The Capitol Games

The Capitol Games is a Fan Fiction written by Vividly Visceral on fanfiction.net and is based on the young adult trilogy The Hunger Games.

For the Quarter Quell, a shocking twist is added to the Hunger Games: It will be Capitol children who are reaped. For the Districts, it is delicious justice served at last. For twenty-four Capitol children it is a death penalty they never expected to receive after relishing for their whole lives. Now they do something they thought only District children ever did: Fight to the death for the entertainment of the masses.

It is notable for both being longer than the actual published books themselves, and for being the only story of its kind (submit-your-own-character) approved by most of the community. The story can be found here.

Tropes used in The Capitol Games include:
  • Abusive Parents: Marshall. Well, one abusive parent.
    • Mars Donovan, the mentor from District 2, is exactly the same as Marshall. Exactly.
  • Accidental Murder: Evon never meant to shoot that Peacekeeper...
  • Action Girl: Natalia.
  • Actual Pacifist: At least one character, Koriana, has decided not to fight.
  • Adaptation Expansion: It's longer than The Hunger Games. And it's only just gotten to the arena.
  • A Date with Rosie Palms: Natalia mentions it's taking Jasse forever to use the bathroom. It's suggested that he's taking care of other business.
  • Adults Are Useless: Even more so than in The Hunger Games. Not only do the parents not try to stop their children being taken away, the kids often had to be the "grown-up", strong ones during their goodbyes.
  • Aerith and Bob
  • The Alcoholic: Vernon, the mentor from District 5.
  • All Guys Want Cheerleaders: Played straight with Vinel/Cotton, subverted with Britney whom no one seems to want.
  • Alliterative Name: Varro Vociferor.
  • Alternate Universe Fic: Katniss and Peeta sort of did their thing Katniss was sniped, only Peeta was crowned a victor, but the Hunger Games still exist.
  • Always Save the Girl: Laco wants to make sure Ari wins. End of story.
    • Brandit takes this attitude toward Natalia as well.
  • Amazing Technicolor Population: And how! But this is the Capitol.
  • Annoying Younger Sibling: Britney has a few, but she loves them anyway. Several other competitors could be thought of as that little sibling.
    • Inverted with Galaxy, who is an annoying older sister.
  • Anyone Can Die: Sort of comes with the territory of being an AU of 'the Hunger Games' trilogy.
  • The Archer: Minerva.
  • Attempted Rape: Ferroh saved Ashen from a group of rapists.
  • Author Appeal: The gore, death, rape... Vividly Visceral has a violent set of tastes.
  • Back-Alley Doctor: Dr. Galen has never actually provided credentials, persay. But Evon is desperate...
  • Band of Brothers: Marshall, Diego and Montserrat. Their bromance is one of the most singularly sweet things about The Capitol Games.
  • Battle Couple: Natalia and Brandit.
  • Beauty Is Never Tarnished: Averted. Only a day in and Natalia's cheek is torn up and the other girls/guys are looking more than a bit ragged.
  • Beneath the Mask: Ari tries her best to be a good little pop star, but after her reaping, she just can't take it anymore.
  • Better to Die Than Be Killed: Galaxy subscribes to this idea.
  • Beware the Nice Ones: Ferroh might not have seemed like the most likely to go off into a murderous rage, but after his training session...
  • BFS: Brandit uses a claymore during the bloodbath fight.
  • Big Damn Heroes: How Cotton volunteers to save her sister Glitz, ending with a loud, confident "-and I'm going to win these games!"
  • Bittersweet Ending: Guaranteed.
  • Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Vince.
  • Black Best Friend: What Ferroh is to Ashe, Quinn and BB.
  • Blood Sport: The Hunger Games.
  • Bloodier and Gorier: The gore gets much more squicky and descriptive than the cource material, before the Games are even reached.
  • Bloody Handprint: Poor Evon is forced to inflict this against Jasse's chest for the chariot rides. With her own blood.
  • Blue Eyes: Natalia. She even tried to go Curtains Match the Window with it by dying her hair partially blue. Also, her only dermal alterations are a blue tattoo and blue gems implanted near her eyes.
    • Also Liotta, Minerva, Ari, Marshall, Laco, and Faye-Anna.
    • And Julian, although his are artificial due to an operation performed as a fetus.
  • Bookworm: Faye-Anna. Heck, her reaping chapter is even titled "Intelligent Reader".
  • Bottle Fairy: Francesca.
  • Break the Cutie: Several of the kids, notably Liotta, Holland, Britney, Faye-Anna, and Galaxy seem to be going this direction.
  • British Accents: Felix definitely has a touch of a cockney accent.
