2 days before the 101st Hunger Games:

The Reapings would occur in less than 48 hours, marking the official start to the 101st Hunger Games. A day of dread in the districts, a giant celebration in the Captiol. A huge mount of responsibility for those in charge. Maybe that would freak some people out.

Not Athos Leigh-Snow.

He was a veteran of Gamemaking, and this was far from his first rodeo.

Athos had heard the horror stories in the past of previous Head Gamemakers who couldn't keep up in time, leading to lackluster Games as a result. He couldn't understand being so behind. If he followed his schedule and deadlines properly, then there was nothing left to do except after a few decorative touches here and there.

The arena was good to go. All it needed were the tributes who would become the main characters in his brand new story.

Since he was on top of everything, Athos could really take some off if he wanted. Typically, he'd leave the office early after making sure everyone was accounted for and enjoy a day of rest. Get some drinks with his brothers or curl up at home with a good book. He never wanted to be stressed when running the show, because stress could lead to slips and screw-ups. Nobody would ever catch him of all people screwing up.

Things would be a little different today. He was training his brand new assistant, and he had to make sure they were as up to date as possible. While Athos certainly would have handled all duties by himself, Iovita's presence was a breath of fresh air. Having someone so young on the team would eventually pave the way for more new faces as people began to retire or move on. Iovita easily took care of smaller tasks that really weren't Athos's concern with such passion for their work.

He didn't consider them his replacement, not yet. Iovita would definitely be a good Gamemaker, once a spot or two opened up. But they were still too new to be the Head Gamemaker of all people. Let them work their way to the top and prove their worth. If they could show their skill and talent, they would eventually be rewarded for their efforts.

"You wanted to speak with me, sir?" Iovita stood across from his office desk. Their bubblegum pink hair fell in waves down their back and their shiny silver pantsuit caught the light from the window behind Athos, leaving streaks of rainbow along the walls. He chose to focus on their deep red eyeshadow, which was much less blinding.

"Did you finish your assignment yet? The one I gave you about researching tributes from the 99th and 100th Games prior to the Reaping."
"Um, yeah! I researched all of them. What would you like to hear?"

"Let's start with the boy from 12 from the 99th Games. What can you tell me about him? Don't bring up the Games, because I was there. I want to know about his life."

"Ummmm, his name was Wren Riviere. Aged 13, male, he/him pronouns. Youngest son of Heron and Iris Riviere, the brother and sister-in-law of Lark Riviere respectively. Does moderately well in school, has three older brothers and a family dog, little to no trouble with the Peacekeepers. I'm sorry, sir. This was all the info I could find."

"Good, good. Tell me about the District 5 boy from the 100th Hunger Games."

"Pierre Monstrat, aged 18, he/they pronouns. Lived with his father and stepmother, no siblings, and mother died when he was an infant. Decent school grades, once jailed for a few hours for assaulting a Peacekeeper when he was 17. Reportedly trained at Aaliyah Anderson's academy, where she selected him as a male volunteer for the Quell. Interesting to note he would not have been eligible for the Quell otherwise-"

"Okay, okay, you can stop right there. That's good. I bet if I were to ask for all 48 tributes, I could expect a good amount of information from you on them?"
"Of course."
"Do you know why I assigned you this task?"

"No?" Iovita cocked their head to the side. They could be a little...slow to catch on sometimes, just to put it kindly.

"It's for the work I want to take care of when the Reapings occur. Your job is to run detailed background checks on all of our tributes. It's a routine every year, and while it's not challenging, it's still quite important. After all, we can't let any dangerous individuals slip by us, can we?"

"Right!" Iovita nodded, ever the loyal patriot. Athos could tell that the importance of their work was making them giddy. Always nice to have someone so enthusiastic on the team.

Athos sipped some coffee as Iovita continued to babble. "I assure you, sir. I'll do everything I can! I'll leave no stone unturned and I'll make sure you know each and every little detail about the tributes! If they want to tear Panem to the ground, they'll have to go through me first!"

"That's lovely, dear. Now if you excuse me, I have a few errands to run."
Silence.
"Iovita...you're free to go."

"Of course, sir." And then they were off. At least they closed the door behind themself this time.

Athos polished off the rest of his coffee, to the point that there was nothing left but the dregs and grind at the bottom of the cup. He could go get a refill later or something. Instead, he just stared at the window.

He was starting to get used to being alone in this office. Not to say he didn't miss his brothers, because he did. They were a dynamic trio and did as much together as possible.

But Porthos and Aramis always had different aspirations. Porthos used to mumble about how he didn't feel suited to this job and Aramis used to wish they could live the normal life of a simple Capitolite, instead of Snow children.

When the Quell was done, they both asked Athos for his blessing to resign. He didn't hesitate to offer it up.

He chose to stay and he was going to stay until he dropped dead at his desk or was forced into retirement; whichever happened first. This was his job 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Hell, he wasn't even married or had a family of his own. Never dated once. That's how committed to Gamemaking he was.

