Aegis Harrow
26
~ Capitol / Gamemaker ~
For a room full of people… the atmosphere was eerily quiet.
Aegis Harrow couldn't help but allow the thought to gracefully sweep his mind, a mere perception amongst an otherwise convoluted whirlwind of additional thoughts. He could almost sense the people accompanying him doing the very same thing, silently thinking to themselves and trying to collect their nerves as the anticipation grew more palpable. Although Aegis couldn't hear the thoughts of the people around him, he almost felt as if he could grasp exactly what they were thinking.
Some were clearly stressed, little ticks in their mannerisms giving away their fidgety and restless behaviour. A rapid finger tap against the carefully varnished table, a leg that wouldn't stop shaking as it's owner bounced it on the balls of their feet - even a woman who sat across from Aegis, biting her lip so hard that he could see her teeth pulling at the loose skin.
Others were sat still, not giving away much about how they were feeling other than the troubled expressions they held on their faces. Some were better at concealing it than others, only the uneasy glint in their eyes giving away their inner turmoils - but Aegis had a knack for reading other people.
Then there were the very few that sat comfortably, with a rather content posture, those few all possessing a similar trait to one another that the rest of the room lacked; confidence. Aegis noted about three that held this confidence with a particularly smug aura, whilst the couple of others that appeared at ease had a sense of curious excitement rather than the dread that most of the room portrayed. These few tended to be the usual suspects, the outgoing and egocentric of the group.
But there was one unaccounted for, that didn't fit any of these descriptors, and in fact gave away nothing but a dead pan stare with surprising disinterest. This would be Aegis himself.
He sat there with a relaxed posture, his hands rested calmly in his lap with fingers intertwined, and his elbows propped on each of the arms of the swivel chair he resided in. His body moved very little, yet his soulless eyes were the only part of his body that gave any motion, scanning the other occupants of the room to assess his competition.
Competition… he pondered to himself, debating his true relationship with the individuals around him. Perhaps that is the case for today.
Aegis didn't particularly feel any sort of attachment to his colleagues. Despite the years he had spent with many of them, he felt no closer to any form of camaraderie than he would to an impoverished child from District 12's Seam. If it came down to Aegis' sense of empathy, they were all as dispensable as empty soda cups. Aegis would feel nothing at any of their downfalls.
Of course, they needn't know that. It's not as if he had a problem with any of them personally or was actually seeking for their failure. Many of the people around him were close with one another. Some were friends, others were once academic rivals, yet all of them were now under the same wing; the Gamemakers. They were a complex group, with many interwoven relationships that had developed over years of working together, some as far back as their University days. Aegis himself had attended schooling alongside a fair few of them, having known some of his peers since childhood.
Yet, Aegis was an outlier, a 'loner' if you will.
It's not as if he was shunned by his colleagues, avoided at all costs and cast aside as if he were despised. He simply liked to keep to himself, focus on his tasks and get paid to do so. People were friendly with him, and he was amicable in return, however to Aegis, there was always something so hollow and superficial about these interactions. They were never out of authenticity, they always seemed more out of obligation.
Despite this however, Aegis knew the fault lay with him. He quite simply couldn't connect to these people on an emotional level. He was not an empath by any means, emotions were simply not his forte. Many would think him cold, selfish, cruel… at least if they were to know how empty he felt inside.
Thankfully, Aegis gave very little away about his inner emotions - or lack thereof he should say. He wouldn't consider himself any of those things, being incapable of feeling emotion wasn't inherently cruel or selfish. As for being cold, that was easily preventable by his years of hiding his lack of care for anything, learning from those around him how people accurately express feelings as to not raise suspicions. He always wore a mask that shielded his true self, and that's the way he had always thought he'd be.
As far as Aegis was aware, to the people around him, he was quiet and forgettable, hardly the actual reality of who he was; the "incomprehensible mind that was echelons ahead of his peers intellectually". Aegis would never be one to gloat about that fact, despite it being basked in truth.
