#Plutarch Heavensbee when I find you…

[atelierlili]

Sporadically rereading Mockingjay and I just remembered even Peeta’s prep team and Portia did not make it out from the capitol. 🫠 Aside from Katniss, Delly and Haymitch, this boy actually has nothing. Almost everyone he’s ever known and connected with are dead. Even worse, by the end of the story, he barely remembers them.

[moethewriter]

Could u do 14 for that dialog prompt with finnick? I'm picturing district 13 reunion angst. You're an amazing writer!!!

Hello! Of Course I can! Thank you for the kind words anon! -- TITLE: Nothin's Gonna Harm You, Not While I'm Around ... WORD COUNT: 1.1k PAIRING: Finnick Odair x Reader WARNING: Mentions of violence, injury and torture (Nothing super extensive but it's there TAGS: Lot's of angst and introspection lol! SUMMARY: You couldn't look at this face, you knew it would break you. A/N: Thanks for another request! I very much appreciate it! This one is definetlely angsty, and since it's me tons Y/N being in their head and analyzing the situation. Of course I always take construction criticism so please feel free to leave it!

You stayed still, as the doctors surrounding you poked and prodded, checking over every aspect of your person. You knew this was protocol, you knew it was necessary … to help you, or even heal you. But this wasn’t helping. You were exhausted, and just wanted a shower. But above all you were frightened and in pain. The Capitol hadn’t been kind after you had been taken, in fact they were violent and you wanted to forget it all.

You were scared. 

The rescue hadn’t been the smoothest operation, The Capitol sparing no expense to keep you, Johanna, and Peeta in The Capitol. People had died, you could have died but you didn't. You had to put faith in the plan, the one that Haymitch Abernathy had explained, That Plutarch Heavensbee and District 13 had concocted. But that didn’t mean you were okay, that didn’t mean that you were ever going to be okay again

. 

When you had woken up in the Capitol instead of in the arms of Finnick, you had been horrified … You knew there was no escape, no way you could get out, despite ruminating on ever plan to get yourself and your friends out. 

The realization that you hadn’t been rescued from the arena had set in after listening to Johanna’s screams. But you couldn’t place the blame on anyone, you had all separated in there and Katniss was the face of the Rebellion, she needed to get out, they needed to save her before anyone else … The Mockingjay.

You could take some Capitol torture, is what you had thought, after all they had tortured you and Finnick for years after your games.

You winced, as a bright light filled your vision. The Doctors were shining a device in your face.. 

“Cognitive function, still good.” 

You wanted to let out the bitter laugh you had been holding back, but you couldn’t bring yourself too. Your brain was all there, of course. The Capitol and Snow hadn’t taken that from you yet.

Pain filled you, as one of them touched your leg firmly, feeling around the broken skin, the sores and blisters that hadn’t been quite allowed to heal yet. 

“Leg Injury is severe but it’s nothing that won’t heal.”

Right, you remembered having to be carried out of your cell by someone. You had always been quick. That’s something that saved you during your games. You had been fast, quick to hit and quick to run before someone could see you, like a phantom in the night. The Capitol … Snow had made sure you couldn’t run this time. 

“Not like the Mellark boy, she’s safe.”

Your head shot up at the mention of Peeta. You knew that if they rescued you, that Johanna and Peeta would be as well. But … What had happened to them? Fear laced your thoughts, weaving into your mind like a virus. They hadn’t been kind to Johanna, you could hear her screams from your cell … was she safe? 

You looked past the shoulders of the doctors, vision slightly blurry, trying to find your friends. You could see Johanna fighting back, she had always been feisty, you were glad that the Capitol didn’t take that from her. She was pissed, you could tell just by her face. You couldn’t blame her, either. 

Were you really safe?

“Can you tell us your name?” The female doctor asked, gently. She was clearly approaching this with some sense of tact.

Bile rose in your throat, as you shrunk into yourself. “Y/N L/N.” You whispered, voice hoarse, and throat raw. 

“You’re in District 13, you’re going to be okay.” The woman doctor said, placing a comforting hand on your shoulder.

You flinched back, violently, despite her gentleness.

“I know you’re frightened but it’s alright.” She spoke again

You couldn’t bring yourself to believe her. 

Nothing felt alright, in fact this whole situation had been fucked from the start, from the reaping to the escape plan … Nothing had gone right. 

“Y/N!? Y/N?!”

You knew who was calling to you. Finnick. But you weren’t sure if you even wanted him to see you like this. You felt broken, you barely felt like yourself at this moment, but you knew that he would fight his way to you. He always would. 

You sank desperately into your bed, shrinking as small as you could sniffling like some coward, or at least that’s what you felt like. 

He found you, after a while, of course he did. He would always find you, and he wouldn’t give up till he knew you were safe.

“Hey.” You could feel his presence crouching down beside you, his voice so quiet.

“Hey.” You whispered back, voice breaking as everything that had happened finally seemed to weigh down on you.

Finnick had always had that effect on you, always able to break down your walls with a simple word. 

You could feel him moving, and then his hand was on yours. You violently wretched it away, on an instinct, almost throwing yourself away from him. 

“Y/N” Finnick whispered, voice cracking.

Tears trailed down your cheeks, hot and salty, burning the small wounds on your face. You couldn’t bring yourself to look at him, you didn’t want to see the heartbreak written across his face. Finnick had always prided himself on being a good actor, pretending to be The Capitol darling, but he was never able to do that with you.

The Capitol hadn’t broken you, but seeing Finnick hurt … you knew that would.

“I’m not going to hurt you, I would never hurt you.”

You let out a loud sob, unable to hold it back anymore. You needed him. His arms wrapped around you, and you allowed yourself to sink into the comforting feeling. It was different, everything was different now but he was still Finnick and you were still you. 

“God Finnick I-” 

You didn’t even know what to say.

“I know.” He said, pulling you into his chest. “I know.”

You didn’t know how long you stayed there, crying, and allowing yourself for the first time in weeks to be comforted by the person you loved. 

“I’d burn this world down for you, and Snow is going to be first.” He said, voice rough, rocking you in his arms. “The Capitol doesn’t know what’s coming to them, they hurt you and I can’t let that go. I won’t let that go. They’re never going to hurt you again.”

“As long as you come back to me.” You sniffled.

He kissed the top of your head.

“I will always come back to you.”

And you desperately hoped, with every bit of strength you could muster, that his words were true.

[ilguna]

heyy! i'm a fan of ur thg fics on wattpad, and i was wondering if u could do one with cashmere? sort of like one where it's the 75 and we're from district 4 or whatever and she comes by our room like the night before, then the first day in the games, and preferably could u release it on wattpad cuz i mainly use that?? thank u sm!!

☼ heather (Cashmere Ritchson) ☼

warnings; swearing, suicide mention.

wc; 4.6k

—

The rebellion means nothing if it means you’ll be forced to leave your girlfriend behind without giving her a chance.

This is what you’ve decided after these past few days of going back and forth on whether or not you’ll take matters into your own hands. You played both sides, but the more you tried to live with it, the more the guilt ate you alive. Which brought you to arguing with your allies and the organizers about allowing her to be in on it. 

And they told you that no matter the situation—under no circumstances—is Cashmere and Gloss Ritchson to join the rebel alliance.

It’s primarily because they’re from District One, known for its loyalty to the Capitol. It’s the same for Two, but you’re not arguing for Enobaria and Brutus. You know that they’d sell the rebels out in a second if it meant that their name would be mentioned by the media once.

You can see why they’re saying no. For them, the risk is too high to take. It’s easy to break off your relationship if it means that the Hunger Games are over. You’d agree, too, if you and Cashmere recently started dating. Except, the two of you have been together for almost four years. You crossed the honeymoon stage a long time ago.

They don’t know anything about her. If they knew even half of where she stood on topics like this, you think they’d recruit her in a heartbeat. They’d be at your feet begging for you to convince her to help, because Cashmere and Gloss can have the loudest voices, especially in District One.

That’s what you’ve been trying to explain to them this entire week. Cashmere wants to do good in her life. The two of you talk about it every time you’re in the Capitol to mentor. The only way she can do that right now is by helping her tributes win, and then making sure that Coriolanus doesn’t get his hands on them.

If you were to tell her that there’s a way the Games could completely end and she’d never have to worry about another teenager being passed around the Capitol, she would be pissed at you for not mentioning it sooner. She has a heart, and so does Gloss.

All it would take is Cashmere joining for the dominos to start falling. Gloss would be right behind her, because there’s nothing the two of them have done apart in their life. This would cause most of the people in District One to rethink their stance, since their main figures have. 

This could even be what convinces District Two. 

Haymitch Abernathy and Plutarch Heavensbee won’t bite. No matter how many times you propose the plan, and rework it each time they find a reason to say it won’t work, they don’t want to believe there’s another branch to exploit.

Unfortunately for them, you don’t think you can follow behind them blindly.

As you make your way out of your carpeted room to the hallway, your feet sweep against the hardwood floor that belongs to the District Four apartment in the Training Center. You’ve spent the past couple of hours decompressing, deciding what your move will be in the arena.

You haven’t come to any conclusion quite yet, you were hoping that you’d have more time.

Usually, after the interviews with Caesar, the tributes, mentors, escort and stylists will gather together to have one final meal to talk about the highlights. The evening will end with watching the recaps, where you’d send away the tributes to their rooms to get much needed sleep when it’s done. 

This year, nothing has gone according to plan. From the moment Cashmere stepped on stage, it was like all of you unanimously had your minds set on the idea of shutting the Games down, at any cost. With Cashmere and Gloss kicking it off strong, by having the Capitol citizens in tears in the first thirty seconds of either of them being on stage.

She talked about how devastated she was that her time was being taken away from her, when she has so much of it left. Not only referencing the Capitol, a place she loves dearly, despite the way it’s treated her as of late. But she was also talking about you, because four years is not enough when you were thinking you had the rest of your lives together.

“I can’t imagine losing you.” She’d murmured into the microphone, eyes locked on the camera. From where you stood with Finnick backstage, you knew that one was directed at you. And so did he.

Gloss kept it up by showering the Capitol in compliments, recalling the times where they had been so kind to the two of them since their winnings. And then he reeled it in by talking about how he’d never be able to properly repay them, because he’s going away so soon.

Beetee and Wiress worked together to question the legality of the Quell. One of them asking the questions, the other backing up his claims with facts and dates that went along with them. They ended by asking if the Quell had been properly examined by the experts lately.

And then you came on stage right after, wearing a dress in Cashmere’s favorite shade of purple. A color that your stylist wouldn’t typically go for, if you hadn’t been so persistent with him since the Tribute Parade. You had to wear purple, and if he couldn’t make it work, then you wanted someone that could.

When he showed you his final product, you almost couldn’t believe how gorgeous it was. For someone who worked inside of a very tight box of hues of sea green and the theme of the ocean, he went above and beyond when it came to styling a piece that was supposed to be reminiscent of District One. 

This was amplified by the collective gasps from the crowd when they finally saw you take the stage. Little did they know, they would never get the opportunity to leave their state of shock. The next three minutes of your interview were painful, but perfectly calculated for this moment. 

You proceeded to reveal every secret that you’d kept about the Capitol.

You couldn’t outwardly say how Snow pounced on you when you were becoming popular after your Games. You danced around the topic, wanting the citizens to figure this one out on their own. It may not be today, or tomorrow, but when they do realize, it’ll leave a sour taste in their mouth.

Just like how their faces puckered up when you admitted the biggest secret of them all, the one that you’d kept from them for four years. With your hands clasped against your chest, you gave Caesar a smile.

“Do you know the significance of this color, Caesar? It’s more than just purple, it’s heather.” You tilted your head slightly.

“Yes, I was just about to say that. I believe I wore the color one year.” He laughed.

“You wore it the year Cashmere won, actually. It was her favorite color prior to coming to the Capitol, and when she saw it, she took it as a sign.” You wanted to look back at her, except you couldn’t. You had to wait.

“Oh, is that right?” He asked. “Does it hold sentimental value to you, as well?”

“Yes, I’ve been wearing this color for four years now, and I’ll never get sick of it.” You smiled, looking out to the crowd in front of you, feeling your body get jittery. It was the reason why your hands were against your chest, instead of at your sides. So they wouldn’t be able to see you shaking.