What was it that made him so dedicated? Was it passion? Was it ambition? Was it pettiness? Bitter jealousy at his baby cousin who became the future leader and media darling? She could wear all the crowns and titles she wanted. But dare she to lay a single manicured finger on Athos's sector, and he would not hesitate to have a few words with her.

It didn't matter how powerful or important you were.

You never piss off Athos Leigh-Snow.

The day was almost done and the pieces fit perfectly in place. There was nothing more that could be done or Athos could do. He just had to have faith. Sometimes, faith annoyed him a little because he couldn't stand the possibility of not having the total control he wanted. Letting the cards fall was not a strong suit of his.

But even Head Gamemakers needed some rest every once in a while.

Athos put his cup back down and grabbed his jacket. If he left now, he'd have time to stop at home, take a quick shower and get changed. He was having dinner tonight with his mothers and brothers, and they had chosen a rather fancy restaurant to meet at.

It would be nice to catch up with his moms again and make sure they were doing alright. Fawn over the latest pictures Porthos took of his kids. Present the possibility of a nice donation to Aramis's soup kitchen. Just be a normal family, instead of well…

The way Athos saw it, being a Leigh-Snow was slightly easier than being a Snow. It didn't quell his ambitions and drive. But it reminded him that he had done good for himself. He was comfortable. He was powerful. He really didn't need to rise higher in the ranks and make a bigger target out of himself. As long as there were bigger fish to fry, nobody would ever come after him.

He pressed a little button on his phone. "Iovita? Think you can reschedule my appointment, please? I'm going out. See you tomorrow."

Alright, finally the thing you all came for: the Death of a Star cast list and blog url. Everything has also been posted on my profile.

Addressing the blog, I am again offering everyone with a tribute or escort in my story the opportunity to write special bonus scenes about events in the story. Not mandatory, and if any are written, they will not be required reading. Due to the nature of the story's format, they can help you get a better understanding of the non-POV tributes and see inside their heads. Please let me know if you're interested and send to me any work you've written to be posted in the blog. It would be nice to have someone take me up on the offer.

Big thank you to all those who submitted; I really appreciate your participation! And make sure you read over everything closely, because some tributes and escorts have been moved around from the original spot they were submitted to.

Blog url (remove spaces): deathofastar101 . blogspot . com

D1M: Prism Lazuli, 18 (District 9 Tribute)
D1F: Vivian Shaw, 18 (66samvr)
Escort: Desdemona Rise, 64 (LadyCordeliaStuart)

D2M: Arietis Rammestien, 18 (66samvr)
D2F: Olympis Bronze, 18 (AmericanPi)
Escort: Prometheus Astro, 42 (District 9 Tribute)

D3M: Victor Perdue, 13 (AmericanPi)
D3F: Mila Estedon, 16 (66samvr)
Escort: Amalthea Latifolia, 21 (SilverFlowerxRavenpaw)

D4M: Cyclone Riel, 18 (LadyCordeliaStuart)
D4F: Avonlea Headden, 18 (66samvr)
Escort: Lavalleri Pareila, 72 (SilverFlowerxRavenpaw)

D5M: Ganbaatar Tarkhan, 17 (EvanPengu)
D5F: Loire Lemaire, 16 (66samvr)
Escort: Lunaris Stellar, 67 (Platrium)

D6M: Walker Jeong, 13 (66samvr)
D6F: Naomi Bishop, 17 (District 9 Tribute)
Escort: Marcus Sconce, 29 (LadyCordeliaStuart)

D7M: Messier Chita, 15 (66samvr)
D7F: Aisling Trier, 16 (LadyCordeliaStuart)
Escort: Solana Stellar, 67 (AmericanPi)

D8M: Garnet Ashill, 16 (evenarules8)
D8F: Ascella Fuhari, 15 (66samvr)
Escort: Chyldryd Xelbis, 66 (SilverFlowerxRavenpaw)

D9M: Cameron Solidago, 12 (66samvr)
D9F: Grail Drowen, 18 (Willuna)
Escort: Leonita Pantera, 47 (Willuna)

D10M: Hunter Appalachie, 17 (66samvr)
D10F: Linh Nugyen, 14 (Willuna)
Escort: Pazzo Crudele, 32 (Willuna)

D11M: Kerkylas Andros, 16 (SilverFlowerxRavenpaw)
D11F: Coreopsis Buchanan, 15 (66samvr)
Escort: Verity Circus, 25 (District 9 Tribute)

D12M: Reggie Baxter, 18 (66samvr)
D12F: Tati Vey, 14 (SilverFlowerxRavenpaw)
Escort: Donnatricia Marabellium, 26 (Willuna)

Congrats to everyone who got a tribute and escort in and I thank you for all your support to finally get this show on the road. We'll be launching straight into the introductions from here (about damn time lol).

I'll be having a really busy summer as well, so updates may be a bit slow. Thankfully, I did stockpile as many of the introductions as I can to keep DoaS's momentum going. And like I said earlier, reviews aren't mandatory. They are appreciated, yes, but you're not obligated to review my stories. It's just fanfiction and nobody on this site is obligated to anything. Just at the bare minimum, if I post a check-in, please answer it as per the instructions I give.

See you all with the first intro,

-Vr