The statement itself didn't even originate from him, but rather the person who had first assessed him during his prepubescent years. Intelligence was a priceless trait to possess as far as the Capitol were concerned, and it wasn't uncommon for the government to scour through the youth in search of those possessing unparalleled minds.
The funny thing was however, most professionals who had assessed Aegis following his initial scoring, still to this day had no idea about the extent to which his excellence reached. Aegis had made sure of that, making an intentional effort to conceal his capabilities to all of those that evaluated him. Many would question 'why?' Why hide his talents and remain under the radar as he does?
It was a premeditated effort, Aegis had very good reason for it.
A 130 IQ was the very lowest the Capitol would look for when searching for their academic prospects, the notion being the base line for 'high intelligence'. Those that fell around that category, would be provided with scholarships, opportunity, essentially a welcoming handshake in to high society as support for the already prospering Capitol. People in this category could live a peaceful life, contributing to society whilst not drawing unwanted attention to themselves as they weren't considered the best of the best, but rather the unremarkable backbone of the Capitol's superiority.
Those that earned a score of 180 or above however, those were the special ones that the Capitol sought. Their responsibilities would be ten times more intensive, their entire lives under the direct thumb of the Capitol government, with heavy expectations and virtually zero freedom. Essentially, they were personal tools for higher officials, forced to put their brilliant minds to back-breaking work in order to preserve the lifestyle of the Capitol elites. They were prisoners to those that wanted to extract every bit of excellence from them for their own personal gains.
Aegis didn't much like the prospect of that, he was no mere tool, but rather the tool master himself. He would live life on his own terms, and to ensure that, Aegis achieved a lowly score of 130 on his IQ screening. Time after time, Aegis recalled the number '130' flashing on the screen after each assessment. He remembered the evaluators having scratched their heads each time, perplexed by the seemingly preposterous number.
After all… how could the son of the brilliant Augustus Harrow only achieve an IQ of 130? This alone, rendered him as a defective result in the Capitol's eyes, only good enough to proceed with a slightly higher education due to his fathers name alone.
Father… Aegis thought to himself, a sense of curiosity engulfing him momentarily. What would he think of me undertaking this path?
It had been several years since Aegis had been in contact with his father, although not of his own volition. After all, the man was a prodigy, the demand the Capitol had of him was simply too high. He had barely managed to stay in Aegis's life up until his adolescence due to his duties, and once Aegis was permitted to pursue his academic journey, Augustus could no longer be excused to prolong his parental duties, resulting in him being whisked away for the 'better good' of their nation.
Augustus Harrow was just about the only person Aegis would or could consider a connection with, the only person who understood Aegis for who he was. After all, it was Augustus that had been the one to first assess Aegis, and uncover the true capacity of Aegis's mind. He had first determined Aegis's real IQ, and as a result had protected him from a life of direct subordination. If Aegis could feel anything, he was sure he would feel love for the man, the same way a child should love their parents.
Although the warm feeling of affection that had often been described to him by others was lacking, he certainly felt a sense of gratitude - he would forever be indebted to the man.
Yet here I am, scathing a dangerously thin line with the path he had so thoroughly advised me against, Aegis reflected to himself.
It was quite imperative that Aegis had followed the guidance Augustus instilled upon him as a child. In simple terms, it was something along the lines of 'don't show your hand to anyone, play your cards discreetly'. His father knew of what a life servicing the corrupt government consisted of, it had drained him and cost him almost everything. Aegis was certain his fathers absence had also impacted his own social development, but he always considered that the least of his issues as he grew older and more exposed to the world.
The greatest cost of Augustus's success, was his own lack of freedom, a fate he had not wished upon his son from what Aegis could surmise. Nothing and nobody could free his father from the grips of the government… at least this was the case back then.
