#and gale isn’t in love with katniss

[ferrarifinnick]

DISTRICT 13.

ᨒ › innocently thinking about finnick and gale’s ego-driven competition for your attention in district 13.

gale always saving you a space next to him in the cafeteria, flashing a rare smile that distracts you from the empty seat finnick also saved for you. finnick getting back at gale in the communal showers during bathing time, lathering up his flexed muscles before engaging you in conversation over the cubicle wall, just to show off. both of them sneaking into restricted areas to meet you at midnight, racing to be the first to find you.

trying not to think about gale pulling your hand down onto his lap to feel his hard on in the cafeteria. or finnick peeking over the shower cubicle at your naked body, only to piss gale off with a smug grin. definitely not thinking about them meeting with you in a supply closet to fill up both your holes for some late night relief.

like i said. innocent thoughts.

i could be convinced to make this a series 🤭 like, comment, reblog. submit smutty requests. love <3

[alohamoramylove]

don’t hate me for this but i lowkey think that the people that hate gale read thg as a love story

[pagesinmylife]

Things people don’t talk about enough from the Hunger Games:

Many of Katniss’ strongest allies are women that are over looked by others (Madge, Rue, Mags, Wiress)

While Katniss has a strained relationship with her mother, her mother is never demonized. Katniss recognizes the trauma her mother went through and was willing to try to improve their relationship in CF

The rebellion didn’t start with the berries. The rebellion started when Katniss showed compassion towards a dying, black girl that the world had already written off as unimportant

One of the beauty trends in the capitol that Katniss finds odd is the shaving of body hair. When her leg hair grows back in CF, she expresses comfort in it.

Katniss’ character arc throughout the series is her understanding of who the enemy is. It isn’t the rich people in district 12, or the other tributes, or the other districts, or the people in the capitol. It’s the government and it’s Snow.

Katniss never wanted another hunger games with the kids of the capitol. In that meeting she recognizes Coin’s commitment to perpetuating the cycle of violence. She votes in favor of it to cover her plans of killing Coin.

The violence in the books is SUPPOSED to feel random and unfair. Prim being reaped was supposed to be against all odds because in the real world, violence is indiscriminate.

Gale is a victim too and was not solely responsible for the death of Prim. He spent the first two books feeling helpless as he watched people he loved be put in danger and suffer. Coin offered him a way to regain control. At the end of the day, Gale is only 18 and doesn’t realize the depth of the games being played.

Katniss is great with kids and actually enjoys being around them. She says the only reason she doesn’t want them is because she can’t imagine them being put in the hunger games. Her having children in the epilogue is a sign of her healing and finally feeling safe

[waywardangel-wilds]

Au where Peeta gets hit by lightning and can suddenly hear everything Katniss thinks. Full access to her inner monologue:

‘Ugh fuck this cat, I wish I could kill it but noooo Prim loves it. Fuck me.”

‘Here comes Gale. We really do look related haha. Ugh there he goes again with whining about stuff we CANNOT change. Give me a break already. Oh shit, he asked me something, just nod. He’s not even listening. Great. Perfect.”

“Fuck you, Haymitch. Like what the hell do you know anyway? Fucking self righteous asshole. Look at him. He knows exactly what I’m thinking. Get out of my head asshole! Yeah! I just called you an asshole! What are you gonna do? Huh? OH FUCK HE JUST THREW THE BOTTLE.”

“Oh my god, Peeta’s staring. DONT LOOK! Why did I look??? Oh nooo. Now he knows I was looking at him! What if he asks about it? Oh! He just took a step back, I guess he isn’t coming over? No bread? Damn. I love his bread. Wow look at him in the sunlight. He looks… well he looks great. His hair is so damn beautiful. And his freckles! Uh, as a friend obviously. Haha. Um, I mean, friends can look nice! Yeah. Oh, look at his little scarf!! He’s so cute. I MEAN-“

[jpai0508]

Long post. But I’m rereading parts of Mockingjay and had some thoughts.

When Katniss visits Peeta in Chapter 16, I find a few things interesting. First, Peeta makes direct statements but also asks Katniss a few questions (a little snappily but I’m sure he genuinely wants to know the answers). And the difference in what Peeta states as fact and what he asks Katniss says a lot about Peeta’s character, even hijacked. For one, Peeta directly states that he “must have loved [katniss] a lot.” He also shortly recalls the story of the bread being thrown. Again, he doesn’t ask katniss if these are true, he states these events as facts. Peeta is certain of these memories. He knows the bread story is true, and he knows that he once loved Katniss. The questions that Peeta does ask Katniss refers solely to Katniss’ romantic feelings. Peeta, even hijacked, does NOT presume to know Katniss’s stance on romance unlike some people (*cough cough* Gale MJ end of Chapter 23). Peeta might have hunches, but he doesn’t presume to know katniss’s feelings for fact. He directly asks Katniss if she loved him (“‘And did you love me?’“). Katniss does not directly answer Peeta. (“‘Everyone says I did.’”) And I actually find it a little humorous that during this entire conversation, Katniss is actually quicker to directly admit to trying to kill Peeta in the first arena than to directly admit any possible romantic feelings for Peeta (“‘I was trying to kill all of you,’ I say, ‘You had me treed.’”). Then, Peeta asks about all the kissing. He states, “‘Later, there’s a lot of kissing. Didn’t seem genuine on your part. Did you like kissing me?’” Again, even hijacked Peeta does not presume to know how katniss felt!! Even though he states that the kissing “didn’t seem genuine,” Peeta still asks her! And again, Katniss gives a half answer (“‘Sometimes,’ I admit, ‘you know people are watching us now?’”) Next, Peeta asks about her kissing Gale. Katniss, again, gives a snappy, half answer. (“‘He’s not a bad kisser either,’ I say shortly.”)

Basically, this entire conversation reveals a lot to me about both Peeta and Katniss. The overall thing being that it’s the perfect reminder to readers that KATNISS AND PEETA ARE STILL LITERAL TEENAGERS!

One, hijacked Peeta is still very much Peeta but with every insecurity, jealousy, and fear hanging off of him. Every question that Peeta asks Katniss are probably the exact questions that he has been secretly wondering since after the first games. You can’t tell me that Peeta Mellark, who knows Katniss is a horrible liar from the first book, did not wonder about that kiss on the beach, the day on the rooftop, or the time he caught katniss staring at his eyelashes. Peeta had previously buried those “maybe she does love me” thoughts for katniss’s sake. He buried his jealousy for Gale. So hijacked Peeta is basically Peeta without a filter (and the occasional irrational fear that makes him dangerous). And Peeta Mellark is a hurt teenage boy, and teenage romance is messy and hurtful.

And this conversation also perfectly sums up Katniss. Because Katniss, too, is just a confused teenager! I also think it’s so perfectly Katniss to admit to trying to kill someone rather than admit any possible romantic feelings. It also shows how much katniss values those secret feelings. In this chapter, katniss even internally states that people are watching her and Peeta and that “this isn’t the business of the people behind the glass.” Katniss hates her feelings being exploited. She tells Haymitch this in the first book during interview prep. Katniss even admits this later in MJ when Gale wrongly suggests that Katniss will pick the person she cannot survive without (MJ chapter 23). (“It’s a horrible thing for Gale to say, for Peeta not to refute. Especially when every emotion I have has been taken and exploited by the Capitol or the rebels.” MJ Chapter 24). Her half answers are very complex. Even without a room full of people looking in, questions like those would be hard to answer for anyone, especially for a traumatized teenage girl.

