A/N: Hello, Shibuya here with a new SYOT! Set in an AU where the rebellion never transpired, things are plugging along as they have for the past 99 years in Panem. Unfortunate, but what can you do?

Tribute submissions are currently open until the end of March - or until I get enough tributes. The form can be found on my profile! Please PM the form to me after you finish it. You're allowed to submit up to two tributes! More rules can be found on my profile as well.

Lark Austen, Avox, age 27

If you asked Lark, the Hunger Games were far past the point of ever ending. Any chance the Districts had at rebelling successfully was gone. Because now the Games were essential to Panem's world. If they changed the calendar so it centered around the Games, she wouldn't be surprised.

And she realized this not very long ago. She had been passing by the bedroom door of President Sable's daughter when she caught part of a conversation the little girl was having with a friend.

"Do you think you'd ever want to marry a victor?" the friend asked. "I've heard it happens!"

"What? No, of course not!" was Cassia Sable's reply. "Even if he won, he's still from one of the Districts. And everybody knows they smell weird - even the victors."

The two then giggled, causing Lark to wince. Their laughter was shrill. How could they hold such frivolous discussions, as if the scarred winners of the Hunger Games were normal celebrities? She crept closer to the door when the two settled down, wanting to know what else they had to say. She was curious what the kids in the Capitol thought of the Games.

"I wanna marry the boy who won last year," the daughter's friend continued. "You remember him, right? Virgil from District Two?"

"Oh, I remember him," Cassia said. She sounded playfully bitter. "He's the one who killed my favorite girl off!"

"Well, she had it coming. Maris wasn't nearly as strong as he was. She didn't even make it to the Feast!"

"And whose fault is that?"

"Her own?"

"No, Virgil's!"

More laughter.

Lark's hands had formed fists by now, and her face was turning red. Despite years of being an Avox, the Capitol's ignorance still caught her off guard every so often. And it was usually when a Capitol child expressed joy and excitement when it came to the Hunger Games. After all, it wasn't the kids' faults they found the event so thrilling. Their parents were the ones who instilled that in them.

She sighed. It was a shame, but there was nothing she could do about it. So with that, Lark turned away from the door and padded off.

Yes, if you asked her, she'd say there was no hope for the Districts. Perhaps there used to be a time when they had a chance, but by now it was too late. The spectacle that was the Hunger Games had snowballed into something too great for anyone to stop.

Not that she could say anything about it. Having no way to speak ensured she'd stay silent forever.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this tiny filler chapter. I promise chapters actually featuring the tributes will be longer. That being said, Lark will be a returning character, so you'll get to learn more about her personality and backstory over time.

I hope to see your tributes soon and may the odds be ever in your favor!