Reaping Recaps

Eros Creed, 32

The Capitol, May 23rd A.D.D.

The deadline was approaching for Eros Creed, and it was quite literally a deadline. President Snow would absolutely kill him if he didn't complete the Matchmaking the process.

And what a process it was. Before actually getting to work, the concept of pairing up a bunch of older teens to create romance and drama was appealing. But when the files were actually put in front of him, Eros wished he was dead.

There were thousands upon thousands of 16–18-year-olds to choose from. The sheer number of names initially led to many nights of unproductive drinking and passing out in his new office, appropriately labeled "Matchmaker."

Eros had wondered how in hell he was going to make interesting choices with little information, but as it turned out, the Capitol had a lot of information on the districts. He never thought about how the Capitol conducted surveillance on the districts, so he was shocked at the level of detail of information he was getting. It was an invasion of privacy to the highest degree.

At first, it was disturbing to think about. How many people had been spied upon by the Capitol? How would all the footage and audio even be checked? Eros had so many questions, but as he started to look through the extensive files, he was grateful that the rumblings of rebellion in the districts had caused tighter surveillance.

All of these kids' lives were laid out for him to see. Their childhood, their relationships, their trauma, their words and actions. It was all here, and it was everything he needed to create the perfect television show. With all of this intricate information, he had the potential to create a Hunger Games so filled with interpersonal drama and intrigue that it could change the very identity of the Games.

Luckily, the Capitol had a specially designed AI system to sort through the literal years of information from thousands of potential tributes. Eros appreciated the work, but he was a bit annoyed that he was unable to fully handpick the tributes.

His irritation quickly subsided when the system narrowed down the list of candidates to a more manageable amount. He had a lot to work with.

The more civilized districts had a lot more data, which was beneficial because Eros could really be picky and find the best people to cast in his soap opera of love and death. Districts like One and Two had a plethora of documentation thanks to the training processes the kids went through. The trained kids were almost always Capitol favorites. They were exciting to watch and trained for the spotlight, and now, Eros could hand pick them himself.

On the other hand, more uncivilized and spread-out districts like Nine, Ten, and Eleven had a lot less data to work with. He ended up falling back on the upper echelon of kids in these districts. Not only were they easier to single out, but they would be more fun to watch. Who wants to watch some ugly poor kids stumbling around on TV? Nobody.

Eros sighed, looking up from the virtual screen of tribute files. His office had looked nice when he first moved in months ago. The walls were pastel pink decorated with little hearts that would zoom around the room. Sometimes it made him motion sick, and when paired with alcohol, it made for a terrible combination. Now, the place reeked of alcohol and bottles upon bottles were piled under his desk and other furniture items.

He was exhausted, drunk, and really wanted to take a nap. But, he had to finish working on the Matches. Just a little more…

The sudden sound of a door opening made him wince.

"I'm working, I prommmise," he drawled.

A sigh answered his pathetic defense. He heard the sound of heels clicking against the floor as the figure came around the desk to face him.

Lucia Morris. Tall, dark, and horrifying. As the Gamemaker in charge of designing and handling mutts, she carried herself appropriately. Her features were just as angular as he remembered, and her expression cold as a snake's.

"I was here on business, but I can see you're indisposed at the moment," she said dryly.

Eros just laughed, and to his dismay, a burb followed.

Lucia sighed, but it sounded more like a hiss. Sometimes he wondered if she was a Mutt herself.

"We're ready to go. Luckily the designs we had for the old Quell arena were easy to carry over. But, I thought we'd add some new ones as well." She smirked. "I couldn't resist the opportunity of new creation."

"You scare me."

"You disgust me. Now pull yourself together or I'll set the Clickers on you."

Eros shuddered. The Clickers were the nickname for the horrific insect-like swarms that were created for the clock arena. Lucia was attached to them, so naturally, she carried them over for use in the new one.

"People think bugs are gross," he replied.

"Response to the feeling of disgust is one of the most powerful sensations a human can experience. When people are disgusted, their bodies ripple with the sensation of discomfort. Don't you want to create a sensation for your audience?"

Eros swallowed. Lucia's words didn't quite register with his drunken thoughts, but he got the general idea of what she meant.

"Humans look at the grotesque to feel the need to look away. That bodily reaction is something that we seek out, because at our core, it's what we want," she continued. "We want to feel, and disgust is perhaps the most intense and greatest of all sensations."