When Snow found out that you and Cashmere were dating—two of the Capitol’s favorite darlings—he told you that it would never be able to come to light. If they found out the truth, it could ruin the plan he had for the two of you. And in turn, he said that you’d find yourself regretting it if you ever did breathe a word.

You listened, and then he changed the rules of the Hunger Games. Which means he forfeits his right to dangle something like safety over your head. You’re dead, anyway, if you can’t figure out the rebel plan. What’s it matter?

“Why is that?” He asked.

You felt the seconds counting down on the clock, your third minute coming in fast.

“I’m in love with Cashmere.” You told him, but when you turned your head, it was to look at her, not him. “And she’s in love with me. We have been for the past four years.”

The buzzer went off directly after. At least half of the crowd leapt to their feet, demanding for another minute. Or an explanation, at the very least. You couldn’t leave them on a cliffhanger like that, it wasn’t fair.

“Thank you, (Y/n) (L/n).” Caesar took your hands to squeeze them tightly. “Best of luck to you, and to Cashmere.”

“Thank you, Caesar.” You murmured, walking away.

To seal every last word of what you’d said at the end, you purposely went up the steps that’d lead you to Cashmere. She held her hands out, waiting for you to take them. You pressed your thumb over the middle of her knuckles, the tops of her fingers resting in your palms.

“Okay?” You asked, letting her lean into you.

“Okay.” She agreed, pressing a soft kiss to your lips.

You then let go of her hands to adjust a blonde curl that was straying, giving her a smile, before moving down the line to stand next to Beetee. Your interview went perfectly, you fed off of Cashmere, but set up for what Finnick had planned to do. Which was a poem he’d written for Annie, that had the girls swooning in their seats.

After that, it was a steady build up to Peeta. Johanna asked if anything could be done about the situation, considering the Capitol and the victors have formed a bond that would be cruel to sever. Seeder and Chaff proceeded to talk about how in District Eleven, President Snow is hailed to be all-powerful, meaning he should be able to change the Quell, and grant the victors mercy.

As soon as Katniss got on stage, it was over with. Her stylist had outdone himself again, by putting her in the wedding dress that had won the final vote. She was unable to speak for the first two minutes because the crowd wouldn’t quiet down because of it.

Eventually, she was able to speak, and she did the same trick that she did last year, by twirling. Instead of vanity flames eating away at the bottom of her dress again, it completely consumed her. Her stylist had turned her into a mockingjay, and neither you or Finnick could hold back the hiss that escaped you. He would pay for that.

Peeta was the perfect person to end the interviews with. He started light, gradually getting heavier with each topic, the same thing that you had done. He continued the playful dynamic he and Caesar have to brighten the crowd. That moved into talking about the secret, unofficial marriage that he and Katniss had prior to coming to the Capitol.

And it ended with him claiming that Katniss was pregnant.

It was the perfect end to a tragic evening.

The chaos was too much for everyone to handle, though. Where you normally get time after the interviews to mingle, and say your goodbyes to the tributes around you, it wasn’t allowed. You didn’t get to see Cashmere before you were shoved into an elevator with Finnick and Johanna, being sent up to your floors alone.

When Mags came back to the apartment by herself, she advised for you to stay in your rooms after what happened after the interviews. She was afraid that Peacekeepers might come to visit, but none have come in the past couple of hours. That’s why you’ve felt safe enough to come out.

You stand in the doorway that leads you to the living room, staring at bronze hair. Of course, her favorite boy isn’t listening to her. Finnick is sitting on the couch, where he’s watching Capitol reporters talk about the interviews, without showing actual clips. They can’t, not after what happened.

The moment that Peeta had taken his spot at the end of the row, you all began to join hands. Cashmere’s head swiveled in your direction, and when you gave her a solid nod, she didn’t hesitate to follow your lead. She trusts you to do what’s right. Another example that Cashmere and Gloss would join the rebellion if offered.

By the ending notes of the Capitol anthem, you stood in two unbroken lines, hands joining you together. The first public show of unity among the districts in decades. An act none of you could’ve ever imagined would happen.

You shuffle out of the doorway and down two steps to pass through the dining room. At the sound of your movement, Finnick turns his head to look over his shoulder. His eyes land on your body first, eyes dragging up to see your face when you get closer.

“They’re not coming.” You murmur, stopping behind the couch.

“No, they’re not.” He agrees. There’s a moment of silence. “I don’t think we made a difference.”

“We already knew he wasn’t going to cancel the Games. The Capitol people could be killing themselves on the streets and he would still do what he thinks is best.” You sigh.

“It was worth the shot.” Finnick says.

The woman on the screen bids her goodbye, disappearing. She’s suddenly replaced by Caesar Flickerman and Claudius Templesmith. They both have wide smiles on their faces. You guess they got the clear to come on television and speak about the interviews, after all. You thought that Snow would try to sweep it under the rug.

This ought to be good.

“Ladies and gentlemen, it has been an eventful evening.” Caesar says, laughing nervously. “It will be one controversial night to remember.”

“Yes it will.” Claudius nods. 

“I would even call this a night for the lovers.” Caesar lifts his hand. “Between Cashmere and (Y/n), Finnick and his poem, and the young couple from District Twelve, I don’t think we’ve seen a room so in love before.”

“Do you think they’ll announce it?” You ask, crossing your arms over your chest.

“Yeah, but they’ve got to lead up to it.” Finnick adjusts on the couch, patting the spot next to him. “You can sit.”

“I’m good.” You tell him.

You’ve been waiting for him to say something about your interview all night, but he must be confident that you won’t betray the rebels in any way. If only your mentor knew just how much you’ve been thinking about it. His eyes would bulge out of his head. How could you ever leave District Four behind for a girl?

“I must say that the Capitol is certainly worked up tonight, don’t you think?” Claudius asks. “We’ve had favorites in the past, they could never compare to this.”

“I believe that’s the exact issue. We have all the favorites with us. Much less, all the victors that won the last decade. Enobaria, Gloss, Cashmere, Finnick, and (Y/n)? That’s five Career victors that won in a straight line, and now they’re going to be put into the Games together.” Caesar’s shaking his head. “It really is unfortunate.”

“I hate it when they pretend to care.” You say.

“They’re sympathizing with the public. I bet they’ll do it now.”

“You know what else is unfortunate…” Claudius trails off.

“Oh yes, the pregnancy.” Caesar lets out a tough sigh, “I can’t believe it, myself.”

“I know we’ve all been waiting eagerly to see what President Snow will say, and we have it here.” Claudius holds up a card, briefly flashing it to the camera to show Snow’s signature. “He instructed us to read it, as he’s sure our citizens are upset with him at the moment.”

The notecard is passed to Caesar, where he lightly taps it against the desk, as if straightening a stack of them. When really, there’s just one. “It reads, ‘It is with the heaviest heart, I must tell you that the 75th Quarter Quell will continue as planned, and will not be cancelled or postponed. My best of luck to our dearest, Katniss Everdeen’.”

“I told you.” You say, “He wants us all dead.”

Finnick lets out a scoff.

A knock at the door causes the both of you to look in that direction. You glance at the clock to see it’s exactly the time that you had told Cashmere to come over. Granted, at the time you had no idea of what would be happening on stage. You just wanted to spend time with her before going inside of the arena.

When you begin to walk toward it, Finnick sits up on the couch. “Are you expecting someone?”

You don’t answer him, fixing your hair, and then opening the door slightly. You’re met with Cashmere, her blonde hair in wet waves against her shoulders. She’s wearing silk pajamas. You bite your bottom lip, offering her a smile.

“I almost thought I wouldn’t be able to.” She says. “The avoxes tried to stop me, but my mentor told them to let me go. I can’t stay for long.”

“That’s okay.” You tell her, letting her come inside. “A few hours is better than none.”

You look in Finnick’s direction, and find him glaring at you momentarily, before turning his attention to the television, where Claudius and Caesar have moved on. You squint at the back of his head, closing the door.

“Let’s go to my room.” You tell her, taking her hand in yours. “I wouldn’t want to bother Finnick.” 

The walk to your room is quiet, and with the layout of the apartments being nearly identical in each one, she finds your room easily. The blankets on your bed are messy, but she still throws herself down, pulling them over her.

“Did you hear the announcement?” You ask, going to sit on the bed.

“No, but Gloss was watching it when I left.” She turns her head to look at you. “And by the look on your face, it’s telling me that the Games are still on.”

“Yeah.” You murmur, eyes dancing over her face, before looking out the window.

It’s quiet between you for a brief moment. “You didn’t change your mind.” She says, it’s not a question. “(Y/n), you have to be kidding me.”

“Cashmere…” You shake your head. “I told you that I can’t change my mind.”

“About being my ally?” She asks, throwing the blankets off of herself to sit up. “Does it make more sense to be in Finnick’s alliance instead of with the Careers, with me?” Her face is twisted, there’s a wet mark on one of your pillows because of her hair. “I thought you said you were going to tell him. I thought that’s why he looked at you like that.”

You press your lips together, shifting your gaze from her. You knew you shouldn’t have mentioned anything to her. What you said was that you would talk to Finnick about the alliance situation. It’s a good thing you knew better than to make a promise, because she would hold you to that.

Even though she knows that you’re trapped in this alliance. There’s not very much wiggle room for you. And if you stray, then you’re as good as dead to the rebellion. There’s hundreds of things that could go wrong in the arena—you injure yourself, you make enemies, you get attacked, Enobaria and Brutus turn on you, starvation, dehydration. If the Careers decide to attack the rebel alliance and you’re seen with them, there’s no way you’re making it out of the arena.

It’s too risky to try to work with them, when you know you’ll be safest with Finnick.

Except, if anything were to happen to Cashmere in the arena, you’d never be able to forgive yourself. You know that you would curse yourself for not protecting her more. And if she died?

“Sacrifices have to be made.” Is what Finnick told you the first time you brought up your concern to him. “I’m sorry yours is one of the more painful ones.”

You swallow the toughness growing in your throat. “There’s nothing I can do.” 

“I don’t believe that.” Cashmere says. “I want you to be with me and Gloss, at least. We don’t have to be with Enobaria and Brutus, if that’s what is holding you back—”

“That’s not…” You stop, taking a breath. “That doesn’t make a difference.”

“Is it Gloss?” She asks, back straightening. “(Y/n), please don’t make me choose between you or my brother.”

“I’m not making you choose between anything, Cash.” You tell her, meeting her eyes. “There is no choice. I am in this alliance, and I can’t leave it.”

“And I can’t join.” She says, eyebrows drawing in. “I don’t want to be split from you in the arena, that’s not fair.”

“Trust me, I know.”

“Then why are you doing this?” She asks. “Is it Finnick? Does he not like me?”

You sigh through your nose. “No, Cashmere.”

“Why? You have to give me that!” She shouts.

“I trapped myself.” You try to keep your voice measured. You don’t like seeing her desperate like this. “I’ve told you that.”

“That’s all you’ve told me. I want a real answer.” She says. “I deserve it. After four years of my life spent with you, you owe me that much.”

“Cashmere, I don’t owe you a goddamn thing on a scale like this.” You tell her.

Her eyes hit yours sharply, face twisting in disgust. She lets out a sound of disbelief, getting to her feet. “You were the last person I’d ever expect—” She stops next to the door. “Goodbye, (Y/n).”

“Cashmere.” You stand, she’s making her way out of your room. You chase her for a few steps, but by the time you make it to the hallway, she’s slammed the front door behind her.

You stare at the door, teeth chattering against themselves as the tears hit you all at once. You sniff, covering your mouth as you go to return to your room. You haven’t even taken three steps before you see Finnick standing in the darkness of his side of the hallway. 

He doesn’t have to say anything, you know exactly what he’s thinking.

“Don’t worry,” Your voice wavers, you continue past him. “I didn’t tell her anything.”

—

“Ladies and gentlemen, let the Seventy-Fifth Hunger Games begin!” Claudius Templesmith announces.

With your eyes closed, you raise your chin, holding your arms out to let the salty breeze embrace you. It moves right through the wetsuit, as if you’re standing here naked. The goosebumps that try to cover your skin are quickly eliminated by the warmth of the air that surrounds you.

