#biggest gaul ever

[nightmare-niko]

Welcome Home [Childhoodbestfriend!Coryo x reader]

Warnings: TBOSAS spoilers, angst, two idiots in love, too cute for your own good tbh, no use of Y/n

A/n: Im still getting back in the swing of fanfic writing but if you have any other characters from The Hunger Games universe you want me to write for just lmk!!!!

Copying or translating my writing is not allowed. If you see my work on another site it is stolen. Reblogs are appreciated and encouraged.

Childhoodbestfriend!coryo who searches for your face in the crowded train station, and when he finally sees you, his knees almost gave in.

The two of you didn’t leave off on the best of terms (he blew you off the second he met Lucy Gray) and Coriolanus didn’t think you’d show up to welcome him home.

But there you were.

There in the crowd you stood, nervously playing with the end of your hair just like you always did. You looked through the sea of faces for your best friend, at first you couldn’t see him. Perhaps you missed him? Surely not… But then, there he was. Coriolanus Snow, Your Coryo.

Before you could register what was happening you were barreling towards him. Engulfing him in a bone crushing hug that he doesn’t hesitate to return.

“Oh Coryo!” You exclaim, pulling back from the hug to get a better look at him. “Oh my goodness! Your hair! What did they do to your hair? You’re bald!” You rub your hands in his head, savoring the strange new sensation.

He laughs gently, taking your wrists in his hands and holding them close. “I am not bald! it’ll grow back before you even realize, a swear.” He pauses for a moment, staring deeply into your eyes. “I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you more than you can know, Coryo”

“I’m sure i missed you more,” he paused again. “Where’s Tigris?”

“Don’t worry, she’s at work, she wishes she could be here but you know how her boss is.” Coryo hums in acknowledgment, “and I talked to grandma’am earlier today and she gave me strict instructions to keep you away from your house tonight.” You take his hand and start walking your way through the platform.

“What? Why?” The grip on your hand tight, as if he’s scared to lose you.

“Oh she wouldn’t tell me, she knew I was just gonna end up telling you anyway.” Your arms brush together as you walk, to anyone else, the two of you look like the loveliest couple. “But that just means you get to spend your first day back your favorite person!”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way~”

•

“Are you sure your parents are going to be okay with me staying over?" Your parents were never the biggest fan of Coriolanus Snow, they werent fans of the Snow family at all, and when they saw him on to with that District girl they deemed him no good.

"Oh they moved out, I have the place all to myself,” as you approach us your penthouse door you pat at your pockets for the key. "I Prepared the spare room for you for. When you come over, even though you always insist on taking up my whole bed...”

"Your bed is just the most comfortable bed, ever." He raises his hands in defeate. "Your bed is big enough for the both of us."

“It’s only big enough when you sleep normally which you never do. Ever,” the two of laugh as you enter your home.

When he walks through the door of your lavish capitol penthouse, he couldn’t stop himself from crying. The house didnt look the same from when he was last here. When he was last in your penthouse, it was right after his and Clemensia Dovecoats run in with Dr. Gaul. The once colourless decor of your house was now full of life, full of you.

As the tears fell down his pale check, you turned back to look at him. You were at his side in a second, "Coryo, what’s wrong?" You wipe his tears away with the cuff of your Sleeve.

"Nothing - It's nothing really, I just missed this, You." His voice just above a whisper.

“I missed you too, more than you can know.” You smush his cheeks in between your hand.

He swats your hand away, “I’m not a kid anymore, you can’t treat me like it,” a light pink flush blooms on his ears.

“Oh nonsense! I’m your best friend, and I’m older than you so I’ll always treat you like a kid!”

“You can’t treat me like a kid when I’m president,” he jokes through quiet sobs.

"I’m never going to stop, Coryo, I’m your best friend, it’s my job to annoy you," You run your fingers through his hair.

"You’re never annoying...”

As the two of you make your way into your room. It was the same as he remembered.

"It's the same," he points out.

"What is?" you question,

"The room, you didnt change it...”

"Why would I change it? I love my room, and when my parents moved away and left me the house, I figured: Why not just make the whole place my own?"

You take off your sweater and shoes before climbing into your bed. Your eyes follow Coryo as he walks around your room, making himself at home. After taking off his shoes he joins you on your bed, tackling you in a hug, knocking you over.

“Woah!”

You wrap your arms around his broad shoulders, basking in his warmth. Neither of you feel the need to say anything. Sure you were curious about his time away, but you knew Coryo was tired and all you wanted was for him to be comfortable.

Oh how you’ve missed this.

Tag list: @nallasstuff @chmpgneprblem

(If you wanna be tagged when I post hunger games stuff just lmk and I’ll add u to a tag list!!!)

[boizandgurlzinthehouse]

𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐰𝐞 𝐝𝐨 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞.

pairing: coriolanus snow x toxic!fem!reader

summary: someone always throw a spanner in her works, to achieve her biggest dream —being coriolanus’ lover, wife and claiming power. luckily, y/n is not on the loser side when it comes to playing. 

trigger warnings (overall): mastermind!reader, toxic!reader (for real, she’s doing nasty things), reader’s family is a bit fucked up, reader is obsessed with coriolanus snow, lying, swearing, blood, violence, killing people, hunger games stuff, i just love volumnia gaul, reader hates lucy gray and everybody who’s around coriolanus, mental health problems mentioned such as psychotism, domestic violence mentioned, drugs, mention of sexual fantasies.

trigger warnings (in this part): mastermind!reader, toxic!reader (for real, she’s doing nasty things), reader’s family is a bit fucked up, reader is obsessed with coriolanus snow, lying, swearing, domestic violence mentioned, drugs, mention of sexual fantasies, mentions of gaining weight and wearing a corset (patrick bateman vibes), i really hope it doesn't seem like bodyshaming, reader has problems only with her own body.

prologue.

𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐈. 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐄𝐖𝐒.

another day. another chance to win him over. 

y/n could be named for many things: a filthy liar, a nepo-baby, a psychopath or simply a crazy girl, but she was never, ever lazy. waking up, she always had the same routine: getting out from the bed, changing into her underwear she wore the day before, making her hair up into a bun, spreading carbon on her teeth to be white as marble. working out, even if it hurt, because how could she be the best wife ever for coriolanus if she was lazy and out of shape? through workout, she thought about who she is. i am y/n y/l/n, youngest member of the house y/l/n. we are noble, i am noble, and i deserve everything what i have now. i am beautiful, clever and nobody can ever drag me down. the people who hate me are only envious of my life, my body and my mind, but they’re all going to soil. i love the life i have, and i will appreciate every single second of the life i will have when i achieve my goals. i have every tool i can use to win, and i will use them to be the woman i want to be. it’s not far away, and everyday is a chance to be closer to the woman i want to be.

after that, taking a bath, scrubbing her body with a sponge, so her skin would always be silky, using her razor to get rid of the unwanted, ugly hair on her body. smearing vanilla and rose oil onto her skin: vanilla for being gentle, and rose for coriolanus. brushing her teeth, washing down the charcoal, washing teeth with the regular toothpaste. sitting in front of her dressing table, picking her eyebrow, putting cosmetic oils and serums on her cleavage, her neck and her face. while letting it dry, picking out the outfit of the day, calling in her maid, hortense to help her with the corset if she felt that she gained too much weight because of the medicine, or was on her period. y/n hated so-called red days, and waited for the day when she could bear her husband’s children. putting her clothes on, sitting at the dressing table again, her maid helped her if she wanted a special hairstyle. checking her manicure, it was now soft pink, it’ll match with her clothes. making her hair, she did her makeup, curling her eyelashes, putting a little chili on her lips to be so full –it hurt like hell, but how could she be perfect if she didn’t put effort in it?, whilst repeating another list in her mind. this was for coriolanus. 

be kind with him, but never too kind. be kind and modest with everybody else, so they won’t notice it. agree with him in the things that are important, but also speak your mind if he seems doubtful. speak your feelings to convince him, you are important to him. always accept his help, but don’t make redundant situations, don’t look like the damsel in distress. make him feel special, let him be the man he is, make him feel that you support him and his plans, but never make too big promises. don’t look pathetic, don’t show your emotions too much. never talk about him to others, only if they mention him, talk good about him, and talk bad about others if it’s needed. don’t make a scene if something doesn’t work your way, it will sooner or later. take action when it’s the right time. 

applying lipstick as the last step, she was ready to step out from home. y/n knew she had a strict routine, but doing mornings on autopilot let her think about more important things, like her daily plans. first destination was the school where coriolanus was, but first, she needed to get her papers after graduating, after that they’re gonna have lunch together, and then, she’ll look for the letters to see if volumnia gaul accepted her application. probably she will, she knows her entire family, how great they are, and she probably heard about y/n herself too. 

“good morning ms. y/l/n, how are you?” lacy, her sister’s maid asked her as she carried the laundry in a big basket through the hallway on the ground floor. 

“i slept well, lacy, thank you. where is my sister?” 

“your sister, morphia went to arrange the flowers and the cake for her marriage. i am so happy for her, ms. y/l/n!” 

y/n couldn’t decide if lacy was truly happy or just acting. but she wasn’t a threat, so y/n didn’t care. 

“me too, lacy.” 

her father was sitting at the head of the table, reading the tabloids, her mother, lorelei was eating some eggs with meat, some gin in her glass on the side. 

“this pheasant is really good, cyril.” she mentioned, looking up to see her youngest child. “oh, my sweet, y/n! good morning.” 

“good morning, mommy.” she said, giving her a kiss on the cheek, going to her father, she waited until he stopped reading the tabloid and looked at her. her father, cyril y/l/n was really strict, but not as strict as crassus snow. once, after her father made her burn the flowers she tore off from their garden and beat her, her mother stroked her cheek, saying “oh, honey, don’t be sad. your father is a good man, not like crassus snow. i think you should be glad that you don’t have him as your father.” so this way, y/n was happy. or so her mother thought. 

“good morning, father.” she told him too, giving him a kiss on the cheek too. she could do that until she was eighteen, after that, only the greeting was acceptable. y/n saw once, when morphia tried to kiss her father when she passed eighteen, she got slapped across the face. but they were happy, weren’t they? 

“how’s your application with gaul?” he asked as y/n sat down. 

“i handed it in yesterday. probably a letter will wait for me in the afternoon.” 

“why, what will you do today?” 

“cyril, i already told you that! your butler even wrote it down for you!” her mother whined, looking at her daughter. y/n took a slice of bread, reaching for the butter and the knife. 

“don’t mind it, mother. i’m going to the school to get my graduating papers, then have lunch with coriolanus, and then–”

“coriolanus snow? that boy and his family are broke, his father was gullible and got killed by the rebellion. why are you humbling yourself in his presence?” 

control. control your face, your hands. y/n’s fist curled around the knife tighter, grabbing it with real force. 

“i know, but he has great talent. and he’s gonna be the next president of panem.” she replied calmly, looking at him. sometimes she fantasized about stabbing him there, at the head of the table. 

“president of panem? y/n, you are so amusing when you say things like this. but i truly hope your words will become reality someday. crassus wasn’t gullible, everybody was afraid through the first rebellion.” his face softened, just as he spoke to a three year old. 

“yes, honey! your father doesn’t doubt you, he’s just amazed at what you are saying.” her mother added, sipping on her gin, batting her lashes. it wasn’t even ten in the morning, as she was already wasted. after eating the slice of bread, y/n stood up, hiding the knife into her sleeve. 

“i’m going out, but i’m gonna be here for the letter. please don’t open up before me.” she asked, making her father look up. 

“hortense is going to bring it to your room.” 

“thank you, father.” 

“honey, you didn’t even touch the caviar and the honey, please eat some more!” 

kissing her mother’s cheek again, y/n looked at her. she got her eyes, her mother was truly beautiful when she was young, acrimonious lips talked cyril only married lorelei because of her looks. nevertheless, the creed family was also noble, y/n only had to bear festus’ horrible personality twice a year, christmas and the reaping. 

“don’t worry mommy, i’ll be fine.” 

she could work easily with an empty stomach, getting back to her room, preparing her bag. looking at the medicines, she put the bottle under her clothes. she didn’t need these pills that made her useless, slow and lazy anyway, she needed something else… and she knew her horrible cousin, festus got that white, powdery thing. grabbing the butterknife from under her sleeve, she touched it. it was the worst knife ever, blunt and short, like some of the fighters in the games. y/n loved her father, respected him and counted on his words, but questioning her and laughing at her, it was the exception if it came to love and respect. and if her father is doubting her again, she will–

funk! well, who thought that people could stick butter knives into the wall? 

arriving at the school, showing her papers that she was a private student, the secretary gave out her graduation stuff. nodding, the secretary told some things, but her mind was focused on finding festus. going to the main hall, everybody whore red, y/n was the only outstander with her black skirt, soft pink blouse and black blazer. every school uniform was truly awful, the capitol is the wealthiest in all panem, couldn’t they make it a little bit more… pleasant? it’s a shame that every fabric is on their hand, available, and still, they style it horrible. nevermind, festus was there, chatting with that bitch arachne and that fucker pliny harrington. 

“hey, festus, hey, everybody. can we talk for a minute?” she turned to her cousin. festus looked at her, smirked, then looked at the others. 

“of course. sorry, it’s only a minute.” he said to them, walking to one of the corners with y/n. leaning to one of the marble piles, he dug his hands into his pockets. “so, what do you want?”

“why are you asking me so pitiless?” y/n blinked at him. for some people, formality in family could seem heartless, but she was relieved that she didn't need to waste her time if she didn't want to.

“you talk to me only if you need something.” 

“me? don’t be ridiculous, i helped with all your assignments in school, what would your mother say if she heard that?” y/n couldn’t be a big gamer if she didn’t knew the connections in her environment perfectly well. seeing how festus’ face became a little bit rigid, she continued. “anyway, i want from that white dust you gave me last time.”

she couldn’t even carve a wider grin on his face, even if she wanted to.

“so you liked it? it’s better than your stupid pills.” y/n had a poker face, but she wondered how he got to know. “you’re not the only one who knows things in the family.” fucker, you don’t even know everything, yet you still play like you’re the most clever. the funny thing is that it ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble, no. it's what you know for sure that just ain't so.

“i have business somewhere else soon, can i get it or not?”

“it will cost some money, but i am always happy to help my family.” oh, fuck off. y/n reached her hand like she wanted to shake hands with him, and this way, demand and supply met. “if you drink some of it, it’ll be better. you are a crazy bitch y/n, but if snow really will be the president, remember me as one of your biggest supporters.” he smiled. “oh, and volumnia heard some of his great ideas about getting more audience for the games. if you’ll work for her, that ugly power couple thing can be really dangerous.” what ideas? she knew it was a problem that the game wasn't so popular, and he thought that coriolanus wasn’t so interested in that. of course, until now, because big money was at stake, and everybody was prowling around the corner. y/n curled the corner of her lips up under duress, bidding goodbye to festus. she wasn’t gonna take it now, she used it only for emergencies.

now, she could completely focus on coriolanus. where was he? walking to the other long hallway, looking around, he was nowhere despite that they stuck to eleven am yesterday. suddenly, she felt two hands on her shoulder, making her turn. 

“there you are!” there he was. y/n could look at him for an eternity, could he look better under eleven hours? everything about him was perfect, from the way he looked to the point he talked, and y/n almost tasted the sweetness when his mind was forming those clever, great thoughts. and his looks? she knew they could have the most precious children; angel blonde hair, blue eyes, chiseled jawline she could kiss a million times, his body was sculpted by the gods who were looking down on them, and she prayed every night to the deities so they could be each other’s one day. in y/n’s mind, coriolanus wasn’t just a boy or a soon-to-be-man. no, he was the base of everything, he had everything that y/n needed, and y/n was raised truly the best way. nobody else could get in the near of the perfection he formed, and y/n could see the future. the future, where they marry, she is in the longest, most beautiful white dress full with gemstones like rubies, sapphires, diamonds and emeralds, vowing endless loyalty to each other, the whole world is envious of the wealth they have. the future, where he becomes the president of panem, leading the nation with a strong hand and making decisions with a strong mind, while y/n helped to make the games more impressive, more dangerous, more cruel, but first of all, supporting him in everything, even if she has to get her hands dirty. the future, where she was pregnant with his children, naming them ancient names so they could mirror the same noble qualities those deities had, raising them the best way so they could even outgrow them, perfect people. “how was your morning?”

the future they could have. the future they WILL have. 