Aegis felt his grip tighten, his fingers turning white as he cut off his own circulation at the thought of his fathers helpless situation. Aegis was sure he was meant to feel rage as a result of this, the way he clenched his hands together indicative of that. However instead, all he felt was a sense of determination. If only his father could have done something to help himself, rather than take the selfless route and focus on prioritising his son. Aegis understood that his father felt a duty to be there for him, and put his child's best interests before his own. However, Aegis was an adult now, it was his turn to return the favour… and Aegis didn't like to be indebted to anyone.
"Will you all relax? Geez, you're going to start putting me on edge soon," A woman's voice pierced the room, drawing Aegis's attention back from his brief reminiscence. His eyes quickly found the source of the voice, a young woman around his own age with electrifying cobalt blue hair, that fell in waves down to the middle of her back. Her piercing green eyes glared at some of the more fidgety people of the room, with one carefully groomed eyebrow raised in a judgemental expression as her fair-skinned cheek rested against her palm in an almost bored manner.
The girl was objectively beautiful, her refined face and heart shaped lips almost looking as delicate as porcelain - that would be if her bitchy nature wasn't enough to intimidate anyone she came across. Of course, she had already instilled fear into many of the peers she had worked alongside; they were all very familiar with Gaia Ashbrook.
Gaia was one of a few prodigies that Aegis had attended his schooling with, always at the top of their class and excelling at everything she had ever done. She was celebrated heavily by the higher officials who saw her potential, considered a diamond in the rough amongst an otherwise mediocre year for their particular grade. If she hadn't been scouted for the Gamemakers team, her future would have been one destined for a similar fate as his fathers, Aegis had no doubt of that. Naturally, this had resulted in an overwhelming ego trip for Gaia, her humility almost nonexistent as she traversed life.
Aegis would say he had never met a more self-absorbed person, that would be if he had ever even spoken to the woman. Somehow, in all of the years they attended school, occasionally sharing a class and even graduating from University together - she had never even batted an eye at him, let alone shared a word with him. This had never bothered Aegis, as he had no desire to converse with the individual people had dubbed "the Ice Queen". He was certain she only knew of his existence due to both of them joining the Gamemakers team as part of their post-graduation pathway, but even then he doubted she thought much of him - or of many others there for that matter.
He was aware many people didn't like Gaia, but as was the situation with many things, he simply had no opinion, nor care for her. She was just another person amongst a pool of others that Aegis had to share a space with.
"Shut up, it's easy for you to say that when your odds of being chosen are much higher than all of ours," a man grunted in frustration, earning a snide look from Gaia.
"So what if I'm the natural choice? It would be an honour to work under me, wouldn't it?" Gaia huffed, as she straightened her posture and tossed her long blue locks back over her shoulder.
"I couldn't think of anything worse," the man retorted quietly, having crossed his arms and shaken his head disapprovingly.
"Like you'd do a better job, Flax," Gaia taunted, her hand waving dismissively as Flax ground his teeth. "My leadership is just what this team needs, last years games were lacking and you all know it."
She wasn't entirely wrong, Aegis couldn't deny. The 148th Hunger Games were by no means a failure, but they certainly hadn't set the world on fire. A mundane arena, boring terrain, virtually no stakes other than the usual rampant Career tributes - the spark just hadn't been there, as was the case for the previous few years, and as a result public interest had dwindled notably. Creative direction had seemingly been lost in translation, a monotonous cycle of repetitive game making decisions having ultimately led to the sacking of the previous Head Gamemaker.
It was no surprise that the President - Alexander Thorne - had grown concerned with the recent mediocrity of the games. They were approaching the sixth Quarter Quell after all, Aegis imagined the man had every desire to reignite the Capitol public's passion for the games. Of course, it would all start with the upcoming games; the 149th.
"Please you two, President Thorne will be here any moment now," a second woman spoke up, her soft voice trying to convey a sense of mediation. "There's no need to bicker, we should be happy for whoever he chooses!"
Both Gaia and Flax dropped their feud reluctantly, turning their gaze to the pleading eyes of the petite woman who happened to sit across the room from Aegis himself. If the request had come from anyone else, Aegis was sure it would have gone unheard. Only the pleas of Eirene Harmonia could silence even the hurricane that was Gaia. Eirene was a soft-spoken individual, with a dainty appearance consisting of innocent golden brown eyes, doe-eyed eyelashes that would flutter with every blink, and waves of golden blonde ringlets that swayed with every turn of her head.