  • Broken Bird: Several of the female tributes/mentors, namely Ari Saint-Claire.
  • Brother-Sister Incest: Faye-Anna's brother and sister are engaged.
  • Calling the Old Man Out: Ari tries very hard to please her father for most of her life, but when he brings her agent in with him for their final goodbye, she snaps.
  • Camp Straight: Holland insists he isn't gay, although admits he exhibits some traits that might suggest he is.
  • Can't Hold His Liquor: Holland.
  • Chekhov's Skill: Pretty much every useful ability the kids have counts as one. They don't need them to survive in the Capitol, they never expected to be entered into the Hunger Games. They just picked them up for their own enjoyment.
  • Cheshire Cat Grin: Iilvsea seems to sport one, as commented on by several of the tributes who have met with her.
  • Children Are Innocent: Both played straight by some of the younger girls, who are too sweet and pure to really do much, and subverted by some of the others. Notably Vince.
  • Children Forced to Kill: Comes with the territory.
  • Clingy Jealous Girl: Cotton to some degree with Vinel around other girls.
  • Closed Circle
  • Closer to Earth: On average, the female characters are more likely to be the nonviolent, sweet types. Subverted with Natalia, who looks bluntly at the facts and forms a Career group, ignoring the fact that the other girls dislike her for it.
  • Crap Saccharine World: After the Quarter Quell, the tributes realize they're living in one.
  • Creepy Child: Vince is one of the youngest children, but he's also the most eager to kill.
  • Creepy Twins: The Gamemakers Winn and Remy.
  • Cruel and Unusual Death: Sugar the party crasher.
    • Whatever disfigured Britney's body made it look like it had been stabbed with a mechanical drill set to full power.
  • Cuddle Bug: Francesca and Holland are both happy, cuddly sorts. Especially together.
  • Damsel in Distress: Laco has decided Ari is one. It seems likely that she is, despite her proficiency with a bow and arrow, but it is yet-unproved.
  • Dance of Romance: Ari and Laco's waltz atop their chariot during the chariot rides.
  • Dark Action Girl: Natalia also has elements of this.
  • Darker and Edgier: Than The Hunger Games, believe it or not.
  • Dead Little Sister: Cotton volunteered to avert this.
  • Deadly Game: The Hunger Games.
  • Death From Above: The unidentified "sky mutt".
  • Depraved Homosexual: Antony. Oh dear god Antony.
  • Disproportionate Retribution: A Capitol citizen sneaks into the big pre-Games party. The Gamemakers' response? Reduce her to a bloody, inhuman-looking stain on the floor. And from what it sounded like, do it very slowly.
  • Don't Go in The Woods: Or, preferably, don't go into the games at all. The woods promise a particularly spectacular variety of horrors, however, considering the author's style.
  • Doorstopper: If this thing was in print form, picking it up could probably break your arm.
  • Dramatic Ellipsis: Vivid is fond of these.
  • Driven to Suicide: Galaxy.
  • Driven to Villainy: Natalia.
  • Drowning My Sorrows: At least one of the mentors, Vernon.
  • Duel to the Death: For rather obvious reasons.
  • Dying Alone: Julian dies, starving and face down in the mud, alone.
  • Dying as Yourself: Jason knows that should he survive he most certainly become a psychopathic murderer like his mentor Antony, so he invokes this.
  • Dysfunction Junction
  • Earn Your Happy Ending: If you want to survive, twenty-three other more-or-less innocent children have to die. Achieving this is a slow and painful process.
  • Early-Bird Cameo: Future tributes or their families of the sequel 'the Vicious Games' pop up here and there.
  • Electronic Eyes: Iilvsea has a sniper's crosshair in her right eye instead of a pupil/iris.
  • Embarrassing Tattoo: Cotton has a nice embarrassing unicorn tattoo on her hip.
  • Emotional Fainting: Britney fainted on stage, causing her to miss her final goodbye to her family.
  • Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: Subverted with Vince. Like, subverted hard.
  • Everything's Worse with Bears: One District 10 mentor won by riding in on a bear mutt and massacring his opponents.
    • The arena sports trees with Bear markings. The tributes are rightfully terrified. Particularly once Jasse is mauled to death.
  • Evil Laugh: Vince has one.
  • Evilly Affable: Iilvsea Crane seems to be an embodiment this trope.
  • Eyes Always Shut: Has Iilvsea opened her eyes wider than a crack yet?
  • Eye Scream: When the bear got Jasse, it chewed through his eyeball.
  • Family-Unfriendly Death: Every. Freaking. One!
  • Fingore: Evon's hands.