“hello, corio. mine was pretty good, got my graduating papers. how was your day so far?” 

“it was… good, i guess? this mentoring thing is new for everyone, i spent all night thinking how lucy gray could win.” 

that name, again. keep it cool. 

“i’m sure you will think it out. shall we go and eat lunch?” 

sitting in a gorgeous, golden restaurant, y/n chose a corner for them to sit in. when their food arrived, she waited for him to speak. it seemed like something was itching his mind, and she was one of his best friends, wasn't she? corio looked to the side, then at her, then took a bite from his lunch. let’s break the ice. 

“is everything okay, corio?”

“yes, yes, everything’s fine. is it… on my face?” 

“well, since i…” don’t make it too personal. “...since we know each other so well, i see worry on your face. you can tell me everything.” 

“it’s… it’s gonna be really, really embarrassing for me, but… so, y/n, it’d be my pleasure if… you’d come with me on a date?”

clawing on her thigh, was this reality? was coriolanus really, really asking her out in this glorious place? was she truly worthy of his love? moderating her grin to a smile, she looked at him. he was truly a love-child of an angel and a god, and while y/n was truly a masterpiece herself, it was the biggest honor for her to get into the grace of this guy. now, the idea of the wedding and the best imaginable life wasn’t so far away. did the gods hear her prayers above, and saw the list she created? 

“forget it, y/n, i know i’m not–” coriolanus tried to hush the previous idea with an embarrassed look on his face, but y/n shook her head. obviously, her mind wandered for too long. 

“no, no! of course i’d go on a date with you. with pleasure.” y/n smiled, slowly reaching for his hand that was on the table. they touched each other frequently before, but not like this. she hated a part of herself, the part that could melt under his touch and got dizzy from only his skin. but truly, she could eat it up if she could. 

“oh, okay, well… i just… thought that it’s embarrassing, because you pay for all of this, and–” never let a man’s pride falter. it’s the firewood for the campfire, the pressure for the diamond, the water for the plants. if you feed a man’s ego, he’ll trust and love you. 

“corio, dear, please. i’m not with you because of your money, we can’t do anything about our past and families. and you’re gonna win the plinth-prize, so what are we worrying about?” 

“but–” y/n hushed him gently, playing her finger in front of her lips. 

“i’m sure you will win that prize. why, who else would win it? the daughter of an energy secretary? or a rich, spoiled kid?”

“they are all rich and spoiled.” y/n totally let pass the fact that she was too. but what was the problem with it, really? they couldn’t do anything about it, you can’t decide where you were born. a person can change everything about itself, but not its origin. it always stays with you, clinging onto your ankle, to drag with yourself everywhere. in this life, they got on the winning side of the wheel. and who cares about the next life? 

“but no one’s father is a general, except you. and i know that you didn’t like him, but keep the mindset.” 

“you are so clever, y/n. thank you for always putting my mind into it’s place.”

“i’m just telling the truth. and… how are things with the game? is it hard?” 

“oh, it’s… i still need to figure out some things. but i had some ideas about ways to get people more engaged in the games, like getting them sponsors, or interviewing the tributes so the viewers can get closer to them, pick a favorite, some things like this.” 

“it sounds really interesting, did volumnia hear these things?” as much as she hated festus’ bragging, he also mentioned things that she could use. maybe that’s why everybody got rid of her so fast at a big gathering like the graduation two days ago. she never had ‘juicy tea’ or some things like that, only if she wanted to get something. and when she wanted to get something, the chamber of secrets instantly opened. 

“yeah, well she came in when we were discussing those things. she said that i need to write it down, and then clemensia interrupted that we’ve always worked and brainstormed together, so we can write that together, too.” 

totaling another pen, dovecote? being a tricky bitch, i wasn’t expecting less from you. 

“i think volumnia should know that the idea was yours. clemensia is your good friend, but why wasn’t she just cheering that you got the gamemaker’s attention?” plant the seed. maybe not with clemensia, she will do it for herself, but anyway. coriolanus needed to know the truth. 

“i will talk with her about this.” he won’t. he’s too kind-hearted for it. “and i’ll write down my ideas. anyway, how’s your application for volumnia gaul? did you hand it in?” y/n nodded at his question, chewing on the potatoes. 

“got handed it in yesterday. i really hope if i go home this afternoon, a letter will be waiting for me.” the smile on his face was worth everything. what could that mouth do if there were only the two of them? because she knew what her mouth could do. 

“i’m sure she’ll hire you. one of your thesis got onto her table, remember? the one you wrote about the possible content of venom in mono– and dicotyledons. and if she’s not, then she’s a dingbat.” y/n remembered that thesis, her brain always burned out from the three-day long insomnia. 

“careful, corio! i hope she doesn’t have ears everywhere.” that woman was the queen on her chess table, it was the side that could never be decided. 

all the way home, she thought about coriolanus. y/n gotta hide the grin she was forming with her lips when she was driving home with the chauffeur of the family. all the effort, all the pain… it was worth it. she almost teared up from the joy, but her mascara was really expensive, even her mother thought that it was too rich for their blood.

“is everything alright, miss y/l/n?” helius, their private driver asked, looking into the rear-view mirror. y/n nodded, exhaling and inhaling. big news like this always messed with her head. nodding, everything was perfect. 

stepping inside the house, she raced up to her room immediately. there was the letter, persephone slept beside it. picking it up, y/n used her nails to tear it up. she never waited for news like this. the sooner she knew, the sooner she could got suit in the new situation. 

dear y/n y/l/n, you got accepted…

throwing it away, she instantly picked up persephone, screaming into her fur. persephone meowed, already used to her owner’s insane habits. anyway, the food was tasty in the house, so why not bear it? 

“you hear this, persephone? the lucky star is shining on us.” she whispered to the cat, stroking her head. she couldn't sit back, not now. not when good things, the reward of the hard work could be felt. not when everything worked for her plans. “mother and father will be so happy. and we are happy too, aren't we?” 

y/n didn't know happiness, only when her heart got fast and drug-like feeling curled in her blood. but now, she got to be a predator. a predator who sat for hours, days to catch its prey. when news were coming in, things always changed. she had to be patient, but she couldn't get lazy, not now. not when strange news was coming up. news that didn’t match with her expectations, nowhere, never. news that bathed her soul with venom. news that raised her little game onto a new level. 

a/n: the prologue got so many notes like my tumblr literally BLEW UP thank you so much girliez 😭 i hope you liked this part, more focus will be on corio i just want to size up reader's mindset

take care of yourself babes, love y'all luisa

[somethingheavenknows]

reputation

pairing: coriolanus snow x female reader

summary: all you’ve ever wanted was to see a flaw in coriolanus, to prove he wasn’t all he said he was. but when you catch him with his guard down, you’re everything but vengeful.

tags/content warnings⚠️: a little bit of mutual hatred that isn’t real, pet names, fingering, oral (female receiving), inferred overstimulation and nonverbal state if you squint. just coryo being cute and inexperienced but bold, for those of us who dare to dream !!!

**smut at the end but lots of long admiring how hot his arms are before that to make up for making you wait

word count: 5,824 (long, i know. i got carried away!)

nsfw content below the cut. i’m not your mother, but either way, proceed with caution.

coriolanus snow has a reputation. everyone knows that.

nobody likes him, yet they tolerate him, because he is not only the prized possession of dr. gaul’s precious hunger games, but he is the darling of the capitol- he is their emblem, their spokesman, the face of the new generation. every girl’s head lolls in adoration when he passes, and his peers sneer when every adult he comes across greets him as our future president, while he sits back and smiles.

at first, you didn’t like him either. you didn’t like his demeanor or the lightning white color of his hair. you hated how every time he spoke, it was eloquent yet condescending, no matter who it was he spoke to. you hated the way his eyes evaluated everyone, yet always settled on you with uncertainty. your biggest issue with coriolanus, though, was how there was not one visible flaw to make him human. his hands did not shake, nor did his voice. his university exams came back spotless and adorned with two zeros every time. his shirts were starched to a stiffness that would only be comfortable for a man so stiff and rigid as he, and his shellacked platinum locks carved a perfect quaff of stone atop his marble cheeks and crystal eyes. more than anything in the world, you wished to see something to dismantle the perfection of him, to watch him doubt himself or miss a button hole.

coriolanus never intended for anyone to see such a falter, because he only allows imperfection for himself when he is alone. when he is elbows deep in textbooks in a locked university classroom, he might unbutton his collared shirt to breathe; when he’s at home behind his bedroom door, he could comb through his hair and let it fall as it had back at the academy. but he was calculated, as was his persona. nobody was going to see him misstep, and they certainly would not see him fail. but poor coriolanus, so obsessed with perfection that it’s made him paranoid, forgot the little details from time to time.

it was only when he settled in a group study room in the library, believing it was a single study room, did you catch a glimpse of the boy everyone once called coryo.

the sun had set hours ago, cloaking the capitol in a darkness only deigned by the dead of night. when it’s this late, the university tends to fall silent; students have either gone home or to a party, leaving the resources at the school wide open for anyone who might wander through. you preferred to study in the library when everyone was gone, because it was the only place where you could focus. there was no noise, no talking, no pointless bickering amongst other students over grades or girlfriends. just you, and your books, and your notepad you loved to doodle in when your mind wandered from your assignments.

so it was a normal night for you, a lonesome one, where you entered the grand doors to the university library, met with the familiar darkness of the hall. the school turned the lights off after eight, and it was eleven. you were headed towards the back of the library with your truckload of textbooks, when you found one light on in the row of group study rooms. the yellow fluorescence spilled through the half-drawn curtains like honey, and you wondered who might be studying together so late? it was usually only you on nights like these. you detoured from your beeline to the single spaces to see who was still awake.

when your eyes fell upon the only other student still on campus, you had to fight the urge to exclaim in triumph- because you’d finally done it. you’d seen the real, human person that existed within stone-carved snow. coriolanus was craned over a myriad of study papers, scribbling equations over and over in a frantic fashion as his brows furrowed so tightly you began to fear his skin would tear. the boy had discarded his academy getup, red coat draped over the back of his chair and his blue button-down thrown sloppily across the table, leaving only his white undershirt left on him. you examined the broadness of his shoulders, which you’d failed to before; the t-shirt hugged him, clinging to the bulk of his arms and cascading down the front of his chest like a white flag. somehow, beneath the uniform, you’d never seen how buff coriolanus actually was, and you thought, well, he was a peacekeeper for a while. maybe he’s kept up with it. around his neck hung a tarnished pair of dog tags which you only assumed had to be his. a keepsake? a reminder? you couldn’t help but wonder.

the shirt and chain were nice informalities, but what did you in was his hair. you’d never recognized just how long it had gotten, since you’re so accustomed to the tightness of its placement; now, it seemed to spill over his ears like the sea foam that curls atop waves, and lapped at the back of his neck in long, soft-looking tufts. you felt heat rush to your cheeks at the messiness of it, and wondered why in the world he insisted on keeping it up when it looked so much prettier down.

the amount of time that passed between when you stumbled upon his study room and stared him down had no measure, but it was long enough for him to notice the shadow of a figure forming on the other side of the window. you watched anxiously as his head cocked, studying the darkness, and your body froze as his rose from the chair and walked to the door. the boy swung it open and the sterile light revealed you just behind the doorframe, doe-eyed and embarrassed. for a second, you thought his lip upturned, but you must have imagined it.

“what are you doing?” coriolanus asked.

“i-” you squeaked, and cleared your throat, “i always study late. what are you doing here?”

“you tell me, since you decided to spy.”

there was that coldness again. as long as you’d known him, he was never less frigid than his last name. you made a show of peeking through the window and replying, “well, it seems to me you’re studying alone in a group room. got nobody to tutor you, huh, coriolanus?”

coriolanus’ lips did not decieve you then, as they curled into a smile that was more chilling than warm. yet, something about it made you wish he’d do it more.

he took a moment to look at the sign on the door, recognizing the plaque designating the room for collective study. he rolled his eyes and muttered, “thoughtless.”

“you know, nobody’s here to tell you that you can’t study in there. it’s not like they’d deny you anything anyway,” you jabbed.

coriolanus’ intriguing grin faded. his opulent jaw tightened as he turned away and sat back down at the large desk where all his books and papers lay, deciding you were not worth a fight. you followed him inside.

“get out,” he groaned.

“it’s a group room, isn’t it?” you smirked, letting your book bag hit the floor with a loud thump! “what, can’t concentrate with me around?”

before he could impulsively agree, coriolanus reminded himself of his situation. so far, you’d violated every safe rule he had- he was half undressed, his hair was disheveled, and the trial and error of arithmetic on his pages proved exactly how many attempts it took to achieve those double zero exam scores you so greedily coveted. here, alone in this room with the only girl in class that didn’t follow his lead like a puppy, he was caught with his guard down. he hated it.

“do whatever you want, just don’t interrupt me.”

you couldn’t help the grin that tugged at your lips, because you didn’t have to interrupt him. just your presence was enough to throw him off course. you dug quietly through your backpack to fish out your notepad, your textbook for 21st century literature, and your math packet- the same one coriolanus was toiling over. the boy’s eyes kept flickering to you as you laid your belongings out on the table: a collection of graphite pencils, shaved to the nubs from drawing, a gray clay eraser molded to the shape of your fingers, and a sleek silver pen with your initials engraved on the cap. his eyes danced over the pen, admiring the slow curve of its body.

“what are you looking at?” you asked, voice barely above a whisper. you liked seeing him so distracted by you, so to chastise him would be overkill- it seemed your normalcy was enough.

coriolanus’ fair skin flushed a rosy pink as he looked up at you. he made himself sit up straight and replied, “nothing. just looking at that pen you have.”

you plucked the utensil from the spot you placed it and passed it over in your palm, tracing the tiny letters of your name. you held it out for him to take, and his eyes glinted with confusion. you held it out a little further, as if to say, it won’t bite. coriolanus flashed a hint of a smile before taking it, and for the first time, he looked his age. he was a college student, a barely broke one at that- you knew more about him than he thought- and the way he held that pure silver pen was like he’d wished for one all his life. his long, slender fingers handled the pen like a relic. you found yourself fixated on the way they moved- with so much intention, so much focus. so much care. and for that, you didn’t hint at a smile at all. you wanted to scream for even allowing yourself to show any display of happiness because of coriolanus snow, but you couldn’t control it. this disposition of his was so new that you didn’t know what to do with yourself. feeling a bit embarrassed, you decided maybe now was the time to tease him, as you so cleverly do often.

“never seen a pen before?”

“i- no, i have seen a pen before,” the boy’s shoulders tensed, but his grip on the pen didn’t. “this one is just… particularly nice.”

you felt a sudden pang of guilt, and you withdrew the urge to be nasty. “well, my father gave me a whole package of them. part of a stationary set. i have seven more. you could…”

“hm?” coriolanus looked from you to your pen, and you rolled your eyes.

“you could- you could keep it, if you wanted.”

you didn’t like the silence in the library now, even though that’s what you came here for. the way coriolanus leaned back in his chair, looking a bit smaller now than he used to, made you squirm in your seat.

“keep it? why?”

“well, because you seem to like it,” you pursed your lips.

“so you’d just give it away? to me, of all people?”

his words felt like a slap to the face. sure, you’d never shown him much grace, but did he really feel you hated him that much? did he think you were that mean? were you that mean?

“yeah,” you pouted just a bit, “i’d like for you to have it.”

coriolanus had never given you a reason to feel softness before. his attitude was so insurmountable all the time that you were always in competition with him, trying to prove you were just as smart, just as quick, just as deserving of praise for all the hard work you do. coriolanus was a formidable opponent, and you both knew that. but all this time you’d been wishing to see him screw up was starting to make you feel like crumbling to pieces, because how could you have wished that upon the boy who sits before you now? the boy who held your pen like a promise, and ogled at the way it wrote so smoothly on his page, and muttered a thank you that was so quiet you wondered if he’d said it at all?

