01. they build you up so high

[hijackedbread]

[The video clicks on to show a boy of seventeen staring at the screen. The kedan have just shown him how to work the console and he assumes he’s meant to broadcast, as he would in Panem. So he flashes a winning smile, one that doesn’t quite stretch to his eyes.]

Hello. My name is Peeta Mellark, from District 12. They said this isn’t the Capitol. To be honest, I’m not entirely sure where Keeliai is or why I’m here. But I know that the Emperor wouldn’t bring me here without a reason and I trust her wisdom. I appreciate how welcoming you have been and I look forward to learning more about you and to fulfilling my duties here.

[The tribute is incredibly charming, but those who are extremely perceptive would be able to detect that nearly every word is a lie and may notice the sound of handcuffs being pulled taut. He pauses and his smile falters.]

If any other Victors have been welcomed here, I would be glad to be reunited with them again.

Comments

video;

[hijackedbread]

[He thinks, struggling to remember what a turtle looks like. He remembers four legs, a head, and a domed shell.]

What does the shell look like? I thought turtles were only up to a few feet long?

video;

[daughteroftheoriginal]

Normally they are, but this one's big enough to be an island. It's kinda wild. [Completely out there.]

And the shells? They're domed, but what they look like depends on the species, I think? I'm not really an expert on turtles.

video;

[hijackedbread]

There's more than one kind of turtle? How can it be that big? The miners say that any excess pressure on top could cause a collapse. If that's true, then how can the turtle keep so many people on top without feeling the pressure effects on its lungs or other organs?

video;

[daughteroftheoriginal]

[Usually straight A student aside, this is going into some uncharted territory as far as high school science goes.]

Definitely. Like there're more than one kind of duck. [Or spider.]

I really don't know how it can be this big. Magic, or something about this world, I guess? And it's probably developed differently to be able to support what's on its back.

video;

[hijackedbread]

Oh. [He clearly had no idea that there's more than one kind of duck.]

What's magic? People keep talking about it and I don't get it. In District 12, it's just a way of describing tricks people do to entertain kids.

video;

[daughteroftheoriginal]

[Oh boy.]

Well, that's definitely one kind of magic. Beyond that, it's also used to describe things that aren't science based or that we don't know how they work.

[It's a really lame attempt, but it's the best she can do.]

video;

[hijackedbread]

Even if you don't understand how something works, there's a scientific base to it. Beetee did things I didn't know were possible. But even that was science.