#hadley grace

[lighthousepigeons]

Lana, about to do something dangerous: Lmao, watch thi-

Logan, out of nowhere, using his stern voice: LANA!

Lana: -s prime example of making the right choice and walking away! Wow I sure love being responsible.

[high-risk-homosexual-behavior]

Omg! The Mindfuck Series was such a wild ride! It think this is my new favorite series. Anyway here’s my Lana Myers collage.

[not-alesha]

I don't see much of the Mindfuck series anywhere really. But when I do all is see is Lana on her own. And Lana and Logan. (Serial Killer and FBI Agent) And they're cute, I know. But I wanna talk about Lana and Hadley. Lana and Jake. Jake and Hadley. And some bonuses.

Lana and Hadley: Two kindred spirits who went through the same thing and when it came down to it, protected each other and kept the other safe. Each others Alibi and voice of reason.

Jake and Lana: Jake being Lana's non bio big brother for years. Practically since she was 5. He was her older brothers boyfriend but still loved her like a little sister. Lana's brother died, and he never left and protected Lana every step of the way and being the reason she didn't kill herself and her reason (other than revenge) to live. Him helping her with revenge and being her Alibi and was ready to die with her because he couldn't live without her.

Jake and Hadley: The girl who was traumatised by men and the boy who enver though he'd love again after his boyfriend died. Bisexual couple. The Hacker couple. Instantly drawn to each other the moment they met. When everyone thought Jake and Lana were dead, she never stopped looking for him. Other than Logan (who was like her big brother), he was the first man she trusted to get close to her. And to actually sleep with her.

Bonus:

Lana/Victoria and Marcus: Big brother and little sister. Who were both wronged by a group of people and all he wanted was for his sister to be alright, knowing he wouldn't make it, drove her to the hospital that would take care of her, not caring about his injuries but hers. She made it out. He didn't. And she carried revenge in his name with the help of Jake.

Marcus and Jake: Secret Lovers. Two who were wronged by the town. One was admitted to his love in public, and one didn't. Jake's biggest regret was not being public with Marcus, but Marcus loved him all the same, even in private. It was a first love. Intense but tragic.

[dulusionalapocaliose]

I desperately need crazy unhinged bossgirl woman and their pathetic man representation. And by that I mean intelligent, ambitious, unhinged, disgustingly educated but hyperfeminine, that knows how to fight magnifically and are mad science smart queens that would do what is needed to get what they want and need, and their husband/boyfriend supporting and following them around like lovesick puppies.

[allisluv]

hate hate HATE how much careers are forgotten.

finnick, annie, cato and clove get ALL the spotlight but i swear everyone forgets about:

enobaria

brutus

glimmer

marvel

cashmere (partly)

gloss

glimmer and marvel are only really mentioned in the clato fandom. i have seen cashmere in a fair few fics but not gloss. and enobaria does NOT deserve to be forgotten. everyone forgets that she held out and survived for so long in the 75th games and survived the rebellion, and her reward was to be a fucking footnote?

🟡 anon

and i think we forget how much trauma the careers went through too. why does no one talk about the fact they were basically brainwashed, and then won the games only to find out they were lied to their entire lives! my girlfriend and i are always talking about this so if you have any more thoughts i'd love to hear it!

[trckstaer]

˖ ⭑₊˚ Tag drop 5/8. Like this for memes from my lit muses ! Specify muse or I roulette you ! ( This is a clever ploy to retag everything but make the spam bearable )

[tngrace]

Family Vacation

This lil fic was inspired by a weekend trip we had and the fact that I just love writing for Grace's brother as well as this lil chaos family. I hope you enjoy it.

🏷: @mrsjaderogers @bayisdying @ladylanera @semperhuggs

Caroline was just over a year old when Grace got the idea for a family vacation. The twins were almost nine months and Hadley was four months so she knew everybody would be able to travel. She ran the idea through the wifeys group chat; they could go to the beach for a few days and then there was going to be some racing at Charlotte. While she'd just seen her brother for Caroline's birthday, it never felt like long enough. Plus she hadn't seen him race in ages, and while she knew his girls usually weren't at the track with him and she missed them terribly, she thought it would be a fun time.