“that’s very kind,” he tacked on.

“well, it’s nice to give sometimes,” you stated.

you both fell silent again, and coriolanus hunched over his work, using your- his- pen to take another crack at the problem he’s been stuck on for nearly forty minutes. you could almost see his brain compartmentalizing, removing you from the equation as he tried to ace the answer. you pretended to open your textbook and read some passage, but you watched him through your eyelashes. you watched as he licked his bottom lip in frustration, and you realized just what situation you’ve gotten yourself into: this was what you wanted. you wanted to catch coriolanus snow acting normal, like a real teenage boy- you’d prayed to see one score of 99 or one trip over his shoelace, and finally you have. coriolanus snow is sitting across the table from you in a t-shirt, with his hair tumbling across his forehead like fresh-spun white gold, struggling to figure out a math problem you had aced during the lesson hours ago. you wanted to help him, when all you’d ever hoped for was to taunt him for his fault- you imagined the day you could pick him apart a hundred times. but you had to help him.

you coughed quietly before reaching across the table to place a finger on the corner of his worksheet, catching his attention. he glanced up at you to see your eyebrows raised, and you asked, “can i?”

the boy nodded, and you slid the paper sideways so you could both see. coriolanus followed your nimble hand as you swiped your pencil across, carrying exponents and deviating with flourish. it wasn’t the first time he’d been impressed by your smarts, but it was the first time he’d seen your brilliance so closely. you didn’t know that he always found your brain so fascinating, because of how everything came to you with ease- you didn’t have to study as hard as he did, or at least he thought so. you just clicked when it came to school. he found that… beautiful, in a way. and he found you beautiful now, as you showed him the correct answer, smiling softly.

“did that make sense? did i explain it right?” you wondered aloud, and he blushed, realizing he hadn’t heard a word you said.

“oh- well, i… i zoned out a bit. i’m sorry.”

you chuckled. “want me to show you again?”

something low in coriolanus’ stomach bubbled, and before he thought of any possible consequences, he lied right to your face: “you know, i couldn’t see the paper very well. could you…?”

you didn’t notice his ploy, which sent a surge of relief through him. you got up and walked around the table, squatting beside his chair so the both of you could see the worksheet straight on. as you walked him through the equation again, he failed to listen to your words; instead, he listened to the slight tremor in your voice, the low timbre with which you spoke. you sounded gentle, which he wasn’t used to. and he inhaled the scent of you, which was as strong as always. he was partial to roses, yet his grandma’am’s roses didn’t have much scent. but he had always held a reservation for your perfume, for it smelled like something he hadn’t known before. it was warm and starchy, but sweet, and if only he could get a bit closer, he might be able to tell exactly what sweetness he recognized…

you had stopped talking, and you were looking at him with a ghostly expression, and he wondered for a moment what stopped you. and he kept twisting a lock of your hair around his finger, trying to figure it out. until he noticed he was feeling your hair.

“i- oh, i-” coriolanus withdrew his hand like you had a disease and scrunched his face up with shame, “i’m so sorry, i shouldn’t have…”

you leaned back on your heels and shook your head nervously. “no, i-it’s okay.”

“your hair is soft.”

“thank you.”

“…could i?” he muttered, lips barely parting as he reached his hand out again. it looked so big up close.

“sure.”

coriolanus took a little more liberty, carding his strong palm through your hair, dragging his fingers all the way from the roots to the ends. he watched it shine in the low light of the study room, and you gazed up at him like you’d never met him before- which, in theory, you haven’t. not this version of him. he handled you softly, tracing the curve of your shoulder with his pointer finger, and you though he might as well be carving your skin with a blade the way it stung. you shivered, and he smiled. not coldly. a real smile.

“you’re not like this,” you croaked. “you’re… you’re mean, and you always win.”

“i don’t always win,” he protested.

“yes you do. everyone either hates you or wishes they were you. you’re the future president, remember? everything goes your way.”

“you never let me win, do you?” he dared to play with your hair again as he continued, “always on my heels. getting the same exam scores, spitting out answers like it’s a contest. you never let me get the best of you like others do.”

“well, why should you get to have all the fun?” you rebutted.

coriolanus laughed, and it filled your lungs with butterflies. butterflies. because of coriolanus. are you dying?

“i know i’m… well, an ass. it’s how i succeed. but i’ve always liked your competition, you know. you keep me on my toes.”

“someone should.”

“you’re right.”

his arms were filling out those t-shirt sleeves so nicely, and you’d never realized just how handsome coriolanus was. not statue-handsome, but boyish. he was strong and broad, and he had a hand at the back of your neck, and suddenly your hands were shaking.

“i’ve always liked you, you know. i always thought you were pretty, like the actresses in those old movies from before the war,” he admitted. “and smart. smarter than me. smarter than everyone at this school.”

“really?”

“really.”

you swallowed thickly and reached behind your head, finding his knuckles and touching them with your fingertips. “i always thought i hated you. i don’t think i do. i think i just… don’t understand you.”

you stood up and sat on the edge of the table, crossing your arms over your chest. coriolanus had to pretend he didn’t love the way you curved behind your arms. you were in a university sweater, a cable-knit one, and your issued slacks were rolled up to reveal the old army boots on your feet. he wondered if they were a keepsake from your father, a dutiful peacekeeper, or if you had a home life like his.

“what don’t you understand?”

“everything. your luck. your smarts. your power. your looks.”

“my looks?”

you rolled your eyes, trying to hide your nerves. “y-yes, your looks. everyone knows you’re handsome, coriolanus. you’re presidentially handsome, like all our professors say.”

“do you agree with them?”

you could tell he was teasing now, but you had too much pride to let him win. like always. “no. i think you’re a different kind of handsome.”

“and what is that?”

“the kind that’s frustrating.”

“frustrating?”

“yes.”

coriolanus leaned back in his chair then, and you felt like he was presenting himself for you to judge exactly what was so frustrating. but you knew it was how he smiled, and held himself tall, and struck down his enemies without lifting a finger. he was intimidating, and you didn’t know how much you liked that.

the boy licked his lips again and said, “you’re different outside of classes, too, you know. more like… how i imagined you.”

“you imagine me?”

“you don’t imagine me?”

this was driving you insane. sitting before him, legs clamped shut, trying to convince yourself that he’s your enemy, and he’s evil, and he’s only ever given you trouble; that you could easily come to school the next day and tell everyone that coriolanus snow can’t solve complex derivatives. but you felt it in your gut that you wanted to teach him how to solve complex derivates, just like you ached to feel how his big hands felt anywhere besides your neck. and in those icy eyes, you saw the way he looked at you, like you were a paper with a 101 marked at the top. like he had wanted nothing more than he wanted you in that moment.

you uncrossed your arms as he rose from his seat, taking a step closer to you. he placed those hands on your hips and pushed you back, sliding you onto the table. your legs parted naturally, and he stood between them, refusing to move his touch. you gazed up into his defrosted eyes and smiled, and he smiled back.

it was a surprise when he asked, “can i kiss you?” because coriolanus didn’t seem like that kind of boy. he took what he wanted. but he didn’t take you; it seemed like he wanted to earn you.

you nodded softly. “yeah.”

his lips were on you before you had a chance to breathe, but you didn’t mind. he was slow, and his mouth was dangerously warm. his thumbs pressed into your hip bones, which gave you the urge to reach for something of his in return. you chose his hair, burying your hands in the slightly crunchy curls that unraveled from the gel. you brushed through them to soften them up, and he giggled against your mouth, sensing you’d been thinking of doing that for a while. when his hand found your neck again, he tugged at your hair a bit to tip your face back for better access. when you felt him pull you, you gasped against his lips, and everything came tumbling down.

“coryo,” you heaved.

his eyes grew dark at the sound of his nickname, which he hadn’t heard since he was at the academy. he didn’t even know you knew of it. but oh, he liked the way it sounded coming from you. so desperate.

“what was that?” he smirked, tugging at your hair again. not hard enough to hurt, but hard enough to make your legs twitch.

you pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth, leaving a slight ring of saliva in your wake as you repeated it much softer. “coryo.”

“don’t ever call me coriolanus again. please.”

“kiss me again and i’ll forget your name altogether.”

he was everywhere. his hands roamed your sides as he kissed you again, taking his lips across your face and neck like you were the first meal he’s eaten in ages. you whined against this touch, feeling the pressure of his waist as your legs wrapped around him. you arched your back, attempting to roll your hips against his, bickering with his tongue; coryo’s calloused hands shoved beneath your sweater, bunching it up at his forearms as he kneaded the soft pudge of your stomach. you were leaving smudges of graphite on his porcelain skin from the worksheet, but you didn’t mind tainting his perfection just a tad. he could use a little smudging.

“please,” you asked kindly, nipping at his cheek, right by a smooth black stain.

“please what?”

“touch me, coryo.”

“how?” he paused. your hazy eyes caught his and saw apprehension, which only made you giggle.

“have you never…?”

“not, uh… not recently,” he blushed, and then retracted his lie. “not ever.”

you untangled from him, placing a gentle hand on his cheek. “s’okay. sit down.”

the boy listened, unsure of how he felt being ordered around. you made him pull the chair right up to the table, and you leaned across to kiss him again. you took the moment to press your hands to his chest, feeling the hard muscles he’d been hiding under that uniform for so long. he shuddered when you ran your hands from his shoulders down to his hands, and you laced your fingers with his. an intimate gesture for you both, but he liked it. he liked being close to you like this.

“so smart, but you don’t know how to touch a girl, huh, coryo?” you grinned, pressing a light kiss to his lips. he chased after you as you pulled away, wanting another, but you nudged him with your nose.

“i don’t know everything,” he gulped, “i mean, i have an idea, but i… yeah.”

“do you want to?”

“yes,” coryo pledged. “please.”

“i didn’t peg you as a learner.” you were nervous, but you wanted him more, so you leaned back and said, “i’ll show you what to do, okay?”

“okay.”

you slowly layed back on the table, and coryo reached for the button on your pants. his hands shook, and you thought to yourself, every flaw i’ve ever wanted to see, i’m seeing tonight, and it’s because of me. you giggled, and coryo chuckled back out of shyness. he fumbled with the button and was gentle with the fabric as he slid your slacks down. his eyes took in every inch of curve you’d been hiding under that godforsaken school uniform, and how your little black underwear cut into the chub of your waist. he knew you had enough to eat, and that made him happy.

your skin felt like fire in every place his hands grazed as he freed your legs, and you did your best to be encouraging as you took his hand in yours. you leaned back on one elbow and held his hand in the other, and the two of you shuddered as you pressed his palm flush to your warmth. you guided his fingers to the little bud of nerves resting at the top, and coriolanus’ mouth was already watering at the dampness of the fabric.

“do you feel that spot right there?” you asked, voice cracking. his fingers were so warm.

“yes,”

“i want you to rub it. don’t push too hard, and circle it with your fingers, okay?”

coriolanus looked into your glazed eyes and said, “you’ll tell me if i’m doing it wrong?” and when you nodded sweetly, he gave it a try.

you couldn’t bite your tongue as he began, because this couldn’t have been his first time. he had exactly the right pressure, and exactly the right pace, and his fingers molded to the shape of you so well that you saw stars. you let out a string of soft moans, and the boy reached his spare hand over the table to hold yours.

“good?” he inquired.

“mm,” you struggled to respond, “coryo, mhm.”

“i like how you say my name. i wish you’d called me that sooner. haven’t been called that in a long time, pretty,”

a drunken smile tugged at your lips as you half-teased half-praised, “coryo, coryo, coryo.”

he kept circling for a while, watching the way you struggled to breath through your nose as you kept quiet. a cocktail of obsession and need swirled in his stomach, and he knew this would be enough for you, but it wasn’t nearly enough for him. he wanted to be as close to you as possible, and feel your hands on his face- after feeling the delicateness of them as they intertwined with his, he had come to love your hands.

“this isn’t close enough,” he pulled his hand away, and you whined at the loss of contact. “can i try something else?”

“what do you want to-”

coriolanus made quick work of sliding your underwear down your legs and discarding of it on the chair next to his shirt. you watched as he dropped to his knees before you and smiled, taking his first look at everything you had to offer. he looked so hungry.

“do you even know what you’re doing?” you breathed.

“well, i know where it feels good, don’t i? do you trust me?”

you sat up a bit to get a better view. his messy blond hair falling into his eyes, and his hungry face staring up at you. coriolanus snow, on his knees. you thought you’d never see the day. you nodded in response.

taking your nod for approval, he licked his lips, and he made his move.

your hands flew to his hair as his tongue licked a fat stripe between your hips, flicking ever so slightly over your clit; he made a few of these before he plunged his tongue inside, giving you no warning but rewarding you with happy little groans into you. you mindlessly bucked your hips into his face as he got himself acquainted with you, unsure of how he was so good at this but in too much ecstasy to care.

“fuck, coryo, just like that,” you moaned, and he responded with a chuckle that sent shockwaves to your stomach. his heavy palms stopped pressing your thighs apart, allowing you to clamp them around his face, which only made him lick harder, and faster, and deeper.

“you taste like your perfume,” he raved as he came up for air, his chin slick with your arousal. “sweet, like something powdery,”

“may roses,” you wheezed, “my perfume smells like may roses, coryo,”

may roses, he thought. she smells like roses. my roses suck compared to this. he took one more whiff of the skin on your stomach, which flooded you with butterflies, and then he went back for more.

he was torturous then. he lapped at you like a dog, twisting and swirling his tongue around, aiming to touch every single spot inside of you that he hadn’t had the pleasure to yet. your gut felt tense as he ate you so carefully, yet the rest of your body was growing limp; your hands tied into his curls were the only things holding you up. coriolanus noticed you suffering and pressed both hands to your tummy, coaxing you to lay flat on the table. he stood over you then, pressing sweet little kisses all over your body up to your neck, leaving lip prints in a slick trail. the boy caught your lips again, and you moaned into his mouth, tasting yourself; coriolanus used the opportunity to go back to circling, using what you’d taught him like a good student.

“o-oh my god,” you groaned, burying your face into his neck, “jesus, coryo,”

“i’ve always wanted you like this. even when you pissed me off, i still liked you. i really like you.”

you felt like your brain was melting out of your ears at his touch, feeling him pressing against your heat just enough to make your body shake. “fuck, i more than like you now.”

coriolanus grinned darkly and decided to get a little playful. he kept his thumb pressed to your clit, and he pushed his two middle fingers inside of you, cooing at the wetness and warmth. you gasped, clawing hopelessly at his t-shirt as he curled them inside of you, following the cadence of your heartbeat, which was racing.

“good, hm?” he asked.

“coryo!” you cried, eyes clamping shut like you were in pain. but it wasn’t painful, not one bit.

he kept placing tantalizing kissed on your chest, right near your collarbones, as his fingers ebbed and flowed. your walls ached, your body limp, brain completely dumb on his fingers.

“look at you, sweetheart,” he teased, “can’t even speak.”

he watched you try to protest, but all that fell from your lips were unfinished phrases. it was only when your hands scraped down his back did he feel you tighten around his hand, and he trapped you there, fucking his fingers into you as hard as he possibly could.

“come on, darling. let it go.”

“c- cor-”

coriolanus interrupted your mindless babbling, pressing you one more time: “let yourself go for me. show me i did a good job, yeah?”

the way his voice growled as he asked such a needy question sent you tumbling over the edge. as his fingers were hitting you in just the right spot, you let out what was meant to be a scream but broke on the way up into a million lewd pieces; coriolanus collected you with one dizzyingly strong arm as you bucked your tired hips into his palm, chasing after your orgasm as he kept moving ever so slowly inside you, working you through it. he refused to stop kissing you, and left praise after praise stinging your skin as he pulled his fingers out. he admired the way they glistened and dripped with you, nearly collapsing under the weight of what he’d just done for the girl he’d been admiring for so long.