Eirene was a beloved member of the group, the person anyone could turn to when the hardships were getting to them, or if they simply needed some sort of emotional support. She always took the role of the mediator, promoting peace and holding the team together like glue. She was a shining light in every time of need, the dependable one, and unlike anyone else, she had even appeared to win over the friendship of the ever-hostile Gaia.
Despite this, the one person she had not cracked so far, was Aegis. It wasn't due to a lack of trying, she had certainly made an effort to include him and get to know him on a more familiar level. She had done the same to all of them, and that was something Aegis respected. However, Aegis felt no need nor desire to open himself up to the girl, and couldn't see himself doing so for the foreseeable future. Aegis knew this would not dismay Eirene, who seemed blissfully unaware about his lack of enthralment with her. He had always been cordial with her, and this appeared to mislead her into thinking they were friends. As long as she kept the rest of them in check through both her kindness and their own infatuation with her, Aegis was satisfied.
"E-Eirene…" Gaia stammered, almost contentiously. Before her protests could be heard, Eirene flashed her a frown, the same disappointed pout a child might display if they were denied candy. Gaia quickly lowered her head sheepishly, a rare sight coming from the proud person that she was.
"Remember, we should be happy for whoever President Thorne selects," Eirene reminded them, as she leaned forward and rested both forearms on the long, polished table. "After all, one of us will be getting promoted."
The words hung in the air for a moment, the reality of it all sinking into the occupants of the room. That was indeed the case, after the Head Gamemaker leading their team had been let go, the position had become vacant. The previous Head Gamemaker wasn't a particularly well liked figure amongst the Gamemaker team. He had been a man rooted in the past, too set in his ways to adapt and too proud to admit his yawn-inducing vision and lacklustre results. By the present point, the team was full of younger individuals, all with new ideas and dynamic chemistry - nobody was saddened to see him be dismissed.
The change in structure to the team had led them all to this moment; the appointment of the individual who would replace his position. It had a been a gruelling several weeks for the Gamemakers, as they diligently prepared their portfolios and presentations to make their claims for why they should succeed the former Head Gamemaker in his role. It was a period filled with confidentiality and whispers, with rumours about what ideas fellow colleagues were developing, and efforts to conceal what each individual planned to propose.
In a fairytale narrative - perhaps Eirene's ideal set of events - the team would support each and every person to ensure everybody had a fair chance of taking out the prized position. But this of course was not the reality, it had turned into a competitive scramble to show each other up, rooted in jealousy and pride that would ultimately lead to the dissatisfaction of the majority who ended up being overlooked.
To Aegis, normally the result of who would be chosen would be as trivial as the weather. However, this time it wasn't a matter of triviality, but rather necessity - he needed to be chosen for this position. His plans entirely depended on it, and if he weren't successful in this endeavour, he would certainly have to reevaluate his next moves.
Although becoming Head Gamemaker had gone against everything Aegis had stood for as he had gone about his life, it was the first step into pursuing exactly what he desired. It was time to take action, and this would be his first move of many.
Following Eirene's insistence on celebrating whoever was to be chosen, the room settled back into it's former state of silence for the remainder of the time they had to wait. It would not be for another five minutes, until the matte black doors at the entrance of the room finally slid open, the smooth hum of the machinery having caused every persons eyes to lock on to the occupants of the entryway.
Aegis immediately recognised the tall, daunting man that stood front and centre, his imposing frame and stony face having been the very same he had seen broadcast time and time again for the nation to see. He had never directly seen him in person before, only ever from a distance at public ceremonies or announcements, but there was no denying the stifling atmosphere he brought with him.