With that Lucia walked briskly towards the door. The door closed and Eros was left in silence. The odd conversation that was mostly spoken at him left him befuddled. What the fuck was Lucia talking about?

Eros put his head in his hands and groaned. He thought being part of Capitol TV shows had made him accustomed to eccentric personalities, but these Gamemakers were something else entirely.

A few hours later, Eros had done his best to sober up and go through a final once over of what would be the cast of his romantic drama of heart and heartbreak.

District One was particularly fun to look through. There were so many interesting kids to choose from, but he settled on a pairing that had potential. Junia Allaire would have been the choice to volunteer for the Quell, so he was a strong threat. He also slept around, and he had an irresistible charm and aura to him that made most drawn into his orbit, trapped by the gravity of his being. Junia also had a habit of targeting those in difficult situations and helping them with the goal of making them fall for him, their "savior." The Capitol would adore him, and he would make great TV.

As for his partner, Eros decided to throw in a wild card. No one would ever expect Akiara Ito to go into a Quell based around romance. Akiara was also fairly atypical for District One tributes. She had devoted most of her time to studying tactics for both battle and survival. While her physical abilities were lacking, she was handy with a bow and was incredibly smart. However, she seemed to have no time for romance. This Quell would be against her work ethic, and Eros was interested to see if Akiara could adapt or not. He also knew that Junia would try to work his charms on her, especially since she wanted nothing to do with him. Eros noticed that Junia was attracted to intelligent people (for the most part), and Akiara certainly fit the bill. Did she have a chance for falling for him? Maybe, but Eros was more concerned with the conflict that would unfold as they navigated the Quell.

District Two had too many options to choose from. Far too many. The fact that there could be no volunteers for the Games had thrown the training academies into chaos. Within that chaos, Eros knew he could find some people to exploit. He found his answer with Spartus Aegis, the younger brother of the kid who was going to volunteer this year. Spartus was the looked over child in his family, and family baggage was something that made for great characters on TV. Plus, he would be a tribute who was born out of the Quell's twist. He was a pretty nice kid all things considered, so he would be easy to root for.

And then there was Eris Thames. When he looked at her file and saw the extensive list of all the trouble she caused, he knew he had to cast her. Her and Spartus probably wouldn't get along, or even fall in love, but love wasn't real anyway. The conflict would be entertaining enough. Eris was clever, manipulative, and chaotic. She was an atypical tribute from the usually duty oriented Two, so Eros was excited to see what havoc she could cause.

District Three came as a surprise. Eros was not looking forward to another large population to shift through, but it just so happened that an explosive pair had created quite the stir in District 3. Literally. Rampart Szajko and Jericho Gallagher had blown up some school for reasons one could only speculate. Eros discovered that Rampart had been expelled from the school in the past, so that was a likely reason for it. They didn't strike him as rebels, but regardless, they were of interest to the Capitol. It was rather perfect that such a pair were ordered to be reaped into the Games when they had so much potential.

According to records at a community home, Rampart and Jericho had spent a lot of time together ever since they were kids. There were inseparable and often found themselves up against the rest of the world. Unfortunately for them, the world was about to absolutely shit on them.

Rampart was rather shy and reserved and Jericho was loud and obnoxious. They were both different, but their dynamic was fascinating, and throwing them together in a romantic death match would be a recipe for success. For Eros anyway, not for them. Jericho had been crushing on Rampart for a long time and Rampart hadn't openly returned the feelings, so putting them in a situation where they would have to be together for the whole country to see would be quite entertaining. Everyone loves a bit of unrequited love.

District Four was a bit of a mess due to the rumblings of an uprising, but they usually had popular tributes thanks to the infatuation with Finnick Odair. Eros definitely understood, having slept with him and probably some others at a party he mostly couldn't remember. Regardless, he found a girl named Tahoe Cuero who already looked like a model. Her looks would get her sponsors for sure, and her fiery personality would be entertaining. Tahoe had a charisma to her that made her likable despite her abrasiveness, which was the best combination for a fan favorite in the making. Eros was a little concerned due to her lack of training compared to her Match and One and Two, but personality was more important to this Games than ever.