[promptseverlark]

TWHHA challenge Summer’24

“This Would Have Happened Anyway” Challenge for Summer ‘24

Katniss says it at the end of Mockingjay:

“But his arms are there to comfort me. And eventually his lips. On the night I feel that thing again, the hunger that overtook me on the beach, I know this would have happened anyway. That what I need to survive is not Gale's fire, kindled with rage and hatred. I have plenty of fire myself. What I need is the dandelion in the spring. The bright yellow that means rebirth instead of destruction. The promise that life can go on, no matter how bad our losses. That it can be good again. And only Peeta can give me that. So after, when he whispers, "You love me. Real or not real?" I tell him, "Real.”

So let’s explore “What ifs” and send your fics. The theme this time is DISTRICTS APART 🔥 and it can be Pre-Games or Post-Mockingjay… but it could also be pre or port catching fire

Pairing: Everlark

Type: Fan Fiction or Fan Art.

Words: Over 1000 words (drabbles, one shots or short multi chapter are welcome, we would like to have submission completed although it isn’t mandatory)

theme this time is DISTRICTS APART

Deadline:

1. You can confirm your to participation until June 23rd (in Tumblr, answering this post) and you will be granted access to the collection to submit your work.

2. You can submit your fics up to July 11th midnight (CET time!)

3. Collection will be live July 13th 2024 as anonymous

4. Writers will be revealed July 20th

@thgcommentfeast

[nickeverdeen]

The Hunger Games characters getting jealous

Includes: Katniss, Peeta, Gale, Finnick, Cato, Clove

Katniss Everdeen

She’s more insecure than jealous

But if so…

She’d definetly give the person “the stare”

Katniss has a self-doubting kind of jealousy

She’s comparing herself with the other person in some ways

Katniss would indeed need a reassurance from you when the person is gone

Even though she wonn’t admit it

She would just try to bottle her feelings in very unhealthy way

She’ll 100% deny that she’s jealous

“I was not jealous Y/N, I just didn’t really like them”

Peeta Mellark

Tries to act polite

He’s smart and rational enough not to throw hands

Peeta would be really uncomfortable

He is aware that you’re loyal to him, but he can’t help it

He hates being jealous

Peeta would walk up to your side and put his hand around your waist trying to give the person hint

Passive-agressive behaivor

He’d talk with you about it after the person left

Or he just wouldn’t want to “bother” you with it and would try to bottle it up

One of you would at the end bring it up at some point

“So.. you and them? Yeah, right. Sorry”

Gale Hawerthrone

Gale is a very jealous person

He has some insecurities and gets all defensive with the person

Death stares

If the person would flirt with you, man would NOT let that slide

Gale can be rational, but if the person won’t drop it then he can and will throw hands

He’s bittter and snicker more during the interaction

Will deny for his entire life that he got jealous

He wouldn’t even try to cover his jealousy up when being near the person

He’s not gonna talk about it

Just kiss will be pretty much enough to reassure him

“I wasn’t jealous. They were flirting with you! It was enough of a reason for me to act that way!”

Finnick Odair

Even though he doesn’t really have a reason to be jealous he indeed does get slightly at times

Finnick is the most famous guy in whole Capitol, but that doesn’t mean that jealousy can’t get the best of him

Just like Peeta he’d try to act polite

Really, he tries not to be jealous, but he can’t help it

Finnick, feels kinda dumb for being jealous ‘cause he trusts you

He isn’t one to really show it

He’s constantly just bottling it up inside of him

Finnick is prepared for being teased about it later by you, but he doesn’t really mind

Walks up to you and the person and puts his hand on your waist

If the person still wouldn’t get the hint he’d kiss your cheek and call you “love” or “sweetheart”

His sassy side kicks in while talking woth the person

Finnick would let you tease him about it later and he’d probably laugh it off

“Yeah, okay *chuckles* I get your point”

Cato Hadley

Definetly the hard stare or some glances

Cato is the type of a person “punch first, ask second”

He isn’t really insecure, but it does bother him when other people are hitting on you

But if the person isn’t bothering you, he wouldn’t pick a fight with them

He’s more bitter and sassy towards the person

Cato doesn’t really shy away from PDA

So he’s not afraid to wrap his strong arms around you protectively or kiss you

He wants the person to get the hint

If the person is your friend he’d be much calmer ‘cause he doesn’t want to ruin yours and their friendship

Cato can and will flex just to prove the person that they ain’t good enough for you

If the person would dare to touch you in uncomfortable way, Cato would be quick to give them piece of their mind

He ain’t losing you to some jerk from a bar

Extremely affectionate with you during the interigation with the person

“Hey love, who’s that? I see… *hard stare at the person*”

Clove Kentwell

Pretty much like Cate “punch first, ask second”

Clove definetly has some jealousy issues

She very quickly loses her cool when someone starts flirting with you

If you weren’t there, she’d most definetly punch the person

Agressively conforts them

She’s indeed intimidating when she wants to be so the person would probably back off

But if not, things could escalate to the point where she throws hands

You’re pretty much the only person who can calm her down at that point

Death stares

Clove isn’t really into PDA, but at that point she would put her arm around your shoulders or rest her hand on your waist

She doesn’t even hide her jealousy

Will deny her jealousy later at all cost

Clove will talk absolute shit about the person after they leave (unless it’s your friend)

Is very clingy afterwards

If it’s your friend, she’ll get slightly bitter with them, but would calm down

After all, she doesn’t wanna ruin your and the person’s friendship

She’ll start playing with her knifes next to you only to intimidate the person silently

“Hey dickhead! Y/N has a girlfriend!”

[lilyslark]

from lucy gray’s “you’re mine and I’m yours. it’s written in the stars.” to katniss’s “gale is mine. I am his. anything else is unthinkable.”

and THIS is exactly why katniss and peeta are the ones who make it through. because the idea that lucy gray and snow / katniss and gale are fated is just a comforting illusion for them.

for lucy gray, she finds hope in the fact that snow made his way back to her. she wants to believe that after her immense suffering, all of that pain was for something. for katniss, it’s a way to manage her guilt over not being able to return gale’s love. she already feels responsible enough for other people’s pain. so she’s desperate to convince herself that there’s only ever been one path for her.

but at the end of the day, both of these are stories of a man who feel entitled to a woman, who feel that her love is owed to him, who can’t stand the idea of her giving a part of herself to anybody else. there’s a reason why neither of these stories has a happy ending.

love is work. the love that survives is the one that you fight for. the love that endures is katniss and peeta’s, the “star-crossed lovers”, the love that isn’t easy. the love that is not fated, but chosen.

katniss and peeta don’t fool themselves into thinking that their love is inevitable, but they actively choose to love each other, anyway.

“That what I need to survive is not Gale's fire, kindled with rage and hatred. I have plenty of fire myself. What I need is the dandelion in the spring.”

[ticklishraspberries]

Neck Kisses (Katniss/Peeta)

Summary: Peeta gives Katniss kisses over the years. (Week #4 of @august-anon's Tickletober prompts!! I've never written a Hunger Games fic before so let me know if y'all like it and/or want to see more!!)

