I do not own the Hunger Games.
Library of Panem Legislative Records - Audio File [Transcript]: Mayoral Committee, Motion 254: The Discontinuation of the Hunger Games - November 29th, Year 99
In attendance:
District Zero: Thaddeus Hyperion, Vice-President; Hephaestia Dorn, Mayor
District One: Spinel Creighton, Mayor
District Two: Xander Tourney, Mayor
District Three: Lucille Joule, Mayor
District Four: Byron Finlay, Mayor
District Five: Li Rainer, Mayor Elect
District Six: Malachi O'Neil, Mayor
District Seven: Uriah Hackett, Mayor
District Eight: Oriana Taite, Mayor
District Nine: Anders Macaulay, Mayor
District Ten: Michael Yu, Mayor
District Eleven: Layla Forsyth, Mayor
District Twelve: Kimber Ferron, Mayor
District Thirteen: Alma Coin, President; Yvonne Vectus, Mayor
Conversation begins at 1:01PM
Coin [13]: You all know why you're here, I presume. [Pause - indistinct mumbling] In any case, we will reiterate. You have been summoned to vote on Motion 254, which concerns the discontinuation of the Hunger Games. [Pause - indistinct shouting] Yes, we know the Games are a pillar of Panemian society, but times are changing. In fact, the times have already changed, and if we don't change with them, our nation will perish. The purpose of the Games has strayed from the founders' intent. It's become an unnecessary source of resentment - very dangerous, very volatile resentment - among the citizens, especially the poor and working class. For others, it's become a beacon of hope - false hope, but hope nonetheless. As we all know, the Games should inspire neither resentment nor hope. Rather, they should inspire fear, which in turn demands obedience. So, we believe that the funds normally allocated to the Games should instead go to feeding the destitute and strengthening peacekeeper forces. This will debase any unrest before it has the chance to metastasize.
Hyperion [0]: Ever since District Zero was required to start sacrificing tributes, the Games' entertainment value has plummeted. Once their own children are put in the ring, the fun ends. Personally, I think the Games have run their course, both in terms of politics and popular culture. At this point, they hurt more than they help. It would be unwise to continue them.
Dorn [0]: In fact, many citizens of District Zero never liked the Games, even before the Third Quarter Quell. The people who genuinely enjoyed the Games purely as entertainment were often seen as sadistic, or plain stupid. The idea that Capitolites enjoyed the Hunger Games was just propaganda that the old regime tried to push. Unsuccessfully, I might add. The betting, gambling, and sponsorship were the main attractions, at least for mainstream society. Just thought you'd like to know.
Hyperion [0]: Agreed. Now, as for the rest of you: please discuss.
[Pause]
Ferron [12]: Well, I think it's a great idea.
O'Neil [6]: Seconded.
Rainer [5]: Third..ed?
Tourney [2]: Hold the damn phone. Do you have any idea what sort of economic benefits the Games afford us? The influx of money and food from each victory is immeasurably helpful to my people.
Ferron [12]: Do you have any idea how much those Games cost? You could just take the money that usually goes to building the arena and paying all of the little worker bees, and instead of using it to kill kids, just split it up amongst the districts according to population. That way, even districts without academies could feed their citizens.
Tourney [2]: Or maybe you should encourage your children to actually win once in a while.
Macaulay [9]: Of course you would say that! Over the last ninety-nine years, you and the other Career districts have only become more and more powerful. The more you win, the richer you get, and the richer you get, the more you fund your academies, and while you're off doing that, we still have nothing. In fact, since our children don't have the head start that yours do, we have less than nothing. Don't you see the inherent unfairness of that system?
Tourney [2]: Life isn't fair.
Ferron [12]: What are you, eight years old? Life can't be summarized into some trite little phrase.
Tourney [2]: And what about the volunteers-in-waiting? They will have wasted their lives and money on a dream that will be snatched from them before they get the chance to fulfill it!
Hyperion [0]: Their tuition will be refunded in full, of course. As for their dreams of victory, there are many available avenues to success, more and more all the time.
Finlay [4]: If I may? [Pause] As a recognized Career district, I've seen firsthand the benefits that victors bring to the district. Food, money, attention, tourists, and the list goes on. But I've also seen, firsthand, the negative side of those victories. PTSD, alcoholism, suicidal episodes, broken families, broken minds. Not to mention the horrors endured by those who lose. I am very well-acquainted with the consequences of failure, and I wouldn't wish that pain on my worst enemy.
Tourney [2]: But can you say, with absolute certainty, that purging the bad is worth losing the good?
Finlay [4]: I lost my daughter to those wretched Games! How dare you tell me what's worth losing and what isn't?!
[Pause]
O'Neil [6]: We've all lost people to the Game, or at the very least seen the effect on the families and friends of the fallen tributes. As appointed leaders, we have been entrusted with the safety and well-being of our people. I cannot, in good conscience, deny the opportunity to bring this suffering to an end.
Ferron [12]: Of course, you are free to establish the Hunger Games in your district, Tourney. Then again, you might not have any residents left by the time next year rolls around.
Hyperion [0]: That's enough.
[Pause]
Hackett [7]: So we just stop the Hunger Games altogether? End it at Ninety-Nine?
Coin [13]: No. The Fourth Quarter Quell will be the last Game. We can't allow the populace to believe that we're doing this to sate them. They must believe that we're only doing this on a whim, as a show of our plentiful and largely unwarranted benevolence.