You don’t move from this stance for a long second, pretending that you’re standing on the beach at home in District Four. The only change you would make right now is to take off your shoes to feel the water lap over your feet, instead of your boots. You’d do it, but you don’t want to accidentally set off the explosive beneath the metal plate.

You open your eyes.

A clear, blue sky with no clouds in sight is what greets you, leaving the bright and powerful sun fully exposed. You direct your attention downward, to the land beyond the water that you’ll have to swim through. It’s lusciously thick, and healthily green, with trees stretching far up into the air without fear.

It’s a jungle.

The arena seems to be circular from what you can tell on your podium. The jungle takes up the entire outer circle, with a small strip of beach on the inner side. Besides the water, the only other landmark in the center is the Cornucopia, which is placed on a small, black rock island. There are spokes coming out of the island, leading all the way to the beach, creating wedges.

In each water wedge, there are two tributes.

When you turn your head to see who you’ve been placed with, you’re met with the woman from Nine. She’s preoccupied with looking at the arena. There’s no telling if she’s seen you or not. It wouldn’t matter, anyway. She’s not exactly a threat to you.

You look between the tributes on each side of you, searching for any of your rebel allies. You can see Finnick, and barely make out Johanna’s spiky hair in the distance. Katniss looks to be close, too. It’s perfect placement, you’ll be able to meet them in the Cornucopia, easily.

Despite the fact that this should be an ease of mind, you don’t stop looking. You want to find Cashmere, so you know where to block Katniss from going so she doesn’t harm her. You go over the tributes three times, unable to find her from where you’re standing. She must be on the other side of the island.

Will you even get a chance to see her?

The gong finally sounds, you dive to the spoke off to your right. The water is refreshingly cold, but not enough to take your breath away. You cut through the waves easily, pulling yourself onto the black rock. The water weighs you down, it’s a sensation that you’re used to.

On your feet, you sprint up to the Cornucopia, arms pumping at your sides. Strands of your hair fling up to cling onto any exposed skin. You whip your head from side to side to see who’s coming up your way, and find that Katniss and Finnick will be here at any moment.

The confliction in your body keeps you from moving where you stand. Either you can stay here, and help the rebels. Or you can be with Cashmere and keep her alive until the rescue happens. The issue is, you won’t have any idea when that’ll be, because there’s a plan with the district bread. 

If you leave her, it means you could leave her behind for good. She’ll get taken by the Capitol when you get rescued. Who knows what they’ll do to her if they think she’s a rebel sympathizer. Especially since she’s from District One.

You gravitate forward, past the Cornucopia. You can hear Finnick shouting your name, you think. You don’t stop moving, finding Cashmere in the water, swimming to her own spoke. She doesn’t seem to be in much of a hurry.

You jog down the rock, being careful not to trip over the jagged pieces. By the time you’re there to meet Cashmere, Finnick and Katniss have made it. You crouch down, offering your hand to her.

Cashmere looks up, pressing her lips together.

“Come on, Cash.” You urge her, “Let’s go.”

“What are you doing?” She asks, reaching up. You grab her wrist, pulling her out of the salt water completely. She wipes it from her eyes.

“I’m choosing you.” You tell her. “I’ll figure something else out. You’re more important to me.”

--

this is part of my 3k celebration!! you can join until the cure is released on October 31st, at midnight!

+ i will transfer this to wattpad as soon as i'm done with my celebration :)

[mariesstudying]

Who was the most lucky and un-lucky person from The Hunger Games trilogy?

Why do you pick them? Please give reasons.

You can interpret the luck and un-luck thing however you want.

Thank you :)

@curiousnonny

I love this question thank you @curiousnonny @curiousthg !!!

I think I would say that Plutarch Heavensbee is the luckiest person in the trilogy. As far as I remember, there is no mention of Plutarch's family or him giving anything up as a result of joining the rebellion. This makes him luckier than most characters because all he gave up was his wealth, he didn't even lose his power or influence. Speaking of power and influence, Plutarch remains right next to the leader in every situation. This is better, for him than being the leader because he can run off and save himself a lot easier. In Catching Fire, he was in a position right below (or close to right below) President Snow since he was the Head Game Maker. Simultaneously, he was definitely right behind Coin in the rebellion considering everything he was doing as Head Game Maker for them. In Mockingjay, he's still high up in the rebellions ranks, not at Coins level but similar. It also helps that (unlike Coin), Katniss kinda knows him and sorta trusts him because then Coin has to rely on Plutarch to get through to Katniss. Even after the rebellion he’s in a good political condition.

There are so many characters you can consider most unlucky. Theee I’m gonna mention are Finnick, Annie and Johanna. Finnick went through the trauma of the games at 14, survived and then was essentially sold off to members of the Capitol by Snow, the love of his life is captured and tortured and soon after they get married and his wife finds out she’s pregnant, he’s killed by mutts. Johanna survived the games, her family was killed by Snow so she’s all alone, was captured and tortured by the Capitol and her only real friend (Finnick) died. Annie, after surviving the games, faced severe ptsd resulting in people saying she’s crazy, the person she loves was reaped for the games again, she is captured and tortured by the Capitol and when she’s married and pregnant thinking everything is going to be ok, her husband (Finnick) is killed.

[heavensbeehall]

More about the other victors & chapter 16

They're a little strange, but I'm pretty sure neither of them is going to try to make me uncomfortable by stripping naked.

Again, Katniss is not a sexual being yet. She is most comfortable with Beetee, Wiress and Mags because she understands those type of relationships. Also the three of them are awsome.

I glance around the Training Center. Peeta is at the center of a ribald circle of knife throwers. The morphlings from District 6 are in the camouflage station, painting each other's faces with bright pink swirls. The male tribute from District 5 is vomiting wine on the swordfighting floor. Finnick and the old woman from his district are using the archery station. Johanna Mason is naked again and oiling her skin down for a wrestling lesson. I decide to stay put.

Peeta is much better with people, all kinds of people. Katniss doesn't know what to do with naked people. So she stays with the nerds.

I want to know what Finnick and Mags talk about at the archery station.

I feel bad, knowing that their district must have suffered much worse than ours. I feel I need to defend my people.

Here's a chicken or the egg question. Are the victors from 3 and 4 rebels because their districts are rebellious. Or are the districts rebellious because their victors are?

Plutarch Heavensbee in the magnificent purple robe with the fur-trimmed collar that designates him as Head Gamemaker. He's eating a turkey leg.

I don't know why I find it hilarious that he's eating a turkey leg, but I do. I am imagining one of those rlly big ones from fairs and stuff.

When we make our way into the dining area, I see some of Peeta's gang have other ideas. They're dragging all the smaller tables to form one large table so that we all have to eat together. Now I don't know what to do. Even at school I used to avoid eating at a crowded table. Frankly, I'd probably have sat alone if Madge hadn't made a habit of joining me.

I wonder whose idea this was. I suspect Chaff. But we can see some of the school versions of Katniss and Peeta. He was always with a group from the town kids. She prefers to be alone.

Chaff doesn't seem as bad at lunch. He's sober, and while he talks too loud and makes bad jokes a lot, most of them are at his own expense. I can see why he would be good for Haymitch, whose thoughts run so darkly. But I'm still not sure I'm ready to team up with him.

This description of Chaff reminds me of my dad. He's a people-person and feels the need to entertain everyone all the time. (It can be exhausting and I can see why someone as introverted and inhibited as Katniss would be put off.) But the fact that he makes an effort to seek out Haymitch--who pushes everyone away--makes me love him. You know Haymitch says mean stuff to him and he just laughs it off.

After lunch I do the edible-insect station with the District 8 tributes--Cecelia, who's got three kids at home, and Woof, a really old guy who's hard of hearing and doesn't seem to know what's going on since he keeps trying to stuff poisonous bugs in his mouth.

I think Woof knows exactly what he's doing when he puts poisonous bugs in his mouth.

Finnick appears again when I'm picking up fishing tips, but mostly just to introduce me to Mags, the elderly woman who's also from District 4. Between her district accent and her garbled speech--possibly she's had a stroke-- I can't make out more than one in four words. But I swear she can make a decent fishhook out of anything--a thorn, a wishbone, an earring. After a while I tune out the trainer and simply try to copy whatever Mags does. When I make a pretty good hook out of a bent nail and fasten it to some strands of my hair, she gives me a toothless smile and an unintelligible comment I think might be praise. Suddenly I remember how she volunteered to replace the young, hysterical woman in her district. It couldn't be because she thought she had any chance of winning. She did it to save the girl, just like I volunteered last year to save Prim. And I decide I want her on my team.

Do we thinks Mags did have a stroke? I have a headcanon that she's had a speech impediment her whole life but that's just in the imaginary Mags story I write in my head.

In fact, I feel as if I've somehow been initiated into the victors' circle. During the next two days, I spend time with almost everybody headed for the arena. Even the morphlings, who, with Peeta's help, paint me into a field of yellow flowers.

Yellow flowers again.

Mags, who I can understand a little better now, decides she's just going to take a nap.

Queen shit. I love Mags.

[katnissdoesnotfollowback]

🔥 Happy Birthday Katniss Everdeen 🔥

What's your first impression of Katniss after reading or watching The Hunger Games?

Do you find Katniss likable? Do you think her characterization is realistic?

What do you think the strengths and weaknesses of Katniss?

If today, you can make new movie/series adaptation, who would be suitable as Katniss? Based on visual description and acting talents.

Thank you :)

@curiousnonny

This actually from last year @curiousnonnyblog because I just... year it's been a bit of a ride the past year.

Okay so! Confession time. I am an unabashed Everlark shipper, but honestly? I fell in love with Katniss first. I loved her so much that when she was suspicious of Peeta throughout the first book, so was I. I took her word for it. If this guy was shady in her mind, then I didn't trust him either. Somewhere between her saying that she tried to drown Buttercup because he'd be one more mouth to feed, the line "District Twelve, where you can starve to death in safety," and her frantic volunteering for Prim, I was 100% behind Katniss. She was just so delightfully prickly, but also... caring. Compassionate. She tried so hard to present this front of badass, untouchable survivor, but then she tries to be kind to Madge when Gale's a jerk. She tries so hard to comfort Prim, and she just seemed so darn lonely that I wanted to hug her.

There are many aspects of her character that feel realistic to me, but I want to focus on one that maybe doesn't get a lot of attention (?). I could be wrong about that lol. I know there are a LOT of oldest children in this fandom. Welp. I'm a middle child and I am here to tout the realism of Katniss thinking she's responsible for literally everything in Prim's life to the point that she volunteers to take her place in a death match because "Prim's afraid of her own shadow." But also... my dude, we younger siblings are not nearly as helpless and dependent on you older ones as you want to think we are.

Do I think Prim had a real shot at winning the Games? Mmmm not really, but that has less to do with the Katniss's perception of Prim and more to do with the reality of their situation. At fourteen, Finnick is the youngest Victor ever and he had a boatload of sponsors, which Prim likely wouldn't have been able to garner.

So that aside, Katniss tends to see Prim as more helpless and more perfect than she really is. Prim proves her mettle in small ways through the rest of the series. She seems "bland" or "too perfect" because that's how Katniss portrays her. In reality, Prim has bite. She sasses Plutarch Heavensbee, she takes on the role of healer beside her mother which... Katniss herself admits she's not good at that because she's squeamish about blood and pain. Prim just dives in to deal with it, proving that she's got way more of a spine than Katniss sometimes gives her credit for. And then she runs into combat as a medic at age thirteen. Without hesitation. Basically, Katniss doesn't know her younger sister as well as she thinks she does.

Anyway, I find that older child syndrome aspect of Katniss's personality supremely realistic.

I don't know that there is someone who'd I want to see recast as Katniss if they were to remake the movies or if they actually made a series like they should've in the first place. Mainly because I'm not familiar enough with the current young actresses out there. Because I live under a rock where celeb culture is concerned. I'd rather see someone young and relatively unknown be cast, though, so she could grow with the series and it wouldn't be a blockbuster franchise that's more about the names in it than their ability to portray the characters.

Thanks for the ask, even if it took me ages to answer this one!