“i’ve been dreaming of that, y’know,” he nipped at your ear, and you twitched in his arms. you could barely speak, so he kept talking. he helped you sit up, and pulled your black panties back up your shaking legs, kissing your knees. “you were good, love. you did so good. i always wanted to make you feel good like that.”

you blinked through the haze, helping him by raising your hips a bit so he could cover you back up. you swallowed thickly, and when your vision cleared, you saw coriolanus smiling at you in a way he’d never smiled at anyone… with love in his eyes.

“you’re nice,” you were able to choke out. “nice to me.”

“i’m sorry i haven’t been before. i wanted to be.” you offered a dopey smile, and he followed up with, “not so quick to talk back when you’re fucked out, are you?”

you could only giggle into his neck, pressing embarrassed, swollen kisses to the vein that ran behind his ear. “mm-mmm,” you shook your head, trying to speak slowly so you didn’t stutter, “if you sit… i’ll re… i’ll repay the favor.”

“but you’re-”

“shh,” you cut the boy off, “m’gonna be nice to you now, coryo.”

so, coriolanus showed you yet again that he was capable of listening when he wanted to, and you taught him a lesson in what it’s like to be loved by someone who hates first- just like him.

coriolanus snow has a reputation, and for good reason. he needs to be strong so he can succeed. but behind closed doors, where he can let his hair down and show the hard work it takes for him to stay strong, you’ve come to learn that there’s more to the coriolanus snow everyone sees. his uncertainty, his frustration- that’s when he became coryo. and coryo is a learner, a lover, even in his most harsh and unlikable forms. but most importantly, he harbors devotion like an obsession, and there is nothing worth more devotion than you. not his country, not his family name, not even his math exam. only you.

[coe-olivier]

PART V I almost forgot to post this today haha

XIV. Asterix in Spain - Pepe's dad and spanish woman Man of a dream. Slim body, buff hands, excellent clothing and his helmet with large horns mmmmmmmmm I can't stop looking at him. This volume is plenty of beautiful women but HER, I'm in love with her 🤍

XV. Asterix and the Roman Agent - MORE WOMEN No further explanation is needed here, just look at them and you will fall in love...

XVI. Asterix in Switzerland - Quaestor and his guard I'm sorry, but they are both my biggest "hear me out" of side characters ever! He's the smartass with great appearance. Green outfit is perfect [for me probably because that's my favourite color] Also he's the first ever Roman who was at the banquet with Gauls so it makes him even cooler haha Legionary with curly, red beard is one of his kind. Literally. He looks so interesting that I would read a story only about this guy! He needs more attention!!!

[cloudywriting05]

don’t delete the kisses

chapter one.

“Corroborating with the previous sources, it’s evident that the Capitol’s victory was necessary and the biggest step Panem has taken to a brighter future. Thank you.” 

The class erupted into a weak applause. Clemensia smiled cunningly, swiftly gathering her notes from the pod, and strutting up to her seat in the second row. What a stupid girl, Coriolanus thought to himself while slowly clapping. Her conclusion was feeble and predictable, not stable enough for a convincing argument nor strong enough to get the point truly across. Times like these he is not surprised she begs him for academic assistance, with a little favour of course. The truth was there was not one person on the face of this earth that Coriolanus truly cared about, not a singular one. He did not believe that love was real and had more of a placebo theory. One convinces themselves that the person they find attractive for their outer appearance is the one for them. They spend months pining after them, creating ideas in their own head in the meanwhile, consuming media that depicts ‘love’ for hours, and media that tells them it exists; it just simply does not.

At least he has never felt it. He cared about people. He had attraction towards a few girls, fucking a lot of them, but never once truly felt love for them. It just simply wasn’t something he’d experienced in his eighteen years of life. Not once. Not ever. At one point, he believed something was wrong with him. He would finish in a girl’s mouth and send her home. She then would send him a letter reading ‘your amazing x’, and all Coriolanus would acknowledge is how she has a grammatical era; it’s you’re. If you’re going to spell it wrong, get rid of the kisses at the end and save yourself the embarrassment, he would think. 

He sat there, twiddling with his pen lost in his own thoughts. The thoughts being what would he eat for dinner if he finishes all his lunch? Nothing. His dilemma abruptly interrupted by Dr Gaul announcing her presence from the back for the room. Startled, Coriolanus along with his other peers remain silent. Coriolanus often wondered if she was not a staff member, why she didn’t situate her laboratory elsewhere, somewhere far away from the Academy.

“Hello everyone, I take you are quite busy due to assignments, presentations and exams being due within the next couple of weeks,” she began, her frizzy hair almost moving along with her words, “I hope you’re taking your studies seriously. Average is simply not accepted. I am here to notify you we have a new student, someone of reputable background and new to the Capitol. Her IQ is recorded as one of the highest in the entirety of Panem within the last forty years, please treat her accordingly.”

Highest in the whole of Panem? Within the last forty years? This was including both Coriolanus and Sejanus’s fathers. All their fathers and mothers. Even before the dark days? A girl? This wasn’t possible, Coriolanus thought to himself. Already seething in his seat at the announcement of her arrival. Why was no one else’s announcement announced? What made this girl so different? Coriolanus pondered, his jealousy seeping. The entire class watched as Dr Gaul walked towards the door and opened it slightly, peeking her head outside and mumbling something.

“Here she is. Everyone, welcome her.” Dr Gaul urged. The entire class remained silent, waiting for her to walk through the door.

Coriolanus eagerly glared at the door. A girl entered the room, her head held high. The feeling of irritation instantly leaving his body, now replaced by astonishment. His body heat up, heartbeat raising at the mere sight of this girl. She stood self-assuredly at the top of the stairs, her smile was there for a moment, and then gone. Coriolanus looked around the room desperately, praying someone would make her smile again, anyone. He desperately wanted to see it again. She was a district girl before, who was now rich? And she looked the way she did? In the districts? How was it possible she got out alive without being kidnapped or harmed for being appealing as she was? Coriolanus questioned; bewildered.

Her hair was dark and curly, falling past her shoulders. Her skin was like what Coriolanus could only describe as a penny; bronze, warm, like she’d been outside actively. Nobody in the Capitol looked like that, nobody. Her smile was bright as well, not like other District pests. Her eyes were striking, alluring, dark. Coriolanus, abnormally nervous, observed as she scanned the room. Silently admitting to himself she was exasperatingly gorgeous. The uniform sat on her astonishingly well, it looked tailored, her figure seeping out of the unappealing pieces of cloth. Coriolanus snapped his head towards the sound of his male peers in the row ahead of him eagerly tapping each other’s elbows, indicating that he was not the only person taken aback by her appearance. Aggravating him vastly. 

She spoke after standing for a while, “Hi, everyone. I feel as though Dr Gaul here has given me a great introduction, but I hope I don't have to remind anyone that my academic achievements don't define who I am as a person. What I love, or what I believe. So, there’s no need to be shy, talk to me. I’m not stuck up, I promise.”

With that Coriolanus was seething once again. She was more articulate than him although she grew up in the districts. How does it make any sense? She is prettier, smarter, and more confident than any he’d ever come across in the Capitol. Her voice was awfully delicate too, her accent was distinct. District 2? Coriolanus was bewildered by the situation, but still, he took the opportunity to stare at her for as long as he could, it was the only time he’d get away with doing so. He sat in his chair wondering how he could ever graduate on top if she was here. 

She was gorgeous and intelligent with an aura that could make anyone weak. How could he land on top if she existed? He needed her out. Immediately.

[sainttheodora]

Arguments and symbolism in TBOSAS, or, why it couldn’t have ended any other way.

tldr: I think the biggest lesson from TBOSAS is that it’s less important to know what human nature really is (even if such a thing were possible) than it is to know what someone gains or loses from trying to convince you that humans inherently act one way or another.

Tswr:

It’s pretty clear that Coriolanus is, and it’s critical we say this as an individual, self important. This is a personality trait of his. He might have had it whether he was born during a war or peaceful democracy. But it’s also safe to say his personal experiences push him towards the belief that humans are inherently savage— which is the Hobbesian view and which has been historically used to justify totalitarian government since even a horrible government is better than a state of nature.

Sejanus is the foil. He represents Locke’s view on human nature which is that we aren’t all that bad, and that sometimes, disorganization and chaos is less bad than a totalitarian regime. I wasn’t surprised to see the m/m tags roll out between him and Coriolanus since there’s some obvious tension between their positions but they both share a common argument: BOTH claim to know what human nature “really” is.

So where does that leave Lucy? Or Rousseau? Or even the bigger takeaway?

In David Graebher’s last book, The Dawn of Everything, he is very careful to describe Rousseau’s social contract and, the dawn of human behavior. Where did the idea that humans were originally egalitarian come from? When did people decide to draw property lines and give themselves more than their neighbors? He uses anthropological evidence to cut through the centuries of argument between Locke and Hobbes to say that, maybe we don’t know, maybe it’s a bit of both.

Lucy Gray is NOT Sejanus, and from the very beginning she is shown to exist completely outside of their argument and even government as indigenous and part of a traveling band. That’s why she makes it a point to say she isn’t district, that’s why she moves in and out of Panem freely, it’s why we never get her POV, and why Coriolanus is constantly second guessing where he stands with her, or some of the deeper meanings of her music. *He doesn’t know her nature.*

And what does Dr. Gaul say? The type of government people need is derived from people’s nature. Coriolanus cannot control or overcome Lucy. Nothing she has “was ever worth keeping”. As an individual character, she is driven to self preservation which is the only leverage he ever has over her inside the games but quickly dissipates when she wins. We also know from later books where Katniss and Peeta are willing to commit suicide that even self preservation isn’t a consistent pillar of human nature either.

So what makes their romance so delicious? They’re drawn to each other because they quickly notice they’re both natural performers and they both need each other’s cooperation to succeed. And it’s no surprise that in a book all about human “nature” and who we authentically are theres also so much discussion about performance and anti-authenticity and why Coriolanus keeps bringing up the way Lucy Gray checks the mirror, dresses like a clown, performs, and stays in a literal monkey zoo. I think that’s why the zoo is so special for them is because it’s literally a place where nature meets performance. When animals are in a zoo, it’s manufactured nature and we know they will behave differently outside the bars. Similarly, when the humans are placed in the zoo, it’s manufactured performance with the assumption that they will soon act “naturally” (ie, self interested and evil) once placed in the hunger games.

I think this is where the cautionary tale for the reader becomes important and where Coriolanus let’s his need for power override his common sense: the hunger games are completely unnatural. They’re a continuation of the circus; the games are NOT humanity stripped bare because such a thing CANNOT exist. His problem initially is that he thinks “bare” human condition is what happens when humans are responding to injustice/crisis/war/poverty but I think he quickly realizes even this is bullshit since he adds a bunch of components to the games to make it more cinematic. He might at some point have thought everyone has an outer performance they cloak their internal “savage” nature with just like he does, just like the compact filled with poison, because he thinks people will do anything to get ahead, but I think that by the end he doesn’t even care about this. Its just another framework that services his ultimate quest for power at all costs.

So snow analyzes Lucy through the same lens he holds for himself but also realizes this doesn’t apply. He thinks she’s a singer and show woman with some interior nature he just cannot know. She’s a black box. She sings but even many of the songs just further the mystery of Lucy Gray who got lost in the snow. She tells him he knows the “ideal her, the real her” but maybe the real her is just whatever she is, or maybe she knew that this is the one thing he ever wanted from her and so she manipulates him with it— or maybe not. It doesn’t really matter to her.

So. If Snow always lands on top, but Lucy Gray exists in a framework where there is no top or bottom, he cannot ever control her. If a government must know its citizens’ nature to lead them, but Lucy Gray’s has no clear “nature” then he cannot control her either. So, he fabricated a story in his head about what she’s really like (Lucy Gray is no lamb). This story is NOT criticizing the idea that people have inherently evil nature— it is criticizing the compartmentalization of authentic and performative self. In other words, it’s a DECONSTRUCTION of the binary opposition elaborated by not only the compact, but the games themselves. This is super clear by the 74th games because by then, the games are clearly set up to have a performative phase with outfits and interviews, followed by the game itself where the competitors are at their most “base” selves. The carefully curated contrast between civility and chaos, or performance and authenticity, is what is supposed to scare people into thinking that the circus, or “authority” of gov’t is what keeps these elements in balance. Deconstructing this binary means admitting that we were always performing, and we were always being authentic, at the same time, continuously and always.

In the text, Snow is uneasy after the games end when he’s sent to 12 for several reasons but I think, whether he knows it or not, he’s most surprised that lucy acts the same as when he met her. She’s not much different from in the arena, and his frustrations when listening to her music or dealing with the reality of her simple country life read to me like he’s thinking: “why is she still doing this? There are no cameras here? Why is she still playing it up like this?”. He literally cannot wrap his mind around the fact that there are people whose very lives “are” performance and that they don’t separate themselves out like he does. He must also have realized that when they first developed their romance at the zoo that he characterized her incorrectly in thinking she was “on” and performing like him, and then he may never know if she meant anything by kissing him at all.

If snow had to acknowledge this was possible, that people do not have an internal and external self, then he would also have to acknowledge that people cannot be hiding raging self interest at all times which is policed by a government— then the world would have no need for him.

(The victor, like in any good story, is really Derrida)

So here’s the part that sucks. HOW do you even write fanfic without violating their personalities and making them entirely different characters? How does someone who enjoyed these characters get more than 2 hrs and 48 minutes or the og novel out of them when every decision is so clearly character driven? Either of them would have made the same choices in any universe together! And I think that’s what so maddening about this story for me and why I have reread the book so many times. Just like Snow says at the very end, not only is his rise to power inevitable, so is this story.

[captainremmington-13]

A Lady Made of Snow

DISCLAIMER: I don’t own The Hunger Games franchise, the images above, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, or any of the characters in this fic other than Bellova. I also do not condone the beliefs or actions of Coriolanus or Bellova.

SUMMARY: Bellova finally uses the information she has against Coriolanus to try to convince him to marry. It ends up being the worst decision she has ever made.

⚠️Warnings⚠️: THIS IS A VERY DARK CHAPTER. It contains manipulation/gaslighting/brainwashing, cursing, violence, and misogynistic undertones

A/n: This chapter is from Bellova’s third person POV.

Bellova knew she had to do everything in her power to skew the odds in her favor. 

She had to say exactly the right things in exactly the right tone. She had to keep her temper in check as not to anger him, which would be the biggest challenge of all.

She knew Coriolanus almost as well as she knew herself. But he had changed, and she had to account for that. She assumed he wouldn’t hear her out if she was too aggressive, so she had to take a more diplomatic approach. 

Walking in front of the large mirror in her bedroom, Bellova did a once-over of her outfit. It was certainly gave her a more mature aura, and the dark red color of the dress complimenting her skin tone nicely. She liked the addition of the gloves, they made her look sophisticated.

In short, she looked like a Capitol heiress that anyone would be lucky to have as a bride.

Her driver pulled her family’s limousine up to the front of the estate, and Bellova slid into the passengers seat before he could get out and open the door for her.

“I see you’re eager to get going. Where to, Miss Bellova?” he asked. 

“The Citadel,” she said. “I have some important business to take care of.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Walking through the familiar halls of the Citadel, Bellova felt the gaze of many people turn towards her. Her elegant dress greatly contrasted the dull outfits the Citadel employees wore, making her stand out even more. 

She silently scolded herself for being so nervous. It was just Snow. The same man she had argued with countless times over the course of her life. The same boy that she had pushed off a play structure when they were children. 

Sure, he was more powerful now. He had an aura of danger around him that hadn’t been there before he left for 12. But it’s not as if he could hurt her and get away with it.

Right?

Bellova finally approached Coriolanus’s office door. She checked her appearance one last time in the reflection the small glass window provided, and then knocked three times on the door. 

“Come in,” Coriolanus said, clearly irritated. “And don’t waste my time.”

Bellova pushed open the door, closing it behind her swiftly. She smiled at him, hoping to appear unthreatening.