The lights are blinding, and Katniss is struggling to keep that fake smile on her face. They’ve been standing, taking photos, being gawked at for what has felt like years.

Cinna has dressed her in gold. Peeta’s suit matches perfectly. He does look handsome, but she isn’t sure the color really does him any favors: The shimmer pops on her skin tone, compliments her dark hair and eyes, but Peeta’s pale and blonde and would probably suit silver more, she thinks. Not that she knows anything about fashion, nor does she care about how Peeta dresses. She only cares about how he’ll fight in the arena, and how his hand around her waist right now is really irritating. She wants nothing more than to shrug him off, to roll her eyes right at those cameras, to take all the stupid pins out of her hair.

Instead, she just stands and tries to look pretty.

Peeta’s head moves in her peripheral vision and she shoots him a confused glance, and then twitches when he presses a gentle kiss to her shoulder where the dress has left her skin exposed. No one has ever kissed her there, and goosebumps immediately spread over her skin. It doesn’t feel bad, but she still digs her elbow into his side in retaliation anyway, because he could have at least warned her that he and Haymitch were upping the affection quota.

When they’re finally free from the cameras and lights, and Katniss has shed most of her ridiculous outfit, Peeta comes and sits beside her, away from prying eyes.

“Sorry I kissed your shoulder,” he says, avoiding her eyes. “Haymitch and Effie have been trying to get me to…sell this whole love story thing. I should have asked you if that was okay first, I just had the idea in the moment and went for it.”

Katniss looks him up and down, the shyness in his body language and the genuinity in his tone, and her hard expression softens just a little. “It’s fine. Just…warn me next time.”

He nods, offering her a little smile. Then, after a moment of comfortable silence, he asks: “Did it tickle?”

“What?”

“When I kissed you. It seemed like it tickled.”

Katniss does roll her eyes now, ignoring the way her face feels suddenly warm under his scrutiny. “No, it just felt weird. And I wasn’t expecting it.”

Peeta has this stupid smile on his face that makes Katniss want to punch him. But, there are rules about tributes fighting, and she also doesn’t think she could really hurt him when he looks so innocent, so…She huffs and gets to her feet.

“So, you aren’t ticklish? I just think if we’re going to be allies, I should know your weaknesses, you know?” Peeta says, and he’s fully grinning now.

“Goodnight, Peeta,” she replies, refusing to turn back and let him see the way her lips have started to curl. Watching him try to find the light, the humor in this all, to get to know her even though it’s probable he will have to kill her…Well, those thoughts dampen her mood quite quickly.

The truth is, she is ticklish. Most of her experience with tickling has been her tickling Prim, and sometimes Gale tickling her, but she always fights him tooth and nail when he does it. He’s usually all rough hands squeezing her sides and scribbling behind her knees. What Peeta had done was different, it was gentle and made her stomach flutter…She supposes it would have felt nice, if they had been alone, and she had known he was going to do it, and could have prepared.

She falls asleep trying to ignore the little voice in her mind that wants him to do it again.

***

The sound of birds chirping outside the window is what wakes her.

Katniss blinks against the sunshine seeping into the room, and settles comfortably into Peeta’s arms that are wrapped around her waist. The morning is still, the children still sleeping instead of climbing into their bed with excited babbling as they do most mornings.

Peeta begins to stir beside her, and Katniss finds herself smiling as he nuzzles his face into the crook of her neck. “Morning,” he mumbles.

“Morning,” she replies softly.

Peeta’s lips press a soft kiss to the skin of her shoulder, and then continues to pepper those little kisses up to her jaw and back down again. She’s giggling in seconds, having been unprepared for such antics so early. She’s still stubborn as she was as a scrappy teenager in the Seam, and normally when Peeta tickles her, she holds her laughter in and fights back, turning the tables or running off into the grass. She doesn’t have that chance now, lovingly encased in his arms and still too sleepy to launch an escape plan.

She doesn’t even remember the first time he pressed his lips there, back before the first Games, on that stage with the blinding lights. That feels lifetimes away, has been buried under much worse memories, forgotten. They are making new memories now, better ones.

“Peeta, we’ll wake them,” she says, trying to keep her giggling to a low volume.

Peeta just grins. “They’ll be up soon anyway.”

And with that, he starts tickling her belly with ten fast fingers, and Katniss has no choice but to dissolve into laughter. It isn’t long until the children are roused by the sound, curious as to what their mama could be finding so funny.

Now, she starts her day with genuine smiles, laughter, and love.

[ferrarifinnick]

JEALOUSY! | THE HUNGER GAMES HEADCANON

take an og hunger games headcanon while i’m in the middle of writing a one shot for jealous!finnick. get your headcanon (and other!) requests in while the inspiration is hitting lol. anyway, onto the main event. let me know what you think! feedback welcomed <3

includes: gale, katniss, finnick, peeta.

no warnings. sfw.

gale is more jealous than he is almost any other emotion. it doesn’t come from a distrust in you, but a distrust of other men. he knows how they talk about women in the mines, and even the happily married husbands like to talk dirty about the girls in the seam. if gale catches one of these men – or any man, for that matter – in conversation with you, his reaction will be impulsive and immediate.

he’s too stubborn to hide his ugly feelings, and he’s too immature to fight them. expect him to shamelessly interrupt your conversations, squint his eyes at friendly faces, clench his jaw until his teeth damn near turn to dust. he doesn’t care. and in his flurry of jealousy, he will not care to avoid causing a scene.

jealousy isn’t an emotion katniss experiences particularly often. this is partly because, like most of her feelings, it takes time to unscramble and understand them. but by the time she realises she was jealous, the moment’s already long gone.

but as her unscrambled feelings are hot and burning, she makes sure to use her cold shoulder to keep you at bay. short, one word answers are used in place of spitting fire at you. and while she regrets treating you this way after the feeling passes, you better not hold your breath expecting this to change any time soon.

finnick is many things, and sometimes jealous is one of them. but what finnick isn’t is blind. he knows what he has is wanted by everyone, and what everyone wants is you. he’s used to people fawning over you just as much as he’s used to people fawning over himself, and he isn’t about to shame people for having taste.

when you’re in the sights of one or maybe a dozen admirers, finnick likes to sneak over and join those vying for your attention. he’ll keep his lips shut for a little while, hiding in plain sight, but at some point he’ll lean into the side of one of the men and say, “isn’t she something?” with that famous cocky grin of his. the wide eyes of recognition don’t phase him. if anything, they frustrate him. he’ll wave a hand and say, “what are you staring at me for?” before refocusing the attention back on you. he’ll lean back against the same guy, arm wrapped warmly over his shoulders and say, “oh! tell her she has pretty eyes. she likes that one.” he’ll hold your gaze, cheeky grin firmly in place despite the squirming men around him.

peeta’s a pacifist. but more importantly, he is polite. so when he lets go of your waist for one second to get a glass of champagne at a party, only to return a moment later to a man chatting your ear off, he’ll do what he always does. he’ll bottle it up.

he’ll wrap his arm around your waist again, keep up the conversation, but something in his smile will feel ever so slightly out of place. a small eye twitch, a tightness in his lips. no matter how small, you’ll catch it, and when the mystery man eventually walks away, you’ll wait for peeta to inevitably bring him back up. he’ll say something innocent, like “so, he seemed pretty eager to talk to you, huh?” and when you don’t bite, he’ll try to ignore the urge to bring his name up again.

but like clockwork, he’ll wait a couple of beats and before the next song starts, he’ll say, “i just think it’s funny how he waited to talk to you until the second i turned my back…”

why is jealousy so hot? can science explain? like, comment, reblog. love <3

[ilguna]

☼ between life and death pt2 (Finnick Odair) ☼

summary; you’re supposed to be dead. you remember taking your last breath in that arena, but now you’re back, as if it never happened. and there's only one person to blame for it.

warnings; swearing, blood mention, death mention, someone gets hurt, there's some illusion (she's not totally sane), idealization of the capitol.

wc; 5k

notes: you might find the pov changes weird but embrace it.

part one.