<3 kdnfb

[liviacardew]

deaths explained + time travelling kids au

so, when achilles crane-cardew, plutarch heavensbee, aelia ravinstill and athena creed are fourteen, all their parents die.

after their parents’ death, the kids were extremely distraught and were full of grief (athena more so than the others).

and when they’re eighteen, they finally find out how and who killed their parents. they’re all revengeful when they find out it was the same person that killed their parents. coriolanus snow.

here’s how they died

felix and clemensia were killed in a car accident. festus and persephone died due to food poisoning. hilarius and vipsania had a posca overdose. livia and arachne both had a sudden cardiac arrest.

felix and clemensia had been the first couple to die. they were both on the way home to their fourteen-year-old daughter from a social event. then, they got into a mysterious car accident. all the cctv footages of the car accident were gone. they all mysteriously disappeared. no one was able to figure it out until their own daughter, aelia ravinstill did the day she turned eighteen.

festus and persephone had passed a week after felix and clemensia. similarly, they were both in an event. coriolanus offered them food, and they both simply started choking and death came for them. the cctv cameras were broken that night. later when flavius was sixteen, he’d then take his own life. athena was the only price-creed left.

(help i lowkey do not know how to explain livia & arachne’s and hilarius & vipsania’s…like it just happened. or maybe that’s what coriolanus said what happened…who knows?)

time travelling kids au (scenario one)

in this au, the kids create a time travelling machine with the help of io jasper and urban canville’s son: albert canville (much to aelia’s dismay). they’re not technically sure about this whole time travelling thing, but they decided it’s the only way they could get their parents back and make sure coriolanus doesn’t end up a total prick like he is now.

they test out the time travelling machine, and the group of four actually did it. albert canville actually did it. they were now in the beginning of their parents’ senior year.

since they were wearing the academy uniform, professor demigloss/dean highbottom thinks they’re new students and tells them to go to the orientation. the four of them see each of their parents there + coriolanus and they just panic.

this is the first time they’ve seen their parents & co. in four years and when professor demigloss tells them to introduce themselves, all four of them would go like: “uh, um, well” for a few moments until arachne raises an eyebrow and give them that look.

they just make fake last names similar (in a way?) to their actual last names. so now, they’re achilles byrd-shaw, athena cress, aelia heron, and plutarch whimslou. (i actually do not know.)

coriolanus is suspicious of them immediately. when he asked them “why did you guys just enroll in the academy when we’re about to graduate?” and “i don’t think i’ve ever seen you around before?”, but they always dodge the topic somehow.

they’re a few days in and then all of a sudden, albert canville and june ruby snow show up. though, this one was by accident due to june ruby accidentally stumbling across the time travel machine and albert just tries to hide it, and they hit the button by accident.

them being there creates more chaos and albert and aelia get into an argument in front of everybody and they’re all like: hey, they remind me of felix and urban?

and to top it all off, albert literally says: “well, at least coriolanus snow didn’t murder my parents!” in front of coriolanus snow himself.

everyone is just shocked.

the kids explain everything to them- except for the part whrre they’re some of their children.

coriolanus is now terrified and doesn’t murder his friends in the future.

everyone’s happy and well in the future and june ruby still exists!

i was going to add scenario two in here but the post was already long enough (also, i haven’t thought fully about scenario two at all😭), so it’ll be in another post coming soon!

[tremarctoss]

those great whites they have big teeth

warnings: future NSFW; not canon or epilogue compliant; mind the tag

notes: 7k+ words, no beta

ao3 // gif source

In his last attempts to stop quickly growing unrest, President Snow decides to listen to Plutarch Heavensbee and promote his very own star-crossed lowers.

I try to hurry up the steps of the Capitol Theatre but my handler - an elderly woman named Antonia wearing a wig in the colour of fresh lime - is stopping me all the time and asking to pose for photographs. Perhaps her ulterior motive was to blind me because my eyes need several seconds to come back to normal after flashes assault them.

- Rosamund! - a paparazzi calls my name and points a little higher to the steps on my right that a woman from Capitol was posing before.

- He wants you there. - Antonia says while pushing me up. - Perhaps look at them over your arm?

Perhaps not but I know I need to do as she says. I let her style the long dress train and my hair and try to give my widest smile to the people with the cameras. I hoped at first that the light pink dress chosen for me would be too boring here but people seem to love the bow on my back. Thankfully, just as I consider rolling back down the stairs the crowd goes wild. 

- Oh, it's Gloss and Enobaria. - Antonia sounds dreamy. - They look so beautiful together.

I take my chance and hike up my skirts and dart up the stairs before she can react. I tiptoe behind Caesar interviewing Cecelia about the Games. What does she think about the couple that won the Games? What about their fighting style? There is no way I want to answer those questions so I rush inside the theatre.

Dear god, this whole experience makes me dislike Plutarch even more. Why did I agree to work with him again?

- Excuse me, please excuse me. - I am not sure why I even bother. Most of the people don't move and I have to squeeze myself in to pass them making sure no one steps on my dress. 

I try to find someone I know, any familiar face just to not feel like a pig being led to the slaughter. 

- Excuse me, - I say and a man wearing glasses looks at me like I am an alien from another universe. - Beetee, right?

- Yes. Rosamund, am I correct? - He gives me his hand and I shake it. - I don't think I have seen you here since your games.

He sounds curious but not unkind. I feel hopeful for a moment before reminding myself that everyone can be an enemy here.

- Yeah, - I giggle nervously. - Listen, I know it's dumb and I don't want to bother you but I don't know anyone here so would you be so kind as to tell me what we are supposed to do here? I lost both my escort and people from my District somewhere. 

I don't tell him how hopeful I am that Antonia broke her neck. And there's no point in bothering either Roman or Lucius. They are probably doing coke somewhere.

- It's the first premiere ever so I truly don't know either. - his voice is kind again but I cannot stop myself from getting closer to him when I feel another hand on my body. I desperately want people to stop touching me.

- Yeah, do you mind if I stay with you? I tried following Blight up the stairs but I was too slow. Sorry if that's too much you don't need to…

- Hey, - he stops my spiral and grabs me by my arm. - Everything's fine, you are not bothering me. Just breathe, all right? I actually like having someone around too.

- Do you guys mind pretending to talk with me and going somewhere looking busy so I can get fucking drunk? - Haymitch, the most important person here probably, and one of the worst to hang around if you want to stay on Snow’s good side, puts his hand on Beetee’s hand that's on my arm.

I should want to stay on Snow’s good side but I don't care at the moment. I don’t think I ever cared after my father died. Plutarch wouldn’t be too happy with me I guess.

- Yes, please. - I say, fanning my face with my free hand. - Just give me a moment.

I force myself to stop breathing until my lungs hurt. The burning spreads to my face and my cheeks feel hot. Both men look at each other before taking me by the arms and leading me somewhere. There are dark spots in my vision and I must actually look terrible because the important-looking person who is supposed to be responsible for stopping us shows us a space to “take a break instead”.

It's a small space outside where people working at the theatre must be going to smoke a cigarette. There is an old red cup full of cigarette butts. There are also several bar-stools standing in a circle that we end up sitting on like teenagers plotting how to make our principal's life hell. Some kind of air conditioning machine loudly hums over our heads. I know because I have one at my Capitol-sponsored house back in my District. 

I cannot stop either the giggles that are leaving my mouth or the single tears that escape from each of my eyes. Carefully as not to destroy my make-up I wipe with a single finger under each eye.

- I always find it fascinating how you women do that. - Haymitch takes out a hip flask and points to my eyes before taking a huge sip, burps and I laugh nervously again. - Are you here just for the movie premiere?

- God, I wish. - I put my fingers under my eyes again. - Sorry, I think that whole not-breathing act did something to me. 

Why I cannot stop the tears?! It did not happen any other time I used this trick.

- I am here as damage control. I am supposed to meet my Capitol-approved partner. Apparently, they are also a Victor. - I look at Haymitch and some kind of disgust overtakes me. - I hope it’s not you!

The tears that follow are somehow bigger than the first ones. I use the end of my hair to wipe them off quickly.

- This is all stupid, I don't like this dress and don’t even get to have pockets! - I burst out crying now.

A chair fails and Haymitch stumbles out telling us to wait out. He comes back with someone and I recognize Cecelia immediately even through the tears. There are some kind of words exchanged and worried looks being sent my way. I pray for the air conditioning to fall on me and take me out.

- Head and hands up, inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth - Either Cecelia’s voice is like a balm for my soul or maybe it’s the fact that I did what she asked me to. She puts tissues under both of my eyes - Good, your makeup is waterproof. 

She dabs the tissues delicately to make sure there are no tears left and throws it away in the corner next to the mug. She sits on the stool in front of me.

- So you have no hints who’s the lucky guy? - she's not smiling.

- I don't have any idea. I forgot to ask. - I admit and am met with two groans and laughter. I think the last one is coming from Haymitch.

- We are forced to marry in my District by a certain age and I... - I admit and start cackling madly. - I took it as a chance to push that moment away a little I guess.

- None of your male Victors are married. - Beetee says.

- The laws only apply to women. - I don’t even hide how bitter I am about this.

- It will be someone from either one or two, - Cecelia sounds like she's trying to warn me.

- I doubt it. - Haymitch says. - the closest people in age to her are either not so popular or in relationships. Would look fishy or could turn into a PR disaster.

- But that leaves only Annie, Augustus, Finnick or Johanna. - Beetee says.

- Augustus is from Two. - Cecelia reminds him.

- Haymitch presses his lips together and looks at me like he is choosing his words very, very carefully.

- Can you run fast?

- What? - I ask and blink not understanding what he's hinting at. Maybe he's much more drunk or I am extra dumb right now. Anyway, the question makes me laugh. Everything makes me laugh today it seems.

- Finnick’s escort was getting attacked at least once per week by his rabid fans after they were photographed too close together. Effie told me someone even keyed her car. Twice.

- It may be Johanna or Augustus. - I say ignoring Cecelia’s previous comment.

- You don't want it to be them. - Haymitch tells me. - And Annie's, it’s the best for her not to be brought back here.

He looks genuinely sad for a moment, takes another sip and moves closer to me. Starts gesticulating with his hands. 

- It's gonna be Finnick for sure. You two are gonna be that picture-perfect couple everyone wants to be. A famous heartthrob coming back home to his crush he was hiding away from everyone. A romance growing away from prying eyes. A stunning and beautiful woman no one knows much about until you both are in a serious stage of your relationship. All the men will want a woman like that and all the women will try to look as appealing as you in hopes of getting someone like Finnick for themselves. And you know what? I am not sorry, in fact, I am very happy it's you.

Haymitch stands up and stumbles towards me. One of his hands ends up on my bare arm. 

- You may take attention from my victors and may help their families stay alive. I’m just sad for you that it’s Finnick that's your partner. But that won't keep me awake at night. 

A door opens and the man from before asks me if I am better. I get up from my chair very slowly making it look like I may still not be.

- You could at least pretend to be some kind of support. - I say bitterly to Haymitch and reach for Beetee when I stumble for real. 

Haymitch has the decency to look ashamed for maybe four seconds.

- I will do my best, I guess.

- What’s wrong with Finnick? - I ask when we step outside.

- Nothing. - says Beetee.

- He’s a peacock. - says Haymitch at the same time.

There's a huge group of people waiting outside the cinema hall. Cecelia helps me keep the end of my gown up when we join it so no one steps on it and I won't stumble or fall. Only now I am calm enough to watch the people here. Women are wearing mostly dresses with big sleeves and huge flower bands in their hair. It takes me a moment to realise that they are trying to copy Effie’s look from the reaping. Cecelia is wearing a simple yet elegant yellow gown that ends at her ankles. She has some bees sewn on her arms. My own gown looks somehow strange here, taking too much space. Plus it’s a little small in the breast area and I remind myself not to slouch and walk like Quasimodo.

Someone spots Haymitch with us and we are moved immediately inside. A person guiding us raves to us how amazing this new cinema hall is. The love seats are made from some kind of leather that got painted dark blue. There’s a tiny armrest in the middle of every loveseat that can be brought down. Between every love seat is a table with many buttons that allow you to call for various beverages - from water to wine and even vodka. Food is listed also: popcorn, pizza and chips.

There's no assigned seating so I point Blight to Cecelia when I see him and grab Beetee with my free hand. Haymitch ends next to Chaff behind us in the highest row. Mags is sitting next to Chaff on the other side. I wonder if we could move there instead but someone sits down there and she looks happy to see that man. I think he’s from 9 but I don’t remember.

