#gale hawthorne defense squad

[livinces2]

Gale Hawthorne: A teenage boy (with *gasp* the emotional maturity of an average teenager! 😱) who grew up in utter poverty in a horrifically oppressive country. He joined the rebellion and helped create bombs to *checks notes* take out his horrifically oppressive government who subject their citizens to poverty and force 24 children and teenagers to fight to the death once a year. The fandom: "Gale Hawthorne is THE REAL VILLAIN of the story!! He is a narcissistic INCEL, and he murdered Prim! He absolutely knew how Coin was going to use the bombs! Not only that, but he actually stabbed Prim to death first, with his own 2 hands!! Forget that he made them with Beetee, Coin made the orders, and Plutarch followed them... IT WAS ALL THAT INCEL MONSTER GALE!!! He also did 9/11! Yeah, that was HIM!"

[ninjapiratelady]

Madge should have lived so that she and Gale could have had the best background haters to reluctant acquaintances to besties in denial to lovers relationship.

Then Katniss gets to have two people to talk to about her Peeta problems and when she's like "IDK if I love him 😕" and Madge just smiles cause yes, you do, but imma let you figure it out on your own time. And Gale just rolls his eyes and walks away cause ffs Katniss, you idiot, go get your husband.

And then Katniss, instead of having to deal with Gale's bullshit in MJ, she gets the pleasure of watching her besties fall in love with each other in real time and she's trying - horribly - to give them relationship advice. Also that one part where Gale's like "I think Finnick likes you" it's out of genuine concern and not jealousy and then Madge laughs her ass off cause "no he doesn't Gale, he misses his wife and she misses her husband and they're best friend bonding over shared trauma". After that, Gale's jealous of Finnick - not because he thinks he loves Katniss but because bro, that is MY bestie get your own.

Also, with platonic bestie everthorne, Prim's death is that much more heartbreaking. Now, instead of being someone that Katniss is mildly annoyed with consistently because she doesn't know if she loves him or Peeta, they're best friends. She tells him (and Madge) everything and she loves him (platonic). And then, she goes from having him as a constant to not being able to look him in the eye and being devastated knowing it wasn't really his fault but she can't seperate him from that event. They grow apart, and, by extension, so do her and Madge.

But because I like happy endings, Gale and Madge move to D2 and Gale tills part of their backyard so Madge can grow a garden and there's a whole section for strawberries. They get married and have a few kids and they're happy. And they make regular trips to 12 to visit Gale's family and also Haymitch (who has lowkey had a soft spot for Madge from afar her whole life because of her icon of an aunt).

It takes a few years, but Peeta and Madge meet each other at the bakery one day and spend a couple hours catching up. Peeta tells Katniss, who then (she denies it) comes with Peeta to the bakery "to help" (to maybe catch Madge). Madge comes by and they reunite and Madge speaks on Gale's behalf about how awful he feels, but she tells Katniss that she understands why she can't forgive him. They decide to remain friends.

The Hawthornes visit 12 a few more times before Katniss decides she's ready to see Gale again. They meet up (with their spouses in tow so they don't have to be alone) and he apologizes and she maybe slowly starts to heal a little more. As a little more time passes, she forgives him for something that wasn't technically his fault and they all become best friends again just in time for Gale and Madge to be the first toast baby's honorary aunt and uncle.

They all stay besties till the very end and their kids are besties and Haymitch is Grandpa Haymitch to the Hawthorne and Toast babies and they all live happily ever after the end.

[wlwocprincess]

You know the when it comes to the “demonized radical leftist freedom fighter that the narrative has chosen to turn into a villain (maybe they’re a terrorist? War criminal?) that makes the protagonist realize that radicalism can be Just As Bad but then chooses a way that’s easier and safer than Liberation” I’m surprised nobody has pointed out Gale Hawthorne. He’s this trope exemplified. Ppl will pick all these characters but Gale Hawthorne, probably because we have all sort of deluded ourselves into choosing the comfort of the easier and safer option that is so within the ending of these books, isn’t labeled this way which is wild. This is a poor brown character who we get to know really well throughout the first two books and because of how angry he is due to his oppression he quite literally ends up making Bombs that are used to kill children. And we just. Move on from that. Accept that’s just who he is now and that’s the end of his story as we know it. Huh.