  • First Kiss: Cotton/Vinel share theirs during the Shock Party.
  • Five-Bad Band
  • Flirty Stepsiblings: Monty and Eresenda, although he's Oblivious to Love for most of it, and it's a rather angsty version.
  • For Want of a Nail: Katniss is killed by a sniper rather than allowed to win with Peeta, ensuring that the rebellion failed and the Capitol continues to reign supreme.
  • Freudian Excuse: Subverted. Vince's mother murdered his father, but he's not evil because of it. It just makes her the target of his murderous insanity. Hopefully, for the sake of the readers' delicate compositions, we'll never learn how that came about.
  • Fridge Horror: If making a barely-teenage girl show off her underwear on national television is sweet and innocent, what on earth do they consider racy?
  • Friend to All Children: Ferroh makes a point of saying he has a soft spot for younger tributes.
  • Gender Blender Name: George the escort. The female escort.
  • Gentle Giant: Ferroh is awfully intimidating, but awfully kind, when he's not going a bit crazy.
    • Diego is often described as large, but is hardly violent.
  • Genki Girl: Francesca is very energetic and talkative.
  • Get It Over With: How Jason greets the Career group. They mistakenly think it's a trap.
  • Go Out with a Smile: Jason dies smiling, proud of how 'this is ending'.
  • Good Scars, Evil Scars: Marshall has a nice long one running down the side of his face. Whether it's a good or an evil scar is undetermined.
  • Gorn: The author has professed her deep fondness for violence and gore. If it's not fun for the readers, it's fun for her at the very least.
  • Groin Attack: Monty deals one to Vinel while escaping the cornucopia.
    • One is also employed against Cotton.
  • Guys Smash, Girls Shoot: Played with. The majority of the males use swords, lances and poles and at least two of the girls (Ari Saint-Claire and Minerva Nanaia) use bows and arrows, but there are several aversions.
  • Hair of Gold: Liotta.
  • Hangover Sensitivity: Ava comments that Holland struggles through his interview because of his hangover.
  • Has Two Mommies: Assorted ones of the characters have lesbian guardians. It must be a Capitol thing.
  • The Hedonist: Francesca's only focus in life is being happy and having fun, even in the days between her reaping and the beginning of the Games.
  • Heroes Prefer Swords: Averted, Natalia is no hero.
  • Hidden Depths: The mentors are slowly, begrudgingly revealing theirs.
  • Home Base: The dome made of roses for the Capitol-career group.
  • Horned Hairdo: Ares the Gamemaker fashions his hair into ram horn.
  • Howl of Sorrow: Markie does this when taken away from Liotta, apparently knowing his master might not coming home. She isn't.
  • Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: Ferroh and Faye-Anna, Diego and Koriana.
  • Hypocrite: Some of the kids behave this way towards the Quell, but Sapphire takes honorable mention for crying about how unfair the Games she'd supported her whole life were to her mentor who cut off both his legs to feed his allies back during his Hunger Games.
  • I Know Karate: Most of the tributes have some sort of skill that could potentially help them in the arena.
    • Jasse actually does know martial arts. Doesn't help him much when he's assaulted by a bear mutt.
  • I Just Want to Be Normal: Ari really would rather not be a pop star, thank you very much.
  • It's Quiet... Too Quiet: Courtesy of Vince, we have

"To be honest I was expecting more ferocious muttations, this being a Quarter Quell and all, but it's been rather quiet so far. Almost too quiet."

  • I Will Protect Her: Laco's entire point of existence.
    • Brandit also seems to feel this way about Natalia.
  • Ice Queen: Natalia, probably of the Deadpan Snarker or the Alpha Bitch variety.
  • Infant Immortality: Very, very averted. The whole point of the series is killing fictional children (and the odd young adult)).
  • Incredibly Lame Pun: The escort Boo jumps out on stage dressed like a ghost to make her entrance. Ha. Ha. Ha. Overlaps with Punny Name, for that scene alone.
    • The Gamemaker Ares wears his hair style after ram horns.
  • It's All About Me: Idola somehow jumps to the conclusion that the Quarter Quell announcement party was canceled because she fainted.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Several, including mentors like Eden and tributes like Natalia.
  • Just Friends: Francesca and Holland.
  • Kaleidoscope Eyes: Marshall.
  • Kick the Dog: Evon is practically turning into a punching bag for unfortunate events...
  • Kidanova: Julian.
  • Kill'Em All: Ninety-five percent of the main characters are doomed by default.
  • Killed Off for Real: All but one of the tributes.
  • Kill the Cutie: Liotta.