She found some rooms in Carolina Beach that weren't too over the top price wise since it wasn't peak summer yet being they were going the first of May, and while she knew all her pilots would complain about flying commercial, they'd just have to get over it. No way were they driving across the country with four kids. She found flights into Wilmington and secured rental cars as well. She also went ahead and booked the flights to Charlotte and got tickets to the dragstrip event. They were only going to be a few miles from her hometown, so she thought it'd be nice to show everybody where she came from. She was so excited for this trip, and she was very excited to surprise her brother.

The beach was a blast with the babies. Caroline loved the water, the sand not so much. Marcus and Nathaniel loved the sand, and even tried eating it much to Alana's dismay. Hadley was still too little to really enjoy it, but she loved laying on any one of her favorite adults and watching the kids. Jake, Bradley, and Mickey had a blast taking Caroline and the boys into the ocean while the girls suntanned and rested. It was so relaxing to just be away and enjoy the time together.

They spent four days in total there, with plans to come back or explore one of the other Carolina beaches for a longer trip. The fifth day they flew into Charlotte, and drove down to Grace's hometown. It was a small town on the outskirts of Charlotte, but it was close to the dragstrip and speedway. She showed them around, showing them her grandparents' house where she grew up even though they'd sold it. They even swing by the cemetery so Grace can leave some flowers and introduce Bradley and Caroline to her grandparents. In all, they only spend a couple hours in the town before heading north into Concord to their room for the weekend.

Friday they explore Concord, and everybody grabs some more souvenirs and mementos to remember their trip by. They don't stay out too long during the day because of the race that night. They want to give the kids enough time to rest and nap before a late night. Grace ends up napping with Caroline because she knows these events can go late into the night, especially if Kevin is winning.

They get to the dragstrip a couple of hours before the actual racing starts so they have time to walk through the pits and explore all the cars. She's hoping it will give her plenty of time to see Kevin too. She doesn't know for certain he'll be there as they hadn't talked about it last time they talked, but Grace is almost positive he will show up to race. She knows Charlotte's dragstrip will always be one of his favorite places to race since that's where he started.

The later it gets, the more nervous she gets that she drug everybody here for nothing. It was getting close to the end of tech and test and tune and her brother still wasn't there, despite her having seen a few of his Florida friends when they walked around. She left Caroline with Bradley and promised everybody she'd be right back; she had to see if they knew if he was coming or not. She just hoped they would remember her since she'd only met them a couple of times.

They were working on their cars, a crowd of people surrounding them. She knew their YouTube channels really brought in the crowds. She edged over to the side and called out to the one closest to her. "James!"

His head jerked up and looked in her direction. She gave a little wave and pointed at the shirt she had on which was one of Kevin's. "Grace?"

"Yea," she smiles when he recognized her. He let her under the rope and over into their circle. "What are you doing here?"

"Came to surprise Kev. I've got my husband and daughter with me and some friends and their kids. We'd been at the beach and I figured he'd be here when I heard about the race so we thought we'd surprise him. Except.... he's not here yet."

James looks around because Kevin had told them about the event. "Hey Ty! Yall heard from Kev?"

That gained everybody else's attention and they all noticed her. She was swarmed with hugs and welcoming greetings. "He called a few hours ago said he was still a couple out. Should be here soon."

"Thanks guys. I'll keep an eye out."

"Wait wait wait I think that's him," James smiled turning you towards where Kevin's truck was pulling in.

"Let me go get my girl."

"Bring her back here. We'll film it. His face is gonna be priceless."

"Thanks guys," she smiles. After collecting Bradley and Caroline, everybody else is gonna trail after once the video surprise is over, she returns to their tent. They had their cameras and go pros ready for different angles. Bradley tucked behind the tallest guy, which surprisingly had a couple of inches on him, while Grace carried Caroline behind James.

Kevin was unloading the car, so it ended up being the perfect setup. "Kev we have a surprise for you!" James called out once the car was beside the trailer.

