Survivor: The Forty-Seventh Hunger Games

Chapter 16

It's Parker Springfield. Oops! *indicates Rhoda is describing footage of the Parade replayed for the audience.

PRIAM STEED: Hello everyone and welcome to ParadeParazzi! I'm your host Priam Steed, along with the lovely and witty Tallulah Tulle. We're very pleased to introduce a special guest for this year's parade coverage. You've seen her before dozens of times, but she never loses her glamour. Please welcome Head Stylist Rhoda Hamilton!

RHODA HAMILTON: Thank you, Priam. It's so nice to be back.

TALLULAH TULLE: It's so nice to have you back! I remember the first time you came on. Priam and I were barely upstarts, and you were still a child prodigy! Now, of course, you're just a prodigy.

RHODA HAMILTON: Oh, stop! As much as I love attention, we're here for the parade. I'm just a source.

PRIAM STEED: She's right. Let's have some costumes! We wouldn't want these Laurels to sit around gathering dust.

RHODA HAMILTON [NARRATING]: For Ruby, we went with a sleek, classical golden gown. We hope the gold motif will prove prophetic. Charming's stylist went a completely different direction. He tried to convince us to dress Ruby as Jane, but I told him it made no sense. We don't even have jungles in One! So poor Charming is all alone in a ridiculous ape-man costume.

PRIAM STEED: King of the bungle.

TALLULAH TULLE: That slang is older than Panem.

RHODA HAMILTON [NARRATING*]: Nothing special here, really. Abrexa is a knight. Manny was... very unenthusiastic about the whole deal. We ended up letting him have his way and shoving him into an old Peacekeeper outfit. If he wants to throw his chances away, let him.

TALLULAH TULLE: That armor must be very heavy.

RHODA HAMILTON: It's actually pretty light. The biggest trouble was keeping her away from electronics so she didn't get incinerated.

PRIAM STEED: That would be a problem.

RHODA HAMILTON*: I don't know why, but I'm really bad at Three outfits. I just focused on Ash and Sparkil's makeup. I went with the cobalt and silver, and I used the blacklight paint a lot. That was really fun. Don't eat it, though. Your puke glows. Anyway, Sparkil was much easier for us. She's already a cyborg, so we just went futuristic with the clothes and took off the outer panel of her arm.

TALLULAH TULLE: Kind of spooky.

RHODA HAMILTON*: I'm not exactly overly fond of Four, so I just kind of spectated this one. I think Reefe turned out well, though. He's supposed to look like waves.

PRIAM STEED: I see it.

RHODA HAMILTON*: They went with a mermaid thing for Jackie. That's always popular. It's a pain in the butt to move in, though. Jackie had to hop everywhere.

RHODA HAMILTON*: I don't take responsibility for this one.

TALLULAH TULLE: Oh boy.

RHODA HAMILTON*: Apparently it's "pop art". I don't see how a giant balsa wood "power" is creative. On behalf of Blush, I beg forgiveness. Sammy's... a little better. Orange is bright, at least. Ehhh... it could be worse.

PRIAM STEED: Someone has to make the others look better.

RHODA HAMILTON*: I wasn't able to help much with Lancia. Her skin got irritated by the makeup, so we had to use special organic stuff and go a lot lighter. I don't really know what they were doing with Trent. I guess he likes "parkour" or something, so they just put him in athletic clothes. I guess running is transportation.

PRIAM STEED: A-ha, a loophole!

RHODA HAMILTON*: I always liked Seven. It seemed like the stylists could do all these pretty forest nymphs and things. Instead... we got this. They said Sherman's outfit falling apart is supposed to represent autumn, but it just looks... a little Chippendales. Camellia actually does look like an upside-down tree. She tried to convince us to let us to do the whole thing standing on her head, but we were afraid she'd break her neck.

TALLULAH TULLE: Oh, I get it. Brown on top, poofy green skirt on the bottom.

RHODA HAMILTON*: Eight is a double-edged sword. Textiles and clothing go hand in hand, but it's way harder to be innovative. I think Baste had a good idea this time, dressing Angora like a dress form. It's a cool twist. Cross managed to get some input into his outfit, as the messages, like "sponsor me!", attest.