[threestargirls]

if i had a nickel for everytime i was in a fandom where there was an indigenous character that was a side love interest and therefore hated on brutally, misunderstood by the fandom and then on top of that was played by a white man, i’d have two nickels, which isn’t a lot but it’s weird that it’s happened twice.

[bubblegum-hurricane]

I've literally seen mfs say that they hate Gale more than Snow because he's "whiny and annoying!" Yes, the literal teenager from a horrific and impoverished society is worse for being "whiny and annoying" (which most 16-year-olds are) than the wealthy grown adult with ultimate power is for inflicting that horror and poverty. 🙄

And of course, people cry: "He murdered Prim!" No the fuck he didn't! That was never his intention with those, and you all fucking know that. And what about the others who made those bombs? Beetee? I don't see any hate for them. 🤨

But for Gale, they froth at the damn mouth. "EVIL MONSTER, OMG I HATE HIM!!! #GALEHATE! ✌😘"

Thank God I've never had THG brainrot so I've been able to mostly ignore this Hellfandom over the years. 😒

[shmlnbstrcnd]

Every time I try to get into the Hunger Games again, I see how the braindead fans treat Gale and remember why I despise this fandom <3

[sabrinasfeather]

It’s 2024 and people are still blaming Gale for Prims death…

What about Beetee, who actually made the bomb? I don’t hear any one blaming him. You shouldn’t, but he’s more responsible than Gale is. What about Plutarch, who was the one who actually dropped the second bomb that killed Prim, assuming everything Snow said was correct. And of course, what about Coin, who gave the order to send medics, drop the bombs, and made sure Prim (A 13 year old child) was sent to an active war zone. The decision of the attack also happened when Gale, Katniss, and the rest of Star Squad 451 had no communication with the rebels, right after Gale was captured by Peacekeepers. He was in no way, shape or form, able to order a bombing at the Capital, nor would he have any idea Coin was about to bomb a bunch of kids and their own medics.

The only two people who should be held accountable for the deaths of the Capital Plaza are Coin and Plutarch. I love Gale, he’s not perfect and has his flaws, but he is not a child murder and he did not kill Prim. That’s all.

[sasusakucore]

RANT:

I hate how gale gets called 'prim reaper' in the fandom just because those bombs that killed prim might possibly made by him.

Firstly, we don't know that if those bombs were made by him or not, for all we know those bombs could be made by beetee or someone else(and only gale gets shitted on by the fandom for constructing weapons while no one shits on beetee for also making weapons and only gale gets shitted on by the fandom for being overly hateful and distrustful(and rightfully so)towards the capitol but no one shits on Johanna(and I love her alot) for literally wanting to have another hunger games with capitol children as tributes.

And secondly, even if he made those bombs, it wasn't his decision to drop it, it was coin's(so she should be called prim reaper not gale), and even if gale didn't built any bombs coin would have still made someone else to make the bombs,plus it's stupid to blame a person for someone's death just because they were the ones who built the weapon which was used by a murderer to kill the deceased person like no one in their right mind goes around blaming a person who made a knife for the death of person killed with a knife by someone else's hands. Gale didn't knew about coin's true nature and he might have built the bombs, which probably killed prim, with the assumption that she would use it on some peacemakers or mutts or capitol military and it equipment.

And even katniss didn't blame him for prim's death, she blamed only coin. Since prim is precious to both her and gale and her death caused immense grief to both(gale loves prim as a little sister since he took care of her when katniss was in the games and later saved her twice), katniss, understandably couldn't look at gale due to the bombs possibly being built by him and gale, understandably also couldn't face katniss due to immense guilt that those bombs might possibly be his creation.