- Not saving a seat for your boyfriend? - is the first thing out of Blight's mouth when I sit down next to him in a loveseat. 

- Hello to you too. - I say putting a smaller armchair down and ordering water for myself. - Why would I when I can put him in your lap?

The way he mocked me hurts me a little more than I would like to admit. And how does he know anyway? I turn away from him to Cecelia and Beetee who are talking about something called emdr therapy and gentle parenting.

- You have children? - I ask Beetee. I know Cecelia has three.

- No. - he looks a little sad. - But some of those approaches help when I work with Wiress.

I like it when people talk about things that they are passionate about and both Beetee and Cecelia try to cram as much information as they can in the short time to explain to me the psychological approach behind those ideas. Also how it can help adults with complex trauma. Blight starts hitting my knee with his own so I move my legs away, put my chin on my hand and lean closer to Cecelia. I ask them if there is a way I can get my hands on some of the information they learned about. They did not teach us anything like that at the secret school that is run by the rebels in our District.

Someone kicks my chair from behind. I ignore it and the kick happens again. I put the glass down and I send the worst look I can at Haymitch.

- Did you run out of people to annoy or are you trying to warn me that you are about to throw up on me? - I whisper in an angry tone.

He looks at me with one eyebrow raised and puts his hand on the armrest in between him and Blight. Why is Blight sitting there, anyway? A sudden realization hits me and my body turns cold. I straighten up and turn to my right to see who is there only to come face to face with smirking Finnick and snickering Johanna behind him.

God, his jaw alone looks stronger than my will to live.

- I can’t do this. - I whisper aloud and turn to Cecelia who is staring daggers at people sitting behind her but takes my hand.

My mind is blank for a whole minute trying to process the situation but the lights go out and the staff usher a few last people. Caesar walks on the stage and starts talking about the great event that is the first cinema premiere of the summary of Hunger Games. He has a glass of champagne in his hand and many people ask for drinks immediately. A choir from 12 is getting ready to sing before the movie. Their voices and the voices of people trying to sing along drunkenly become a white noise to me as I try as much as possible to ignore looks from the Victors around me and Finnick burning a hole in my face with his eyes. It seems only Cecelia is on my side and I clutch her hand as a lifeline.

I am going to murder Plutarch in his sleep. What was he even thinking? Did he slip that idea to Snow? Which one of them chose Finnick? No, forget it, why did I even agree to this anyway? Was my life really this bad back in 10? I was terribly lonely but I had food and a roof over my head. Why did I decide to change that? Was I that scared of being forced into marriage? How is this any different?

Haymitch is hitting my chair again and I close my eyes, take a deep breath and let go of Cecelia’s hand. I turn around to him. I act before I even think about what I am doing. I grab his foot with my hand and yank. Unfortunately, Cecelia yanks me too and I end back in my seat only with Haymitch’s shoe. No one seems to mind us as people are standing up to clap until the choir leaves. I throw the shoe in between me and Cecelia and kick it under the chair of the man from District 8 sitting in front of me. A foot in an old sock ends in between me and Cecelia when we are sitting down and I move my body away from it so fast I expect my back to hit an armchair strong enough to hurt. Instead, I collide with Finnick. His hand steadies me and I have no choice but to turn my face to him awkwardly.

- Sorry. - I say. He does not move his eyes from my face.

 I wish I could run through the deep forest green of his eyes.

- Are you? - he asks. He moves his legs a little and spreads his thighs. I cringe inside when my first reaction is to move mine away when we touch. Something arrogant fills the air. - I never saw someone turn me down so fast, I think my ego may be actually bruised for the first time. Perhaps you could give me a chance to change your mind?

And then he winks at me. I am genuinely humiliated with how the situation is turning out. 

Another kick from Haymitch and my head turns around so fast it may actually snap. He is making big eyes at me, drinks a whole glass of clear liquid that surely is not water and makes big eyes at me again. He looks like one of those huge white owls back home. Of course, if owls could get drunk. Blight is looking like he regrets changing his seat.

- Just ignore him, Snow’s not here so he will get drunk in no time.  - Finnick tells me.

He is watching me closely and his eyes move from my own to my mouth and back to my eyes again. He licks his lips and leans over my body to take my glass of water. Our bodies don’t touch but I can feel the heat of his body. He winks at me when he sits back.

- You should focus on me instead. - Finnick says and drinks from my glass watching me the whole time. I am sure his lips are touching it in a place where my lipstick is smeared. 

Someone groans behind us and I turn to see Blight with his face in his hand. Haymitch looks impressed and gives me a thumbs up. Cecelia nods at me gently. A strand of hair gets stuck on my face after I turn back around. Finnick moves it away before I even begin to lift my own hand. His left-hand ends casually on my thighs after.

The whole movie thing is a bizarre experience. People shout at the screen, scream obscenities and some jump up when the person they dislike ends up being shown during the interviews part of the movie. Some popcorn is getting thrown at the screen. The whole time Finnick’s hand is on my body, his fingers pressing into my skin from time to time.

I touch it when the bloodbath happens on the screen. It’s warm, his skin is soft and rough at the same time. He has some calluses on his fingers and I trace them with my nails back and forth for some time. I move onto his nails next and trace them too. Short and blunt. I touch every one of them slowly then move to the first one and trace every nail again. Then I trace every one of them two times and three and so on. 

It's dumb but it's everything I can do to not to think about what is happening around us. I hope it’s not annoying Finnick too much. Only when Peeta is covered in mud and mouths “Katniss” and some people laugh, I stop what I’m doing to Finnick’s hand. Instead I slide some bit further in my chair and move my knees into Finnick’s space. He brings his knee under both of mine and I suddenly feel very hot. There's a part inside my body that clenches when he moves his hand to my knees and squeezes the left. 

When Rue gets killed I start watching his hand instead of the screen and try to recognize all the things his smell brings to my mind. Salt like sea I guess, I’ve never seen it. Some vanilla I think. Like cakes and ice cream in summer. Freshly cut wood, not as strong as Blight or Beetee use but more airy kind. And there’s something flowery there too. I move my head a little to pretend to watch the movie more comfortably and inhale deeply. Jasmine, it’s a gift from god, they say. It may truly be when it comes to Finnick.

People holler when Cato runs through the bushes and Katniss with Peeta climb onto Cornutopia. I see Cecelia bringing her hands to her face from the corner of my eye. The noise coming from the speakers somehow numbs me and I am taken back in time to when I was in my games hearing the other last two people standing and killing each other. Finnick squeezes my knee and starts pressing his fingers into my skin from his smallest to his thumb. I look at him but he’s busy talking to Johanna.

I wonder how does it feel to be 14 and kill so many people. I wonder how does it feel to appear to not to be affected at all. I don’t think it’s part of his personality. Does he wake up every day and puts on a mask? Or how is it to be loved by so many people in the Capitol and worshipped by many others in the Districts. Even in my own one people look up to him.

I wonder if he looks down on me and sees me as a coward. If he despises me for being stuck with me.

I sit up straighter when the stint with blueberries happens and remove my legs from Finnick’s, moving them a little up and down in my shoes that feel too small after all. 

People whistle and clap when Katniss’ crying face shows in the hovercraft and we again stand up when the lights get turned on. The whole venue looks like something erupted there. The smell of alcohol is strong in the air and the floor is covered in food. So much waste.

Haymitch pushes me and almost topples over the chair while trying to get his shoe. It forces me to step into Finnick’s space and I hit his chest with my elbow.

- Sorry, - I say.

He does not look at me busy talking with Johanna who looks like she wants to rip someone's throat out. His arm wraps around me with his hand resting on my stomach and I freeze and tense my muscles there. It's not my favourite part to be touched. I wrap my hand around his to keep it place when he starts moving it down and move my ear around so I can over listen Finnick and Johanna arguing whenever she should leave or not. Are they dating? Am I a problem here?

- Hey, - Blight announces loudly - thirty minutes here and then we meet at the cars.

I try to follow Cecelia when she asks me but Finnick keeps me firmly in his wrap.

- Sorry, - I say but he is still talking with Johanna. I pinch his hand. - Unless your hand is going with me to the bathroom I suggest you let me go.

Johanna looks me up and down like she’s about to hit me with one of her hammers. Finnick squeezes my stomach again which makes me angry for some reason. He then slides his hand around my back and that makes me feel something very interesting inside.

Oh no, I am so fucked. I pick up my dress and without a word run after Cecelia.

----

- Where the fuck have you been? - Is literally the first thing out of Johanna’s mouth when we climb inside the limo. The door did not even close behind me. - Were the wardrobe changes that important?

- I got stuck in the loo. - Cecelia says taking out a mirror from her bag. She looks herself over there before answering. - It’s not my fault they did not get me out that fast. 

- I am glad she’s covering for me. Yes, she got stuck but on a purpose. She spent more than fifteen minutes there helping me to calm down and giving me tips on how to fake bing in love and all that. She did not laugh when I told her I never dated anyone. I don’t think I will be ever able to express properly to her how thankful I am. I wonder how does she know all of that but am afraid to ask.

She’s wearing another yellow dress. It slightly passes her knees and has those Effie-like sleeves. Surprisingly, the bright yellow looks good on her. I don’t see any other female Victors being able to rock such colour.

- Why are you allowed a bag? - I ask. - I don’t even have pockets again.

Someone else dressed me this time. My district’s stylist only chose pinks for me whenever we worked together. However, now I am dressed in a simple silver slip dress that ends in the middle of my calf with some blue tulle ruffles decorating around my breasts and at the bottoms of my dress. My shoes are the right size. Surprisingly, or maybe not really, I feel much freer in a dress that is not hugging my body tight and in shoes that don't pinch.

- And you could not text us? - Johanna’s voice is getting on my nerves. In fact, everything is. The number of people in the car, the fact that I don’t know where Finnick is and how I am supposed to make it work with him while keeping my feelings in check.

- I don’t have a phone. - I answer instead of Cecelia. - Kinda bold of you to assume I would like to have your number anyway when you act like that towards me.

- What the fuck! - She stands up.

She moves up and in my direction but the car turns and she ends on her seat again. She's sitting in the middle and Blight is holding her back so I think I have a chance to get to our next destination without actually having to defend myself.

- Can you girls leave it for some other time? - he says. - Let’s just let go for a night. 

- Legs together. - Cecelia reminds me when the car stops. 

It must have started raining outside shortly after we left. The flashes are covered by the umbrellas mostly. I use the weather as the reason to run inside. Surprisingly, the stilettos are good for that too. I wait for Cecelia around the door. Neither Haymitch or Beetee were in the car with us and I desperately want to avoid Johanna. 

I don't see Finnick for which I am glad this time. The truth is his presence is making me dizzy and ready to faint. Also - all my insecurities jump out when I am around him. It's like I think people see me as a charity case for him. I know I see myself as a charity case for sure.

I stick to Cecelia's side for the whole time and talk with some women. They talk about that new trend of a single huge flower on a hairband in their hair that Effie started. What flowers should I choose and what the meaning behind every one of them is. I just nod and add polite comments on the clothes they are wearing when I feel that I might have drunk a bit too much alcohol. A waiter comes with the drinks again and I take another flute of champagne but don't drink it. The laughter comes a little easier for me now and I notice our group becomes louder. It's surprisingly easy to fit in once you ignore that the world is swaying a little. The concern comes when I suddenly get afraid of what may come out of my mouth and want Cecelia or anyone to take my hand. The walls are closing on me and my stomach does this weird thing when it wants to get everything up.

- Thank you, - Finnick takes the flute from me and brings his arm around my middle. His hand rests on my side this time and he moves it up and down there.

He works our group like a shepherd dog herding animals. They listen to his every word for several minutes and wish us a great time when he says that our car is here. I am surprised at how quickly we leave. I catch some women raising their eyebrows when Finnick moves his hand down my back and starts leading me out.

He exchanges some pleasantries with a few people on our way and introduces them to me. A general, a doctor, a model and so on. I wonder what the driver is thinking about having to wait for us for so long.

As we near the door he takes his hand away from me and takes off his suit jacket and unbuttons two more buttons of his shirt. He wraps his jacket around me and presses me close to him.

- If the cameras are gonna blind you just focus on me.