President Thorne silently stepped into the room, followed by a couple of members of his personal Peacekeeper security team, as well as a younger woman Aegis had come to know was his personal assistant. Even the Avoxes in each corner of the room struggled to maintain their composure, their eyes lowering to the ground in the presence of the imposing man. Alexander Thorne was a man in his mid to late forties, decked out in a premium suit that Aegis suspected cost more than the annual salary of most of the citizens in the Districts. On top of this, he wore a long black coat that fell down to his calves, with a golden pocket watch jingling from his left breast pocket. Aegis's fellow peers watched in star-shocked silence as the man took up occupancy at the vacant head of the table, the seat he sat in far grander than the swivel chair Aegis resided on. Aegis was sure he was supposed to feel trepidation, or even fear at the sudden presence of such a powerful figure, however all he could conjure was mild interest in the textile work on the black embroidered leather gloves that Thorne slipped off of his hands, the embroiled patterns contained on them interwoven like cascading tendrils.
Some of District 8's finer work, Aegis found himself admiring.
"Thank you all for waiting so patiently," President Thorne spoke up, his deep voice befitting of an authoritative ruler. "It's quite refreshing to see a room of such young and innovative people responsible for these games."
"Thank you sir, we are honoured to be graced by your presence," Gaia spoke up, filling the otherwise quiet response from the room, as people tried to avoid diverting their intimidated gazes. Thorne turned to Gaia, his cold grey eyes connecting with her confident ones, before reflecting a sense of recognition.
"Ahh, Miss Ashbrook, I'm pleased to see you amongst this group. I had heard you joined the Gamemakers a few years ago," President Thorne responded, his expression still unreadable despite his supposed delight. "This department will be needing someone of your expertise going forward."
Gaia's eyes appeared to light up with the praise, an almost expectant smirk plastered across her face.
"Why of course, they would be nowhere without me," Gaia scoffed, earning a couple of resentful looks from the other Gamemakers.
"Well, although normally I would've preferred you to have followed in your fathers footsteps - I did owe him a favour, so I do hope you cherish your place amongst this team," President Thorne admitted, almost appearing regretful for having let Gaia slip through his fingers.
Gaia appeared speechless at this, her mouth moving up and down for a moment before muttering something along the lines of "I do cherish it." Aegis did wonder if Gaia knew exactly just how lucky she was, considering she had scored above the 180 IQ threshold that should have seen her taken away for superior education, and her freedom to live life the way she chooses restricted. It appeared as if her father had some pull higher-up, that had allowed her to bypass her fate as a lap-dog to the Capitol's cutthroat political sphere.
Aegis supposed Gaia had some awareness of her situation, as she had chosen to pursue her own ambitions with the Gamemakers team, whatever those may be.
He returned his attention back to President Thorne, as the man leaned back in his lush chair and examined the ever-waiting occupants of the room. Thorne allowed the silence to hang in the air for a while longer, his face stoic and ambiguous as to what was going through his mind. Even for Aegis, reading the President was not an easy feat. He could simply be familiarising himself with each and every one of their faces, or he could be letting the extended silences build up suspense for the big reveal he was about to bless them with.
Eventually, President Thorne did begin to speak once more.
"I won't keep you on the edge of your seats for too much longer, I know you all must be feeling a mix of emotions about what I am about to reveal to you all," the President spoke, his voice as enigmatic as ever. "I would like to thank each of you all for submitting your concepts forward. Many of them were astonishing, and possessed that creative quality we have been yearning for after Mr Perryfeather's departure."
Aegis couldn't help but notice the way President Thorne's eyes narrowed at the mention of Esteban Perryfeather, the previous Head Gamemaker. He had not heard anything from, nor about Esteban since his termination, which led Aegis to assume the worst. Seeing President Thorne's irritation at the mention of him certainly added to that theory. Despite this however, Thorne's eyes softened as he continued to speak about the submissions.
"I can already envision so many of these concepts brought to fruition, I can assure you it was no easy task having to pick only one," Thorne continued, as he brought his hands forward, tethered together by his fingers. Many of the Gamemakers appeared invigorated by the man's words, some appearing hopeful, and others even shying away bashfully. Aegis could understand why, the task had presumably been daunting for the majority of them.
