Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games and its story structure.
It is late at night when Doctor Florentine Flores, the current president of Panem, watches a show in which she can see stuntmen doing the trapeze above flames. She stretches her arm to her nearby bedside table to get her glass of champagne. She chugs it all down, as it is the last that she would want to drink for the night. She continues to watch the stuntmen play above the fire, when a trick on live television goes wrong. Loud gasps and screams can be heard from the TV. This gave Doctor President an idea to make the next hunger games more exciting. As she switches the TV off, she grabs her mobile phone to jot down an idea she suddenly thinks of before hitting the hay. She claps her hands to switch the lights off. Taking out her eye mask, she wears it while positioning herself properly on her fiery-looking bed. After all, Doctor President loves fire to a passion!
After the Snow dynasty was overthrown, the succeeding presidents continued the tradition of the hunger games. More uprisings happened between this time and the end of the Snow dynasty, but all of which ended unsuccessfully. Katniss Everdeen was by far the strongest and most daring rebel in the history of Panem after the Dark Days. Ever since she was assassinated by a deranged Capitolite fan, former president Coriolanus Snow's succedent announced the continuation of the hunger games tradition. Needless to say, this angered most of the people living outside the Capitol, but those people are powerless compared to the president. Politics have also changed ever since. Each president after the Snow dynasty has been allowed a minimum of five years of presidency. Furthermore, each president may only run for re-election once, giving some presidents a maximum of a decade as President of Panem.
Doctor Flore, as how she was called before her presidency, was living in the Capitol since birth. She had one goal in life since childhood – to become the greatest doctor or scientist in Panem. During her late 20's and early 30's, she considered herself successful enough, as she had developed new medicine, new methods, and new ideas that inspired the youth. Medical technology was booming after her rise. Due to her fame, the president at that time gave her a cabinet position, obviously related to health and medicine. She did not desire to be involved in politics; it was never her dream. Several years after, peer pressure from many Capitolites convinced her to run for presidency as an independent candidate. Ultimately, she won by a hair, by less than ten votes. Recounting of ballots were done countless times, and her rival, Victron van Gothen, could not accept his loss, thus he resolved himself to suicide. Doctor Flore was going to give him a cabinet position eventually as a consolation prize, but alas he took his own life.
On Doctor President's first four years of presidency, she didn't know what to do. In fact, she was only a cabinet secretary for two years. Nevertheless, with the guidance of Vice President Makker de Kabaitan, Panem resolved some issues outside the Capitol. Ever since the end of the Snow dynasty, the outlying districts of Panem were slowly rising from poverty. Doctor President only made this better by improving the health conditions in the nation.
During the hunger games of her first year as president, she did not have any high expectations from the gamemakers, thus she did not demand anything from them. Unfortunately, the head gamemaker she appointed was a young and unexperienced one, thus the games that year was probably the slowest in the history of the hunger games. It lasted for 61 days, exactly two months. It wasn't even a quarter quell with more than the standard twenty-four tributes. It was an ordinary year with a few skilled tributes and a stupid set of careers. After the bloodbath, the next tribute killed was already in Day 5 of the games. People were getting bored, or worried in the perspective of people outside the Capitol. Doctor President didn't want to demand the gamemakers, but even they did not think of the viewers. The games that year was not rushed at all. There were mutts and natural disasters that year, but after they were foiled, the gamemakers had no back-up plan. As pathetic as the situation was, even the vice president had no idea what to demand to the gamemakers. In the end, the games came to a close when the arena started collapsing, because it wasn't meant to last too long anyway. Due to this flop, the head gamemaker resigned from his position. Doctor President had to appoint someone else, a former classmate of hers, into the position as head gamemaker. He was more experienced than the previous head gamemaker, and so he made the games more and more exciting after one of the worst games ever. This year, however, Doctor President has finally established an idea about a small twist in this year's games.
As the sun shines brightly throughout Panem, Doctor President enters her office in an energetic fashion. As she sits down in her presidential seat, she finger-combs her amber, pixie cut hair. She takes out a mirror from her bag and uses it to help her apply her glossy pink lipstick. She looks at both of her sparkling blue eyes and the graying hair from her mirror. She knows she's getting old, but she has already achieved so much in life. At the age of 50, becoming president colored her life even more. Now that she's 54, going 55, she knew her presidency is about to end. She said she would not be running for re-election, as it has stressed her even more than she had ever expected. She fixes the sleeves of her white lab coat. It has "Florentine F. Flores, M.D." on one side and then the seal of the President of Panem on the other. Even though she's already president, a select few still come to her clinic, beside her presidential office, to have a medical consultation with her. As she raises her feet on the tabletop, a set of knocks from the door forces her to put her feet back down.