  • Kill the Ones You Love: Allies, romantic interests, etc., all have to die if you want to survive. Even then, your parents and loved ones at home are immediately at risk if you refuse to comply with the Capitol's demands.
  • La Résistance: Ari is secretly a member of one.
    • There are members of an Anti-Hunger Games group who infiltrate the party. Two get killed.
  • Loads and Loads of Characters
  • The Lost Lenore: Namer, missing and presumed dead.
  • Lottery of Doom: The reaping.
  • Love At First Sight: Subverted. Vinel says he was waiting to just know when he met a girl. He tells Cotton that this was the case when he met her, but others are not shy about informing her he's more fond of his engaged District partner.
  • Love Triangle: Minerva, Vinel and Cotton
  • Lyrical Dissonance: Natalia singing a song about loyally standing by someone for the purpose of outdoing Ari Saint-Claire. Natalia's not really big on loyalty that interferes with her agenda.
  • Mad Doctor: Doctor Galen seems to reek of this trope.
  • Meaningful Name: Word of God states that the twin Gamemakers 'Winn' and 'Remy' are named after the gun companies Winchester and Remington.
    • Galen is the name of the Mad Doctor character, and also an historical doctor and philosopher.
    • Ari means Lion. Namer means Leopard. Coincidence?
      • And Laco is patterned with Zebra stripes. Animal symbolism?
    • One of the Gamemakers is named 'Pestil'. Seeing as that particular Gamemaker is a withered old man, it's not much of a jump between 'Pestil' and 'Pestilence' - the name of one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
    • Vociferor means 'shout'. Naturally, Varro Vociferor is a loudmouth TV presenter.
  • Mercy Kill: Brandit finishing off Jason.
    • And then subverted. Julian can't bring himself to kill Jasse.
  • Mismatched Eyes: Cotton.
  • Missing Mom: Julian. Though he doesn't seem to really care.
    • Also Jason, who does seem to care.
  • Mistaken for Gay: Holland.
  • Moment of Silence: Brandit has one for Jason.
  • Mood Whiplash: The Gamemakers have called Evon up to speak with her about her hands! Yes! They're going to heal her! Now she'll have a chance! Now they- will tell her they will not be fixing her hands because her status as a human being has been revoked. Uh...
    • Ferroh and Faye-Anna are having a fluffy moment for their budding alliance by Ferroh piggybacking Faye-Anna to the training centre for a bandage. What's that moving pile of flesh on the ground...?
  • Morality Pet: Faye-Anna to Ferroh. Invoked word-for-word, and quite intentionally.
    • Liotta/Lily to Vince. Might have been a Morality Chain, if he didn't murder her himself.
  • Never a Self-Made Woman: Zigzagged. Many of the characters first focus on the fact that Iilvsea's grandfather was Head Gamemaker before her, but she's proven to be a quite monstrous and creative Gamemaker in her own right.
  • Never Got to Say Goodbye: Britney, who only woke up from her faint after she'd been taken away from her family to die. Zig-Zagged in that she hasn't died yet, but probably will, still without saying goodbye. Played straight, she's dead.
    • Marshall, whose father forbid the family from seeing him.
    • Koriana, whose parents just plain old didn't show up.
    • Diego, whose aunt was killed sometime before/during the reaping.
  • No Kill Like Overkill: Don't get on Iilvsea Crane's bad side. Just don't.
  • Nobody Poops: Subverted. Vinel explicitly states they're all holding off on going to the bathroom in fear of being attacked while relieving themselves.
  • Non-Action Guy: Holland.
  • No Party Like a Donner Party: The mentor Nikolai cut off his legs to feed his allies when he was in the Hunger Games.
  • Obfuscating Innocence: Vince is not as shy and meek as he seems.
  • Odd Friendship: Marshall, Montserrat and Diego.
  • Oh Crap: Ferroh's immediate reaction to realizing just how fast that deer was.
  • Ojou: Ari has this air to her, and is certainly respected by most of the other characters.
  • Older Than They Look: Liotta looks to be about eight years old, despite being of reaping age.
  • One-Scene Wonder: Notably subverted. While many stories with that number of characters will give only a reaping chapter and maybe a pre-Games perspective to each, each character gets a reaping of thousands upon thousands of words, and multiple perspective before the beginning of the Games, just in case.
  • Only One Name: Diego.
  • OOC Is Serious Business: The narrative makes sure to mention that Iilvsea fully opens her eyes as the Games begin.
  • Original Character: Twenty-four tributes, their friends, families, townspeople, past victors- then Capitolites including escorts, media personalities, gamemakers and politicians. A lot.
  • Overly Long Name: Francesca Emmeline von Bardot.