--

District Thirteen’s hospital is in complete chaos.

Finnick comes to a sudden stop two steps in, eyes widening as he watches the scene in front of him. The shouting of orders from across the room by doctors, nurses running back and forth with armfuls full of equipment to tend to the volunteers. The loud beeping from machines getting to know their patients.

His lips part, face twisting, a question forming on his tongue, but he’s not even sure what he’s thinking to ask. Maybe, where is she? Is she okay? Did they hurt her? Is she still the same? Did his interview work? Did everyone make it out alive? He closes his mouth, swallowing, eyes searching for a reason to move.

Right as he thinks to take a step forward, both he and Katniss are cut off by a gurney being guided by a nurse who’s determined to get to her destination. He gets a quick glimpse of an unconscious woman with her head so sharply shaved, there is no hair on her scalp. From what he could see, on the skin that isn’t covered by the gown, she’s covered in fresh bruises and healing scabs.

It isn’t until she’s halfway down the hall, out of reach, does he realize who it is. It’s Johanna.

Finnick turns, as if he’s going to follow after her, because that’s what a good friend does, when a voice cuts through all the noise, clear as day. His heart jumps to his throat. He could be dead, six feet under, and her voice could bring him back to life.

“Finnick!” She shrieks, he whips around. He can feel the wave of tears coming before they've even reached his eyes. The tight pressure, the hot feeling in his face. The sight of her on the other side of the room sends him over the edge.

Annie’s here, her green eyes full of so much life—something he was afraid would be taken away from her in the Capitol. She hadn’t been back there in years, since she won and they shipped her away, uninterested due to her mental illness.

She comes running at home, only wearing a gown, but she doesn’t care, and neither does he. “Finnick!” She cries again. He’s instantly drawn to her like a magnet, he takes off away from the door to reach her sooner, arms open to embrace. As soon as she’s in arms reach, she jumps into him.

Finnick picks her up without an ounce of hesitation, a hand sliding into her dark, tangled hair. She’s alive, the thought is full of electricity. He leans too far forward, making him lose his balance, causing him to overcompensate. When he straightens, it sends him stumbling, back slamming into the wall. They slide down to the floor, where neither of them move, holding on to each other tight.

He was convinced he’d never see her again.

Katniss watches them jealously from the door she entered through with Finnick, feet firmly planted. It’s not that she’s specifically jealous of either partner, but the fact no one could ever doubt their love. Everyone knows how much they mean to each other. She’s still having to fight to get people to believe that’s how she feels with Peeta.

She presses her lips together, tearing her eyes away from the two on the floor to share a look with Haymitch. She manages to catch a glimpse of Gale through a doorway, he’s stripped down to his waist, skin glistening with sweat. A doctor stands over him with a pair of tweezers, removing something from under his shoulder blade.

“Gale!” Katniss is relieved, and she begins to go to him first, until a nurse pushes her back, and then shuts the door to his room. 

Katniss goes back to standing next to Haymitch, waiting. Her attention is directed to Boggs next, who led the mission. He comes to a stop in front of them, hands on his hips. “We got them all out. Except Enobaria. But since she’s from Two, we doubt she’s being held anyway.”

“I heard you picked up someone extra?” Haymitch asks, curiosity getting the best of him.

Katniss’s eyebrows twitch. “There were no other tributes in the arena.” She says, and then backtracks a second later. “I guess Annie wasn’t there either…”

“They found a girl in the same hall as the victors. She was right next door to Peeta.” Boggs says, at the mention of Peeta’s name, butterflies swarm Katniss’s chest, reminding her that he’s here.

“Do you think she could be a victor?” Haymitch asks.

“Beetee and Plutarch are trying to figure it out right now.” Boggs shakes his head. “If she is, we don’t know the significance of her being there. She could be anymore.”

“What about Peeta?” Katniss asks. As curious as she is about the mystery girl, there’s only one person in this building she wants to see right now. She’s been waiting to see him for weeks.

“Peeta’s at the end of the hall. The effects of the gas are just wearing off. You should be there when he wakes.” Boggs nods to the nearest hall. “The nurse won’t let you in until she’s done with her work, there’s a chair outside of the door.”

“Thanks.” Katniss murmurs, breaking off.

Haymitch does not, staying with Boggs. If Peeta’s going to be unconscious for a little while longer, he might as well help them figure out who this girl is. Boggs motions for Haymitch to follow a few doors down, where Plutarch is standing with a walkie talkie in his hand. It has to be the fastest form of communication here.

Plutarch looks up from the floor when he senses their presence. “Oh, Haymitch.” He’s relieved. “Maybe you have an idea.”

“Where is she?”

“We have her isolated.” Boggs motions to the nearest window covered by blinds. “Until we figure it out.”

“Take a look.” Plutarch encourages.

Haymitch steps forward, prying the window shade open wide enough to give him a look inside. His eyes land on a girl sitting on a bed—most definitely older than Katniss—who looks to be in as good condition as Annie, maybe a little worse. Her head is turned to the side, seemingly taking in the room, observing it. 

“How old is she supposed to be?”

At the sound of Haymitch’s voice, her head turns, eyes finding his through the shades. He’s able to get a good first look at her face before he lets go, disturbed by the intensity of the eye contact, and looks at Plutarch.

Boggs shakes his head. “No idea. We have no information on her.”

“We drew blood from her before she woke up.” Plutarch says, holding up the walkie. “Beetee’s cross-referencing it with residents from Four right now.”

“You think she’s from Four?” Haymitch raises his eyebrows, a little stunned by the assumption. “She doesn’t look like a Four resident.”

“Coin said to start there.” Plutarch shrugs, Haymitch thinks he catches an eye roll, but he’s not certain. “I would’ve gone for one of the outskirts districts, possibly Six or Eight, but she thinks that there might be some significance there.” 

“For who? Finnick? They already took Annie.”

Plutarch raises his hands defensively, telling Haymitch that it’s out of his hands. He only does what Coin wants. 

“Did you try asking Finnick?” Haymitch suggests. 

“No, not yet. We’re letting him reunite with Annie before we drag him into it.” Boggs says. “You don’t recognize her at all?”

“I knew a lot of the victors in recent years, she doesn’t look like any of them.”

The sound of static fills the air before Beetee’s voice comes through, not entirely clear. “I can’t get any information on her. The DNA system in Thirteen is telling me her blood is outdated and doesn’t match any records. It wants a better sample.” There’s a pause. “Are you sure this system is up-to-date?”

Plutarch’s face twists, raising the walkie to his mouth. “Coin said it is. What do you mean her blood is outdated?”