"Oh yea? What now?" He chuckled as he slid out of the window. He noticed them all filming and his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Surprise!" Grace squealed stepping out from behind James. Caroline was giggling and clapping even though she really didn't know why until she saw her uncle. Kevin's face was priceless and he easily took Caroline and pulled Grace into his arms for a hug.

"What are you doing here?" He asks her as they pull back from the hug.

"Figured you'd be here. Wanted to surprise you. We took a mini family vacation out to the coast and then came back this way to watch you race."

"Well you got me but....." he knocked on the side of the trailer and the side door opened revealing his three girls. "Surprise back!"

"Auntie Grace!" Grace had an armful of two girls while Sam jumped straight into Bradley's arms.

"You've got the girls?!"

"Sure do. My week so we're gonna have some fun at the track."

"Well this is a nice surprise," Grace smiles as Cara reaches for Caroline. She had a feeling there was some drama there, but she'd get it out of him later.

Everybody with cameras peeled off promising to send the footage over. Kevin gave Caroline to Cara but stayed close. Her baby ear muffs made her look adorable, coupled with her baby Kevin racing shirt and Kevin loved it. The rest of the gang joined yall by Kevin's car, which the boys absolutely admired. Kevin easily took Hadley who smiled at him and gurgled happily, as he walked around the car with Bradley, Jake and Mickey. Jake was pushing the twins in a stroller and they just wide-eyed looked at the car.

The girls talked a mile a minute to their aunt, Baylie and Alana, since they hadn't seen her since Christmas, their mom not letting them come with Kev for Caroline's party. "We actually have one more surprise," Grace smiles catching Kevin's attention once they're done inspecting the car. They'd not told him at Caroline's party wanting to wait until they knew what they were having to tell him since he couldn't be at their gender reveal.

That catches Kevin's attention. Mickey takes Hadley back as Baylie and Alana covertly grab their phones to film and take pictures. Kev easily takes Caroline from Cara when she reaches for him once more as he gives his sister his full attention. "And?" He asks when she drags out the silence to drive him crazy.

She turns sideways and tugs her shirt a little tighter around her. "Read Caroline's shirt." On the back of her shirt it says "Uncle Kev’s fav until my little brother arrives."

His eyes snap back to hers and then to her belly. "Seriously?!"

"Yea. It was a surprise to us too," she laughs. Kevin pulls her in for another hug as they explain to the girls their getting another cousin. The girls are all excited, but Kevin finally breaks them up. "As much fun as this has been, I've gotta go make a pass before the tune session is over."

"Be careful," Grace says as Bradley takes Caroline and the girls go with them back to their seats. Kev's first pass isn't the greatest; the track prep wasn't the best and he spun as soon as he took off.

"Ouch," Sam sighed seeing her dad's time. At eight she understood more about racing than most adults. The perks of being her daddy's little mini me.

"Daddy won't like that," Ava sighed after Sam explained it to her.

Grace couldn't help but giggle. "No he probably won't sweetheart, but it'll be ok."

"Uncle Bradley can we go back to Daddy?"

Bradley hides his smile at Sam's request and nods. "Yep come on racing princess. Let's go see what he's going to do to fix it."

Grace slipped Caroline into her carrier and they headed back to the pits. Racing would start in the next fifteen minutes, so they decided to let the twins run off some energy by Kev's trailer while he worked on his tune. Hadley had already snuggled into Mickey's chest in her carrier and fallen asleep. Ava ran around with the twins, making sure they didn't fall or get hurt; Cara stayed glued to her aunt's side, while Sam watched over Kevin's shoulder everything he was doing.

Once the racing actually began, they went back to their seats. Sam wasn't happy about not going to the staging lanes with Kev, but she ended up with Bradley's attention so she was happy. Grace smiled just watching them. It had already been the best night, no matter what happened with Kev's racing. She managed to ask someone near them to snap a picture of all of them.