When Head Gamemaker Perryfeather was removed, the rest of them were notified that there would be an immediate deadline for all of them to present their concepts for the 149th Hunger Games. The arena, muttations, traps, twists, and any other miscellaneous aspects that they felt would give a unique spin to breathe new life into an otherwise mundane series of recent games. The individual with the best concept, would be chosen as the new Head Gamemaker effective immediately, not just for the 149th Hunger Games, but every games for the foreseeable future. It's likely they had to ensure that the next person to take on the role, had to have the capability to come up with something completely innovative and unheard of.
President Thorne watched the reactions of his words with some sort of amusement, cracking the first smile Aegis had seen the serious man make.
"However, as stated, there can only be one. One concept, one arena, one Head Gamemaker," Thorne carried on, closing his eyes momentarily. "There was one, among all of the concepts that each of you proposed, that stood far above the rest. One, that captured my attention as soon as we examined it. One, that I would lie in bed at night, thinking about just how it might play out."
The room appeared to lose its air, as everyone sat tensely with bated breath, anticipating the inevitable reveal. Aegis however, had not moved a muscle, the emptiness he felt preventing him from experiencing the anxious stomach churns many around him were subjected to.
"And that is why, the new Head Gamemaker will be… Aegis Harrow."
Aegis could have heard a pin drop, the silence in the room that followed Thorne's words was that palpable. There wasn't an immediate reaction, with most appearing to try and register the reveal, whilst President Thorne's eyes locked directly onto Aegis. It appeared as if the man was aware of who Aegis was by appearance, even though they had never formally met. Aegis allowed himself to stare back at him, his resolve never faltering as his eyes apathetically met those of the older gentleman.
It was if the two were participating in an unspoken game, a game in which both men were waiting to see who would crack first and address the other directly. Aegis was no coward, he was certainly not one to back down from a challenge, even from a man with such a resounding level of prestige, that if he had wanted to, he could've gone about his life without so much as sparing Aegis an acknowledgment. Yet here they were, almost daring one another to speak first.
Surprisingly, it was neither man who broke the silence, but rather someone whose opinion - or perhaps outrage - simply had to be heard.
"Um, I'm sorry but… who?" Gaia spoke up, appearing to be in a state of complete and utter disbelief.
"Aegis Harrow," Thorne responded, breaking his eye contact with Aegis and turning his attention to the azure haired girl. "You don't know who he is? He's your colleague, no?"
Gaia appeared rather shell shocked for a moment, juggling both slight embarrassment at having been called out by the President for such an oversight, whilst also trying to process the information as her eyes searched the room. Eventually, she connected the dots by following everyone else's gaze, each and every one rested on the indifferent man that Aegis was.
"Oh…?" Gaia uttered a perplexed gasp, her shock having not quite allowed reality to sink in yet. "Him?"
"Indeed," President Thorne confirmed, placing one leg over the other underneath the table. Aegis had a vague sense of amusement at the fact that Gaia was so bewildered, that she appeared to have forgotten she was speaking to the ruler of the nation, as bit by bit her shock turned into outrage.
"T-there has to be some kind of mistake… how could he have produced something so worthy of the position? Something better than me!?" Gaia exclaimed in hushed denial, her voice shaking with every word.
"You'll find out soon enough, Miss Ashbrook. You will be his second-in-command after all," President Thorne nonchalantly informed her, which only seemed to add to Gaia's building distress.
"Second-in-command? Second?" She almost hissed, her knuckles having turned white due to how hard she had been clenching her fist. Aegis could see Gaia's body beginning to tremble, seemingly on the verge of a total mental breakdown. He suspected she assumed the position was in the bag, however this brutal wake up call must've been all too much for Gaia to handle.