    • Montserrat Pierre de Saint-Phillipe.
  • Painting the Fourth Wall: Expect particularly sing-song lines to be accompanied by a pretty little tilde.
  • Panty Shot: Koriana's costume for the chariot ride has her underwear on full display. Apparently to show her 'innocent side'.
  • Pet the Dog: Natalia gets a moment like this with Brandit towards the end of the party. He even muses that it's interesting to see her vulnerable side.
    • Julian to "Julia" the Avox as well, although he inadvertently causes her execution.
  • Peek-a-Bangs: Evon.
  • Plucky Girl: Francesca. It's an ice cave! They've gotta check it out!
  • Purple Eyes: Sapphire and Holland, although it's quite possible they are unnatural in both cases.
  • Quick Nip: Idola has one before the Quell card is read out.
  • Rape as Drama: The attempted rape of Ferroh's friend Ashen, in his backstory.
  • Rapunzel Hair: Liotta's parents make her grow this as part of her angel image.
    • Galaxy has this as well.
  • Realistic Diction Is Unrealistic: To a much lesser degree than in much fiction. While most dialogue between characters is spotless, the narrators' thoughts often include pauses and stuttering, especially when something surprising has just occurred.
  • Really Gets Around: Vinel and Julian and hinted to be like this.
  • Reckless Gun Usage: Evon shouldn't have tried to take that old gun along. She ends up reaped, disfigured, hated, and succeptible to Dr. Galen's offer...
  • Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Cotton pulls one of these after Vinel skips out on her.
  • Scary Black Man: How many of the contestants see Ferroh.
  • Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Evon tries to run away from the Capitol on reaping day with her father's antique gun. It didn't end well.
    • Jasse tries leaving the careers this way. on the way, he gets eaten by a bear.
  • Shipper on Deck: Laco's stylist isn't insinuating that he and Ari would make a cute couple. Of course she isn't! Don't be ridiculous. But she is awfully pretty, don't you think, dear?
  • Shock Party: As if being forced to attend a party celebrating a Blood Sport you yourself have been chosen to participate in, Ferroh and Faye-Anna get the added experience of running into three of the Gamemakers standing over the mutilated body of a party crasher.
  • "Shut Up" Kiss: Vinel pulls this on Cotton. It's also their first kiss.
  • Signature Style: Vividly Visceral is quite fond of tildes, ellipses, and dashes.
  • Single-Minded Twins: The Creepy Twins Winn and Remy move in synchronisation and often speak the exact same lines in unison.
  • So Happy Together: Minerva and Vidar had been planning their wedding. Then Minerva got reaped...
  • Stalker with a Crush: Depending on how you look at Laco's interest in Ari, it comes off as this sometimes, especially in the beginning.
  • Stepford Smiler: Iilvsea. She's usually polite and smiling, even while she's torturing people to death.
  • Streetwalker: It takes a second to notice, but this is Gleda Raine's profession.
  • Slasher Smile: Antony, a District 1 mentor, is described as having one.
    • Iilvsea may also count, considering.
  • Switching POV: As with most SYOC stories.
  • Taking the Bullet: Diego throws himself over his allies and takes a barrage of bee stings for them.
  • Tears of Joy: When Minerva receives a gift of food from a sponsor, this is her reaction.
  • Tears of Remorse: Possibly Iilvsea Crane after Koriana's song.
  • Technicolor Eyes: A common Capitol alteration.
  • Teens Are Monsters: When forced into it, kids in the Hunger Games are willing to kill. Sometimes eager.
  • Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: The Capitol-Careers. It doesn't last long.
  • Theme Naming: The stories in the series are all "The *insert seven-lettered word here* Games.
  • There Can Only Be One
  • There Is No Kill Like Overkill
  • Too Dumb to Live: Ari stops her ally from killing Vince, falling completely from his overly childish behavior.
  • True Companions: Marshall, Diego and Montserrat's alliance.
  • Tsundere: Natalia toward Brandit, and also Cotton for Vinel.
  • Two First Names: Faye-Anna Cholores.
  • Umbrella Drink: Ferroh and his friends have a few of these before the reaping.
  • Unfortunate Names: A VERY good portion of the escorts. Special mention goes to 'Quiche'.
  • Unnamed Parent: Several, including more than a few unnamed siblings.
  • Was It Really Worth It?: Is becoming a murderer and possibly a nightmare-hounded, alcoholic, drug-abusing Sex Slave worth winning?
  • Wham! Line: "-they're sending Capitol kids!"
    • An exchange between Iilvsea Crane and Evon:

"...why...-why can't you do something-?"
"Because you are no longer of human status."

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