“It doesn’t give me anything else. I’m going to need a bigger sample if you want me to begin to check the other districts she could be a part of.” Beetee answers. “Was she drugged in the Capitol? That might be messing with it.”

Plutarch sighs. “Just the gas to make an easy transfer. Unless the Capitol doctors were doing something to her. Give me some time, I’ll send someone to you.”

“Echo.” Beetee responds, and then the line goes quiet.

Plutarch turns to look at the door belonging to the mystery girl. He rubs his jaw, thinking, before calling on the nearest doctor to join him to draw more blood. The doctor agrees, pulling the gloves off her hands, telling Plutarch there’s already vials in the room she can use in the cabinet.

Plutarch opens the door, motioning for her to go first, before he follows. The door shuts behind them, the doctor prepares to draw more blood, using a key on her lanyard to unlock the cabinet to grab a bigger vial this time. Plutarch sticks by the door, not wanting to get closer.

“I’m just going to draw blood.” The doctor tells the girl, but she pays no mind to her.

Her attention is on Plutarch, eyes boring into his, an intense staring contest. No one in the room speaks, as the tension begins to rise between the three of them. And then she speaks first.

“You’re a traitor to the Capitol.” Her voice is hoarse, scratchy.

Plutarch blinks in surprise, the doctor briefly looking up, before directing her attention back on the blood. He stares at her for a second, before deciding to take the opportunity to question her. “What’s your name?”

“(Y/n) (L/n).” She answers.

His expression doesn’t change, he doesn’t recognize the name. “What district are you from?”

“Two.”

Plutarch’s face twists, not expecting a Career district to be the answer. Her eyes narrow in displeasure. The doctor interrupts them to announce she has what she needs, allowing the two of them to escape the room. Once the door closes, he feels like he can take a breath.

“What would you like me to do with the blood?” The doctor asks.

“Will you please run it down to Beetee Latier in Special Defense?” Plutarch asks, but he’s not looking at her, his eyes are on Boggs.

“Right away.”

There’s an uneasy feeling in his stomach. With the way she called him a Capitol traitor, there wasn’t an ounce of hesitation. She knows something. Maybe she’s a loyalist in District Two? But that doesn’t explain what she was doing in the Capitol, then. And in that case, why wouldn’t they just set up Enobaria to be taken to Thirteen? 

Unless Snow knew Thirteen wouldn’t take the chance. 

Plutarch holds the walkie to his mouth. “I have a doctor running the sample down to Special Defense right now. I got some information in the meantime.” 

“I’m ready.” Beetee answers.

“Her name is (Y/n) (L/n). She said that she’s from District Two.”

Beetee doesn’t answer for a second. “A victor or a resident?”

“It could be either. I wasn’t in the room for long.”

“The Capitol system won’t let me check the resident history of District Two without the DNA sample.”

“What about victor history?” Plutarch asks.

There’s a couple moments of silence, where Haymitch shakes his head a little. It’s clear they’re grasping at straws. “There’s been no (Y/n) in the past ten years, that’s when she would’ve won, right?”

“Unless she’s older than she looks.” Boggs tells him. “Capitol modification?”

And right on cue, Beetee comes over the static. “No (Y/n) in Two.”

Plutarch’s face screws, stumped.

“Could she be lying?” Boggs asks.

“She looked angry when I made a face at her.” Plutarch murmurs. “We can’t check the Capitol database without her blood sample, either.”

“Plutarch.” Beetee’s voice comes over.

“One second.” Plutarch answers him.

“No, I can cross-reference her intake picture with the history of tributes in the Hunger Games.”

Immediately, Haymitch is skeptical, and even laughs a little bit. “What would that help with? The only tributes alive are victors or those who escaped the Quarter Quell arena.”

Plutarch, who knows too many Gamemaker projects for his own good, raises the walkie to his lips. “Go ahead.”

The static is gone.

Haymitch shakes his head, uninterested in the outcome of this search. It’s ridiculous. “I’m going to check on Katniss and Peeta.”

“Good luck.” Plutarch tells him.

Haymitch leaves, back down the hall to the front entrance of the hospital, before taking a right where Boggs had directed Katniss. A few moments of silence pass, as Beetee searches for their mystery girl in the hundreds of faces that have been submitted over seventy-five years. 

Beetee is back. “I found (Y/n) (L/n), Plutarch.”

“In the tribute database?”

“Yes.” Beetee pauses. “She was a District Two tribute in the Sixty-Fifth Hunger Games. She made it to the final five.”

“Which Games did you say?”

“Sixty-Fifth.”

—

“Remember.” A muffled voice tells you, possibly coming from the Capitol doctor in front of you. Or maybe not, there is no color to her, there is no accent. She’s dressed in a grey jumpsuit, a lab coat over top of it. She holds a device in her hand, illuminating her face in a questionable angle, causing bright, colorful prisms to cover her face. “Remember who you are.”

When she speaks, the shades of the rainbow break apart, first into shiny bubbles, which reflect the light too harshly. They transform into butterflies the higher they go, before popping, causing a rain of glitter.

She can’t be real.

I know who I am, you think. You’re (Y/n) (L/n). You are—were—a resident of District two. You were a tribute in the Sixty-Fifth Hunger Games. You’re supposed to be dead. Instead you’re here, in this white room. Which is eerily similar to the one you were in a couple hours ago. Except, that one was bare. This one has a cabinet, a bed, a tray of medical utensils…

You told them who you are, already. More importantly, you told Plutarch Heavensbee who you are. As instructed by the colorful doctors, the ones with the sickly shaded skin and the odd shapes on their faces. Those people had to be from the Capitol, right?

This one stares at you for a long moment, only furthering your idea that she isn’t real. She takes your silence, turning to leave the room. You watch as she becomes transparent with each step she takes, becoming completely invisible before her hand touches the doorknob.

You’re finally getting a hang of this.

You slide to get off the bed, wandering over to the metal tray a few feet away. You come into contact with the cool metal of the table, touching over the several options that are available, confirming they’re real. You decide on the knife, the scalpel. Once you have it in your hand, you return to the hospital bed, hiding the scalpel beneath your right thigh. 

Back home, they taught you to always be prepared in unfamiliar situations. Especially when you feel like you’re at a disadvantage. With what has been pumped into your system since you got here, you’re not at your best. You’re not safe.

It was different in the Capitol, they weren’t trying to hurt you there, only inform you. They were trying to help you before you got taken. They were telling you the truth of what happened in the arena. What was really going through Finnick’s head.

“I’m sorry to interrupt your reunion, but it’s important.” Plutarch’s voice is muted through the wall, but not completely silent. You can make out the words. “We have an issue.”

“Does it involve me?” The other voice asks, sending shivers down your spine.

Finnick Odair.

What a bitter name on your mind.

“Well, yes. It involves you, Finnick.” Plutarch pauses. “It’s about your Hunger Games, do you remember anything from it?”

“Practically all of it.” Finnick says, he sounds almost the same from the arena, just more grown up now. “I’d like to see someone who doesn’t. Why?”

“Who was your district partner?”

“Amaryllis.” Finnick says.

The name hits you hard, causing you to squeeze your eyes shut to avoid watching the room suddenly spin. Amaryllis, the one who stabbed you. Finnick set you up, he knew she’d be able to overpower you. It was their plan to join at the end, all along. They had to get you out of the way first. 