If Tahoe was burning up, then Makara Opras was cooling down. Makara was reserved, smart, and usually kept a cool head. She and Tahoe would either balance each other out or only increase their flaws. Eros was hoping for the latter. Makara was far more trained than Tahoe was, which would make them at least a little more on par with One and Two. She was often underestimated because of her size, but her reflexes and fighting style made her a formidable threat to larger opponents that relied on brute strength. And for a last little nugget of drama, Makara had recently gotten out of a very toxic on-and-off relationship with another girl. Since then, Makara explicitly stated that she didn't want to date anymore girls. Oops.

District Five turned out to be really interesting. While District 5 was never one of the most popular districts, it yielded some clever and sometimes brutal players. Just the previous year, that girl made her way to the top 4. While she was very smart, she was outclassed in the endgame. Regardless, eyes were now on District 5, so Eros had to find an interesting pair. He succeeded.

Solana Parhelion was the heiress to a massive entertainment company in District 5. Eros forgot how District 5 was actually one of the richer districts, but he was pleasantly surprised with what he had to work with. The moment he looked into Solana Parhelion, it seemed like a Match had fallen right into his lap.

An arranged marriage was perfect for drama, and the high tensions between Solana and her fiancé would make great TV. Solana was explosive, delusional, and bitchy, things perfect for putting on a show. She was joined by Eulalia Lux, the heiress to a large power plant company. This girl was just as bitchy as Solana, and from his research, the pair already despised each other. They were unafraid to berate and battle each other in public, which was perfect for the Hunger Games. Eros was very excited to see what kinds of horrible things they could do to each other.

District Six presented Eros with a dilemma. Firstly, the population was enormous. Finding any sort of Match or perfect person to cast was incredibly difficult. However, by complete chance, Eros happened to find the files of two very different boys who had potential. Brent Lutz was an orphan who had been transferred around the district until settling at reportedly the worst orphanage. He seemed to have an appetite for horror novels, something that intrigued Eros greatly. While romance didn't seem to come naturally to him, Brent's mental state was unhinged enough that Eros felt that watching the screws coming undone would be a sight to see.

Romance novels were the favorite of one Mako Lester. Mako wasn't all that interesting in Eros's opinion, but his fascination with the elegant novels of Theodora Trindall set him apart from others of his age. Exploiting Mako's romantic ideals and desires to escape District 6 would hopefully cause him to commit to the Quell twist fully, and likely cause conflict with Brent in the process.

District Seven offered up some interesting choices, which he didn't expect at first. The lumber district was aesthetically uninteresting, but the Capitol had been more interested in it ever since Johanna Mason won and took the world by storm. When he started looking through the files, Eros wanted to find someone dynamic and interesting. Luckily, District 7 had an upper class private academy that gave him plenty of options. But, Eros knew exactly who to choose.

Ace Kamiya was a fascinating specimen. On the surface he seemed pretty laid back compared to his flashy classmates, but something in his eyes made Eros want to pry deeper. He discovered a personality inventory taken by the school upon admittance, and quirked an eyebrow at the notes. This boy certainly had potential to make great TV. Eros was almost certain that the environment of the Games would facilitate his oddness and coax out something truly horrific for all the world to see.

This discovery was made more compelling by a boy that Ace had attached himself to. Haruki Halloran was a very plain boy, not interesting at all in personality or in appearance. But, Ace had developed an infatuation with Haruki that everyone (except Haruki) had recognized. The potential dynamic here was extremely compelling. From his experience with dating shows, Eros knew that one-sided romance was a sure way to get the audience invested and rooting for a couple, especially when it was obvious that the feelings were mutual but buried deep. He didn't think Haruki would be all that interesting by himself, but Matching him with Ace was sure to cause some interesting interactions between the two.

District Eight ended up being a problematic pairing, but there was no going back. Besides, it was at least going to be interesting. Cyan Vanderbilt was the son of the mayor of District 8, which made his file more extensive and easier to find than the rest of the muck of the textile district. He was obnoxious, quick to anger, but extremely passionate…things all perfect for a reality show. Plus, he had a dirty little secret. Cyan was secretly gay. He was currently involved with another boy and wasn't out to his father or anyone else. Cyan had previously shown distaste at being set up with girls, so that was exactly was Eros did.

Liliana Rolag definitely wasn't going to be the most interesting person to watch on TV. She was smart, down to earth, and part of the working class. Eros probably would not have picked Liliana normally, but her file kept popping up in his searches. It was a little strange, but Eros got the message that someone in the Capitol wanted her to be picked. Whatever the reason, Eros just wanted to keep himself alive, so into the Games she went. Liliana would cause a lot of problems for the closeted Cyan anyway.