After Kevin barely wins the first one, the girls walk back over to the pits, leaving the boys to watch some more racing. The twins are fussy, so Alana pushes them around getting them to sleep while the girls congratulate their dad. He takes Caroline once more, while he works on the tune a little more. Grace can't help but snap a pic of the cute scene. Caroline is almost asleep, her little head laying on Kev's shoulder as he just works away.

All four of the babies end up falling asleep before Kev's next pass. Mickey and Bradley take Hadley and Caroline in their carriers so Baylie and Grace can have a break. The twins are sound asleep, laid back in their stroller. They decide to stand on the fence to watch the next few passes, and once again Kev gets the victory, putting him into the final. There wasn't as many cars there that night, so they had shorter rounds. Kev easily sails to victory in his class, and the girls are so happy for their dad. Since the babies are asleep, they decide to stay for the winner's circle so Grace can grab some pics for Kev and with his girls.

They make plans to meet up with Kev and the girls in the morning for breakfast and to spend the day together. They have a late flight that night, in the hopes the kids will sleep through it, so they have all day to spend. Since Kev won Friday night, he decided to skip the Saturday passes and spend the day with his family. Overall, it was one of the best vacations any of them had been on in a really long time, and they were all looking forward to the next one, maybe even to Florida that time.

[gracie-bird]

Princess Grace of Monaco receiving an award of honor "for her deep interest in the education and welfare of visually handicapped people everywhere" from Dr. Richard Kinney, 45, assistant manager of the Hadley School for the Blind in Winnetka, Illinois, at Monaco Palace on May 30, 1969. Dr. Kinney lost his sight at the age of seven and became deaf at 20.

[lost-in-beacon-hills]

Agreed.

its interesting to me how katniss clocked cato and annie specifically as having mental illness but since cato was the one actively trying to kill her/having emotional outbursts in the arena fandom writes him as the dangerous person he is, while with annie since katniss wasn't scared of or threatened by her fandom saw fit to infantilize her and treat her like she's some meek incompetent inarticulate child who can't do anything for herself or without finnick

[lighthousepigeons]

Lana, holding up her leg: Feel my leg, I shaved.

Hadley, gently stroking: So soft.

Logan: Guys, we're being shot at this isn't the time.

[7s3ven]

… [ MASTER LIST ] ༊*·˚

“ he hit me & it felt like a kiss 💋 ” - ultraviolence, lana.

↓

who i write for ,

Harry Potter - Slytherin gang (fancast too), Golden trio, Tom Riddle, Cedric Diggory

Hunger Games - Cato Hadley + The Careers, President Snow, Peeta, Finnick O'dair

Maze Runner - Minho, Thomas, Gally

Percy Jackson - Luke Castellan (<3), Percy Jackson, Clarisse La Rue, Stoll brothers, Jason Grace (<3)

Avatar - Jake Sully, Lo’ak, Neteyam, Tsireya, Aonung, Quaritch, Recoms

Miscellaneous - Gilbert Blythe (AWAE), Tristan Dugray (Gilmore Girls), Hannibal Lecter, Tim Bradford (Rookie)

Call of Duty - Simon Ghost Riley, Kyle Gaz Garrick, John Price, John Soap Mactavish, Philip Graves, Kortac (coming soon)

˗ˏˋ ´ˎ˗

HARRY POTTER…

HUNGER GAMES…

MAZE RUNNER...

PERCY JACKSON...

AVATAR...

CALL OF DUTY…

[shinyhappysims]

Alright besties, a new gen has begun so you know what that means. It’s family picture day! If you want an idea of how good Jamilah and Niran were at indoctrination, only 3 of their children have children, their oldest child has only been married for 8 years, but they already have almost 13 grandchildren. Today’s update will be from Jamilah’s pov, with a few interjections from me. Despite how much she thinks she knows everything, she in fact does not. Enjoy!

Hello to my SISTERS in CHRIST! I have been active on this blog for MANY years so I think it would be a great idea to INTRODUCE my FAMILY to you ONCE MORE!

