- - - Cookie took a deep breath in. She wasn’t scared. She was rarely ever scared - but his was her chance to be in the spotlight, and it had to be perfect. She had to be beautiful. She had to be cool - so she was under pressure. If she could get sponsors, she could use them to help Cream win the games. /Or maybe help yourself?/ her inner voice questioned. She ran her hand over her hair, braided to look like railroad tracks, for what felt like the hundredth time. She resisted the urge to touch her face, which was covered with paint that would glow in the dark. /Hurry up and let me see my audience,/ she silently pleaded, impatient. By chance, her carriage moved forward. Her heart skipped a beat and she quickly put on an expression that said ‘I have something up my sleeve’, which she hoped she would by the end of this. Bursting into the darkness, all she could see was the faces of the many cats below her, lit up by their faint glow sticks. She revelled in the feeling. They were all looking up at her. They were in awe of her. She was standing tall on her carriage, which had no sides in order for the crowd to see the decorations they wore on their ankles. They had one wheel on each ankle. Each wheel had a wing attached and glowed bright gold, having been coated with the same special paint that was on their face and body. The effect was that they looked like they were floating on their winged wheels. She imagined how she must look to them - glowing with patterns. Her stylist had painted a bullet train on the sides of her body and numerous other patterns on her face, such as wheels, which would all be glowing neon colours. There was no denying that she was representing the transport district. Brightly painted tyres hung from their tail by glowing ropes, and their usual jewellery had been replaced by - who would have guessed - glow-in-the-dark versions. They must have truly seemed like a goddess of neon light to the faces below her. As the chariot whisked forward, she tried to make eye contact with as many cats as she could, offering a sly smile here and there. Then, far too soon, she had entered the curtains. She almost dropped her expression, but she realised the parade was not over. The new setting was bright and loud. This was her kind of party. She was almost... genuinely enjoying herself as her horse pulled her along. Their smile grew wider, more maniacal. Holograms were everywhere. They glitched through her carriage. All eyes were on them again, as they stood taller, prouder. They tried to meet as many of their gazes as they could. That's when she spotted a pair of piercing blue eyes. There was a Capitol cat in the crowd, scribbling furiously. A fun, almost rebellious idea came to mind. She waited for them to look up, and, holding their gaze, blew a kiss, then smiled coyly. She blew a few more to the holograms most eager to be close to them, holding each of their gazes wordlessly. No more. She had something else in mind, and she couldn't waste time. This was the moment she had been waiting for. She fought down her nerves and, with one leap, landed on the back of the black horse carrying the chariot. It was startled for a second, rearing up slightly. She fought the urge to dig into its back with her claws, as well as for balance. She would never live it down if she fell off. Luckily, the horse was well trained, and it soon resumed normality. Excitement seemed to ripple through the crowd. The horse’s back was incredibly unstable, and they bounced with every gallop, but the adrenaline was doing its job and her feet didn’t slip. Standing triumphantly, chest out, they tilted her head slightly to the sky. “MY NAME IS COOKIE,” they yelled with their most powerful voice. “BUT MY ENEMIES CALL ME COOKIE CUTTER.” They grinned and ran their tongue over their teeth. “I won’t be easy to miss in the arena.” She looked back and gave one last menacing smile, taking in the lights and the music, before passing through the final curtains. - - - cookie's designer: "WHEELS I NEED WHEELS" this is definitely my craziest parade outfit cookie cutter lol PS whenever a character is complementing their designer aren't we just complimenting ourselves /lh /j I had fun drawing the cats in the background with the glowsticks. I was kind of tired after drawing cookie so I went with something simple and I like it. It's a lotta blue, green, and pink but I mean if the motif is there it's there ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