District Nine was one of the more boring districts to Eros. It was around this time as he worked through the files that he started to half-ass the pairings. Most of the Capitol didn't care about the most rural and poorest districts and neither did Eros. He took the easy way out and picked the mayor's son, Arys Schmitt. While he wasn't as explosive as Cyan, he happened to have a crush on a girl who worked with his family. So, Eros looked into the girl and found something very interesting. The girl had an identical twin.

Thus, Rada Susanna Krupin was Matched with the mayor's son. Eros thought it was really clever to pair Arys with his crush's twin sister. There was sure to be drama coming out of that relationship. Rada's social status was also vastly different from Arys, and she had a personality unlike her sister's. While Rada wouldn't be a Capitol favorite or likely to go far, he thought that she could at least be the catalyst for something interesting with Arys.

District Ten bored Eros to death. He took the easy way out and looked at the highest class of kids from the district and happened upon Maribelle Dakota. She, like Rada, had a twin sister and was part of a big family. Mari seemed insecure and in the shadow of her sister, but she seemed very smart when she believed in herself. There was something captivating about her that Eros couldn't quite put his finger on, but he wondered if she would be a fun underdog for the audience to root for.

Eros's search for Mari's Match continued on a night where he got completely wasted. The next day when he checked his files, a boy named Lincoln Everette was paired with Mari. It was getting to be crunch time for finishing the matches so Eros just went with it and hoped that he would be interesting, but his expectations were low. Very low.

District Eleven proved to be, much like the other densely populated districts, to be a problem. Eros had been putting off working on District 11 because there was so much data and yet almost none at the same time. It was a nightmare trying to find a suitable pair.

Eventually, he just happened across a couple who seemed disgustingly in love. Delphine Driscoll and Vidal Roe. They were so in love it hurt, and Eros supposed it could be fun to ruin them. But he found a different option, something even more interesting.

There was a third party to their relationship, a girl named Mirren Frasier. She was Vidal's best friend and also had a secret crush on Delphine. Oh it was just too juicy, too perfect to pass up. Delphine was more outgoing and outspoken and Mirren tended to be more quiet. They were quite different, but Eros thought that lent to the potential dynamic. He wondered what the look of horror Delphine's face would be once she realized she wasn't going into the Game with Vidal. He wondered what the look of horror on Mirren's face would be once she realized she going into the Games with her secret crush, her best friend's girlfriend. It was sure to be dramatic to witness, and Eros was so pleased he finally happened upon a pair that would prove interesting.

District Twelve wasn't a hard Match to make, because it was ordered by the president himself. Madge Undersee, another mayor's kid, would be reaped. Apparently her relation to Katniss Everdeen made her a target for President Snow, and Eros was just fine with that. At least she was pretty and interesting, unlike the majority of the coal-coated District 12 filth. The Capitol surveillance also provided Eros with an interesting nugget of knowledge: the girl was in love with Katniss Everdeen. That was sure to create some behind the scenes tension that would affect how things played out in the arena. It also made Eros want the pre-Games lives of the tributes to be filmed and edited, but the higher-ups hadn't got back to him on that just yet.

For Madge's Match, Eros just went with some boy who was her family's butler. Maybe there was some sort of tension between them or a rich/poor dynamic, but Eros didn't really care. All eyes would be on District 12 regardless, but it was a shame this pair had no chance of matching the charisma of Katniss and Peeta.

Eros sighed, leaning back in his chair and looking at the culmination of months of careful research. It wasn't perfect by any means, and there would be some duds, but he felt like he had a cast he could work with.

The Reapings were less than two months away, and there was a lot of preparation still to be done. Eros wanted everything to be perfect. He had requested some changes be made to the ordinary structure of the pre-Games phase, as well as the decision to pipe in hormones in the Training Center to increase the romantic possibilities.

After all, love was just a chemical reaction. It was all artifice, smoke and mirrors, a gilded lie. But, it was going to be the most beautiful lie ever captured on film. Eros Creed would make sure of it.

And there we have our Reaping Recaps! Eros is really gross and I hate him

Next week we should be getting to Train Rides part 1 with Akiara, Rampart, Makara, and Solana having a terrible time, can't wait!