"Come in!" she says in her naturally British accent.
It is none other than Vice President Makker who opens the door. Makker has an African-American descent. He has a shiny bald head despite him being a decade younger than Doctor President. He wears a pair of eyeglasses, and is muscular compared to most politicians in history. He wears an evening blue blazer and a blood red necktie. As he approaches Doctor President, he shows her a folder with some documents.
"Makker, darling, come take a seat," she says. "We need to talk."
Makker replies with "Yes doc." before returning to the door to close it properly. He comes back to the seat in front of the presidential table.
"Doc," he starts. "Alistair wanted me to give you this."
He gives her the folder containing the a formal letter from Head Gamemaker Alistair, a map of the prepared arena, and other details of the scope.
"Interesting," responds Doctor President. She goes through the map of the arena to see four quadrants divided by a "centerpiece" about the size, if not larger, than the other four sections. She stares at the map intriguingly as she shares the info with VP Makker.
"Makker, darling," she says. "I would love to know your opinion."
"What is it, doc?" he asks.
She pauses for a while before saying slowly, "What do you think about having stuntmen play roles in the arena for this year's hunger games."
He thinks for a moment, before she continues, "I think – we should give these stuntmen an incentive." She pauses to think once again as she stands up and walks around, before continuing with, "We will award one million dollars IF the stuntman stays alive in the whole duration of the hunger games." She continues walking around, and decides to get the TV remote. She goes back to her seat and continues slowly, "Else, at least we've given them a chance to participate in the hunger games, given special roles."
She turns on the TV, and they both see a commercial of different stuntmen performing the wildest stunts they've ever performed. She switches it off afterwards, not expecting the coincidence of the commercial.
"What do you think, darling?" Doctor President asks Makker.
Makker thinks for a moment before saying, "The idea could turn the tables of this year's games. I'd love to find out how things will turn out."
"Very well then! We shall spread the new through media," says Doctor President. "Makker, darling, please tell our lovely master of ceremonies, Isis, to spread the news." She goes to her bag and brings out a sheet of paper. She then says, "I have already prepared a letter this morning regarding this. Please give this to her before dusk."
She properly hands the paper to the vice president. He then replies with, "Yes, doc."
Later that evening, just before dinner, Doctor President turns on the TV to see Isis Ambergayle on the news channel, as she usually is. Isis has brown skin, brown eyes, and curly pink and blonde hair, though it was naturally straight black hair. At the age of 20, Doctor President is never disappointed at her skills as a journalist. She admires Isis on every shape and angle possible. She then listens attentively to what Isis is about to say.
"Calling all interested Capitolite stunt men and women. The president has an exciting program about role playing, and she wants YOU to be in this once in a lifetime opportunity. If you are interested, please send an email to our lovely President of Panem at doctorflore at panemail dot com. She will send you a soft copy of the application form."
Ah Isis! You never fail me. thinks Doctor President.
"On other news, the reapings for the next hunger games shall begin in less than a week. With that, may the odds be ever…"
"In your favor!" continues Doctor President together with Isis.
Last edited: 09/11/2016
AN:
Finally! I am starting a Hunger Games fanfic I have been wishing for since more than a year ago. I'm putting my TARP3 on hiatus because of this, but I believe that I may have more readers here than in my other ongoing fanfics.
The SYOT Submission Form is at tinyurl dot com slash PlatriumSYOT. It may be long, but please take your time and don't be intimidated by its length. I am still thinking whether I should make a submission form for the stunt people applying or not.
I want to warn my readers that I may not be fast in updating. If ever you are concerned with the progress of the next chapter, you may leave a review about it or PM me, then I will reply through PM. I will finish the story as long as I am motivated to do so, so please review as much as you can and submit tributes now as it motivates me to update. :)
By the way, I will be having a sponsor system for this SYOT. Please check my profile for the list.
May the odds be ever in your favor!~ :D