[hamriceagenda]

Fanfiction sharing (Everthorne)

Ok so a few days ago I watched the new Hunger Games movie and I really had a great time! It reminded me of the good times when I was 13 and I read all the books.

I was always team Gale and well... remembering how Suzanne Collins got rid of him from the story at the end was not very pleasant.

I did what any adult would do and decided to deal with my depressed mood by reading some fanfiction with my chosen pair on Ao3.

And again...

Ao3 doesn't have much to offer when it comes to Katniss Everdeen/Gale Hawthorne, and I think I've already read what there was (it wasn't much😔).

Hence my request! If you are a member of the Everthorne/Galeniss club and you have some cool fanfiction to recommend, maybe alternative endings to the third book or an epilogue. Saved stories that are no longer available on the internet, interesting AU, anything really. Please let me know!

Either by providing a link in a comment or some other way. I can even share an email for sending some saved stories.

I'm counting on the help of fellow fans of this pairing! ☺️

[mega-ringsandthings-world]

Your take on Gale being a predator?

He isn't one.

[ninjapiratelady]

"GALE WASN'T THE RIGHT CHOICE FOR KATNISS BUT HE ABSOLUTELY WASN'T THE ENEMY!" I scream as I get dragged away.

[sasusakucore]

At first I didn't care much about gale yet I still found the hate against him to be ridiculous and after re-reading few things about him, gale is honestly is one of my favourite characters in the hunger games universe and it still baffles me how people demonize him to such an extent. Gale has his flaws and terrible moments but he is way more heroic and compassionate than any of his haters could be.

Things people forget about Gale Hawthorne:

He risked his life to go into the Capitol and get Peeta.

He risked his life to go back in District 13 to get Prim and the material belongings he knew meant the most to Katniss.

He played the ‘real or not real’ game with Peeta when he could’ve just walked away and let everyone else do it.

He gave his nightlock to Peeta and risked that if he was captured, he would be tortured.

He stepped in between Katniss and the people from District 13 so that Katniss could get away — and he got a bloody nose for it.

He kicked Boggs in the face so that he couldn’t stop him and Katniss from trying to fight back in District 8.

He saved as many people as he could from District 12 — including Katniss’ mom and Prim — and then watched his home burn to the ground.

He kept Katniss’ family alive while she was in the Games.

He helped train Katniss and Peeta before they went into the arena for the second time.

He held Katniss’ hand and was with her every step of the way when she had to go to the hospital in District 8 because he knew how much she needed him.

He went back to District 2 after the war to help clean everything up and rebuild the country.

He started taking care of three siblings and his own mother when he was 14 years old.

He worked in the mines — the place that killed his father — because he knew he had to in order to take care of his family.

He walked away when Katniss kissed him in District 2 because he knew she wasn’t really there with him.

He gave Katniss his food in District 13 because he knew she wanted it and more importantly, she needed it.

He decided to stay when the girl he loved asked him to run away because he couldn’t imagine not fighting in the rebellion he waited a lifetime for.

He made difficult decisions, sometimes harsh decisions, in order to win that resulting war. But he did it for people, to help people — the people the Capitol oppressed for years. 

He was a boy fighting a war, a boy who designed weapons to be used in a war. All he wanted to do, all he was focused on, was winning that war and changing the world for the people who starved and suffered and sent their children off to be murdered.

He walked away at the end of Mockingjay for Katniss. He walked away from the girl he loved because he knew seeing him would only case her pain.

[threestargirls]

“was i stupid to love you? was i reckless to help?” [no time to die, billie eilish]

my moodboard for gale hawthorne ♡

[bubblegum-hurricane]

For being readers, Gale Hawthorne haters sure have piss-poor comprehension skills. 🤔 🤷🏽‍♀️

[sabrinasfeather]

“How different can it be, really?” Gale says grimly.

I’ve seen a lot of people villanizing Gale for this line, some even going as far as to say they started hating him because of it. However, I think most people need to remember A) the context of this line and B) A conversation between Gale and Katniss in Mockingjay.

