly goes away.
what does “home” mean to them ?
Home is anywhere the family she never lets see the 'ruined' parts of her happens to be. With her little sisters who she still can't believe she managed to keep safe through sheer power of lies, propaganda, and Capitol personas. That home burns away when the Rebellion takes them all from her and becomes one of the major reasons she becomes suicidally devoted to the cause post-Quarter Quell.
He never feels like he has a home again, really. He feels most comfortable with his sad drunks (Haymitch, Chaff, Blight, etc) but even they never see the real him (not for lack of trying) so he can't let himself feel at home with them. His family is largely eradicated and/or emancipated from him by the time of the Quell as if to add insult to injury. And love is just not something he wants to risk.
Gus, Enobaria, and Cashmere become her home in wildly different but all equally important ways. Gus is the romantic love she never thought she could achieve, let alone deserve. Enobaria is the mother figure she never thought she'd want (despite only being 6 years apart in age) let alone could let herself have. And Cashmere becomes the first 'girl friend' she develops who truly doesn't have expectations when it comes to getting something out of her, using her to gain something, etc.
I will get around to replying to your think-piece post too! I had started up a reply on my phone but fuck I hate using Tumblr on my computer browser so I closed it (without saving) and just forgot and/or gave up until you reminded me, lmao. Soon!!