He knew her younger sister, the thought forces its way through.

“I knew her younger sister.” Finnick says, as if he’s reading directly from your mind.

“Do you remember who killed her in your Games?”

There’s a beat of hesitation. It’s obvious that Plutarch is testing Finnick’s memory, seeing what he knows before he admits who’s in this room. You.

“Yes, it was a girl from District Two.” Finnick says slowly.

“What was her name?”

“She introduced herself as (Y/n).” Finnick says. “Why?”

“How old was she?”

“The same age as I was at the time. Why?” Finnick emphasizes.

“How did she die?”

There’s silence following the question, leading you to believe that it’s out of guilt, as if he’s going to admit it’s his fault. That he took on the One tributes because he knew Amaryllis would be more than happy to kill you. Neither of them planned on you barely making it out of that fight alive.

“Tell me why first.” Finnick then demands.

Plutarch sighs. “We believe we may have rescued her from the Tribute Center. Beetee’s research tells us she’s a tribute from your Games.”

“That can’t be possible, she bled to death.” Finnick shuts him down coldly. “She was stabbed by Amaryllis. She hid the wound from me. She died.”

“We—”

“I watched her die on a screen with the entirety of Panem during the three hour long recap.” Finnick cuts him off. “She died due to blood loss. She was my ally.”

Liar, you were never his ally. Just a stepping stone.

“Will you please calm down?” Plutarch asks. “We just want you to confirm that the girl in this room is her, that’s all.”

You think you can hear an annoyed sigh through the wall, then silence follows. Your eyes search the window, hungry to see if it’s actually him. A second later, the blinds rise up far enough to give you a whole look of his face.

Immediately, his tanned skin pales as if he’s seen a ghost, and you’re sure he has. Those familiar green eyes, his tanned skin. He’s grown into his face, that’s for sure. All those pictures the Capitol had been showing you are true. He looks exactly like he did in that interview, where he lied about Snow.

The blinds drop in the next second.

“How is that possible?” He demands, voice loud. “She died in the arena, I heard the canon. I saw her in the sky. I saw her during the recap. Mags told me she died because of the amount of blood she lost. How is she in there?” 

“We—”

“Is she some clone?” Finnick asks. “A mutt?”

Mutt. 

The room begins to spin violently, causing you to close your eyes again or else you’ll get sick from the intensity. Is that what he thinks of you? Just a mutt? You’re not even human to him anymore?

“The Capitol doesn’t have the technology to clone.” Plutarch clarifies. “Not yet, at least. They’ve been working on it. What they do is take samples of DNA and they splice it together with an existing mutt to give it the same qualities. Like the dogs in Katniss’s games.”

“Then how?”

“If I had to guess, I’d say they took her, revived her in the hovercraft, and kept her in a coma.”

“Why? It doesn’t make sense.”

“Will you—” Plutarch’s voice briefly gets quieter, causing you to strain to hear. “Can you get Beetee? He should know.” His voice comes back into focus. “She might have qualities they can use. If she’s smart, a good fighter, if she’s pretty. They can use her for a number of things. Even reintroduce her as a Capitol citizen.”

“That makes no sense.” Finnick’s voice is quiet. “Why?”

Silence, and then suddenly static. “Beetee, are you still there?”

“Yes, Plutarch. What can I do?”

“I’ve sent a doctor your way to bring you to the hospital, there’s a small lockdown to keep families out. You’ll need him to get inside.”

“Do you need me to bring anything to the hospital?”

“No, but can you do me a favor and bring up the file on (Y/n) in the Capitol database? Usually they have information there on why they have dead tributes.”

“She’s not the first one?” Finnick asks.

“One moment.” Beetee tells him.

“No, she’s not the first.” Plutarch tells him. “But usually they don’t survive for more than a couple of years. She’s been alive in their care for ten.”

“You knew they were doing this.” It’s not a question, it’s an accusation.

“I knew of their projects, I never actually got to see them personally.” Plutarch clarifies. “I had access to a lot of information, I made sure to read through almost all of it when I became the Head Gamemaker so I knew what to expect when the rebellion came into play.”

“Where would they keep her?”

“Probably in the basement, where the victors would be taken care of for the recuperation week. There’s many rooms down there, just hidden behind walls. There could be dozens of tributes.”

Static interrupts their conversation. “There’s no notes, they must’ve deleted them.”

“Does it say anything?”

“It says, ‘saved, 65th’.”

Neither of them speak, taking in this information, or the lack of it. 

An ear-bleeding scream fills the air, silencing the background noise of the hospital as everyone stops to listen. A voice shouts for Plutarch, so you assume he leaves to see what all the commotion is about. You don’t move from where you sit on the bed, but you do keep your eyes on the window. 

No one comes to see you for a long time, whatever happened outside of your room must’ve been a surprise. You don’t mind sitting here, though. The more time passes, the better grip you have on reality. There’s no abstract shapes with bright colors floating around the room, and the voices are becoming quieter as they realize that you’re not listening.

You’re beginning to feel normal, your thoughts becoming clearer.

Once the hospital staff gets their situation under control, you’re back to being their first priority to figure out. Plutarch is nowhere to be seen, or heard. Maybe he’s disinterested in why you’re here, satisfied with the half-answers he got with Beetee. Maybe he’s searching the Capitol database, himself.

Either way, the doctors treat you like it’s an interrogation, and they don’t believe any of the answers you give them as they go on. Their questions are repetitive and irritating, thankfully easy to answer. It’s the basic stuff that the Beetee guy figured out through his research.

Who you are, how old you are, where are you from, if you participated in the Hunger Games, how old you were at the time, who did you kill, who were your allies, did you get injured, did you die, how did you survive, where have you been, how has the Capitol treated you.

It’s harder to answer them as the questions get more specific. You don’t know how you survived, other than what you were told, of course. The Capitol saved you from the arena because they saw how unfair the alliance between Finnick and Amaryllis was. It wasn’t your fault it was planned behind your back. They said you deserved a second chance, because if it weren’t for them, you would’ve been the victor.

And where have you been? The Capitol, obviously, where else? Only, when they ask you where in the Capitol, you direct them to ask Plutarch. After all, he was the Head Gamemaker, he’s the one that was snooping in on Capitol projects. He said so himself that you were probably kept where all the victors wake up.

All you know is that you were gassed unfairly by the hospital’s troops. When you say this, they ignore you, brushing you off. Then they claim that they have someone who wants to see you, and they collectively leave the room at once. 

Your eyes narrow, watching the door.

It opens after a couple of minutes, revealing the boy who set you up. Finnick takes a step in the room, gently pushing the door shut until it clicks. You can feel every muscle in your body begin to stiffen, the scalpel beneath your thigh is burning a hole through your skin, lip starting to curl.

You grit your teeth, refusing to take your eyes off of him, even though you have a feeling you’re being watched through one of the windows. They’re messing with you, gauging your reaction on how to press your buttons. That’s why they sent Finnick in here, because they know what he did to you.

You move your hands to be on either side of your thighs, trying to seem casual. In actuality, this gives you an easier access to the scalpel when you go to stab Finnick. Who’s coming closer by the second, taking one step at a time, but not saying a single word. It makes it impossible to decide what to do next.

No, that’s wrong. You know what to do next. You were given instructions by the doctors in the Capitol. They said they could help you. All you have to do is kill him, or severely injure him for lying about Snow to Panem. If you do this, you can go home. You were told that you can see your family again if you go through with it.