"Gaia…" Eirene suddenly spoke up, her voice possessing a coddling tone which seemingly broke past Gaia's brink of insanity. Gaia's eyes locked onto Eirene's, ones that flashed with caution as she subliminally reminded her of the position they were all in. Thankfully for Gaia's sake, this appeared to snap her out of her wrathful state, the young woman backing down and begrudgingly hanging her head in defeat. This however, Aegis doubted would be the end of it.
I should utilise Eirene, he made a mental note as he observed the blonde haired girl, who herself appeared to be masking her sense of disappointment in not being chosen as Head Gamemaker. I'll need to use her for the leash she has on Gaia.
"Aegis," President Thorne spoke up once more, finally addressing the man of the hour. He began to look Aegis up and down, mild interest held within his gaze. "If I do recall so correctly, you're Augustus's boy, aren't you?"
"That would be correct, sir," Aegis responded calmly, his voice sounding rather indifferent for someone who had just been granted the position of a lifetime. Thorne nodded his head approvingly, whilst the others around Aegis began to share glances of confusion with one another. A few raised eyebrows, and many frowns of unfamiliarity. Aegis could see why that was the case, they wouldn't have any idea about who his father was. However, the fact that President Thorne had brought it up personally, would certainly lead them to suspect some sort of bias might be at play.
"I'm surprised for someone of his magnitude, that his son didn't reach the baseline for superior education," President Thorne commented, his voice hardly giving away his true thoughts on the matter. Ignorance? Doubt? It could be anything, the President was rather talented at concealing his inner thoughts. Aegis was impressed.
"No more surprised than he was," Aegis lied monotonously, certain he would give nothing away to the President through his response. It seemed as if this was the case, as President Thorne assessed him for a moment, before appearing to frown slightly in disappointment from Aegis's refusal to falter.
"Nonetheless, I'm sure he would be proud to hear of what his son has achieved thus far, despite your previous shortcomings," Thorne chortled, before he stood up and stepped aside from his chair.
"I'll be sending out a summons to my home for you and Miss Ashbrook in the near future, where we'll be able to discuss this matter further and begin the first phases of the planning for these games," the tall man informed Aegis, with Gaia appearing to perk up once more at her name having been mentioned. Thorne's steely gaze locked back onto Aegis once more, for what would be the final time that afternoon.
"I expect great things from you, Mr Harrow," the man smiled, before quietly turning and exiting the room alongside his assistant and his Peacekeeper entourage. As soon as the doors slid shut, they were once more met with an immense silence, although this had little competition against the overwhelming pressure of the blatant stares that all trained on Aegis. It was the first time in his life that he had drew the attention of other people, let alone a whole group at once. The attention appeared to be mixed, some were jealous, whilst others were simply dumbfounded. Soon enough, he would have the attention of the whole nation, as was common for the role of a Head Gamemaker.
Regardless, none of the judgements he received from his colleagues, nor the prospect of being exposed to the whole country, appeared to faze Aegis in the slightest. All he had, was one thing on his mind.
Maybe I should invest in a pair of those embroidered gloves.
Author's Note
Hello everyone! My name is Reign, and I'm pleased to welcome you to Revenants: The 149th Hunger Games, my new venture into the world of SYOT's. After an extended leave from writing, I am finally in a place where I'm able to come back and commit to a brand new story. This isn't my first rodeo, I have attempted to write SYOT's in the past, and although my inexperience and other external matters did impact them at the time, I have full confidence that I can follow through on this one with a brand new slate, as I have learnt a lot from my past endeavours. I appreciate you giving my first prologue a read, and do hope I have captured your interest to join me in this journey!
So starting off, this is the first of three Prologues that will be released, all of which will be during the submission period. I have already written these in advance, so there won't be big gaps of time in between the uploads for these prologues. For this story, I didn't want to have a meaningless throwaway Capitol sub-plot to fill in the gaps, I wanted the characters to be compelling, and to ultimately impact the story. We've met a few of them here, including our Capitol based protagonist in Aegis Harrow. A few others that we have been introduced to - the likes of Gaia Ashbrook, Eirene Harmonia, and of course President Alexander Thorne - they'll all be recurring characters, among others yet to be introduced. I'd love to hear what you thought of the events and characters of this chapter!