My name is Jamilah (49) and I have been married to my WONDERFUL HUSBAND Niran (54) for 30 years! We have been working DILIGENTLY together to lead the people of TOMARANG to Christ! We, along with a few of my cousins, established a church here that has nearly 100 MEMBERS! Our work is not finished, however, until EVERY knee in Tomarang bends to the Lord!!!!!!!

God has blessed Niran and I with SEVENTEEN children! Out of them, 10 still live at home with us: Blessing-Belle (21), Angel-Gabriel (17), Andrew-Redeemer (15), Heavenly-Rose (14), twins Disciple-Phillip and Noble-Peter (11), twins Mark-Patriot and Liberty-Sue (10), Kathryn-Praise (7) and Hallelujah-Mae (5). Every day spent with them is a TESTAMENT to God’s GRACE! Also, if you know any ELIGIBLE young men please direct them to my DEAR Blessing-Belle.

My OLDEST SON Arrow-Michael (30) is married to Kanyawan (31), with whom he shares 6 BEAUTIFUL children: Baifern (7), Pimnara (5), twins Cherprang and Adisorn (4), Navin (1), and Kannika (0). Arrow-Michael works hard as a police officer here in Tomarang, while Kanyawan does her DUTY of homeschooling Baifern and minding after the little ones! I am very TOUCHED to see my son life his live in a way that is PLEASING to Christ and continue to pass these TEACHINGS onto his children!!

My second son Courage-John (29) is married to Kimber (27) and has 1 daughter, Darcy (3) and just welcomed his NEW BABY BOY Wilder (0)! Courage-John resides in NEWCREST and works as a journalist for a CONSERVATIVE news outlet. The work he does is very IMPORTANT in a world that values the WOKE AGENDA and suppresses the VOICES of us GOD-HONORING Simericans! I have noticed that Courage-John and Kimber have ABANDONED a few values that they were raised with but they are STILL strong in the faith. I hope they do not waver much more!

The “wavering” in question is that Kimber now wears pants sometimes and they pop out kids at a slightly slower rate.

Honor-Luke (27) is married to Kimber’s IDENTICAL TWIN Lauryn (27)! They have 3 children: Lincoln (4), Hope (2), and Hadley (6m). Lauryn is also currently 3 months along with TWIN BOYS! They also live in Newcrest and Honor-Luke works in the tech industry. Like Arrow-Michael, Honor-Luke takes great PRIDE in training his children up in God’s Word and keeping GOD as the head of his household!

My FOURTH born and ELDEST DAUGHTER Glory-Jane (25) is STILL missing! I PRAY for her safe return!

Janie lives happily alone in San Myshuno, working as a model and actress. She’s booked and busy and never coming back lol.

Emmanuel-Paul (23) lives with his wife Desta (23) in Sulani. I did not FULLY approve of their relationship, so I don’t have as much CONTACT with my SON as much as I would like!!! Emmanuel-Paul is a marine biologist and APPARENTLY Desta works OUTSIDE THE HOME as a lifeguard. If a woman MUST have a career, I find GALLAVANTING around the beach in a swimsuit to be a DEGRADING one, but it seems her HEADSHIP has no problem with it. From the FEW conversations I have RECENTLY had with Emmanuel-Paul, he insists that God has laid it on his heart to not have children until he and Desta were more “STABLE”. There were certainly days where Niran and I were short on FUNDS or PATIENCE but that’s why we TRUSTED in God!!!! I hate that my son doesn’t see children as a BLESSING but rather as a BURDEN!!! While they don’t have children, they do raise a CAT together. I’m SORRY I can’t RECALL the little one’s name right now. A cat isn’t a replacement for a SOLDIER in God’s army anyways!

The cat’s name is Piccolo. She’s so insufferable. And I don’t picture these two having kids at all actually, or at least for the next 10 years. They also aren’t religious anymore. Saying that God laid something on his heart was just Manny’s way of getting Jamilah to not question it.

Blessing-Belle’s TWIN Mercy-Marie (21) just got married to Emery (22) in a GORGEOUS ceremony in San Myshuno. They are heading to their honeymoon in TARTOSA soon! Emery and Mercy-Marie both have their own ONLINE MINISTRIES catering to men and women. I know from EXPERIENCE that it’s a beautiful thing to SPREAD the word of God as a COUPLE.