My heart speeds up when they go off. It stopped raining but I can feel the cold air on my bare legs. Finnick’s broad frame is shielding me from most of the lights, his steps are sure and not even once he steps on my toes. He helps me get in the car. I can totally understand the grip he has on people. He gets in on the other side. 

- Do you want something to eat or just a drink?

- Some light dinner would be nice. - I still feel dizzy from the alcohol and I know I need to clear my head if we’re supposed to talk. I mean, we’re supposed to talk, right?

Finnick gives some weirdly -sounding name to the driver and the car turns around. I watch him in the car window. He is wearing a two-piece suit tonight. In dark blue. I have his jacket obviously and it feels very nice around my arms. Silk, I think. And a silk crispy white shirt I think too. I want to touch it and check for sure but I keep my hands close to me. 

One of the locks of his hair fell on his forehead. There's no way I could describe how he looks in one word alone. I once read an article saying he's like a Sun but I don't like the implication that I could end up being Mercury or Venus if I get too close to him. 

He’s typing furiously on his phone. I don’t see who. Is this Johanna? Is she jealous? I think they really may be together.

- Will I also get a phone? - I ask him. 

He stops writing and looks up at me surprised. He catches my eyes watching him in the window and I turn around embarrassed. It's even worse when I look at him now. His eyes have the colour of the summer forest at the golden hour. His skin radiates the warmth of that sun too.

- You don’t have one?

- I don’t even have a bag. - I answer. - Or pockets in my dress, I don’t understand why. I don’t know where I am staying. Do you think you could contact my escort for me? 

- No one told you? - he asks me, staring all the time at my face. His expression is carefully guarded and I cannot read anything on his face.

- No one told me about what?

- That you are living with me.

----

Finnick is in his sheepdog mode again. The one, where he has to catch the lost animal before it accidentally rolls down the hill to its death. He is in front of the car door before I even get my first foot out, his hand steadying me and his arm around my body guiding me to the restaurant and then inside. His eyes are on me all the time, the dark green following my every move when I sit down, when I open the menu, when I write my order down.

I cannot blame him. It was me who almost opened the car door after all when we were speeding through the city because I wanted to get out.

I try my best to collect myself and I look around the restaurant. First is the ceiling, covered with fresh flowers hanging upside down. The only ones I know are peonies, dahlias and hydrangeas. All of them bloom around city hall back home. They are mostly pink, red and white here, I think. It’s hard to tell in this light. Ivy wraps itself around walls and pillars. I look behind me and some of its vines are hanging in the windows. There are also forget-me-nots growing where a window sill is supposed to be. When I inspect them closer I can see they are, surprisingly, pink and violet. We have only blue back home.

Home, how I long for it now. The city I saw only three times in my life feels even more foreign now and the emptiness I have inside me threatens to swallow me whole. I realize I am hunching my shoulders and clutching at a lapel of Finnick’s suit jacket that’s still around my shoulders. I straighten up and put my hands in my lap. I look at the people to my right and left, making sure not to stop my eyes at the man sitting in front of me. 

There are only tables for two people everywhere but I see some same sex couples. It’s very frowned upon at 10. I am not sure if other Districts allow those kinds of relationships. I know people were sentenced to lynching in 13 for that. I learned about it at the secret school my dad enrolled me in when I was a teenager.

The thoughts of my home taste bitter when I look at the splendour and resources wasted here. 

I think tables like the one we’re sitting at are kind of special for the people here. We’re sitting far away from the entrance but even from here I can see colorful people at the door pointing at the same tables as ours and starting arguments with the staff. I sit in some sort of huge armchair that seems to come straight out of the wall under the window while the ones on Finnick’s side are club chairs I think. There’s a television program that focuses on home furnishing. I always found them irritating. It’s one of Capitol’s ways of letting us know about the things we will never be able to afford.

I watch the couples sitting around us. Many of them are bored or fighting which takes me by surprise. I thought people here could choose their partners, why bother being with someone you don’t like? Then I remind myself what Finnick and I must look like to other people. I’ve been avoiding his eyes for the past few minutes while he - well, I don’t know what he has been doing. I take a look at him and he is watching me over a glass of wine with a curious look on his face. Where did he get wine anyway? 

- You want some? - he must have noticed what I was looking at.

- I think we both can agree it’s not the best idea when it comes to me.

I put my right forearm on the table, hand up trying to copy the couple three tables to my left. They look like they are in love and I think this is the way we should carry around each other if we want to sell the whole thing. Finnick puts his left hand over mine and presses two of his fingers over my pulse point.

-Yeah, - he says like he’s trying very hard not to laugh. - I kinda got the vibe even before you pulled the handle, honey.

The pet names have to stop. I am going to melt and be a wet stain on the floor if they won’t.

- Sorry, - I say, ashamed. - I just really don’t know anything and ummm…. - my words fail me. - I don’t know you? And I just…

Finnick looks like he’s angry for a moment. I cannot help but blame myself for it. He must hate that he is forced to spend my time with me while I act like a damsel that needs saving all the time.

- No harm will come to you from my hand. - Finnick says. There’s something dark in his look still but he moves his hand from my pulse and starts playing with my fingers instead.

- So you like pockets? - he asks casually and the atmosphere becomes much lighter.

- I adore them. I mean dresses with pockets. - I correct and laugh. - And pigs. And I like to think that Antonia’s hair looks like a long-haired sheep that ran to the stage when my name got pulled out.

Our dinner arrives and the waiter talks about the courses we will eat. All of them are District-12 inspired but the plates are very small. I doubt it’s because the restaurant wanted to show the hardship people there have to face. I just ordered dumplings with goat meat but the table is covered with dishes that I guess are all for Finnick but he surprises me by putting some things on my plate all the time. I let him talk about his life here. He spends every two weeks in the Capitol and comes back to his District for two weeks. 

I wonder if I will be able to travel there with him. I need to find a way to make sure Plutarch sends me there too, I’ve never seen the sea. I’m sure he’s going to agree if I play my part well enough. If not then I can say I have to double-check there to make sure we can trust Finnick. 

- A penny for your thoughts? - Finnick says when he notices me smiling at the mental image of myself asking Plutarch if he can stop his serious shenanigans because I really want to see the sea.

- This whole experience is much nicer than Haymitch warned me. - I decide to tell him instead.

- You should be really careful about what he tells you. - Finnick says and slides almost the whole plate with katniss towards me. - He’s a very intelligent person but the alcohol has a strong grip on him and he loses himself more often than he would like to admit. 

We finish our food and the empty plates are taken away. I watch as the couple I copied earlier stands up to leave. I try to remember their movements.

- Seeing something or someone you like? - Finnick asks and there’s this playful tone in his voice that I’ve heard so many times on the tv when he was about to make everyone swoon. - because I’m sure I can do better than whoever you believe you want now, sweetheart.

.I know my eyes turn big and round but the kind of face I’ve made at Finnick sends him laughing so loudly that some of the people start looking much more openly at us.

- Sorry, - he says, sounding anything but. - It’s just that your face is terribly expressive. 

The waiter sets some kind of fancy drink in front of me in a high glass shaped like a flower with four petals. The liquid is dark violet and it’s covered with a white foam and some pink hydrangea flowers. I bring it slowly to my lips so as not to spill it. It tastes divine, not too sweet and has nothing bitter in it. I moan when it slides down my throat.

- There’s alcohol here. - I tell Finnick when I set it down. I almost drank the whole thing at once before I realized.

- I thought it couldn’t be that bad to let you have something small.

He has this amused look on his face. Like he is ready to pounce on me and drag me back if I stray too far away. 

The waiter comes with some kind of a delicacy he puts in the middle on the table and puts two forks down. It’s round and dark blue with some sort of white cream inside. It’s sprinkled with something gold and shiny but bigger than glitter. A tiny crown sits on top of it.

- It’s our special dessert reserved only for our truly extraordinary guests. Inspired by the first couple to ever win Hunger Games. Blueberry macaroon with goat milk cream filling that represents an image of true love in unprecedented and hardest times.

I push my fork into it hoping it will shut him up. It’s extremely sweet, while the games tasted like pain and blood even to me. Broken friendships and nightmares. Vomit and urine and shit on the bed after. Hands I never wanted on my body touching me when I could not fight. People mocking me that at least thanks to Games I lost those kilos that were too heavy on me.

Finnick taps my ankle with his shoe when the waiter asks me what I think about it. He sends me a look over another glass of wine. I think it’s a warning to be nice.

- I think it mixes too much with the drink I just had but I like how light it is. It fits well with everything we ate. However, - I put the last pieces with the crown carefully on the fork and bring them towards Finnick. - I believe a true connoisseur should be the final judge.

Silence falls around us, I can see people sitting at the table behind Finnick actually put their forks down to watch what’s happening at our table. As for the man himself, he takes my shaky palm in his steady one and slowly wraps his mouth around the fork in my hand. I can hear people inhale when he moans.

-Delicious, - he says. - tastes almost as good as my beloved.

The waiter is blushing as I must be for sure. Finnick stands up and suddenly we’re leaving. His arm is around me again and only now do I notice how respectful he has been acting the whole night. His hand never wanders too low, he stopped touching my stomach, monitored my alcohol intake and had my hands in his in the car when I was terrified. He leads me around the room making sure I don’t trip accidentally on any steps. 

He does not bring up the fact I almost gave up on the whole act in the cinema. After the first wave of panic left me I realized he may have things at stake that do not allow him to walk away as easily.

I want to thank him somehow and play my part better now. I hope to mimic the couple I saw earlier and when we step outside and the first flash goes off I hope my finger around one of his belt loops to slow him a little. He turns around with one of his eyebrows raised and I kiss him quickly in the space under his chin and close to his ear. Someone shouts and Finnick kisses the corner of my mouth. 

- Yeah, no more alcohol for you. - he says laughing and leads me to the car.

Jasmine, I realize, is definitely a fragrance for gods.

Actions

[incorrect-tbosas]

Which THG / TBOSAS characters :

1. Do you relate the most?

2. Do you think missunderstood by people?

3. Do you want to know better?

Please give reasons for your answers. And you can pick more than one character for each question.

Thank you :)

@curiousnonny

Okay, so for THG it would be Haymitch but also to some extent, Beetee. I find them the closest to relate to for a few reasons - one being that they refuse to play by the Capitol's rules when they're in the Games. Haymitch uses his wits and sheer will to live to beat the Games and refuses to bow down to them. Like Haymitch, I too would have paid the price for my insolence, but never would I have let them change how I felt about them. Like Haymitch, I would throw myself fully into a rebellion, but would also watch out for the ones alongside me. Beetee because much like him, I believe all of these problems stem from the laws of man, and laws which are written by men can be unwritten. In TBOSAS, it's - bear with me - Lucy Gray Baird and Coriolanus Snow. Much like Lucy Gray Baird and Coriolanus, I am no one else's side but my own and of those of the people I love. But at the same time, I do believe it is our duty to preserve our innate goodness and to stay on the right side of things. Like Coriolanus, I know the strain that struggling to survive can take on a person. I understand what it's like to deal with the fallout of traumatic events, the PTSD and the irreparable damage it does to your psyche. Having nothing but your wits and your name to further your survival is another thing.

Frankly? Coriolanus. He's not entirely evil, and he's not entirely a victim of his circumstances. He wasn't born a monster, but it does not change the fact that he chose to become one. He's proof that evil acts are a choice, and that such people do not exist in a vacuum. They are all products of the systems they grow up in, and these systems aid and abet their actions, and even encourage them. People like him are all common - people who have loved ones, who can feel remorse and pain and regret, who hurt and love and cry and laugh. What makes him one of the worst (and best written) villains is that he had every opportunity, every guiding light, to be good - and he chose to let his worst impulses and his most craven aspects guide him.

Hmm. I would love to get to know Plutarch Heavensbee better. He's someone who was born and raised in the Capitol, and I want to know someone who grew up in such an insular and indoctrinated environment turned into a rebel. I also want to get to know Lucy Gray Baird better. I want to learn everything about her - I wish I could be friends with her.

[atelierlili]

Roses are Red Chapter 4

"You'll have your Capitol bride and even a little home to call your own," President Snow says with a crooked smile. "You two will play out the happy ending you promised everyone a few months ago. Nothing less will suffice."

Peeta's dinner with President Snow and Plutarch continues.