Coriolanus gave her an unimpressed look. “What brings you here?”

She laughed. “Hello to you too.”

He rolled his eyes. “I said not to waste my time. Get to the point before I kick you out.” 

“Fine, fine,” Bellova said. God, he was such an asshole, but he was so pretty. “I have…a proposal for you.”

He smirked. “That’s odd, considering that you’ve spent the last few months avoiding me.”

She purses her lips, trying her hardest to refrain from rolling her eyes. “I decided that wasn’t the best course of action. We’re not children anymore, Snow, being petty won’t get us anywhere. Instead of working against each other, maybe combining our power and influence would be more beneficial. For both of us.”

Coriolanus frowned. “So what exactly are you proposing?” 

She inhaled sharply. “We should get married.”

He blinked. “Pardon?“

“It would be a politically intelligent move. With my connections in the Department of Justice and yours with Dr. Gaul and the Gamemakers, we could be unstoppable. Nobody would dare to cross us ever again. All we’d have to do is play pretend for the press, and we would have a chokehold on the entire Capitol.”

A beat of silence passed.

Then, Coriolanus laughed. It was cold and condescending laugh, and Bellova felt her face flush with shame.

“You seriously thought I would consider marrying you? You truly are delusional.”

Bellova felt the familiar urge to slap him, but she pushed it down as best as she could. “Fine then,” she said. “How about this: either agree to my proposal, or I won’t hesitate to ruin your life again.”

Coriolanus scoffed. “And how exactly would you do that?”

“I would tell every press outlet in the Capitol every awful thing I know about you. I would tell them that your asshole of a father stole the idea of the Hunger Games from Casca Highbottom just to impress Dr. Gaul. I would tell them how you murdered that tribute in cold blood the arena last year. I’d tell them that you sent Sejanus Plinth to his grave and used his parent’s grief to replace him as the heir to the Plinth fortune. And I would tell them how you murdered Dean Highbottom just last week. Did I miss anything?”

She saw his expression shift from neutral to startled and slightly panicked. She smirked, relishing in her ability to install fear in him. 

“Oh yes, how could I forget: I’d tell them that you fell in love with a district girl and cheated in the Games just to keep her alive-“

“I did not love Lucy Gray,” Coriolanus snarled.

Bellova sneered back. “You’re the worst liar I know, you should really learn the art of deception if you want to be a politician. What happened to your little songbird anyway? Did you kill her to keep her from spilling your secrets?”

He then stood up, his eyes glinting with malice. Bellova had the urge to look away, but forced herself to maintain eye contact. 

“Nobody would believe any of that, especially coming from you.”

She tilted her head. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means that you’re a conniving, overprivileged, pathetic little c-“

Before she could stop herself, Bellova lifted her right hand and slapped him as hard as she could.

“How dare you speak to me that way?” she screamed, abandoning all efforts to remain calm.

“I’ll speak to you however I fucking please,” he sneered, walking around his desk to stand tower over her smaller frame. 

“I’m going to murder you, Snow,” she said furiously.

“That’s ironic, considering you came here with the intention of marrying me.”

Fuck it. Revenge was more important than political gain. 

Bellova lunged towards him, her hands reaching out to strangle the Snow heir. 

But before she could wrap them around his throat, he pushed her hard, sending her flying backwards into the wall. Before she could make another move, Coriolanus whipped a metal object out of his pocket. 

A syringe.

She felt her heart leap into her throat, fear and regret overtaking her. She had pushed him too far. He had laid hands on her for the first time ever. And now he was going to kill her. 

Coriolanus used one hand to pin her to the wall, and grinned psychotically. 

“Snow, what the fuck are you doing-“

Pain erupted in her neck as the needle pierced through her skin. She felt liquid being pushed into her body, and instantly felt sick to her stomach. 

She was going to die. She was sure of it.

Bellova collapsed against the tile floor. She felt she was being burned alive. Her vision became unfocused, and she felt like her mind was malfunctioning. Words seemed to die in her throat, and her limbs felt like lead. 

With the little strength she maintained, she managed to climb onto all fours. 

“Wh-What,” she croaked. “What are you doing to me?” 

Coriolanus crouched down in front of her, grabbing her by the chin. She shuddered at the sudden contact of his cold skin on hers. His hold on her was painfully tight and oddly possessive. “Finally shutting you up after all these years.”

She was never going to reach her full potential.

She was never going to become the woman her father always believed she could be.

“No!” she cried, tears of pain and emotional anguish blurring her vision. She felt her arms tremble before giving out, and she curled into a protective ball, hiding her face from the man standing above her. 

‘This is the end,’ she thought as her tears formed a pool beneath her. ‘This is how I die. At the feet of my lifelong rival like a helpless damsel.’ 

As the world slowly faded to black, she squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for death to give her peace. 

But death didn’t come.  

She was forced into a fate much worth than death: 

eternal captivity. 

She was now and forever the property of Coriolanus Snow. 

𝐄𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐚��𝐭 𝐈𝐈

✧ ‧˚₊ ❆ ‧ ₊ ⊹˚✧ ‧˚₊ ❆ ‧ ₊ ⊹˚✧ ‧˚₊ ❆ ‧ ₊ ⊹˚✧ ‧˚₊ ❆ ‧ ₊ ⊹˚✧ ‧˚₊

TAGLIST: @daenerysqueenofhearts, @squidscottjeans, @euphemiaamillais, @gracieroxzy, @effectwalker, @vxnilla-hxrddrugs, @mystargirl-interlude

Author’s Note: Thank you for reading! Please let me know what you think in the comments! I promise that the Bellova you know isn’t completely gone forever….you’ll have to see how things progress in Part III!!!

Also, let me know if you want to be added to the tag list!

[maxiemumdamage]

If it wasn’t clear I finally read Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

And I’m…mystified? By the criticisms of it which I had already seen plenty of before reading the actual book. Most complaints were about 1. pacing, 2. the POV character being a whiny brat/already evil, and 3. the overdramatic nature of everything. I’m not even gonna touch on that last thing, because people have always said it about the Hunger Games and it’s never been as true as they want it to be (the “Baby Bomb” in Catching Fire and Reaper’s moment with the flag come to mind, but there’s plenty of examples).

But like…I saw complaints that it took too long for the plot to pick up, but I was enthralled from the beginning. The ending was very harried and kinda rushed, sure, but that was also sort of the point — Coriolanus has a breakdown in the woods and in doing so goes past the point of no return with Lucy, so he returns to the Capitol and becomes the dictator we all know. It might've felt more jarring if I hadn't known that was how it would end, but...we all knew going in there was no way Coriolanus Snow and Lucy Gray Baird would run away and live in the woods together. Because before we ever knew Coryo, we knew President Snow. We knew where he'd end up.

I feel most of those complaints were rooted in the fact people always expect the Hunger Games books to be about...the Hunger Games. They view it like they're in the Capitol, like the Games themselves are the entertainment and focus and point of the story. They’re not, even when we’re reading about the creation of the Games as they became what they were in canon. The Games were never the point — it was about the people and world that created them. I went in expecting a post-war climate, and the saga of how a clever, manipulative young man worked his way into power, and as such I was immensely satisfied. This is about Snow becoming the cruel person we know, with some of his worst qualities being there from minute one and others taking time to be built or reinforced.

My biggest gripe is the romance. Yep, SnowBaird, the huge draw for every TikTok Songbirds and Snakes movie fan, just felt so out of place to me when it happened in the book. Lucy just got out of a romantic relationship that bit her in a truly spectacular fashion. But ok, sure. She's desperate, pretty much completely alone, and Coriolanus is very kind and supportive in his actions and she can't hear his self-serving and obnoxious internal monologue.

Coriolanus, though...I never understood why he seemed to be in love with her. He has a grudging almost-respect for Lucy Gray that he doesn't give anyone else, but I figured that was more because she demonstrated her cunning and talents where he could dismiss most others. She’s a performer, she’s got talent and poise, she’s forced to win people over (like him! (it’s not. his life never depended on it in the violent and final way hers did)).

And maybe it was necessary, that Snow thinks he’s in love. Because it’s at the core of the possessiveness, the jealousy, that colors so many of his interactions with Lucy. He has to be in love, so we can assign meaning or justifications to his actions. And then he tidily betrays everyone he supposedly loved, and it becomes clearer he’s only ever cared about himself.

And in general, I rarely understand romantic plots. And especially here, the point isn’t romance. It’s trust. Trust Coriolanus fails to extend to practically everyone, and it’s ultimately why he can’t make a better choice than to run back to the Capitol and Gaul.

[dr-futbol-blog]

The Defiant One, Pt. 9

In Miller's Crossing (S04E09), John Sheppard talks a man into killing himself. He does this for Rodney (but also for himself, because he simply can't stand the thought of losing him; it is both a thoroughly selfless act and an utterly selfish one). He sacrifices the life of a man who did some terrible things for a pure motive -- in an attempt to save someone that he loved, his dying daughter.

Sheppard can't admit it, most of all to himself. So he tells Rodney: "I presented a situation. He volunteered."

A similar thing happens here, although it is never McKay's intention for it to happen. He -- his actions, his words, his growing agitation -- presents Brendan Gaul with a situation, and he volunteers. Sheppard and McKay both put the gun into his hand, and he turns it in on himself. He is in pain, to be sure. Believes that he is dead anyway, and becoming more and more a burden. He feels his life-force draining away by the moment. But still. Here, Rodney McKay talked a man into killing himself. For Sheppard.

It's not what he says, it's the way he speaks about him: "What I really wanna do is call him on the radio, but I'm afraid if he's hiding from the Wraith, I might inadvertently give away his position, and let's face it, what chance do we have against the Wraith if Sheppard can't take him out? I was hoping to be strong enough, then I..."

The thing is, while Brendan was in pain and dying, his decision seems to have been motivated not just by the desire to let his old friend McKay off the hook, but for McKay to get his happily ever after. Just before, they have this exchange:

McKay: It's been too long. I think the Major could be in trouble -- and if he's in trouble, we're in trouble. Gaul: Then go. McKay: You figure you can move? Gaul: Not a chance. I'm not going anywhere. McKay: OK. That's OK. Gaul: Go. Rodney, just go! Save the day.

Save the day, get the girl.

This echoes Sheppard's sentiments in the previous episode: save the city, save Weir and McKay, take the rest of the day off.

In the final season, we see many instances of this: people willing to sacrifice their own happiness, even their own lives, for the chance that someone they love might be able to have a modicum of happiness. I'll get to the many mirrors to the main story later but obviously the biggest example of this is Sheppard himself, willing to sacrifice everything (and by everything I mean unfathomable things) just to give Rodney a chance at something that he thinks might make him happy. Rodney getting his happily ever after is more important to him than his own life.

And here, Brendan makes that choice. He doesn't think he's going to survive anyway, so he might as well help Rodney save the day and get his guy. There is not a doubt in my mind that Brendan hadn't realized by this time that McKay's agitation over Sheppard's well-being went well beyond the regular. Listening in on them, he might well even have come to the conclusion that Sheppard returned those feelings. They are so obvious that literally everyone else can see what they can't, even when it's right before their eyes.

The events of the Genii siege had reminded Sheppard that his love will get people close to him killed, and hence it is better not to let anyone get close. Brendan seems to have thought of himself as a roadblock, something that kept McKay from getting to where he wanted to be but taking such drastic measures, he actually made himself into an obstacle -- ensured that his death would be looming between these two for a good while.

McKay doesn't think that his love is poison. He thinks that his love is worthless. Here, Brendan's actions reinforce that belief; he sacrificed a lot to stay back with his friend, to take care of him, but in the end, it wasn't enough. His compassion and devotion weren't worth staying alive for. No matter how much he does for other people, he can never do enough. No matter how much he accomplishes, he can never accomplish enough to earn love (because he thinks that it is something that is earned through good behaviour and the correct performance and flawless execution of tasks). It is through acts of service that he expresses his love and sincerely believes that if he could only do enough, one day he might be worth someone's love.

Doing things is also his way of avoiding his emotions, just as self-isolation is for Sheppard. He actually confesses this to Zelenka in This Mortal Coil (S04E10), "That's one of the perks of the job. Something terrible happens, you don't have enough time to dwell on it ‘cause you're too busy trying to stop the next terrible thing from happening. Seriously, if it wasn't for the Replicators and their plan to wipe out every human in the galaxy, I'd be in pretty bad shape right now."

Beyond some disturbing anecdotes, we don't really learn that much about McKay's childhood but I would bet dollars to doughnuts that this stems from losing his mother at a young age, possibly to slowly progressing disease (McKay's last words before the gun goes off here are "I was hoping I would be strong enough..."; it is easy to transfer the sentiment for a young boy's words to a dying mother). This kind of a traumatic event often causes estrangement in siblings and embitterment in the surviving parent. By the the next episode and definitely toward the end of the season we learn that he and his sister are estranged and can infer that by this time, both of their parents have passed. She is the only family he has left, and indeed it seems like most people chosen for the mission have minimal ties to earth.

Of course it is dramatic irony that McKay's feelings of unworthiness for love would increase at the same time that Sheppard is beginning to open up and let someone closer, to learn that he doesn't have to be alone, that he doesn't have to save the world alone when there are such heroes as Rodney McKay in it. Of course it has to be this way. Their journey is only just beginning, after all.

Outside, we find Sheppard talking to himself again. This is obviously for the benefit of the audience, as watching the strong silent type doing stealthy commando stuff can carry an episode only so far. But we can interpret it as Sheppard's need to communicate. He really wants to have that link to McKay, wants to at least hear his voice on the radio if he can't have him near. But it was he himself that told Rodney to stay off the radio, and he doesn't to open it back up again just to tell McKay that he's still here, still failing at the one task he needs to succeed which is to keep him safe. He doesn't want to contact McKay until he can approach him with the all-clear, come pick ya up.

He also doesn't know how badly McKay wants him to get in touch. How some of the final words he spoke to Brendan were "What I really want to do is contact him on the radio". Neither of them realizes how much the other needs them.

Ford and Teyla are finally able to contact Sheppard. He sounds so relieved to hear from them because back-up means not that they might defeat the wraith, not that he might be able to get to the jumper, but that he might be able to keep Rodney safe, because all of the other things were meant to accomplish that aim. But alas, his relief is short-lived:

Sheppard: Lieutenant, I like your timing! Get your ass down here. Ford: Sir, we're still two-zero minutes away at top speed. Sheppard: Well, in that case, your timing sucks! Get here as soon as you can.

Note that Sheppard is not performing military for the young soldier under his command, he's not using military parlance even though that is how Ford approaches him, and it would probably be the way Ford wishes Sheppard behaved toward him (because the hierarchy and code of conduct exist for a reason, after all). Sheppard just has such problems with authority that he can't put up the performance, especially when he's the one that is supposed to be the authority. This is relevant both to his sudden use of military parlance with Dr. Gaul earlier, and his responding McKay with "Negative" instead of "No".

Sheppard and the wraith are shooting at each other, and it seems like the Major might be done for. It's interesting how his last resort is an answer to the here unspoken question "What would McKay do?", which is something he also used to motivate himself in the previous episode in which he actually said the words out loud. Here, he just does the thing he thinks McKay would do in this situation -- which is to say, try to project invaluability, make it seem like the wraith needs to keep him alive to perform a task that cannot be accomplished without him. He shouts to the wraith: "You need me to get off this planet. I'm the only one that can fly that ship."

Again, this is a bold faced lie. Sheppard feeds lies to his enemies, this is what he does. He started by lying about the war, about being Lantean himself, all of it. Lying and subterfuge are weapons he uses against his enemies.

Note also that while he's doing the thing he thinks McKay would have done in this situation, he's protecting Rodney at the same time, as we began the whole episode with him teaching Rodney how to fly -- Sheppard, that is, is not the only one on the planet that can fly that ship but he would very much like the wraith to believe that he is. What he thinks might be his final act is keeping Rodney safe. He knows there's 20 minutes until reinforcements arrive and he's making sure that the wraith has no reason (having just fed upon him, which it very much wants to do) to go looking for McKay before that in the event that he is killed right here, right now. He might die, but McKay will live.