Then there’s Sunday-Grace (19). She ACTUALLY still lives with us but that’s not for long as she’s ENGAGED to Cameron (23). Cameron does the online ministry ALONGSIDE Emery. Sunday-Grace is excited for the move to San Myshuno and to be entering the HIGHEST CALLING for a woman: a housewife and mother!

[allgirlsareprincesses]

Love At First Sight (2023)

Okay, we’re going to talk about the new Netflix romance directed by Vanessa Caswill, Love At First Sight, because I’m seeing almost no chatter about it and that cannot stand. Full disclosure, I’ve never read the book on which this movie is based, The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, so I’m reacting only to the film (which I’ve now seen 4.5 times in 2 days).

The Surface Reading

It’s a perfect, tight, adorable little RomCom that’s heavy on the Rom and light on the Com, with a wrenching dash of angst and the most hair-twirling chemistry between two leads that has graced our screens in years. Truly, if all you want is 90 minutes of two actors being saccharine precious cinnamon rolls, look no further!

There are simple takeaways here, like that chance can only take you so far, but in the end you have to choose to love. Or that change and loss are part of life and you can’t run from them. Or that London is a massive labyrinth of eccentric people that probably looks 400% cooler onscreen than it is in reality (I wouldn’t know, I’ve never visited, so this and the 90s Parent Trap are the extent of my knowledge about the city, sorry).

Anyway, I adored how straightforward the story was - that the narrator (played brilliantly by Jameela Jamil) tells you directly in the first two minutes that it’s a story about love, fate, and statistics. She then repeatedly describes every development as it is happening, the characters’ histories and internal monologues, and all the context you need to follow the thin but fast-paced plot. The writing, performances, and production design are all solid, allowing the audience to get lost in the romance as it unfolds.

BUT if you’re slightly unhinged like I am and you’re always looking for more layers in your media, HAVE NO FEAR! There is in fact more going on in this little movie than you might expect.

Color Theory

For starters, the use of red and green in the film is fascinating. Yes, I realize the action of the story takes place a few days before Christmas, so you might assume it was just a seasonal aesthetic choice, but if you look closer, you can see very carefully selected shades of red and green repeating throughout the film. The red is a cool, deep rose color, sometimes pink, while the green is cool and dark, like oxidized bronze rather than emerald. Further, while they appear over and over, these hues are rarely used in a purely decorative or festive way. Instead, they play a role in the separation and coming together of the couple. On a color wheel, red and green are complements, perfect opposites that are never adjacent but always joined in the middle.

The title card during Hadley’s introduction is literally a green stripe over a red stripe, then the hallways of the airport are green, and of course Hadley’s ever-important backpack is a rosy red. As the couple grow closer on their flight, the light turns pink. Once in London, a green van takes Oliver one way while a red taxi takes Hadley the other. At her father’s wedding, Hadley is dressed in red (“the color of a bruise” she calls it), contrasting beautifully against her green jacket. Upon realizing Oliver’s true purpose, she chases after him on an iconic red double-decker bus. Meanwhile at the living memorial, Oliver’s father is dressed in red while his mother wears a faded green, as if to say she is already beginning to fade away. The event is decorated with green drapery and streamers, and there are even stacks of red and green chairs in the stairwell where Oliver begs his mother to receive treatment.

Hadley gifts her red and green bouquet to Tessa, and when she is driven away, a green-clad narrator returns the red backpack to Oliver. Wandering London alone, Hadley exchanges her painful red heels for a pair of green trainers (“sneakers!” she insists), and tries to call her dad first in a red phone booth and then on a phone from a stranger sitting in a cluster of red chairs. Finally, Oliver chooses to pursue Hadley to the wedding reception which is lit in pink, and where they finally share the long-awaited kiss.

There are many more examples, but in general we see that green indicates separation and loss, while red symbolizes joining, intimacy, and (what else?) love! It lends the film a gorgeous, subtle aesthetic without being garishly festive, and shows the lovers’ emotional journey from lonely childhood to vulnerable, loving adulthood.