OKAY since AO3 is down and I've already finished the next chapter to this fic, you guys get this one right now on tumblr because I have no self-control. I will update with a link when Ao3 comes back on.

"A TV-show with you as the star. What better way to give Peeta Mellark his happy ending than finding his one true love?" 

I blink. And then blink again for good luck. Did I hear that right? A Tv-show about what? 

“You want to make a TV-show…about me?” I ask. It’s hard not to cringe. I don't think I'm all that interesting or worthy to have a show about me. Peeta Mellark. Son of the Baker. 

Plutarch nods enthusiastically. “You see, we're thinking of reviving an old tv series from the Dark Days. It was a great hit with the masses, even if it’s considered a bit outdated by Capitol standards. But we think you would fit the concept perfectly. You have that old school, vintage charm to you that would have been boring to the Capitol otherwise. The ladies love it.” 

I’m not so convinced. “What do you want me to do?” I ask, narrowing my eyes. “You want to…flirt with people? Win them over?”

“Yes and no,” Plutarch chuckles, shaking his head. His smile is growing wider as if he’s extremely pleased with himself. “The whole point of the show will be to win you over. The contestants will be doing all the wooing. You just have to be your charming self.” 

I’m not stupid. I know they’ll be asking more from me than I’ll be willing to give. 

I try to mask the apprehension and dread with a smile. "Wooing? I can't wait to see the Capitol version of that. I must say I am hard to please." 

"I promise you, there will not be a dull moment!" Plutarch says with bright eyes. "Of course, we'll inform you of the day's events, so you'll have to play along. Believe me when I say this may be one of the largest television events in Capitol history!" 

"Indeed," President Snow says, snapping his fingers. Waiters appear from behind the tall hedges carrying plates of food. 

"And what happens after?" I ask, feeling a little bold. Because it's never simple, is it? Things are never simple in the Capitol. "The game ends when I find my true love right? What happens after?" 

"You'll give your beautiful true love an engagement ring of your choosing as well as a Capitol sponsored wedding," Plutarch gushes, "it will keep the Capitol in great spirits going into the Quarter Quell and out!" 

"You'll have your Capitol bride and even a little home to call your own," President Snow says with a crooked smile. "You two will play out the happy ending you promised everyone a few months ago. Nothing less will suffice."

You must give up Katniss Everdeen. 

The waiters serve the older men first. President Snow and Plutarch Heavensbee are given a glorious red berry shortcake, thick with white buttercream frosting and a cherry syrup glaze. 

My dessert is something else entirely, more familiar. I've tasted this one in my nightmares. Served in a wide rimmed glass is dark berry ice cream with whipped cream on top. It's garnished with a pair of tantalizing blueberries doused in a dark maroon syrup. As a final touch, there is a toothpick dressed as an arrow speared into one of the berries. The contents of my dessert is overflowing, the thick maroon syrup is spilling out, staining the table cloth a deep, deep red. 

“And play along you shall," President Snow says, "otherwise the next national broadcast will be of a very different tone. Peeta Mellark, 17, Victor, heartbroken over his beloved's infidelity, takes his own life.” President Snow chuckles, he shovels his shortcake into his mouth with a devious smile on his lips. “Such a tragedy will ingrain itself into the cultural zeitgeist of the Capitol for ages to come," He says. His lips are stained red. "Love birds come in two, after all.” 

Effie is still there when I get home. 

Her natural blonde hair is held up in rollers and she's wearing a thick bathrobe. At first glance I thought she was Mother. Mother wore the same thing to bed, except she used simple towel rolls instead of Effie's pink plastic rollers. That was the best anyone could ever afford in District 12. When she's like this, Effie looks human. More naked.

It's disarming.

Effie lets out a relieved breath at the sight of me, pressing a flatten palm against her chest. Then she comes rushing from the living room couch towards me and cups my cheeks with both her hands. "Oh, Peeta! It's wonderful to see you're back in one piece. How was dinner? Did everything go well?" 

I wonder how real her fear of me not coming back is. How long would she have waited for me? Is she even aware of what she's saying.

"It was lovely, Effie," I say, gently pushing past her as I shrug off my blazer. "The food was great. I think you'll love it. It's very- what do you call it? Vogue? Bougie? Refine? Something like that. I asked President Snow to book a dinner for us there. We'll be having dinner at the Pavillion after we film the first episode."

There is a spark of excitement in Effie's eyes before they become cloudy with confusion. "Oh that is wonderful! But, Peeta dear, filming for…what?" 

"You'll hear about it sometime tomorrow, I think," I tell her, "you should head to your room now. You're gonna need that beauty sleep. We're going to have a busy, busy week, Effie." 

My escort nods with an apprehensive look on her face, but leaves without further protest. 

I stand in the living room for a moment, gripping my blazer tightly in my hands. I let out measured breath before beginning to claw at my neck tie. 

It's fine. Really. 

I'm sure there are worse punishments in the Capitol. Avoxes exist for a reason after all. I'm lucky enough to be alive. My family is alive. And so are my friends. 

So what, I'm probably going to have to kiss some strangers on live television. Be fawned on by a handful of my adoring fans. Whisper sweet nothings to the camera. Press my lips against someone else's lips. Hold someone close to me like they mean the world to me. 

That's easy. I've done this before. How different is this going to be? 

I just have to play along. 

Play along. 

"...Peeta?" 

I freeze, turning my head towards the door. Effie is standing there with the most concerned face I've seen since Katniss' funeral. I thought she left her in her room, but I forgot to listen when the door closed. That was sloppy of me. 

"I was…I was just thinking about the dessert we had at the Pavillion," I say weakly. I'm choking on the words as I struggle to spit them out. This stupid necktie is impossible to take off. It's suffocating me. "They-They had the most divine dark berry sorbet parfait- I think you'd love it. It's the best thing I've ever tasted. I…I have to ask the chef what they put in the red syrup because I think it'd taste great in a donut…" 

I can't say anything else because my eyes are burning with clouded tears. Before long, Effie is in front of me, gently undoing my necktie with practised hands. When she's done, she lays it out neatly on the couch. 

"That sounds very nice, Peeta," she says gently. 

"It is," I say. 

When she pulls me into her arms. I don't let go. Even though I should. I'm not a child. I shouldn't be coddled like one. Really, this isn't a very big deal. I'm being a spoiled, petulant, stupid little boy. But it feels safe in Effie's arms. As safe as one could be in the capitol.

I think the last time I felt this safe was in the Cave. 

I don't like thinking about the cave anymore. 

I don’t think I’m ready to let go.

[moviemunchies]

Right! Back to the dystopian action.

[Side note: I watched this on YouTube, free with ads. I still don’t recommend it, because it puts ads at really weird places (like it does with all videos). None of them were as frustrating as the time I watched Solomon Kane, but still a bit annoying.]

Katniss has been recruited by the rebels of District 13 after escaping the Hunger Games and her home District being bombed out by the Capitol. But she’s not just called to fight–President Coin of District 13 and Plutarch Heavensbee want to make Katniss into the Mockingjay, the face of the rebellion, to help inspire their p people and rally the citizens of the Districts into open rebellion against the Capitol. Of course, Katniss has complex feelings about that, and she also wants to rescue Peeta, who was left behind in the Capitol–and it turns out! Has been brainwashed into becoming President Snow’s mouthpiece! Ohes noes!

In the wake of the Harry Potter film series, every young adult film series and massive blockbuster type made the questionable decision to split their final installments into two parts. The result is often a third film that’s almost entirely set up for a fourth film that’s almost entirely action sequences. I was worried about that going into this movie, but I didn’t find it too egregious. It is a problem, on reflection–there are a lot of sequences of hunkering in the bunkers that could have been shortened or cut. But it didn’t feel like the cliffhanger for this movie was any more abrupt than the ending of Catching Fire.

I thought that an interesting aspect of this movie is how much it focuses on media and propaganda. The rebellion doesn’t want Katniss to just go out and lead troops in battle and shoot all the bad guys (though I don’t know if that’d mind that), they want her to film public service announcements about how much the Capitol sucks. Which of course, doesn’t work, because Katniss isn’t an actress. Haymitch points out that the best way to capture her being inspirational is to let her just do her thing. But this also means putting Katniss in rough situations and pointing cameras at her to see what she does.

I don’t know, I feel like a lot of movies (or other , especially movies involving rebellions, don’t talk about the aspect of public relations. I liked that take on the subject.

Still, that also means that there aren’t that many action sequences. Which is fine, but apparently that’s a sticking point for many–that they wanted to see more of the war itself. It didn’t bother me much because I think many people don’t like thinking about how little of a war is actually, y’know, combat compared to other considerations, but I’ll admit it is also a little annoying that they’re probably going to pack the next movie with more action sequences and so this one will seem quite boring by comparison. I’ll let you know if that holds out to be true when I get to the second part.

Performances are great across the board, but I can’t help but miss President Snow. He’s not in this movie that much; which is a shame because he’s loads of fun to watch. He’s a bastard, but he’s an entertaining bastard.

That being said, while  I think that Jennifer Lawrence’s performances are good, it isn’t always fun to watch, because you have scenes of Katniss trying to act, and Katniss isn’t good at acting. So yeah, in-universe, it works, but it’s still a bit cringey to watch. 

It’s fine, but I don’t know if I will feel the same after the second part. And this is a thing that I hate about this whole ‘Part 1-Part 2’ thing Hollywood used to do. I watch a movie, and then I have an opinion, but then it turns out that it’s an incomplete opinion because the story’s not meant to be taken on its own.

[Then why did you write a movie review for just half a movie? Well, because I got over halfway through writing this before I came to this realization.]

So I didn’t mind this film being a bit slower, but it IS a bit slower, and I can’t help but think that I can’t make a final judgment. Right now, it’s fine, and the movie’s enjoyable enough, especially if you’ve been keeping track of the story thus far. But we’ll have to see if it all comes together well in the final installment.

Especially because the actor playing the major character Plutarch Heavensbee, Philip Seymoue Hoffman, died after filming his parts for this movie?

[incaensio]

Con: [Interrogation] Heavensbee was a hack, wasn't he? With you being his number two, people are wondering. We all know you make dumb decisions sometimes, Snow. [Snickers] Awfully convenient that you were home. If we start browsing footage, messages, emails, and the like, are we gonna find things you've been desperate to hide?

"number two? you're making me out to be bigger than i am, general." as if the very presence of the higher-ranking man wasn't proof of constantinus' importance — rather, his name's. there's a small crack in his haggard confidence at the dig, though, a furrow of his fair brows. his grandfather must have approved a harsher line of questioning, even a mention of his past mistakes, but that probably wouldn't mean that his suspicions were raised. would it? "my grandfather asked for me to be at home. you may check with him if you'd like." the shrug is secure under the mask again, a dare offered.

Con: [Interrogation] You've benefitted the most about the systems in place here. Why bite the hand that feeds you? Besides, we have intel telling us that you might have aided in the kidnapping of Cordelia Snow. Why put her in the hands of savages, Constantinus? Was it that depressing not being either of your grandparents' golden grandchild?

see, poking him about not being the golden child may have hurt a few years, maybe a decade ago. he was the first born grandchild, shouldn't he have been a natural successor? it's not like uncle bad copy (coriolanus the second, the heir himself)'s boys were much brighter than he is. hadn't he done enough to make up for his father's failing?

now, it's just a bit too funny that it's a struggle for him to keep from smiling. still, he does, instead rolling his eyes. "what fucking world you live in that you think i'd be jealous of my baby cousin? like we aren't basically siblings. do you think i'd turn her to anyone seeking to harm her?" he's hoping there's a spike in a machine, transmiting the racing in his heart, obviously caused by his heated offense at this. "what's the intel, pray tell? that i gave her a fucking car? maybe that's something people like you can't do, but it's no big deal between us. if she needs a fucking hovercraft, we can get her one. i'm not going to pry on cora's life." he glares, and then there's a beat, when his face falls a little. he has years of rehearsed and swallowed tantrums to back up this little acting piece. "though maybe i should have had."