And then Rodney throws a wrench in that plan.

Continued in Pt. 10

[lifewithaview]

Michael Sheen as emperor Nero in Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire (2006)

In July AD 64 a fire, which lasts for six days, destroys almost all of Rome. Many of the senators think it would be impossible to rebuild the city, and suggest that the capital should be moved to Naples or Capua. Nero is irresolute and asks his mentor, the philosopher Seneca, about his advice. Seneca says that in a crisis great emperors rule as gods rule, and if Nero does that he can become a god himself. Nero decides to rebuild Rome and at the same time make the city more magnificent than ever before. He has a great vision of a city characterized by art and beauty, but the costs of such a project are enormous. Tigellinus, head of Rome's security force, advises Nero to robe the temples. For most Romans this is a shocking sacrilege, and when Nero starts it he gets into a collision course with the senate. In April AD 65 a group of senators plan to murder Nero, but a slave reveals the conspiracy, and all of them are killed. In one move all political opposition are wiped out, and Nero decides to celebrate this with the biggest arts' festival in Roman history, with himself topping the bill. When Nero performs in public as an actor he breaks another rule for how emperors should behave, but no one dares to criticize him. Afterwards Nero's wife Poppea happens to mention that he dropped the scepter during his performance. Nero gets furious and kills her. In AD 66 he moves his court to Greece, where he orders a young male slave to be castrated and transformed into a woman, thus becoming Nero's new Poppea. To get more money for his building program Nero forces the richest men in the empire to commit suicide and leave their wealth to him. In December AD 67 the governors of Gaul and Spain rebel against Nero. He returns to Rome, where he states that he's going to meet the enemy with an army of prostitutes and himself singing in front of them. In spring AD 68 the senate declares Nero an official enemy of the state and condemns him to death. 9th June AD 68 Nero commits suicide.

Realistic, almost a documentary, and so sad....Michael Sheen as good as always!

[randomnameless]

Looking for stuff here’n’there on pegasus knight I’ve noticed Willy himself was kind of lolcalised himself both in FE16 - that we knew - but also in Nopes (act surprised!).

(do we finally know why the War of Heroes started? Eh, not exactly.)

During the Nabatean Paralogue, Rhea goes :

Lolcalised!Willy forged an Empire and wanted to unify the war-torn land.

Why did he want to unify the land? Who knows.

Poor Dumb Willy (remember, Jp!Willy from FE16 was manipulated by Seiros instead of merely “allowed her” to rule over humans per Supreme Leader’s sekrit story) on the other hand :

瞬く間に大国の主となり、争乱の絶えない フォドラを平定すべく兵を挙げました 

Which roughly means (thanks to @renisfan​!) Willy raised an army to subjugate/restore order to the war torn Fodlan.

Now we have plenty of historical examples where some dude pretends to “bring peace” but actually wanted to conquer new lands (la guerre des gaules?).

Was it just a pretext or a real motivation, hell if we will ever know, but it kinds of match (sort of?) what we already knew about pre imperial Fodlan, even if Rhea might not be the most neutral narrator when it comes to Willy, Flayn’s support with Ignatz also indicates that before the WoH, Fodlan was in a constant state of strife and conflict - with “Might makes Right” as the self-proclaimed King, how could it be any different, how could you be “Right” if you didn’t prove your “Might”?

Why was this changed then, and lolcalised!Willy only was a guy who wanted to unify the land? Why remove the part where he wanted to "restore order/bring peace” to the land?

Is it because a dude wanting to “restore order” in the land while throwing said land in a giant War is kind of antinomic?

Or is it because, during a certain battle...

Rhea actually asks Supreme Leader why she’s attacking and pissing on the peace Fodlan managed to secure, only for Supreme Leader to reply with one of her Supreme Replies (TM) :

Lolcalised!Willy started a war to “unite” the “war-torn” Fodlan when Supreme Leader starts hers to unite the, uh, “peace-torn” Fodlan ; jp!Willy’s public reasons for starting the war was to restore order in war torn land because of  Nemesis’s, uh, rule.

So on the one hand, we have someone who starts a war to bring peace to a land with constant fighting, more or less ruled by a barbarian whose motto is excitement and enjoyment “do whatever you want as long as you’re strong you’re right” -

And on the other hand we have a war started by someone to re-unify the land that used to be her country’s several centuries ago, but also to remove the lizard illuminati who totally secretly controls the world by manipulating everyone.

I can already hear some people going all yes but crust system creates a systemic violence and it must have been eradicated but somehow it wasn’t going to be because the church is BaD and Dimitri is also BaD and a centrist or whatever - but I’m only talking about the “public” reasons here why each war started

A rapid comparison highlights - no wonder why this paralogue is only on AG - how the Hresvelg dynasty lost the Mandate of Heaven, and we know a certain team really tried to soften the few blows the game indirectly gives to Supreme Leader for reasons.

But this also answers one of the biggest questions I had about the WoH, we know Rhea doesn’t like wars and conflicts. So it always kind of bothered/buggered me why she used to help and support Wilhelm, who started a war.

If Willy told her this war he is starting is to bring “peace freedom justice and security to the empire to Fodlan” I can see her reluctantly agreeing to participate and/or support the war -

(even if, afaik, Willy might have started the War of Heroes in 32, Nemesis started the hostilities the day he partied in Zanado)

- and if it implied, by sheer coincidence, ruling over Fodlan and all the lands and people Nemesis ruled over, then, well, it’s just a coincidence right??

(granted, the second Nemesis died, Willy gave Adrestia to his son Lycaon, meaning at least he didn’t want to do the “ruling over Fodlan” thing if he ditched it immediately to his heir?)

Sure, it’s kind of foolish because, uh, you can’t wage a war to “bring peace” and IRL it has way too often been used as an excuse to conquer more land, considering how Nemesis’n’pals’s former territories were included in Adrestia during/after the War, I still can’t see the WoH as anything but an opportunistic War of conquest/subjugation - against very evil evil (tm) persons, sure, and they had a lot of reasons (erasing genociders ?) but it’s still a conquest!

Still, given KT’s history and the “unification boner” this verse has, I don’t even know if in-game it’s supposed to be seen as a bad thing...

[boizandgurlzinthehouse]

𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐰𝐞 𝐝𝐨 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞.

𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐈𝐈𝐈. 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃-𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐒.

pairing: coriolanus snow x toxic!fem!reader

summary: someone always throw a spanner in her works, to achieve her biggest dream —being coriolanus’ lover, wife and claiming power. luckily, y/n is not on the loser side when it comes to playing. 

trigger warnings (overall): mastermind!reader, toxic!reader (for real, she’s doing nasty things), reader’s family is a bit fucked up, reader is obsessed with coriolanus snow, lying, swearing, blood, violence, killing people, hunger games stuff, i just love volumnia gaul, reader hates lucy gray and everybody who’s around coriolanus, mental health problems mentioned such as psychotism, domestic violence mentioned, drugs, mention of sexual fantasies. 

trigger warnings (in this part): toxic!reader, reader meets lucy gray for the first time, reader hates arachne, DEATH, blood, cruelty against people, reader is obsessed with coriolanus snow, lying, swearing, unhealthy body image, drugs, SMUT, p in v, fingering, poorly written smut.  

prologue. part 1. part 2.

y/n squirmed on the inside. 

it was strange, but not unusual. y/n always squirmed when she went to the zoo, seeing animals in locked cages was not her kind of pleasure. it didn’t help that the media was there too, so she had to play nice in front of everyone. probably she could never warn lucy gray, not to mention that in front of coriolanus. if she ever said a word about executing her from the picture in any sort of ways, lucy gray was surely the tricky bitch who would spill it to him. and that was the last thing she needed. y/n sighed, blinking a couple of times before she turned to the grid of the cage the tributes were held –being nice to not to get unveiled was truly a tiring thing. but at least, lucy gray wasn’t the one who got to go to dinner with coriolanus. no, not on her watch. 

“are you feeling okay, y/n?” did she look not okay? that can’t be possible. even if her uterus were eating her up and her corset tried to pierce her ribcage, y/n’s rule that she should never look like a damsel in distress, she just shook her head. 

“everything’s fine, corio. will you introduce me to lucy gray?” 

so here we go. 

safe to say, lucy gray was pretty good looking. y/n had to admit this, she could state anything about anybody, but being pretty was really objective, based on the standards. of course, not as good- and well-looking as someone from the capitol, anyone could always judge if a person was from the capitol or one of the districts. even people from the first and second district were much more… chav. lucy gray was skinny, underfed and messy, how could she ever compare with y/n? nevertheless, she had to make sure that lucy gray doesn’t think of herself as though she believed she was. it was important for het to not become a main character in her game. y/n saw the whole world as a big, never-ending set of games, because it was, depending on how seriously people took it. because in the world, there were many games. games about money, about power, about life and death, and about control. and lucy gray wasn’t the one who had connections. but now wasn’t the time to beef, if lucy gray blows off at the games, coriolanus will never get the plinth-prize, and y/n didn’t had that much time and space to find out something for that, too. so lucy gray had to survive. y/n just had to make sure that the end justifies the means, and she was nothing but a tool to get money and power. 

sejanus was already showing food for marcus. shit, sejanus… y/n’s mind was bugging, she still didn’t know what to do with him. if her game was a table of chess and coriolanus was the rook on the table, then sejanus was the queen… or the king. he could take a simple checkmate on all of her moves, no matter what. yes, sejanus was following coriolanus with getting food to his tribute, but only one bad move from him was enough to screw up all of her plans. and sure, he had noble parents, and he could pull out his head from the hook, but not coriolanus. and against the fact with the two being good friends, blood was still thicker than water. 

“lucy gray, this is my good friend, y/n y/l/n.” and his soon-to-be wife and lover. 

“hello, y/n.” act casual, act natural. don’t talk about feeling sorry for fucking around the mayor’s daughter and her lover, this isn’t announced. never let them know you did research all night. 

“hi, lucy gray. how are you feeling? probably… not so good because of this cage.”

“i’m pretty fine, thank you. just hungry a little bit.” 

“oh, i brought you food. y/n and i thought about getting you food.”

“yes. you have to be strong for the games.” if you dare to die, i’m going to kill you myself. how could anybody do this small talk for so long? words didn’t came into her mouth, she wasn’t the type who could talk for hours about nothing. there were days when she was alone with the maids in the house, or upstairs, and she didn’t talk for days if nobody bothered her. 

“thank you so much.” lucy gray whispered, taking the cookie, offering one to her. y/n looked at the cookie, then her. looking at the cameras, she shook her head. eating a cookie with a tribute? if somebody sees this, she will be treated equally as the other students, and she won't let it. she was now a working woman, one of the workers of volumnia gaul, what would she say if she saw this? 

“oh, no… i can’t eat cookies. i just had breakfast.” she wasn't in the mood to eat cookies with this girl, watching how arachne played with her tribute was more interesting. 

“you said you skipped breakfast because you slept in.” looking at coriolanus, y/n slapped herself in her mind. her bleeding days were killing her brain, and no medicine could make her concentrate enough. 

“uhm, yeah, but i ate at work. really, we bought the cookies and the food for you, so–” what the fuck was with her? were the pills she took yesterday night too strong? 

“y/n, did you eat or not?” coriolanus’ question and his worried face made her… satisfied. not because he was worrying about her, but because he was busy with her. y/n blinked up, shrugging her shoulders. thinking about he’s gonna be worried about her when they’re gonna be a couple, even pregnant, it was pure pleasure. 

“it’s alright, corio. i will eat when i get home, and i will eat at night, on our date.” she whispered, audible enough to lucy gray. holding his hand, she hoped she reassured her. “really, it’s nothing. let’s… care about lucy gray, she’s your tribute.” 

as coriolanus crouched down to her, y/n wanted to do the same, but lucretius flickerman was faster, approaching her with his loyal cameramen. 

“...and what a surprise that we are seeing a true noble, a noble from the noble, y/n y/l/n! tell me, how are you here?” he asked, y/n tried not to look into the camera as he almost showed the microphone into her mouth. 

“i just accompanied coriolanus and the others from the school. as well as they’re his friends and classmates, they’re my friends, too.” 

“how cute! tell me y/n, if you could bet on one of the tributes, perhaps even supporting them, who would you choose?” tricky question, tricky question! if everybody sees this, hyping up coriolanus wasn’t a bad idea. 

“i think… it’s a good question. some of them, such as marcus and lucy gray. i think they’re good. marcus seems strong, and lucy gray… she surely knows more than just singing.” she wanted to punch the cameramen, everybody could surely see how white her teeth were. 

“it’s really interesting… also, we heard a rumor that you work with volumnia gaul now. is it interesting to see how the games improve?” trying not to furrow her eyebrows, y/n looked at lucretius. 

“my work at dr. gaul and everything that happens there is strictly confidential. i can’t say anything about the games, but it’s gonna be really entertaining.” 

“thank you so much, lady y/l/n! now, let’s see how–” 

clunk! the sounds of iron and glass clashing catched the showman’s ears too, looking into the direction. y/n couldn’t decide to laugh or look terrified at the sight of the blood that was mounting from arachne’s neck. standing at the grid of the cage, she saw as coriolanus hurried to help arachne. he was still running to help her, a really, really good man… y/n knew why she loved him. 

“what the hell happened?” lucy gray whispered to her, making her shake out from her state. looking at her, y/n clenched her jaw. 

“i’m going there. stay away from that girl who stabbed her.” 

stepping to the scene, y/n crouched down too, caring about not touching the soiled ground with her silk skirt, wondering about the color of the blood. a big pool, arachne’s life. one hand still around the bottle, she was smart enough to keep it in, but she couldn’t like with a broken bottle in her neck forever! sardonic slut, making jokes of everyone, licking up and kicking down. i know you talked about me when i wasn’t near, calling me a psycho, and that i was my parent’s pet and mentally disabled for being a private student. the truth is, i never could stand that perfidious snake-face of yours. how could you ever face the mirror in the morning without breaking it with your eyesight? without spitting on yourself? 

“y/n, what are we gonna do?” coriolanus asked her. his hands were shaking, one at her neck. she brushed arachne’s hair, trying to patch up the blood with her handkerchief, wiping her eyes like she was crying. everybody was rushing from them and the cage, peacekeepers were surrounding them. 

“i don’t know, dear… i am so sorry, arachne was such a good friend of yours…” 

“somebody help, please!” he cried out, making her look away, to the exact point as one of the men shot the stabbing tribute girl in the stomach. well, at least lucy gray didn’t have to worry about her any longer. “what the fuck is happening, y/n?” 

“i don’t know, i don’t know!” she knew exactly. just as the peacekeepers grabbed coriolanus’ and her arm to drag them away, y/n signed them to let her go. “i just… i just want to look at her, please, for the last time.” 

“you only got one minute. your little friend stays here.” 

stepping over arachne’s body, she lowered down to see the light gone from arachne’s eyes. as her hair covered her face, y/n tried to press down the smile as she thought about her list. look at you, arachne… mocking everybody, and now you became the prey? deep down, you wanted to die like this, didn’t you? as a victim. so everybody can forget how sordid you are. nobody will ever know the truth about what you did, playing with that filthy girl’s food, what did you think she will do? jump around and beg for you? now, everybody only can say how clever and beauty you were, how hard you tried to get the fucking plinth prize, cracking their hands as they look at each other at your funeral. nobody will ask why the girl stabbed you, thanks to the contrary of the capitol and the districts, but hey, that’s why we love being distinguished, isn’t it? and don’t worry, i’ll keep your secrets, and you don’t even have to thank me crane, because i am a good friend. a really good one. 

reaching for her eyelids, y/n slowly pulled them down. she was never near a dead body, and the thought of it disgusted her a little bit. she wasn’t a killer, she was… a gamer. a really good one. the blood almost spilled on her shoes, how filthy. 

turning back to coriolanus as they walked out, she leant her head on his shoulder. instantly thinking about the date, would it be morbid to kiss upon their dead friend’s corpse? arachne has nothing to do with this. well, she had nothing to do with this. 

