Julius’ Parade entry/project! I didn’t have any time to make a thumbnail so I’ll add one later! Julius’ costume is basically just what a magician would wear lol, but he also has contacts that make his eyes glow to reflect his district This got a bit long so I’m sorry about that </3 I can remove some parts if it’d be easier to read through ━─━────༺༻────━─━ It had taken /hours/ to get ready for the Parade. Honestly, his outfit wasn’t even that complex! The Capitol cats had spent most of their time fussing over his fur, making sure his outfit (and him) were completely spotless, he was healthy, yada, yada, yada. That being said, Julius truly thought it was worth it. He looked amazing, oh, he was fully confident in that. He was even more confident in his ability to charm the crowd while on his parade chariot! The Capitol fashion-connoisseurs were adamant on giving him both a reflection of his personality and his district, adorning him in a costume representing both a magician and the technology aspects of District 3. Now that the Parade float aspect was over, and the flashing lights and fast-paced waves and cheers and celebration had passed, Julius was almost filled to the brim with adrenaline. Oh, to wave and smile and work with a crowd! He loved it! He adored it! There was frankly, nothing better than socializing with others. Sure, maybe it wasn’t really /socializing/, more-so being an object to the Capitol—no, no. Not here. Not now. Shaking his head as if to get rid of the grim thoughts that almost wormed their way into his mind, Julius prepared to end the Parade here…only for shining holographic cats to fill the streets and rush the edges of his chariot, bombarding him with queries and compliments and endless chattering. They gazed upon him and his star-speckled chariot with wide and curious eyes, begging to interact with the tribute they supported. Feeling a smile pull the ends of his mouth upwards, Julius flashed the technological Capitol supporters he had a toothy grin, eyes both metaphorically and literally glowing green with joy and charisma. He had to thank the Capitol cats for giving him glowing contacts—they chose it to showcase District 3’s technology related skills, and thankfully, it was quite fitting for this neon-themed Parade. The holographic felines had their eyes upon him in adoration. In hopes their tribute would win. In hopes they would win their bet. Waving to the crowd, Julius made sure to drop compliments. Ones that felt personal, too. Anyone could say a simple, fake compliment. But to say something that made them feel involved? That was important. “Oh, you all look glorious! You guys might even look better than me!” He called out to the gathering cats with a laugh as he passed them, making sure his gaze didn’t linger on any one cat too long. Give them all attention. “You are all /so/ lovely. When I’m in that arena, my thoughts will be towards appreciating all of you.” He flashed a grin to a cat closest to them, and they cheered in response, seeming almost proud. The shine of blue eyes staring intently at him caught his gaze and he glanced towards them, a smile wide on his face, before glancing away. “You know…” he began, looking around at the hologram cats watching him. They peered up with interest, waiting eagerly for him to finish. “When I win the Games, it will be all thanks to you. All of your support means the /world/ to me,” he placed a paw on his heart to emphasize this point, “and I will be eternally grateful to everyone. When I win, you guys will win too!” He earned a few ‘aww’s’ and cheers in the audience, those blue eyes showing up once more in the corner of his vision. “You’ll win too because you all are going to be the /reason/ I won! Not only that, but when I win, I will personally thank anyone who supported me,” he grinned, eyes sparkling in genuine pride for his supporters. Noticing that he had the undivided attention of them now, he decided to go for another charm. Raising his paws in the air as though finishing a show, he burst out, “/You/ are what’s important to me! All of you are what’s important to me, and don’t forget that.” Chuckling, he added, “I’m sure you won’t! But, I will forever repeat how much I appreciate all of you, because you’re the reason I’ll do good in that arena.” His voice rang out with confidence and charm. To add ever more onto his performance, he gave a bow, eyes twinkling and a grin plastered onto his face. As expected, his supporters cheered. [ Continued in Notes and Credits ]
Those blue eyes…he spotted them once more. They glinted with intrigue and was…was that a Capitol crest? Deciding he wasn’t /quite/ done (although he was starting to notice he was likely nearing the end of the Parade) he straightened up, drawing himself to his full height. “I give my kudos to all of you! I promise I will give you all the /show/ of a lifetime in return for your support.” With that, he tipped his top-hat to the crowd, holographic stars and constellations flying out of it. (Kudos to the Capitol fashion-experts). Making eye contact with the blue eyed cat in the crowd, Julius winked at them with mixed mischief and charm. Returning his magician’s hat to his head, the cart he was situated on was pulled away from the crowd, the amount of cats slowly dispersing until the Parade came to a close.