Death and Rebirth

Speaking of which, there’s plenty of rebirth imagery too! When Hadley and Oliver meet, they are both still children, struggling with the impending loss of parental security through divorce and death. Thus, when they board the plane, it is as if they enter an underworld or womb, separated from their families and remade as new adults. They emerge on the other side into a hallway (read: birth canal), as each must still confront their own dying childhood before they can join as full and equal partners. Hadley journeys to a bright, red-strewn celebration of life, while Oliver must enter a dark green commemoration of death, his fear driving him deeper to hide in another hallway. Here his mother comes to find him, begging him to emerge into life, but Ollie still can’t confront her death alone.

Thankfully, Hadley travels to this underworld to find him, bursting into the memorial like a bright red flower. Even the bruise metaphor works, acknowledging the pain they are both experiencing at the changes in their lives. But Oliver still refuses to face his fears, trying to take a shortcut around death to life with Hadley. Still, she knows he’s not ready (likely because she’s not yet, either), and gently pushes back. And so, Oliver returns to the underworld, and Hadley walks off alone until she descends barefoot through a soggy riverside tunnel (birth canal again!). Finally, she calls her father and admits she is “lost.” When he arrives, Hadley at last gathers the courage to ask why he ended their old life, and to tell him how much it hurt her. But as Oliver predicted, she forgives her dad and even begins to accept his new bride.

Back at the memorial, Oliver is reminded by Hadley’s red backpack - his unaddressed emotional baggage - to be honest about his pain. In at last openly mourning his mother and his own childhood, Ollie takes a step into adulthood, just enough for his family to nudge him that extra bit to go after Hadley. And so, the family delivers him to his bride, who has meanwhile learned to dance again, even through her heartbreak. With one last confession, the two consummate their love with a kiss, bathed in pink light before an open door.

Happily Ever After

There’s so much more, with the hand-holding, numbers, Shakespeare, Dickens, the music, and beyond, but the point is that this cute, charming little romance is actually very deliberately constructed. It follows timeless patterns and motifs which we instinctively understand through visual and auditory language. And the narration plays a huge role in this as well, not unlike the prologues and epilogues of the Bard’s plays in that they state the story’s lessons plainly: that we cannot always be prepared for unwelcome surprises, but that we can make the choice to love every day.

Anyway, Vanessa Caswill deserves all the flowers and if you haven’t seen her gorgeous adaptation of Little Women (with all due respect to the marvelous Greta Gerwig and Gillian Armstrong), please do yourself a favor and watch that after you finish this!

[ruewrote]

𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙 𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑠.

PAIRING: cato hadley x fem!reader WARNINGS: no use of y/n GENRE: fluff SONG INSPIRATION: distorted memories by Øneheart WORD COUNT: 1k REQUESTED: yes

navigation | ask | the hunger games masterlist

the dim glow of the training center was both a place of fear and fascination. you were from district 5, a place known more for intelligence than brute strength, and that’s what you relied on here. your wits, your ability to read people.

you weren’t the strongest, but you were smart, observant, and you knew how to stay hidden when needed. that’s why, as you watched as the careers boast and show off their physical prowess, you stayed quiet, unnoticed. but someone did notice you.

cato.

you felt his eyes on you as you moved through the agility course, slipping through the ropes with a quiet, lethal grace. at first, you thought nothing of it, just another career sizing up the competition, but the next day, during weapons training he came over, tossing a heavy sword aside and grabbing a smaller knife instead.

“district 5, huh?” he said casually, twirling the blade as though it weighed nothing.

you glanced at him, trying to read his expression. it wasn’t like the other careers’ cocky or menacing glares. his eyes were sharp, curious.

“yeah and you’re from 2,” you responded coolly, matching his intensity.

he smiled, just a flicker of amusement in his usually hard gaze. “smart and quick. i’ve been watching.”

the compliment caught you off guard, but you weren’t going to let him fluster you. “and i’ve been watching you. you swing that sword around like you own the arena.”