“are you okay, dear?” she asked from him, looking up to him. 

“yes, it’s just… i still can’t perceive what happened. and you, are you okay?” coriolanus muttered as they sat down on one of the benches in the park. cars were honking, wheels clashing against the gravel; the ambulance arrived. a hearse could be better, but y/n couldn’t blame them. it was strange to see clemensia and arachne get out of the picture, they were sidekicks for too long. 

“i am okay, thanks.” 

“you just saw her dying, and went back, why did you do that?” looking at him, coriolanus shook his head. “i’m sorry y/n, i shouldn’t ask you that, it’s just… i was so terrified, maybe i am still right now.” 

“i just… wanted to say goodbye. arachne was a little bit mocky all the time, but… she was a friend. a good one.” her sound was a little bit catatonic in her head, all the time she told a lie. 

“you are right. sorry for asking this, really, i didn’t have the spirit to go back there.” 

“don’t worry, corio. maybe she shouldn’t play with that girl… you know how cruel the games can be.”

“you are right, y/n. the games are stressful for everybody.” y/n nodded, reaching for his hand. 

“do you have the stomach for tonight? i know this is horrible, but… maybe we can get each other into a better mood.” 

looking at her, she tried to smile a little bit. not a too big, unnatural smile compared to the fact that somebody just died, and not even a poker face like she didn’t fucking care about what happened. 

“of course i have the stomach, it would be my pleasure, y/n. i just have to go home to change.” coriolanus answered, making y/n truly, truly happy. 

“it’s really good to hear.” 

a death is one thing, but the future is another. 

she had to make the move, arachne’s death could slow down things. hortensia pulled her hair a little bit, curling it with little clips, swirling her locks around heated sticks. this night had to be perfect, exactly because of what happened. running through her eyebrows with a clipper, she looked at the clock –she had still an hour, her clothes laid on her bed. 

“you are gonna be so beautiful, miss y/l/n.” the maid praised her as she lined her eyebrows, spraying perfume on her wrists and behind her ears. morphia did the same when she was meeting timothé, and they were together, didn’t they? rubbing nacre powder over her eyelids, she was ready. 

“could you pull my corset tighter, hortensia? please.” standing up, she held onto the pillar of her bed. 

“are you sure, miss y/l/n? i’m afraid that–”

“i am sure, hortensia. we will be afraid if coriolanus snow won't like my appearance.” 

it was painful. feeling her bowels sticking together, framed by her bones that dug into her stomach and lungs, but at least she looked desirable. 

“are you feeling alright, miss y/l/n?” 

“of course, i’m fine. thank you.” she muttered as the maid helped her pick up the clothes. a red dress, slightly slit up but not too long to look like a prostitute, a couple of black heels, not too high to fall in them. suddenly the door creaked, it was her mother. a glass of wine in her hand, she leaned on the doorframe, a silly smile on her face. 

“look at my little girl, hortensia. isn’t she beautiful and adorable?” she asked, making the maid turn to her. 

“she’s beautiful, lady y/l/n.” 

“she already told me that, mommy.” y/n muttered, a little bit annoyed at the fact that her mother looked up and down on her like a piece of meat. sure, everybody always measured her like she was one, but her own family could at least have a little dignity for each other. 

“it’s natural that you are stressed. is that a corset on you?” lorelei asked, placing down her cup to brush out the dress, the wrinkles on the waist area were long gone. 

“thanks.” y/n responded. 

“i was just as terrified as you before i met your father, i can tell you, y/n. but it went well, because the three of you are here, aren’t you?” she giggled, making y/n roll her eyes. 

“don’t you have to watch the tv, mommy?” she turned to her as hortensia cleaned her shoes. 

“i know you don’t want me here, my dear. and it’s perfectly fine that you want to concentrate on your little date today.” it’s not only a stupid little date, it’s the whole matter of my future. “also, i know that you want to marry coriolanus snow, but honey, is he really worth it?” 

y/n turned, crouching in front of her mother; holding her hand as hortensia walked out, she knew her more than her mother. y/n could bear many things, but questioning her love was the main thing that set her mind on fire. looking at the place her mother stood only a couple of minutes ago, the hole of the butter knife got her eyesight. she looked like her mother too much, staring at her was like staring at the life she could get, but so much better. 

“mommy, please. if you want to question me, talk with father about it. otherwise, never doubt me, ever.” talking with long, stiff words, y/n brushed her mother’s hand. “do you understand me?” 

for a moment, she thought that her mother was gonna slap her, but instead, lorelei giggled. as she searched for her glass. 

“you are much more determined than morphia, my dear. i hope your date will go well, the chauffeur is yours tonight. if snow comes too, then… don’t make much noise. your father won't be here tonight anyway, but i’d like to get some sleep.” she said, turning out on the door, closing it. hortensia asked if she could come in, making y/n nod. looking onto the picture where she and coriolanus stood, she didn’t even realize her heart was nearly beating out of her ribcage. picking up her white, snow-like stole, spraying perfume on herself, hortensia straightened her dress, escorting her down the stairs. 

the place coriolanus offered wasn’t a big deal, but that’s what she needed. as long as they could talk without one of her father’s workers or her mother’s friends interrupting them, it was fine. helping her take off her stole and pull out the chair for her like a gentleman, y/n asked for an easy meal. not being able to think with a full stomach was one point of that, but the other was the meaning of the meal. watching his father’s guests taught her that when somebody wanted to have breakfast, lunch, dinner or even a fucking tea party, it wasn’t about food, no. food was just the cloak to cover up nasty things. 

“are you feeling alright?” coriolanus asked her as they got their food. y/n dug into hers, then looked up at him, smiling. he didn’t look like a half-god; he looked like apollo himself. the dim light sculpted his cheeks and his lips, y/n wanted to dig into his hair between two messy kisses, and although she was a virgin, she could imagine how it was like to have him thrust into her, giving out the animal-like noises she remembered in her dreams. 

“of course, this is a really lovely place. i am so happy that we are here, i wanted to do this for so long.” she answered, placing down her fork as she held his hand. 

“for so long? how long, y/n?” he teasingly smiled, making y/n look away. for a lifetime, baby. 

“from the moment… you helped me up in the hall of the college.” 

“so from the moment we first met?” 

“no, we met before! i…” will the truth hurt him? “...i noticed you at a dinner we attended with my family.” she was fourteen, and coriolanus moved things in her like nobody else. probably that was the time when the chemicals in her brain made her difficult, nearly banging her head against the wall as she couldn’t even understand herself.

“which one?” 

“two years ago.” a little lie couldn’t hurt anybody. 

“it’s gonna surprise you, but… i noticed you too, y/n. i wanted to talk to you, but you had to escort your sister, and my grandma said that it’s not appropriate.” 

“really? that’s so… inevitable, don’t you think?”

“i don’t know about these things so much, y/n. but i think you are so beautiful.” 

“thank you so much. you look also handsome, coriolanus. and… i want to talk about something, something that… can really, really influence our future.” 

“really?” he asked, making y/n slightly lift her eyebrows. oh god, be not only a fling, y/n. 

“yes, of course! you know, my family takes marriage really seriously, and…” seeing the slight worry on his face, y/n held his hand again. “i really don’t want to rush you, my dear. it’s just, my father gave his blessing when i told him that we are going on a date.” well, he’s not really, but he will. cyril will even thank her when she’s gonna be the first lady of panem. 

“that’s wonderful, y/n! you know, i’d never guess that, because, you know… how me and my family, and my father–”

“corio, please. what happened in the past didn’t depend on you. it was a real, gigantic catastrophe.” those wankers took everything away from us. “who would have guessed what’s gonna happen with the thirteenth district? your family bet on the wrong horse, but sometimes, it happens.” 

“i know, but it’s still my job to get money to help my family.” coriolanus answered, taking a sip from his wine. “you know, y/n, this plinth-prize thing is tiring me out as hell, and i really don’t know what to do. it can seem like i’m in control, but all i see are walls and i keep clashing into them. i knew i had a big chance to get that prize, and i hoped that things would turn out in a good way, but… i don’t know, it’s like a curse.” 

y/n nodded, leaning on her hands, brushing the ring on her middle finger. her ring finger was reserved from the moment she saw coriolanus. 

“i hope i’m not boring you, y/n, but–”

“no, of course you don’t! it is my pleasure that you share your concerns with me, although i can’t do much. i wanted to offer my help, but things happened too fast, and volumnia has eyes everywhere. i still don’t know what she’s going to think about today, when i lucretius asked me up. being asked before cameras is not my type.” 

“don’t worry, i don’t like him either. but he’s gonna present the whole games, so i have to get used to it.” 

“you will, my dear, and i have no doubts about that.” she smiled, eating some more. trying to get her foot more comfortable as the heels burned her soles, she accidentally knocked into coriolanus’ legs, making her look up at him. “oh my, sorry, it’s just…”

“don’t worry, y/n. does your feet hurt in those heels? i can’t comprehend that even when tigris are wearing them, they look awful to walk in.” 

“no, it’s perfectly fine.” noble people doesn’t have to dig in the mine or sweat in the factories, but as hard to swallow a pill, the hard work is still their task –redistribution between districts and control all the twelve districts are really hard, while they have to wear uncomfortable shoes and suits, smiling every time even if the question is the most humiliating shit ever. deep down everyone in every district knew that if the capitolium lashed out, there wouldn’t be the slightest hope of survival.

“if you say so… and, how is the work with volumnia?”

“well, i can’t tell you secrets, but… she’s pretty okay.” she’s an animal. she would be ready anytime to pull my stomach out through my throat if i’d tell anything about what’s going inside there. “her ways are interesting, i admit that, nevertheless, she’s a mastermind.” 

“i’d like to work beside a mastermind, or to talk with a mastermind.” silly boy, he was already dating with one right now. but even y/n didn’t know that. she never knew any other mindset than hers. 

after dinner, coriolanus paid and helped her out of the restaurant. the city lights were dim and almost turned off, but the night didn’t end, not for them. 

“thank you, corio. this was a lovely, lovely night.” she whispered, putting her hand on his shoulder as they stood before each other. she imagined as they stepped out from even such a little restaurant, photos flashing around them, people admiring them as they sat in the car to go home to a big castle or mansion. 

“thank you for coming, y/n. and give my greetings and thankfulness to your father.” leaning down, more like supporting than holding her jawline gently with his fingers, he pressed a kiss on her forehead, y/n’s knees brushed in her excitement. only coriolanus could bring out this state from her, nobody and nothing else. she was a diamond under pressure, and coriolanus was the last push she always needed to be more perfect. as he ended the soft kiss, y/n pursed her lips, looked at his eyes, then his lips. and the next move surprised her even, tearing her soul into pieces in a good way. 

coriolanus lifted up her face by her chin to kiss her. so this was it? this is what true love feels like? this is what fulfilled love and devotion feels like? he was so soft, she wanted to bite into his skin, but instead, her lips just brushed his, slimming down her hand to his chest, as he softly grabbed her neck to make her stay. oh my, y/n thought, sighing as she sipped a fresh bite of air through her nose. she didn’t want to end this, no. not tonight. god knows when they can be together again, be together like this. 

behind them, a car honked. despite being a good chauffeur, helius isn’t the best at timing, y/n thought as she almost rolled her eyes annoyed by her chauffeur, brushing coriolanus’ face to make him stop. 

“this is your car? sorry, i’m…” 

“come with me, corio.” she whispered, brushing her lips against his chin. 

“are you sure about that? your parents–” y/n grabbed his hand, slowly dragging him to the car as helius opened the door for them. coriolanus helped her get in, as the car started to drive, y/n turned to coriolanus. they began to kiss again, she tried to brush her tongue to his, but now he was the one who pushed her away gently, trying to brush his hair to look somehow collected. “y/n, your parents are home? i can’t be respectful enough if they see that i’m eating up their daughter.” 

“my father isn't home, and my mother is sleeping now. please, dear…” she tried to lean over him, it was impossible because of the height difference. coriolanus smiled, brushing her face. 

“how could i say no to you after this?” he said, letting her bury her lips into hers for the rest of the ride. arriving home, y/n nodded to helius as he could now retire for the rest of the night. stepping up on the marble front garden fastly, she opened the door. placing her finger before her lips, she signed to coriolanus to be quiet, hurrying up on the stairs to her room. y/n was glad that hortensia did her job and tidied up the place, so all they had to do was lie down and continue what they began. 

“you are so beautiful”, coriolanus moaned as he peeled down his coat and his jacket, y/n threw her stole onto the dressing table. 

“you are so handsome”, y/n whispered, kicking off her shitty but glamorous shoes, helping him unbutton his shirt as she kissed his jawline. something strange took over her mind; if someone asked her what she’s going to do tomorrow, she couldn’t answer, couldn’t form even a single thought. it was so animalistic, just as she hovered over coriolanus, sitting on his hips as she tried to unzip her dress, as coriolanus reached for it to help her, y/n remembered that she had a corset on. leaning away from him, she faced the mirror on the dressing table. 

“what’s the matter, y/n? did i do something?” he asked, reaching after her as she tried to pull it off without him noticing, but it was impossible even for her. “y/n, what are you doing? is that… holy, you wear a corset?” 

“yes, but… don’t worry, it’s just because…” who the fuck was her? she wasn’t bragging, why did she slip apart? she stopped her thoughts as coriolanus crawled behind her, helping her unzip her red dress, kissing her hair from behind. 

“y/n, i hope you know that you don’t need that.” coriolanus muttered, grabbing the ropes of the corset to ease it around her form. kissing her hair again, then moving around to get to her cheeks. as he reached her lips, the corset was undone, thrown into the corner of the room. “it can stay there, love. look at yourself, how beautiful you are, the girl i fell in love with.” 

looking into the mirror, it always saw makeup and craziness, and now… look at yourself, y/n, getting what you wanted. is this how the world works? is this how the university rewards me for my efforts, my sacrifices? y/n look at coriolanus in the mirror, the red dress holding the last bits of her breasts, turning to him, she let him get over. peeling off her dress, by an instinct, brushing his clothed cock with her knees, hearing an elated whine from him. she knew he was a virgin, she was too, but she moaned louder when coriolanus brushed her naked breasts, playing with her nipples while kissing her. it was so new, so unusual, and yet, everytime his fingertips touched her sensitive buds, she felt her blood striking down to her core. 

“do you like this, y/n?” he asked, making her hiss, nodding as she looked up at him. 

“yes… please, corio… i want you…” she gasped, trying to reach for his cock even if she didn’t know what it was going to feel like. coriolanus smiled shyly, reaching for her hips to lift it so he could take off her underwear. y/n wasn’t shy, and this was the first real pussy he ever saw, and if it depended on her, the last one, too. so, how could he compare her to any other girl? 

“i want you, too. but… i heard that it can hurt.” he kissed her, and a slight pain striked her core as she felt something crawl up. she accidentally bit down on his lips too hard, drawing blood. “i’m sorry, y/n, i just thought that–”

“please don’t stop,” she cut into his words, grabbing his hand to guide it back. if his fingers were this long and stretching her out this much, how is she going to fit his perfect cock into her cunt? it was painful at first, but it changed to pleasure, she hoped coriolanus felt the same silk on the inside, the silk she felt every time she fingered herself. the impulse grew in her stomach, similar to the way when she was fingering herself, but it was another impulse. erratic, something she wanted to scoop up into a bowl and drink from it. coriolanus stopped, pulling his fingers out, y/n grabbed his wrist to lick herself off. it was messy, but she swore she saw his pupils dilated as he looked at her. 

“i think it’s time for me to take this off too, isn’t it?” he asked, pulling down the waistband of his underwear. she hadn't seen so many cocks before, but he was so… beautiful. not too short, not too long, curling up a little bit, almost touching his abdomen from the excitement. y/n hoped that from the previous actions he got hard, because that’s what the girls always talked about at girly nights, but seeing the pre-cum dripping down on coriolanus’ cock got her mouth watering.

“do you want me to pleasure you?” she asked, already leaning up on her elbows. coriolanus shook his head, kissing her as he guided her to lay back down. 

