80th Candidate Calliope Bloom [ D6 ]

Woo child, tired of the bullshit
Go on dust your shoulders off, keep it moving

Five years ago Calliope Bloom stood in front of this crowd and twitched with panic, the spotlight familiar in all the wrong ways. This year —

This year she struts onto the stage with half a decade of experience bolstering her confidence, regardless of the way the concerns of the country have taken up a permanent residence in her mind, weighing on both her conscience and her bones. It would be so easy to hunch and buckle beneath the pressure, but instead she runs her fingertips over the top of the podium with the light touch of a musician fondly preparing to pick up their instrument. "I know this speech is supposed to be about me," she grins at a crowd that finally feels as if it has gathered for her instead of against her, "but instead I'd like for all of us to welcome home Quest Hertz and Parson Cham!" There's a pause as the crowd cheers and claps, not caring about crowns or titles because more important things have returned to them. "And I would like to thank you — District Six! — for making this incredible triumph of life possible."

The smile stretched across her face is so genuine that Calliope hardly knows what to do with it, delirious with how impossible everything feels, but knowing that it's all irrefutably true. "Quest and Parson fought like hell to come back, but in the end it was this community that had their backs and defied death on their behalf. Our efforts revived twenty-three hearts that would have been lost, doing the unfathomable not just for two of our own, but for children from across every District of Panem. Together we stand at the edge of a new era with unprecedented potential! If the ingenious minds of our medical community can join together to bring the fallen back to life then there is nothing — I swear to Ripred: nothing — that we cannot accomplish." There is a pause as she allows the undeniable victory of their scientific advances to sink in.

"I ran for office five years ago because I felt that both our resources and our hope could be put to better use. I was furious with everything." There is no pre-written speech in her pocket this year, no agenda of personal vendettas and petty frustrations. "Don't misunderstand me. There's still so much more that we can do for our community, but today is not a day for anger or criticism. I believe Quest said it best: Don't waste it. I still look at these streets and see ways that all of our lives can be improved if we work together, but as important as that is, we also need to stop and appreciate our achievements when we've earned them. So today —" Her palms flat against the podium, she pushes down as if to rise up in this moment of undeniable glory. "— don't fucking waste it. We beat death!" The tone of her voice is shamelessly incredulous and she glances at the sky, wondering if there is a god up there or if the greater power of the universe resides within the heart of her people. "We can do anything. So go home. Hug your children. Hug your parents. Hug your friends. And tomorrow let each and every one of us wake up and ask ourselves: Alright, so what's next?"