That just about summarises my introduction, now I'll go over what to expect for the submission period, as well as some rules and the submission form. The reality is, I don't know how much traction this story will get, so I don't know how long it'll take to fill the tribute roster. At this point in time, I'm thinking about the deadline being around April 25th, so tributes can be submitted until then unless specified otherwise. If I get a lot of submissions, the date may be brought forward. From experience, this isn't usually the case, but I'd highly recommend submitting early for the best chance of kicking off the story even earlier. Now for the rules.
Rules for Submitting
Review - Probably my biggest one, but actually support the story. Don't submit, get accepted, and disappear without explanation. I understand not everyone can review every chapter, but if you ghost the story and I hear nothing from you for months on end, don't expect your tribute to make it far. This is a joint effort, and I am using your likeness through your characters; feedback is important for both my motivation, and improving my writing. The fun part is engagement, and I hope for you to be along for the journey.
No Reservations - Tribute slots will not be reserved, any number of people can submit to the same slot, and the number of submissions already entered will be shown on my profile. Keep in mind, the more submissions per slot, the higher the competition. It's heavily recommended that you consider submitting to slots that don't have as many submissions for a higher chance of that Tribute being accepted.
PM Submissions Only - You must submit through PM, I will not be including submissions from reviews.
Max of 4 Submissions - I don't expect to get more than 24 individual submitters, so you are welcome to submit up to four tributes. It's very likely only 2-3 will be accepted, but in the chance that I am in dire need to reach the quota, I may select all four of your tributes.
Recycled Tributes - I will not be accepting Tributes used in other stories. My exception is if the story never portrayed the character before being abandoned, then they can be submitted here, but otherwise they must be completely from scratch. If they are found to be from another story, they will be killed off. If they were submitted but not accepted to another story, they are also eligible to be submitted here.
Submission Recommendations
These aren't compulsory, but are highly recommended to consider when designing your tribute.
Careers - Career tributes should be no younger than 16, and should almost always be volunteers. I'm open to non-volunteer Careers if there's a really good reason (Rigged Reaping or something creative), but these are Districts with academies for training tributes, they should almost always produce volunteers. Otherwise, go wild with their backstories.
Volunteers - Non-Career volunteers should have a very good or creative reason for volunteering. There really shouldn't be all that many, it's a death game that most kids are terrified of. Sacrificial selflessness is simply not that common, hence why Katniss volunteering was so unheard of. I don't want to limit your creative direction, so I won't be overly strict on this. It's really just a preference.
Be Detailed! - I can only do so much with a barebones submission. Please try to include as much information as possible so that I have some solid foundations to work with. If they have a certain personality trait, why do they have that trait? What caused it? Try to elaborate on why they are the way they are, and how certain situations might make them react.
That pretty much wraps up the rules and recommendations for submitting, below is the submission form which can also be found on my profile. Please use this format when submitting. Thanks for reading, and keep an eye out for Prologue II!
~ Reign
Please remove Italicised text.
REVENANTS TRIBUTE SUBMISSION FORM
Name:
Age:
Sex:
District:
Physical Description: Detailed, not a list of words.
Family/Friends:
Backstory:
Personality:
Strengths (Max 4): Singular descriptive words/traits, not whether or not they are good at making traps (eg. Diplomatic, Perceptive, Persuasive, Proactive.)
Weaknesses (Min 3): Same for here (eg. Dishonest, Insecure, Melodramatic, Temperamental.)
Weapon of Choice:
Reaped or Volunteered?:
Reaction/Reasoning?:
Private Session: What would they show?
Open to Allies?: Mainly for early-game at least, anything could happen late.
If yes, what kind of ally?:
Thoughts on Careers: General thoughts, and are they open to joining them.
Open to Romance?:
Interview Angle?: How do they generally act during the interview?
Any Specific Strategy?: If not, leave blank or say no.