Joule [3] [aside, presumably to Taite]: Your thoughts?
Taite [8] [aside, presumably to Joule]: I think our children will look back on the century of the Games and wonder what the hell was wrong with us. That's my hope, at least.
Joule [3] [aside, presumably to Taite]: We are in agreement, then.
Tourney [2]: This is outrageous. How can you so easily throw away what is, arguably, Panem's most unifying tradition?
Macaulay [9]: What does it say about us that, as a nation, one of our greatest 'traditions' involves throwing our own children to the wolves?
Creighton [1]: He's right, Tourney. Fortune and glory are well and good, but this is one tradition that I'd gladly cut away. In this case, our culture is holding us back. We can be better. We can move on.
Forsyth [11]: We really can. The future starts now. I want something better for my family, for my district. For Panem.
[Pause]
Coin [13]: Does anyone else have something to say? [Pause] No? Then it's time to vote. Mayors of Panem, on the issue of Motion 254: The Discontinuation of the Hunger Games, what say you?
Dorn, Creighton, Joule, Finlay, Rainer, O'Neil, Hackett, Taite, Macaulay, Yu, Forsyth, Ferron, Vectus: Aye.
Coin [13]: Tourney?
[Pause]
Tourney [2]: I don't suppose you'll execute me for voting against you?
Coin [13]: Of course not. As you know, our power is no longer in question, thus we have moved beyond the need for such barbaric measures. Much like the implementation of the Hunger Games, only an insecure government requires violent and oppressive tactics to enforce their authority. You are free to express your true opinion.
Tourney [2]: Then I vote 'no'.
Hyperion [0]: Your token vote of dissent is duly noted.
Coin [13]: With a vote of 13 to 1, Motion 254 will proceed to the Higher Court, whereupon the Arch Judges shall incorporate it into the Coin-Hyperion agreement. Until then, plans for the Fourth Quarter Quell must be finalized. The meeting to decide the parameters for the last Game is currently set for December 3rd, though that date is subject to change. You will be promptly informed of any changes to the schedule. Thank you for your time. Meeting adjourned.
Library of Panem Public Records - Audio File Excerpt [Transcript]: President Coin's Fourth Quarter Quell Address - May 12th, Year 100
Speech begins at 12:00PM
Coin: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the One Hundredth Hunger Games. According to the Game charter, a Quarter Quell must be implemented every twenty-five years to remind each new generation of the districts' failed uprisings, and the needless suffering of the Dark Days. However, as Panem continues to reunify, it has become more and more apparent that the Hunger Games are largely needless, as well.
At the time of their implementation, they were justified and their purpose was clearly defined. But in the interim years, they have strayed from the founders' intent. What was meant to inspire fear now inspires young men and women to seek glory in the murder of others. What was meant to serve as a reminder to the thoughtless and unruly now only serves to remind us of our animosity toward one another. The Games have become a burden. An expensive, deadly burden than we can no longer justify. Your mayors have decided that this Game, Panem willing, shall be the last reminder we need.
This year marks the Fourth, and hopefully final, Quarter Quell. [Pause] As written by our ancestors, "To remind the districts that, in their foolhardy bloodlust, they couldn't anticipate the pain and loss the First Rebellion would bring them, there will be no public reapings. The selected tributes shall be individually taken from their homes and families over the following twenty-four hours and brought directly to District Zero. Panem shall not learn the tributes' identities until the Game begins." So spake the Old Capitol.
Good luck, Panem. May the odds be ever in your favor.
Hello, and welcome to Lockdown.
Each tribute will get 2 POVs between now and the start of the game. There will be no reapings, no goodbyes, no chariot rides, and no interviews. Pre-reapings (or pre-abductions, rather), train rides, training days, and the launch chapter will go as planned, though. I just wanted to get rid of the monotonous and generally pointless stuff.
If you aren't familiar with my 'verse, I've completed two other SYOTs and created a mentor's blog. The details are on my profile, but here's the run-down:
There was an attempt at a Second Rebellion, but it failed early-on. Katniss and Finnick are still alive (because I'm a sap and I like them), though a lot of other victors (listed on my profile) were executed after the Third Quarter Quell. District Thirteen has rejoined Panem, and the Capitol has been reduced to district status and been given the title of "District Zero". Victors are no longer prostituted. Panem as a whole has become a bit more lax and a lot more prosperous in the twenty-five years since the Second Rebellion. There is still a lot of poverty, but absolute destitution isn't nearly so common as it was before.
Some important details about my stories that you might want to take into consideration if you're interested in making a tribute:
Citizens of Panem are allowed to move between districts. There are fourteen districts in all, Zero through Thirteen. Due to the Quell Twist, there are no volunteers (though people from Career districts can have some training). Districts One, Two, and Four are legal Career districts. District Seven was a Career district, but they lost that privilege.
*Things that you should definitely take into consideration:
The tribute form is on my profile. *DO NOT SUBMIT TRIBUTES THROUGH REVIEW. PLEASE ONLY SUBMIT THEM THROUGH PM.* The deadline is midnight, January 17th, PST, and I won't officially accept any tributes until then. I'll push back the deadline if I don't receive enough tributes within that time frame. This is not first come, first serve, and though you may send as many tributes as your heart desires, I will only accept one per person. And lastly, "misunderstood" is not a valid weakness.
So, if you're interested, please submit a tribute or two, and maybe drop a review on this prologue if you feel so inclined.
Anyways, thanks for reading, and I'll see you sometime in the next few weeks!