Your heart pounds in your chest, hands gripping the metal bars of the bed frame, trying not to jump the gun. But as soon as he steps into arm’s length, you can’t sit still any longer. You launch off the hospital bed, hand swiping at the scalpel, slicing your hand in the process. A stinging sensation travels down your wrist, temporarily taking control of your mind.

It’s thrown away when you’re able to tackle Finnick to the ground, arm swinging to stab him in the throat. That will teach him not to tell lies. He’s just barely able to catch your wrist, arm trembling under your weight.

The doorknob to the room is being violently shaken, as the bystanders outside try to get the door open. There’s knocking at the window, several people shouting at you to stop what you’re doing. They don’t understand. They’ve all been manipulated by Finnick’s charm, if they knew the truth, they wouldn’t be trying to save him.

“You set me up!” You snarl, pressing down, wanting to finish the job.

Finnick stares back at you with an open mouth, like a fish out of water. The blood from your hand is being pulled by gravity, now. Little droplets on his grey jumpsuit, his tanned skin, his reddening face.

“You knew she was stronger than I was!” You snap. “That’s why you refused to kill her.”

“(Y/n).” He chokes out. “Wait.”

“You left me to die!” You shout, causing him to flinch. “And you almost got what you wanted, if it weren’t for the Capitol intervening. I bet it was a surprise seeing that your plan never worked.”

“You asked me to leave you there!” He argues, the room begins to spin, but you can’t take your eyes off of him. “I didn’t want to. I didn’t want you to leave.”

The hospital room slowly starts to change, and the doubt of how real this situation is beginning to set in. The tile turns to grass, the walls become tall trees, and the ceiling is now a dark sky. It’s the middle of the night.

“That’s not true.” You tell him, “You’re a traitor. You knew I wouldn’t survive on that hill, and you left anyway.”

His jumpsuit is darkening in color, right around his stomach. Your face twists, trying to remember if you stabbed him or not. You couldn’t have, right? You’re still trying to get him in the throat.

“You told me to go.” Finnick insists. “I wanted to stay. I wanted to carry you to our base, but you wouldn’t let me.”

“No.” You shake your head. “No, that’s not what the doctors told me.”

“The doctors lied.” Finnick emphasizes. “I can prove it.”

“You’re full of shit.” 

“(Y/n), I promise. Just let me talk to them—”

The sky shatters, causing you to flinch, Finnick shoves you off of him. The white hospital room is coming back, the scalpel slides across the floor, leaving a smear of blood out of your reach. You try to sit up, but you’re slammed down by a hard boot to your chest, making it hard to breathe.

“Get him out of here!” A man barks, referring to Finnick.

“Stop.” Finnick says, waving his hand. “Stop, she’s fine.”

He’s pulled to his feet by his armpits, being directed to the door by Plutarch, who glares in your direction.

“Take her out, we need to get her chained down.” He says.

“No.” Finnick objects. “No, she’s just confused. That’ll only make it worse.”

“She’s not confused.” Plutarch says back.

The man above you raises his gun in the air, the butt aimed at your face. The last thing you’re able to register is Finnick being dragged out of the room, begging them not to, before the gun comes down.

[catastrxblues]

the stark differences between book!gale and movie!gale after katniss asked him about the bomb was something i was kinda surprised about when i first watched the movie yesterday. like, i had to get my book out for this when i first came to the scene. because in the movie, he actually had the decency to look guilty, to sound like he was actually sorry that he couldn’t protect her family. when katniss said he didn’t try to visit her at all, he tried to make reason for himself and said that he actually wanted to. hemsworth even went as far as making his voice break, and he actually seemed like he felt remorse for the loss of her sister etc etc.

but in the book, what did he do??? when katniss said he didn’t visit her at all, he didn’t answer. when katniss asked if that was his bomb, he only shrugged and said “does it matter? you’ll always be thinking about it” and then continued to say that taking care of her family was the only thing he had going for him. and that’s it. as if his place in katniss’ life was more important for him to talk about at this moment rather than i don’t know. sorry for your loss??? sorry for prim?? the loss of a person you loved more than anyone else?? the reason you did everything you did?? sorry that i might be the cause of it?? even just a slight empathy?? none of that and yet he still had the audacity to touch her cheek before leaving the room. this whole peeta-katniss-gale isn’t the main point of the hunger games, it never was. but how did the debate for the love triangle even came about? how was there even any other choice? you have a man who did this shit and you have a man who came back home to her and plant a garden there to honor her sister’s death with evening primroses because that was the flower her sister was named after. how was there even a competition in the first place

[shinynewmemories]

"Gale says I never smile except in the woods."

Well that's strange, considering Peeta can make Katniss smile/laugh-

- on the train to the Capitol:

"Peeta unexpectedly laughs. 'He was drunk,' says Peeta. 'He’s drunk every year.'

'Every day,' I add. I can’t help smirking a little."

- while waiting to be paraded around like livestock:

"'Where is Haymitch, anyway? Isn’t he supposed to protect us from this sort of thing?' says Peeta.

'With all that alcohol in him, it’s probably not advisable to have him around an open flame,' I say.

And suddenly we’re both laughing."

- in the training center:

"When we finally escape to bed on the second night, Peeta mumbles, 'Someone ought to get Haymitch a drink.'

I make a sound that is somewhere between a snort and a laugh."

- at the dinner table:

"'I hope that’s how people interpret the four I’ll probably get,' says Peeta. 'If that. Really, is anything less impressive than watching a person pick up a heavy ball and throw it a couple of yards. One almost landed on my foot.'

I grin at him and realize that I’m starving."

- in the Arena:

"Peeta, it turns out, has never been a danger to me. The thought makes me smile."

- in the Arena:

"I lean over and put my good ear to his lips, which tickle as he whispers. 'Remember, we’re madly in love, so it’s all right to kiss me anytime you feel like it.'

I jerk my head back but end up laughing."

- in the Arena:

"'Katniss?' Peeta says. I meet his eyes, knowing my face must be some shade of green. He mouths the words. 'How about that kiss?'

I burst out laughing because the whole thing is so revolting I can’t stand it."

- in the Arena:

"Peeta’s struggling to get up when I reach the cave. 'I woke up and you were gone,' he says. 'I was worried about you.'

I have to laugh as I ease him back down."

- in the Arena:

"'So that day, in music assembly, the teacher asked who knew the valley song. Your hand shot right up in the air. She stood you up on a stool and had you sing it for us. And I swear, every bird outside the windows fell silent,' Peeta says.

'Oh, please,' I say, laughing."

- in the Arena:

"'Hey, Effie, watch this!' says Peeta. He tosses his fork over his shoulder and literally licks his plate clean with his tongue making loud, satisfied sounds. Then he blows a kiss out to her in general and calls, 'We miss you, Effie!'

I cover his mouth with my hand, but I’m laughing."

- during the Victory Tour:

"'Isn’t it strange that I know you’d risk your life to save mine . . . but I don’t know what your favorite color is?' [Peeta] says.

A smile creeps onto my lips."

- all the way from the Capitol when she's in District 13:

"'You’re alive,' I whisper, pressing my palms against my cheeks, feeling the smile that’s so wide it must look like a grimace. Peeta’s alive."

