Azuria Barslow

Master of Ceremonies. 18 years old.


"What if I back down now,

'cause I'm afraid of what might happen,

What if they turn away,

when I show them who I truly am?"


Azuria Barslow had never been so nervous.

As her first year being Master of Ceremonies due to Caesar Flickerman retiring, she was expected to make a great show, so that everyone in Panem couldn't resist turning on their TV and tuning into her channel.

Her job at the moment was to interview last year's Victor, Lynx Maybelle.

Easy. She told herself. Take it easy.

Even as she tried to assure herself, pressure got the best of her. But she couldn't do anything about it.

The cameraman nodded to the young woman. "You're on in thirty seconds."

Azuria anxiously reached down to smoothen her snowflake white skater dress. She fiddled with the laurel wreath accessory in her hair. Twenty seconds.

She twisted her silver bracelet around her wrist. Ten seconds.

The young woman took a deep breath at exactly zero seconds and raced across the stage. The moment the audience had a view of her, the screams and cheers were deafening. Azuria resisted the urge to throw up, instead opting to flash her blinding white smile and held her microphone closer up to her face.

"Good evening, Panem!" Azuria yelled into the device. She waited for the crowd to calm down before continuing. "I'm Azuria Barslow, new Master of Ceremonies. The 76th Hunger Games is almost underway! And speaking of the Hunger Games, I'm here today with last year's Victor, Lynx Maybelle. In the 75th Hunger Games, Lynx braved the Quarter Quell where only 16 year olds were reaped. But this year she'll be mentoring. Give it up for District 10's Lynx Maybelle!"

On cue, the female Victor stepped out from the wings and onto the stage. She was dressed in a turquoise blue floor length gown, complete with gold jewelry. There were no signs of the scars Lynx had received during her time in the arena. Her waist length dark brown hair was twisted up into an intricate bun.

"Nice to see you, Lynx!" Azuria said cheerfully, and gestured to the love seats behind her. They both took their places in the chairs before the Capitol female continued to interview.

"How are you feeling this year, now that you have to mentor two tributes going into the arena?"

Lynx just snorted and rolled her eyes. "Let them die. Being a Victor isn't something you want to be."

The Capitol looked shocked. Azuria tried to mask her surprise. "Why would you say that?"

"You have to live with the blood of others on your hands."

The eighteen year old resumed the discussion, but inside, her head was spinning.

Maybe the Capitol wasn't as nice as she thought it was.


Later that night, Azuria entered her bedroom. She sat down at the desk she had there to think.

Her first gig hadn't done badly. At least, not to any Capitolite who was watching her. But to Azuria, she had finally understood something.

The Victors suffered. The Victors regretted.

And the Victors were people just like herself.

Even some teens who wanted to be Victors, such as the Careers, discovered that the life they were living was not what they wanted when it was too late. Their family would be dead. Their friends would be dead. Everyone they loved would be gone - and as Lynx said, they would have to live with the blood of others on their hands. She wondered how they even managed to sleep at night, through all the nightmares. Nightmares of the arena, tributes, and blood would haunt their minds.

Azuria came to a conclusion. The Hunger Games is wrong. The Capitol is wrong.

But if everything was wrong, what would be right?


Song(s) Used -

Azuria Barslow: "What If I Shine" (sung by Jordyn Kane)


Welcome to my SYOT! In this universe, Primrose Everdeen managed to win the 74th Hunger Games at 12 years old, becoming the youngest Victor ever, replacing Finnick Odair's spot. Meanwhile, the Games went on as usual. So, this is my first fanfic and first attempt at writing a SYOT! If you don't know what a SYOT is, it stands for "Submit Your Own Tribute". The form, rules, and open spots will be found on my profile. Please submit if you are reading this - and it would also really make my day if you review. Construction criticism is much appreciated, but please don't post a review just to be mean. I promise to never give up on this story. If I have to put it on hiatus for a while, I'll leave a note on my profile or let you know in some way. But I won't simply disappear. Also, keep in mind that I will only accept submissions through PM. I'm sorry, guest viewers, but I really do not want this story to be taken down.

Thank you for reading, and may the odds be ever in your favor!