Katniss, Gale’s best friend, is going into a life and death arena that kills 23 innocent teenagers each year. Gale absolutely hates this, for hopefully obvious reasons, and is by no means encouraging the games. What he was doing with this line was giving Katniss advice to come out of the games alive. Gale knows she’s an excellent hunter, a very important skill for the games. By making her believe she’s hunting, she is in a better mindset to survive the games. He hopes his best friend can somehow beat the unlucky odds, and stays strong giving her advice. He’s not going to say “Oh this is gonna be awful! You’re going to have to kill people but you have to in order to survive. But best of luck no pressure!” No. He was just trying to give his best friend advice to win. If my best friend or someone very important to me was going into the games, I would’ve said the exact same thing that Gale did. Is it a good situation? Not in the slightest! But, if someone that important to me was reaped, I wouldn’t be talking about ethics, but rather, how they could make it out alive.

And, in this conversation in Mockingjay, we see that Gale didn’t believe in what he said.

“So, it’d be easy for you? Using that on people?” I ask.

“I didn’t say that.” Gale drops the bow to his side. “But if I’d had a weapon that could’ve stopped what I saw happen in Twelve…if I’d had a weapon that could have kept you out of the arena…I’d have used it.”

“Me too,” I admit.

So no, he doesn’t want to have to kill people. It wouldn’t be easy for him. But, if he had to stop the games, or to stop the bombing in district 12, he would. And Katniss, who knows what it’s like to kill people, agrees with him. She responds with ‘Me too’!

[sasusakucore]

I hate it when people reduce gale or peeta's character as just love interests. Like sure, they both love katniss so much they will risk their lives for her but their whole character doesn't revolve around her. Romance isn't the main theme of the books/movies(though it plays a part for katniss's development and that it shows an aspect of power of love).

So, let me get this straight. The main reason why Mrs Nina Jacobson feels sorry for Gale is because “the poor guy was strictly friendzoned for a whole movie, but now he can finally spend some time with his girl without having to be in a competition with her actual boyfriend 24/7”.

Uhm. Let me tell you a story, miss.

This boy you’re talking about has been fatherless and the only protector of his mother and three younger siblings ever since he was 13-14 years old. This boy has been breaking the law and putting his own life at steak every single day since his father died, in order to keep his family alive.

This boy’s name was on 42 slips at the Reaping, when he was 18. This boy saw his best (and only) friend enter the Hunger Games as a volunteer in the place of her sister, and could do nothing to help her, besides single-handedly providing for both hers and his family from then on. This boy spent whole days watching his best friend’s struggle to survive in the arena, knowing full well that every hour could be her last.

This boy saw the change upon his friend when she came back alive, but didn’t give up on her. This boy started working in the mines where his father died, so that his brothers would never put their lives at stake. This boy saw his brother sign up for Tesserae anyway, and couldn’t forgive himself for not being able to prevent this from happening, despite his best efforts. This boy devoted his only day off work every week to his best friend, trying to cherish what little happiness they could still get from their time in the woods.

This boy heard the girl he loved suggest that they should run away from the district with their families, but all he could think about was the helpless families they would leave behind. This boy was publicly whipped within an inch of his life for trying to sell a turkey that would feed his siblings.

This boy saw his best friend get reaped in the Hunger Games once again, and blamed himself for failing to protect her. This boy watched as his best friend entered a whole new arena, this time intending to die in it.

This boy watched as hundreds of bombs fell from the sky and set his town ablaze. This boy heard the screams of his district’s people, and tried to save from the flames as many of them as he could. This boy watched his home burn to the ground, every inch of it.

This boy is now homeless, and still trying to support his family, his best friend and what is left of his district in every way that he can.

….yet the thing that makes you feel for him most, is the fact that he “had to compete with another guy for his best friend’s attention”…..?

Okay.

(OH, and he’s “Katniss’ Dark Side”. Right. Totally.)