[phefics]

HG characters (boys and girls) reacting to the reader buying them flowers

omg i thought of this earlier and it sounded so so so cute!! 😭😭

coryo would be a little confused, lol. he has a pretty traditional view of relationships, so receiving flowers would surprise him. he’d laugh and call you silly, but he would keep them in his office.

finnick would honestly melt, he isn’t used to being treated with genuine romantic softness. he’d grin so wide, probably even blush a little. you never usually see him flustered like that, so it’s a really sweet moment.

gale thinks it’s a cute little joke and probably doesn’t save them, honestly. he would laugh and find it funny, and probably not see it as a genuine gesture. it isn’t even malicious, he just doesn’t think about it.

johanna is really touched, but struggles to express that. it sort of stuns her, honestly, but she really appreciates it. she probably teases you for being cliché, but she keeps them as long as possible, then saves some petals, too.

katniss finds it really sweet, but she’s kind of awkward when accepting gifts/romantic gestures. she would definitely keep them and be sad when they start to wilt.

lucy gray loves flowers and would be so excited!! she would give you flowers as well, would always tuck them in her hair and yours. she dries out the flowers and keeps them pressed in books or hanging up.

peeta would be so giddy, he’s a hopeless romantic and while he loves to spoil you, it feels really special to have the same treatment in return.

sejanus is honestly so flattered/flustered like !! it makes him feel sooo special and he just is so smitten by your kindness and care for him and he is gonna tell everyone how good his partner is to him and display the flowers proudly.

tigris tries to keep them in good condition as long as possible. when they do eventually wither, she’ll make them into some kind of craft and save it, using it as decor in your shared space. flowers make her feel so loved, she can’t let a single bouquet go unsavored.

[thegreenthepeacetheorange]

The development of Peeta as "the boy with the bread"

The fact that for Katniss, Peeta is the "boy with the bread" who she associates with dandelions, life and hope, speaks volumes to how her relationship with him goes beyond simple understandings of love and companionship.

To this day, I can never shake the connection between this boy, Peeta Mellark, and the bread that gave me hope, and the dandelion that reminded me that I was not doomed. 

The mayor finishes the dreary Treaty of Treason and motions for Peeta and me to shake hands. His are as solid and warm as those loaves of bread. 

And apparently, I have not been as oblivious to him as I imagined, either. The flour. The wrestling. I have kept track of the boy with the bread. 

I fumble. I’m not as smooth with words as Peeta. And while I was talking, the idea of actually losing Peeta hit me again and I realized how much I don’t want him to die. And it’s not about the sponsors. And it’s not about what will happen back home. And it’s not just that I don’t want to be alone. It’s him. I do not want to lose the boy with the bread. 

The sun eventually rises, its light slipping through the cracks and illuminating Peeta’s face. Who will he transform into if we make it home? This perplexing, good-natured boy who can spin out lies so convincingly the whole of Panem believes him to be hopelessly in love with me, and I’ll admit it, there are moments when he makes me believe it myself? At least, we’ll be friends, I think. Nothing will change the fact that we’ve saved each other’s lives in here. And beyond that, he will always be the boy with the bread. Good friends. Anything beyond that though . . . and I feel Gale’s gray eyes watching me watching Peeta, all the way from District 12. 

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Peeta extend his hand. I look at him, unsure. “One more time? For the audience?” he says. His voice isn’t angry. It’s hollow, which is worse. Already the boy with the bread is slipping away from me.  I take his hand, holding on tightly, preparing for the cameras, and dreading the moment when I will finally have to let go. 

Sometimes when I'm alone, I take the pearl from where it lives in my pocket and try to remember the boy with the bread, the strong arms that warded off nightmares on the train, the kisses in the arena. To make myself put a name to the thing I've lost.

I consider saying a final good-bye to Peeta, decide it would only be bad for both of us. But I do slip the pearl into the pocket of my uniform. A token of the boy with the bread.

Peeta and I grow back together. There are still moments when he clutches the back of a chair and hangs on until the flashbacks are over. I wake screaming from nightmares of mutts and lost children. But his arms are there to comfort me. And eventually his lips. On the night I feel that thing again, the hunger that overtook me on the beach, I know this would have happened anyway. That what I need to survive is not Gale's fire, kindled with rage and hatred. I have plenty of fire myself. What I need is the dandelion in the spring. The bright yellow that means rebirth instead of destruction. The promise that life can go on, no matter how bad our losses. That it can be good again. And only Peeta can give me that. So after, when he whispers, "You love me. Real or not real?" I tell him, "Real."

[ask-the-prose]

Building a Character Arc

Hi all! These past 8 months have been a busy time huh? I’m back and hoping to jumpstart this blog with a bit more organization. So let’s get started with our next guide!

We talk a lot about worldbuilding and plotting out stories, but there’s an important factor I haven’t seen much discussion around, and that is: character arcs.

We’ll be covering character building next week, as that will build off of this post. But building a character arc is just as important as knowing all the static facts about a character and how they react to the world you’ve built around them!

What is the character’s purpose?

We love to imagine our characters as people and real in our heads, but ultimately they are a tool to tell a story. So when building your character arc, you need to know what the purpose of this character is. How do they serve the story? How do they enhance the themes?

Characters can have tons of purposes, from the protagonist to the antagonist to cannon fodder. Characters can serve multiple purposes at one time, even. So what do you want your character to do for the story?

An example: in The Hunger Games, Gale Hawthorne serves a purpose far beyond just love interest #2. Gale helps propel the plotline in a number of ways. He spurs Katniss into action when he is whipped in the town square, he challenges Katniss’ worldviews both directly and indirectly by proposing ethical and complex questions that Katniss must later answer, and he’s symbolic of an answer to the main theme of the books. He isn’t relegated to just one of these purposes, but he does have to have one otherwise, he would be irrelevant words distracting from the actual story.

What changes within the character? What doesn’t?

Characters can be divided into two categories: static and dynamic. Static characters stay the same over the course of the story, whereas dynamic characters do not. So a good question to ask yourself when building a character arc is what, if anything, changes about the character over the course of the story?

One important factor to consider is the character’s attitude towards the world, the conflict, or the other characters. If that changes, how does it change? Why? What happens to cause that change? These questions can be applied to any number of factors you wish to include, like a character’s opinion of themselves or another concept, a character’s worldview, or a character’s feelings towards their circumstances.

If the character is a static character, why? Does it serve the story’s themes?

Is your character an active participant or reacting to plot events?

Naturally, a character reacts to events and responds to those reactions through action. But do those actions actually affect the plot? Does the plot happen to the character or does the character act and consequences follow?

These seem like plot building questions, and they are, but it’s critical to understanding your characters as well. Characters that always react to the plot and have little consequences for actual actions taken tend to be placed in the “reactive” category. While I can’t speak to every style and story structure, most traditional publishers and western audiences prefer active characters over reactive characters. They want the character to impact the plot, their actions have natural consequences that push the plot forward.

Reactive characters can absolutely be utilized to tell interesting and compelling stories, though, so don’t throw out the whole story if you find your character is more reactive than active.

Conclusion

So you’ve created the plot and the premise and you need to populate your world with characters! Remember these key points in building a character arc: purpose, change, and action. Hopefully this guide can help you get on the road towards creating a character arc that not only compels your reader, but enhances your themes and serves your story.

-- Indy