“no, love. it’s not about you, it’s just… i don’t think i’m going to last long even if we begin this,” he whispered, y/n giggled as coriolanus rolled his eyes joyfully. 

“this is my first time too, corio.” 

“i know, and i’m trying to make it hurt as little as i can, but please don’t be mad at me if–” y/n grabbed his chin, making him face again. 

“how could i ever be mad at you?” she asked silently, brushing her forehead to his. coriolanus held her hand, grabbing his cock with the other, placing it to her core. y/n held onto his shoulder, just as in her dream. 

“i hope you will enjoy this just as much as i do.” he whispered, kissing her, slowly slipping inside. y/n felt like she was teared apart, hissing, pressing her thighs to his waist. even a tear slipped from between her lashes as she tried to hold in the agonizing scream. she knew this would turn intp pleasure and sparks too, but it was so fucking unbelieveable to realize. 

“should we stop, y/n?” coriolanus asked, his sound husky from the thigh feeling, burying his head into her neck. y/n shook her head, slipping her fingers into the hair on the back of his head. 

“just keep going, it will be good, i believe”, she muttered, and with that, he began to thrust. the first dozen were painful, as if his cock tried to murder her, but after a little time, it eased up, and she caught herself softly moaning as their lips melted into each other again. “you can be faster if you want”, y/n whispered, making coriolanus nod, an adorable look on his face from trying to concentrate and not cumming. when he first hit the spot where she could never reach, y/n almost clawed into his back from the pleasure. she understood why people loved to make love; the way his cock filled her pussy was so natural and so perfect, her heartbeat and his moans thrumming in her ears, his big hand grabbing into hers stronger and stronger, not letting her lift up hers, ever, pinning down and dominating her. another tear striked from her eyes, but this was because of happiness, pure beatitude. 

“i’m… ngh, love, i’m not going to last long”, coriolanus moaned, hitting her pleasure spot again and again, making y/n’s abdomen curl tighter and tighter. she felt as if she was a bomb ready to explode, reaching down with her free hand to her clit, circling it. it was too much, feeling how pubic lifted and fell every time he pulled out, only thrust into her, y/n turned her head so she could last longer, but it didn’t help, coriolanus was everywhere, in her mouth, her cunt, her hand, her ears and her eyesight, even in her mind. 

“i’m…ah, corio, i’m going to cum, love…” she tried to say, his cock giving her the finishing move to push her over the edge. everything turned to white and black at the same time, she felt the pleasure and pressure blowing up in every cell of her body, striking through her veins to get the sensation from head to toe, thighs pressed to his side to make him go deeper, she felt her mouth opened, a silent scream coming out as a long, ragged, guttural moan. feeling him slowing down, she knew coriolanus reached his high too, laying his head on her collarbone, breathing heavily. for a moment, y/n didn’t know where she was, she only felt the softness under her, his body upon hers, and the last, tingling feeling in her pussy. 

coriolanus pushed himself down from her, laying beside her on his back, placing his hand on his chest. y/n looked at him, panting, smiling as she could, kissing his face. 

a couple minutes later she was dressed in a robe just as him, the blanket covering them. y/n laid on his chest, looking into the fire, grabbing one of his hands as he stroked her hair. 

“this was fantastic, y/n. thank you so much, for everything.” 

y/n rolled her eyes, kissing his skin as she smiled. this wasn’t the soft smile she formed in front of him, this was the smile she formed when she was alone, but the darkness kept her secrets. for a moment, clemensia and arachne long forgotten, even sejanus’s and lucy gray’s face faded as there were just the two of them. 

“you don’t have to thank me for anything, corio. i am glad that you are happy.” 

a/n: i'm really really really tired but i couldn't let you down girliez!! i hope you liked it, i passed my test but i'm gonna have another )): nevetheless, i'll try and write more and more parts because i have plans, so don't worry <3

taglist: @champomiel @stelleduarte @diamondsbestie @tomriddles-wh0re @ikeryn @americanprometheuss @themorriganisamonster @cybersry @marihoneywk @randomgurl2326 @jxynotfound @velunis @theoriginalwife000 @coconut-dreamz @lukepattersin

[mexicancat-girl]

Just finished watching The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes in theaters earlier today. I've got a lot of thoughts.

Overall the movie felt like a mixed bag, but I enjoyed it.

Spoilers below

The main characters were all worse versions of themselves in the film, minus Coriolanus (and arguably the Dean). In fact, some of the cleverness and actions that other characters had were taken and given to him instead-- like Sejanus' plan to give Marcus food.

Kind of disappointed how they rewrote Sejanus in general... They took a lot of scenes away from him and watered down his character a lot. His Ma literally got zero lines and only one cameo, despite her being a huge reason as to why Coriolanus and Sejanus are seen as such good friends in the first place.

I was still devastated by that scene with Sejanus, but the pacing and the lack of Ma (and her food) bridging the gap between Snow and him made their friendship seem even more shallow.

The pacing overall didn't do the story favors. Everything felt rushed. Lucy Gray and Snow's romance felt like it was going through a speed-run and felt even less realistic than the book. Not the biggest romance person, but they could've added a little more there. They barely kissed except for once on screen.

Pacing was rushed at the start and things felt like they dragged at the end. But I liked how the Games themselves were restructured, it all felt like it made more sense and the quickness actually helped. Plus it added to the cinematic feeling to have the games end with Lucy Gray taming the snakes with her song than dragging things out with Reaper, and Reaper got a heroic death keeping the flag over the dead tributes he laid to rest.

Uh, what else... The added scene with Gaul after Lucy Gray wins, and having the entire school chant to let her get out Lucy Gray from the Arena, was... bad. Like, awful to sit through, and not just because of how cheesy it was.

Yes, Lucy moves the people in the Capitol and entertains them with her songs. But she isn't a revolutionary figurehead. That's not the point of her character. She sings to survive, not to make people stand up and demand change, not like Katniss would in the future. (Plus, these games get wiped out from record afterwards regardless, showing how little impact Lucy Gray truly has in the world of Panem.)

I get that it's because it'll make things dramatic and cinematic, but that scene was unnecessary. Gaul is already portrayed as being cruel and disliked because of this, we don't need a school full of chanting students questioning her authority and morality to add to that.

Plus it just looks bad that we have a dark-skinned black woman be seen as the cruelest and evilest character Ever, who is someone the main character (a white man) must stand up against so she stops being So Evil and Cruel to a lighter-skinned woman of color. Viola Davis is amazing in the role, but that added scene screams misogynoir by pitting her as the ultimate evil versus white boy Coriolanus, making him a white savior in the process.

Stripping the nuance of the characters played by actors of color seems to be a running theme in this film, actually. Or hell, some of them like Clemensia disappear entirely from the film. Would've loved to see her all fucked up from the snake bite and still trying to Mentor, her dynamic with Coriolanus was great.

Overall disappointed they watered down Lucy Gray and made her less spunky, plus took away a lot of her agency during the Games, too. Lucy Gray's dialogue/way of speech is so fucking awkward for a human to say aloud, so props to Rachel Zegler doing what she could with what she's given. Love her and love Lucy Gray.

Of all the characters that survived their massacre in the movie writing, Tigress was good. I liked her, even if we didn't see the full extent of her worry and what she does to help keep her family afloat. Plus her last line in the film, telling Coriolanus he looks like his father is chilling, A++

Uhhh, another positive? I liked the music. Bluegrass is a good choice for all the songs Lucy Gray sings, and Rachel Zegler has a fantastic voice. I'll definitely keep my eye out for the soundtrack later.

Cinematography was great. The fact they went to film in Poland to get a lot of the nature scenes and the Arena was worth it, it looks gorgeous on screen. Costuming was fantastic. And all the actors playing the tributes each gave them such wonderful character and personality no matter how little screentime we got of them, they're all so talented!

I overall liked the movie and found it enjoyable to watch. But the pacing and twisting of character motivations, a lot of which was used to prop up Coriolanus further and paint him as a more charitable protagonist, soured things for me.

[incandescentlycursed]

Update: said Snowbaird How to Lose a Guy in 10 days AU exists and if anyone would be so kind as to drop a kudos or a comment (I much prefer the latter but both are beautiful) please do so <3, I need motivation for the following chapters

<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/52041544"><strong>you bewitch me, every damn second that you’re with me.</strong></a> (6915 words) by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/shirbertsholmesburys"><strong>shirbertsholmesburys</strong></a><br />Chapters: 4/?<br />Fandom: <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/tags/The%20Ballad%20of%20Songbirds%20and%20Snakes%20-%20Suzanne%20Collins">The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes - Suzanne Collins</a>, <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/tags/Hunger%20Games%20Series%20-%20All%20Media%20Types">Hunger Games Series - All Media Types</a><br />Rating: Mature<br />Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply<br />Relationships: Lucy Gray Baird/Coriolanus Snow, Clemensia Dovecote/Lysistrata Vickers, Marcus/Sejanus Plinth, Arachne Crane/Felix Ravinstill, Crassus Snow/Coriolanus Snow’s Mother<br />Characters: Lucy Gray Baird, Coriolanus Snow, Coral (Hunger Games), Lucretius "Lucky" Flickerman, Sejanus Plinth, Volumnia Gaul, Sejanus Plinth's Mother, Strabo Plinth, Maude Ivory Baird, Tigris (Hunger Games), Coriolanus Snow's Grandma'am, Clemensia Dovecote, Arachne Crane, Festus Creed, Livia Cardew, Jessup Diggs, Lysistrata Vickers, Felix Ravinstill, Marcus (Hunger Games), The Covey (Hunger Games)<br />Additional Tags: Academic Rivals to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Mutual Pining, Pining, Alternate Universe - College/University, New York, Alternate Universe - How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days Fusion, laufey songs, Competition, Jealousy, They really love talking about movies. So many movies, literally laufey songs, non-toxic snow/lucy gray, Well maybe a little bit, Romantic Comedy, Alternate Universe - Romantic Comedy, bet trope, they are horny ass mfs, Eventual Smut, happy ending?? Be nice to me and maybe, Coriolanus Snow loves Lucy Gray, Snow is a big old softie, Covey band - Freeform, Bars and Pubs, no beta all mistakes are mine, consent!! is!! sexy!!, semi toxic but like, can you really blame them, they’ve been fighting each other for three years over grades<br />Summary: <p>Aspiring political journalist Coriolanus Snow and Grammy-nominated Lucy Gray Baird have been at odds with one another for the past three years at New York University. Ever since he laid eyes upon her rainbow leggings and red Converse, he’s been trying to take her down; whether it’s by one percentage point in a class or a particularly good point during a debate, he’s kept every win close to his chest. No doubt, she’s been doing the same — her maddening flirtatiousness, the sugary sweet conversations with subtle digs thrown in, all leading up to a triumphant, wicked grin as she shows him the most recent test results. Suddenly, they find themselves embroiled in bets neither of them can resist. If Coryo can fall in love and bring the girl to the Banquet, the biggest event of the year for all poli-sci majors, then he’ll score the summer internship with Senator Gaul that he’s been waiting for his entire life. And if Lucy Gray can find a guy to date and then break up with in the span of ten days, she can finish writing her long-awaited sophomore album and be on her way to a Grammy win — all is fair in love and war.</p><p>Or: Snow and Lucy Gray as academic rivals to lovers, as told by Laufey and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.</p>

[somecrocanadian]

A Tale as Old as Panem

A/N

Me: Has an exam tomorrow. Also me: Writes fanfiction

Well, here we go again. I hope you enjoy!

A Tale as Old as Panem

“Do you know why I sent you to the districts Mr. Snow?” Dr. Gaul asked from across the room. Coriolanus had just walked into her laboratory after his class.

“Dean Highbottom said it was to punish me for cheating in the Hunger Games.” It had been months since Coriolanus had returned from district 12, why was she bringing this up now?

“Well yes, but why the districts? He could have had you publicly executed or turned you into an avox and sent you deep underground. Why make you a Peacekeeper in the districts?”

“I assumed it was because he wanted me out of the Capitol and wanted to show me why it was pointless to help Lucy Gray win.”

Dr. Gaul hummed, walking behind her desk, “Have a seat. Your reasoning isn’t wrong, Mr. Snow, but it’s not the whole story. You see, I gave Highbottom the idea to send you to the districts.”

A flare of anger shot through Coriolanus, but he made sure not to let it show. He wasn’t that easily riled.

“I gave him the reasons you just gave me, but I had another. I wanted you to see how easy it was for the people to choose to rebel and how important it is to snip a rebellion in the bud.”

Coriolanus couldn’t stop his mind from flashing to Sejanuses dead body hanging from the tree along with the other rebels that were planning an escape. He did what had to be done, traitors do not belong in Panem.

“The Hunger Games were created to make sure the districts never forgot what they did to the Capitol. When the Games are messed with, even in the slightest way, that can lead to waves of rebellion. We can’t have that.”

“No, we cannot.” Coriolanus wanted to make sure that would never be thought of as a rebel. Someone had once accused him of it in one of his lectures but he was quick to shut it down by saying he was the reason a rebelion didn’t start in 12. A stretch of the truth, sure, but he did stop some rebels.

“You are probably wondering why I bring this up now. During the War, not only did we defeat the districts but we also put an end to the organization known as the Table. Every few years I like to pay a visit to the members locked up deep below the Capitol. They claim that their organization existed long before Panem ever did and that it reached far beyond Panem’s borders.”

Coriolanus was impressed, very little had survived from before Panem, and even more of it was lost in the uprising. He could see why Dr. Gaul would want to pay them a visit.

“During my most recent visit one of them told me the story of how their organization was almost brought to the ground by one man; the Boogeyman they called him, his skills were unparalleled. But then he left the organization, a feat not easily accomplished,and he was free from his duties until a mobster angered him to such a degree that he personally took out a large chunk of the mob, killing nearly 100 men.”

Coriolanus kept his face neutral, but he couldn’t help being impressed by the talent and anger it takes to kill 100 men.

“His story could have ended there, if he was left alone, but he was not. Another man wanted to claim a debt owed. And after some harsh convincing the boogeyman agreed to kill for the man. But this man ended up backstabbing the boogeyman, and after fighting through another 100 men the boogeyman ended up killing his employer on sacred grounds. That was one of the biggest rules of the Table and so he was hunted down, but seemingly nothing could stop him. People still helped the boogeyman even when they knew their lives would be forfeit. Then he died after freeing himself again in a duel with a high ranking Table member.

“The story of the Boogeyman, even if fake, shows how easy it is to break a system as fragile as ours.”

Coriolanus thought for a moment, all systems are fragile; there just has to be a way to stop people from uprising. And that is one of the reasons for the Hunger Games. The Table would just kill people, but when faced with an unkillable man, they could do nothing. He needed to come up with a plan in case the Hunger Games failed or someone tried to take advantage of it like he had.

“I can see the gears turning in your head, Mr. Snow. Best get to work.”

Coriolanus stood up and went to his desk in the adjoining room.

“Remember Mr. Snow, the rules are the only thing that separate us from the animals,” Dr. Gaul said.

Those were the only words Coriolanus could think about as he heard Dr. Gaul laughing from the other room.

A/N

What did you think? I know it is a bit rushed but I really wanted to write somethin with Dr. Gaul in it. (I also don't want to study, so it's a win-win)

Please let me know what you think!

[talesofpassingtime]

Immediately all the Knights went to horse and rode down to the Coast, and the Queens and other Ladies went up to the top of the Tower, and they saw the blackest and most fearful smoke upon the sea that could be imagined; presently the smoke began to clear away, and they saw in the middle of it, a serpent much bigger than the biggest ship in the world, his wings were more than an arrow’s flight asunder, and his tail curled up higher than a tower, and the head and the mouth, and the teeth, were so huge, and the eyes so terrible, that none could endure to look at them, and that black smoke which rose as high as Heaven was the breath of his nostrils, and his snortings and hisses were so terrible, that it seemed as if the sea would have burst asunder, and he spouted the water from his mouth so far and so fiercely, that if any ship, how great so ever, had come near, it would have been sunk.

— Garci Rodriguez de Montalvo, Amadis of Gaul