They were just children. I put on a mask of a perfect Capitolite. My father ran the games: how could I complain. I couldn't rock the boat. I was just a woman.

The Capitol, on the outside looks picture perfect. Everyone smiling and no one is ever afraid or alone. But in reality, it's a cold, dark sexist place. It's everyone for themself and people will do anything to survive.

My father was a cold man. He never lay a finger on me, or my younger sister, but I caught him glaring. We weren't the male heirs he wanted and there was nothing we could do.

It's no surprise that my sister had crippling anxiety sand I always suspected she used drugs to mask her feelings. When she turned 18 she left home for good. She went off the map completely.

My family put on a mask of concern, pretended to look for her. But no one except I really cared. We held her memorial a month after she went missing. It was in a big marble room and my father gave a speech.

It was a beautiful speech but he may as well have been hurling poison.

I honestly had no hopes for my future after that. I kept my head down for 10 years, not speaking a word that wasn't perfectly scripted.

When father died, with mother soon following, I wasn't the first choice to become president. Not that I cared. I didn't want the job. The Capitolite's wanted to vote but my father's will was clear. It had to be a family member of his, and since he had no siblings he had no Nephew's that could take over.

So the task fell onto me. I was 34 at the time, although years of forced surgery left me looking like I was in my early 20's. I was the exact stereotype of a weak woman, unable to handle the power.

And that's exactly what I was.

So when the Quarter Quell came out, proclaiming in black and white that only twn Tributes would be used, there were rumours in the Capitol.

Rumours that I was too weak to stomach death. That I had faked the announcement. (Extensive research into President Cornelius Snow's presidency showed that if true I would have not been the first to do so.)

But I hadn't.

However the rumour that I may have done so would not leave. Throughout the Quell, I was mocked by many reporters for being so weak. There was nothing I could say or do and the words seemed to follow me around like a dark shadow.

Finally, I decided enough was enough. So I take my pen off of this page and I implore to you, whoever is reading this, likely a Peacekeeper investigating the lack of communication to bring this to the light.

I am leaving you the last words I ever write. I hope you decide to share this, to stop being the cowards the District's believe you- us to be.

Signed-

President Catharina Strauss

I so want to do a perfect SYOT. No long waits between each update, no getting unmotivated. Just a perfect run, start to finish. But however, I realise that to do that I need to have tributes... something I struggle to get.

Perhaps this is my own fault, my writing isn't the... best, which I can acknowledge. However I really do care about this and I decided the best way to do this would be to only have about 10 tributes.

So that's what I'm going to do.

I hope my prologue has intrigued you to submit to this SYOT although I understand if you don't want to. (Wow, Nargie, self loathing is reallllly gonna help you here.) I hope to get all 10 submissions soon so I can start.

I struggled to decide how to split this up, but ultimately I decided that there is a slot for each district except nine and ten, chosen as they are the Districts most tend to find boring as we have the least amount of information about them. As most submit girls, gender doesn't matter, although if you choose to submit a boy, it would be awesome.

Please don't submit a Mary Sue/Gary Stu. If I get more than one submittion to the same District, the first Submitter will get the chosen District and the second will get their backup.

I chose even numbers so there can be up to two careers, although if you want the slot from two or four and decide to not make them a career that's also completely fine because character diversity y'all.

As I struggle to imagine a world where 10 people willingly give up a tribute they worked hard on (SHUT UP NARGIE) to me, you can have up to two slots.

Form

Name: (A district relation would be good, please no Bob's for District Two)

Age:

Birthday:

Religion:

District:

Sex:

Gender, if different from Sex:

Sexuality:

Appearence:

Faceclaim: (Mandatory, although please make it age appropriate, meaning NO 30 YEAR OLDS)

Personality:

Backstory:

Family:

Friends:

Sense of style:

Favourite colour: (I'm English if you hadn't guessed,)

Talent:

Favourite thing about their self:

Least Favourite thing about their self:

Deepest fear:

Dream:

Fatal flaw:

What would they wear to their reaping:

What would their ideal chariot Outfit be:

What would their horror chariot Outfit be:

What would their ideal interview Outfit be:

What would their horror interview Outfit be:

Reaped or volunteer:

What were they doing before the reapings:

Would they have Allies:

How close would they get with their allies:

Are they likely to survive the bloodbath:

How do you imagine them dying:

Character arc idea: (not mandatory, but each of the characters will have one of these and if you have an idea for one please share,)

What do they focus on in training:

What would their Score be: (subject to getting higher or lower)

How did they get this score:

Previous training:

Ratings: (from 1-10)

How smart are they:

Subcategories (1-5- sorry if that's annoying/confusing)

English:

Maths:

Science:

Memory:

How athletic are they:

How flexible are they:

How friendly are they:

How honest are they:

How trusting are they:

Taken/Open Slots:

District 1- Jasmine Ametrine- Female

District 2 Romulus Smyth- Male

District 3 Saxia Masone- Female

District 4 Nimue Killick- Female

District 5 June Penumbra- Female

District 6 Chevy Chase- Male

District 7 Kive Oakemarke- Male

District 8 Tweed Helvy- Male

District 9- Reserved

District 10 Aqua CollinsWorth- Female

District 11 Oliver Gunrass- Male

District 12 Ash Carbo Smith- Male

NOTE: I'm not taking anymore guest submittions

If you've been willing to fill all that in, thank you so much. I hope you continue to read my story and even enjoy it. My birthday is March the 18th and whilst I can't promise, I will attempt to finish around then.

Thank you all, and even if you don't want to submit, I hope you think about reading. I am off to plan out the arena, uniforms and that sort of stuff. I hope to have another prologue chapter up soon.

I know 10 is a weird number, but 6 is too small and 12 feels too big and I like even numbers more than odd numbers- plus I'm in year 10 so... yeah...