Con: [Interrogation] Nonetheless if you moved Cora, her blood will be on your hands. It will be just like Nadia's blood, Constantinus. So just tell us, when did you and Plutarch Heavensbee decide on rigging the arena?

it's been hours. the both of them are tired, that's clear. it's also obvious that they both want this to be over, so the interrogator is not going to be holding back punches just because he's a snow. another thing he's figured out? his family is definitely onto him. either that be the old man, or uncle coriolanus, or his brats, or anyone else (grandma? would she think it wise to share his grandest shame with someone else?), someone thinks it's best to fuck him over if it means getting the truth.

a truth he can't never let out, that he has to shape, somehow, into something else. he runs his hands through his face, a heavy sound muffled — a groan, maybe a sob. whatever sells this. "i know. god, i know. i shouldn't have — shouldn't have trusted the driver. i should have gone with her. fuck's sake." he keeps his hands on his face, like his shame is too big to be shared with the interrogator — and the several people who will certainly watch this footage, seeking the lies in his behavior.

"but i've got nothing to do with plutarch's plans. you've said it yourself, whatever would i gain from this? another woman i love dead? god." he unveils his face, ruddy and a bit wet (if he presses his eyes and a point in his head hard enough, that makes him cry; nevermind that the tears-trigger has already been pushed at the mention of nadia), then shakes his head. "i don't know when plutarch thought of it. sure, the arena is a collaboration, but the head gamemaker has the final saying, he's the one with control to its weaker sides. how would i even know the woman from seven would go out of her mind like that?"

[heavensbeehall]

"Catching Fire", Chapter 27

Part 3: The Enemy

Chapter 27: Chaos reigns. Katniss is pulled into a hovercraft by Plutarch Heavensbee. She wakes up a couple times and tries to die, but is not allowed to. Beetee is there, but she sees no other victors. She grabs a syringe and tries to find Peeta, so she can mercy kill him before they can be tortured. Instead she finds Plutarch, Haymitch and Finnick talking. They explain about the rebellion and the plan in the arena. When Haymitch tells her Peeta was left behind, she attacks him and claws at his face with her fingernails. They sedate her again. Finnick tries to say they will keep Peeta alive as bait, just like Annie. More sedation. Gale arrives and tells her District 12 has been bombed.

Quotes:

I realize the Gamemakers are shooting off fireworks up there

??? Isn't this the explosions of the arena coming apart?

Perhaps they never intended to have a victor in these Games at all.

But who will watch the Games if there is no Victor? /tbosas reference

My worst fears are confirmed when the face that greets me inside the hovercraft belongs to Plutarch Heavensbee, Head Gamemaker.

Can we talk about Plutarch a bit? I suppose the blog title might lead you to believe I am a stan, but I just chose it because it's a reference to the Academy school and I feel like I'm making notes in the margins and flagging passages like I did when I was an English major.

I saw something--can't remember if it was a video essay or text essay--that said the end of Mockingjay is bad because Plutarch can just manipulate everyone again however he wants. And I sort of disagree. I think Plutarch has somehow learned how Snow does it, and is doing it for good reasons. He wants to end it. But that doesn't mean he's "good." He gets a lot of people killed, injured, hijacked, etc. And he says he'd put Katniss through it all again for the outcome. She's a 17-year-old girl. He put her through hell. But he's not sorry.

He reminds me a bit of Luthen Rael (if you haven't watched Andor, and like rebels fighting against an evil totalitarian regime, I highly recommend it, even if you don't like Star Wars. At least watch this monologue that Stellen Skarsgard should have won more awards for).

When I swim back into semi consciousness...

Remind me that I want to keep count of everytime Katniss wakes up in a hospital bed in Mockingjay because it happens a lot. I guess this is the beginning of it. She does it at least five times in this chapter alone.

I failed keep [Peeta] safe in life, I must find him, kill him now before the Capitol gets to choose the agonizing means of his death. I slide my legs off the table and look around for a weapon.

I guess I forgot the syringe she grabs is not for protection but that she wants to kill Peeta before he is tortured. She's willing to be tortured herself, but not him. And it's sad because he's already in the Capitol's clutches at this point. She doesn't even "mercy kill" Beetee because she's worried it would keep her from getting to Peeta.

He croaks out something else. Something heavy with despair.

It's clear from context that Finnick said something about killing himself, because Haymitch says that would get Annie killed for sure since she is "bait." And I'm sure that cheered Finnick up. Eyeroll.

It's an awful lot to take in, this elaborate plan in which I was a piece, just as I was meant to be a piece in the Hunger Games. Used without consent, without knowledge. At least in the Hunger Games, I knew I was being played with. My supposed friends have been a lot more secretive.

This is just so heartbreaking.

"The others kept Peeta alive because if he died, we knew there would be no keeping you in an alliance," says Haymitch.

Mags and the Morphling from 6 died protecting Peeta. Finnick took a knife for him. All because Haymitch knows what the rest of us know. Katniss would go crazy without Peeta. Or at the very least, become reckless in the arena (like she did when she lost Rue).

If I were either of them, I would be kind of pissed that I had to die not for the great symbol of the revolution herself, but for her teenage crush. But both of their deaths have so much love. Mags kisses Finnick, possibly saying that she'd do the same for him and Annie (afterall, she volunteered to protect Annie from this trauma). And the Morphling girl seemed to have a real connection with Peeta, and I wonder if she would've done it even if she hadn't been instructed to.

End Book 2.

[dellcartwrights]

Setting: district thirteen library @vixtoriiousfm

Nobody would tell her what happened to Peeta and she was tired of it. She was his best friend and she knew something terrible had happened. There were whispers about seeing a Peacekeeper in that final shot of the interview Peeta had been in the middle of when everything fell apart. She had waited for hours for Peeta to arrive in Thirteen, and had been momentarily relieved when she heard that Katniss had arrived because that should have meant that Peeta would be there soon too, right? But then the news never came. Peeta never came.

She had tried to find somebody that knew something, but they were all busy, or so they said. She was starting to think that she was being avoided or something. But why would they avoid her? She wasn't nearly important enough for that.

So when she heard that Plutarch Heavensbee was in Thirteen, supposedly he was important, and that he was working on something in the library, Delly had decided that it was time to demand answers. So she made her way into the library and was momentarily overwhelmed to see all the books since they certainly didn't have something like this in Twelve. Or...had, since Twelve was...gone, she guessed.

"Mr. Heavensbee? Um...can we talk? I'm Delly Cartwright...I'm um, I'm from District Twelve? I had...some questions and I think that you might have answers."

[birdingandreading]

Review: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (The Hunger Games #0) by Suzanne Collins

This is the prequel to The Hunger Games trilogy and is third-person limited from the perspective of 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow. Coriolanus is from the once-great but now destitute Snow family and is struggling to bring fame and glory to his name. He has been told from a young age that he is destined for greatness and he will stop at nothing to achieve that. The upcoming 10th Hunger Games might be the perfect opportunity for him to shine.

Rating: ☆☆/5

One word to describe the book: tedious

Recommendation: No, even if you like The Hunger Games - just let those stand alone, unblemished.

(+):

There are times where I can see the spark of what made The Hunger Games such a captivating read. Some parts of the book manage to be page-turners (or so I imagine, I listened on audiobook.)

(-):

Oh boy.

Have you ever wanted to be stuck in the head of a rage-lord Skeptic youtuber (a la Sargon of Akkad)? well, here's your chance. Snow's pov is basically insufferable almost every moment of the book, and not in a good way. His characterization is almost constantly changing because a) we know he has to be the big baddie in the trilogy and b) we have to be with him for this whole book.

The other part of this book that really, really soured me on it was the near-constant call-backs (call-forwards?) to things in the trilogy. Now, I know that they are set in the same universe, so there will inevitably be some things that will be the same (like The Hunger Games, the war, the rebels, etc.) But the sheer volume of references was ridiculous. It was like Collins took a page out of the Star Wars book. I won't spoil it here but if you want to see the list I made, you can keep reading.

Spoilers

I kept a list of all of the references I caught of things I remembered from reading the trilogy (I probably missed some). Having a couple of these I would have been okay with, but having all of these was too much:

Snow's grandmother grows the beautiful and sought-after roses in the Capitol

Snow comes up with the idea of betting on tributes and sponsorships

Heavensbee Hall (I assume like Plutarch Heavensbee)

Tigris being his cousin

His grandma literally says "it's just the kind of story that catches fire" at one point

"The shows not over until the mockingjay sings"

The mention of star-crossed lovers

Lamb stew with plums

THE ORIGIN OF THE HANGING TREE SONG (when the hanging happened I was like ofc this is the origin of the song.)

they find the Katniss plant

Snow also comes up with the tesserae idea and the Victors Village

📷: Amy's Bookshelf

[yourssinfullyquiche]

the thg series is filled with interesting characters who have captured our imaginations. do you have any headcanons about a character from the series who was not given a last name? (ex: cato, thom, portia, etc). could be from any of the four books. 😀 @anonymousinpanem

Sorry for such a late reply! I'll be honest I've been putting the thg asks on hold, I feel it needs its due attention and because I wasn't in a right place.

To answer your question anon, ummm not really. Only because I'm inclined to canon, I would love to read what Suzanne has envisaged for the characters. I feel that she has all this information and back stories for each character just locked away and I'm like SUZANNE JUST GIVE US. I will gladly take anything but first a book from Peeta's POV pls thank you.

There are many side characters I'm curious of since all thg characters have an air of mysteriousness to them and a part to them that aren't seen in the books.

Katniss' father. Who was he? WHAT WAS HIS NAME? We really went three books without his and Mrs Everdeen's names ever being mentioned. Why??? Was he rebellious? I think he sure was. To have taught his daughter hunting when he knew it is outlawed. Teaching her rebellious songs that had Mrs Everdeen out of her wits. I wanna know more about him. What were his flaws? He may not have been as angelic as Katniss paints him to be—that is forgivable since she was so young when he passed.

All the D1 & D2 tributes—very curious how D1 & D2 citizens are. What are their POVs. What are their thoughts on all the other districts, on the Captiol, on Snow. In Catching Fire, we see how stricter the peacekeepers are in D11 beyond what Katniss is accustomed to in 12. How are the peacekeepers like in D1 & D2? Are they the same in 12? Or are they more lenient? How do the people live? What do they eat? How are the families there? Are the populace of mixed race? How do they enter the "training" school. What makes them so eager? What are they taught there to have such a mindset? You get my point anon. I'm curious how a person in D1 & D2 lives their life. In fact every other district but theirs most.

Cinna and Portia. I'm curious if they were Capitol citizens or from the districts. One of the few headcanons I have involve them being from the districts. How do they work so well? Do they know each other? If they were from the districts, how did they get scouted and sent to schools to learn? Or if they were from the Capitol, why were their opinions on the system so different? I really wanna know how Portia is like since we never get to see how she really is.

The girl and boy who were fleeing from god knows where & got captured—Katniss thinks they were from the Capitol (a little hazy on where they were from) but were they really? Why were they running away? What had they done? I doubt they were getting captured for just fooling around. It must've been something so severe that they took the boy's life and made the girl watch and then made her an avox. Like what did they do???

Plutarch Heavensbee. I wanna know MORE. He's one I find most mysterious. How was he able to detach from the system? What made him the person he is today? Interesting character.

Coin. I wanna know more about her. Katniss learns from Prim, she lost her family through an epidemic. I wanna know what happened. What she did to rise to power. She's another character I find thought provoking.

Effie. I wanna know if she's really that of an airhead Katniss seems to think/makes her to be. I don't think being an escort for the hunger games warrants you to be one. Just my thought. I think she knows more than she lets on and she's being that way only because she's afraid and does not want to jeopardise her family (if she has), career and life.

Madge. I wanna know more about her. Was she getting information by snooping around her father's office? What was the conversation that happened between the Undersee family when Katniss released the arrow that shocked the whole system? Were they scrambling to get away when all hell broke loose. I feel this was a missed opportunity by Suzanne. Madge would've been an interesting character to see in 13. Was she really canoodling ahem ahem with Gale as what was subtly implied in Catching fire? How would that have affected her friendship with Katniss? Idk I feel she would've been a really interesting character to see in the rebellion/war. What would her role be like in the war?

Boggs. I love his character sm. I wanna know more about him.

As you can see anon basically all LOL. I'm sorry this doesn't directly answer your question. In fact I don't even think it did🤣 But I needed to spill this somewhere~ Ahhh it became so long, sorry anon. I tend to go on and on when it's something I find passionate about. Hope you made it this far~

Thank you for your ask!