TALLULAH TULLE: It's always good to network.

RHODA HAMILTON*: Deme did his own hair. He also braided Mint's hair, and Hannah's, and one of the Avoxes'. And most of the grain that makes up their outfits. He just really likes styling hair. If he wins, they should hire him as a stylist.

TALLULAH TULLE: Sign me up!

RHODA HAMILTON*: Phoebe vowed she would never do cows, but horses are fair game. Bailey is the jockey, and yes, there were dirty jokes from just about everyone involved in the process.

PRIAM STEED: I wasn't going to say anything.

RHODA HAMILTON*: Parker was very insistent on being a potato. In his case we thought it was pretty much a last wish, so we did it. After the first bite, he stopped trying to eat his costume. I thought Rahina would like being a leafy forest goddess, but she seems to have a more casual style.

TALLULAH TULLE: I think it looks lovely!

RHODA HAMILTON*: Usually Twelve is just a pair of miners. I'm not sure a bucket of coal is much better. Meanwhile Aliara is Twelve's mascot: the mole. I don't know, maybe better than miners?

PRIAM STEED: At least it's innovative.

TALLULAH TULLE: Now that we have you here, what sort of duties are implied by being head stylist?

RHODA HAMILTON: The other stylists already know what they're doing. I help out and sort of oversee everything so they can work on their own projects. I go between and help them all communicate so there's a coherent parade, and I serve as an insider source on what's going to look good from the audience's angle. I don't really sew, so most of my hands-on work is with makeup. I know what looks good on different face types and how to make sure personality and makeup are in harmony. I also help the Tributes with stage fright put their best face forward.

TALLULAH TULLE: Sounds like a big responsibility.

RHODA HAMILTON: I'm a big personality.

PRIAM STEED: Now that we've seen all the costumes and the audience has had a minute to watch the recaps, we're going to take a short break to let everyone vote. Don't change the channel.

*music* If you want to have a lovely day, feed your baby Pollux Puree!

Diogenes lightning: a bright day for even the staunchest cynic.

Hydra flowers- the blooms that survive anything!

You'll never look back if you switch to Orpheus Insurance!

TALLULAH TULLE: We're back! And we're ready for the main event. This year we have Best Costume, Worst Costume, Best Use of District, Strangest Costume, Prettiest Costume, and Most Inconvenient Costume.

PRIAM STEED: Ooh, let me go first! My first category is Most Inconvenient Costume. Our winner is... Parker Springfield! Since he fell halfway through and was unable to get back up.

TALLULAH TULLE: My envelope says Best Use of District. The winner is... Angora Chenille! For an inspired twist on a classic theme.

PRIAM STEED: Looks like I get Strangest Costume. This year's most bittersweet of awards goes to... Aliara Bavier! The strangest costume of them mole.

TALLULAH: My favorite! The Laurel for Prettiest Costume goes to... Rahina Herrington! I'm sure she'll be overjoyed.

PRIAM STEED: I always get this one. The coveted Worst Costume Laurel goes to... Cain Pander! Pow! Zap! FAIL!

TALLULAH: Last of all, our special guest Rhoda Hamilton will present the actually coveted Best Costume Laurel.

RHODA HAMILTON: This year's best of the best, the crowning achievement in Capitol fashion, was worn by... Sparkil Maclein!

PRIAM STEED: I was hoping she'd win.

RHODA HAMILTON: It really was a great merger of Tribute and District, and the blacklight paint was a blast.

TALLULAH TULLE: What an event! From the highest of haute couture to the bottom of bargain-bin bling. We'd like to thank the voters, our guest Rhoda Hamilton, and of course, the people who made it all possible: the stylists.

So that's why Rhoda wasn't in the last chapter. Since her Games wasn't a normal, televised affair, she has a unique role that's closer to stylist than mentor. It's not her entire role, though. It's a cover for the more underground stuff she does for the Capitol.

Don't forget to send a Tribute to BirkarandaSurvivorCraver's Survivor Hunger Games! We had the ideas totally independently, so it's not a mirror image of mine. We've been swapping ideas, but we're doing a lot of things differently. For example, I think hers allows Tributes to be older than 18, so that's cool. I already submitted, and only one is allowed per person, but I want this to start! So submit!