“i will,” he smirked.

for the next few days, you found yourselves crossing paths more often. cato seemed intrigued by you. unlike the other tributes, you didn’t try to join the careers immediately or seek anyone’s approval. you trained alone, silently observing, but you couldn’t deny there was something magnetic about him. he was ruthless, yes, but there was more to him, a sharp mind behind all that muscle.

one day, during a break, he came over sitting next to you without a word. after a long pause, he glanced sideways at you.

“why haven’t you tried to team up with us? you’d be an asset,” he asked, breaking the silence.

you shrugged, keeping your tone neutral. “i don’t need anyone. but that doesn’t mean i’m not paying attention.”

he chuckled softly, leaning in a little. “you’re different from the others. i like that.”

when the games finally began, you found yourself separated from cato, surviving on your own as you had planned, but eventually, circumstances led you to the careers. they needed someone clever, someone who could outthink their opponents and you needed protection, at least for now.

though you were part of their group, things with cato were different. the other careers respected him, followed his lead but with you, there was a strange unspoken bond. he watched your back, ensuring that no one in the group turned on you, and in return, you offered strategies, pointed out details they might’ve missed, ensuring your collective survival.

the capitol noticed, of course they did. they were always watching and soon, the audience was enamored by the subtle but undeniable connection between you and cato. the two of you, from districts so different, somehow forged a bond that wasn’t just about the games, it felt real. your conversations were brief but meaningful, stolen moments of quiet between the bloodshed and chaos.

you’d talk late at night by the campfire, your voices hushed so the others wouldn’t hear.

“you’re always thinking, aren’t you?” cato asked one evening, his voice softer than usual, eyes on the flickering flames.

“someone has to,” you teased lightly, playfully nudging him. “you do the muscle work, i’ll handle the brains.”

he chuckled, but then his expression grew serious. “when this is over… when one of us wins… what do you think will happen?”

you didn’t have an answer. for the first time, you weren’t sure.

as the numbers of remaining tributes dwindled, it became clear that things weren’t going to go as planned. katniss and peeta had drawn attention with their star-crossed lover story, but you and cato had something different, an undeniable chemistry that wasn’t for show. the capitol loved it. the audience was fascinated by how you, from such different districts, had managed to connect.

and then came the final announcement.

“in a stunning turn of events, due to popular demand, there will be four victors of the 74th hunger games!”

the arena exploded in chaos. the careers turned on each other, but in the end, it was you, cato, katniss, and peeta standing as the final survivors. the capitol was thrilled by the drama and romance and couldn't resist the twist. they declared all of you winners.

you had survived the arena, against all odds. but now came the real test, life after the games.

after the victory tour, you and cato stayed together. your bond, forged in the games, only grew stronger. the capitol celebrated you both as a couple, and when the victory tour reached district 2, cato introduced you to his family.

district 2 was nothing like your home. it was hard, structured, and focused on strength and military power. cato was proud to show you where he came from, guiding you through the stone paved streets as people stared, recognizing their district’s victor and the person he had brought back with him.

when he introduced you to his family, you were surprised by how fast they warmed up to you. his mother embraced you tightly, whispering how glad she was that you were there, how she had noticed the way cato looked at you during the games. his younger siblings were in awe of you, asking you a hundred questions about the arena.

later that night, as you stood on the balcony of cato’s home, looking out over district 2, he slipped his arms around your waist, pulling you close.

“thank you,” he murmured, resting his chin on your shoulder.

“for what?” you asked softly.

“for being here. for surviving. for being with me,” he said, his voice low, filled with so much emotion it made your chest ache.

you leaned back into him, feeling the steady beat of his heart against your back. “i’m not going anywhere,” you whispered.

and for the first time in a long time, cato smiled, a real smile, nothing but hope for your future.

comments and reblogs are appreciated ˗ˋˏ ♡ ˎˊ˗

© ruewrote 2024.

[vague-humanoid]

Two years ago, workers from several different Trader Joe’s grocery stores joined the wave of unionization efforts spreading across the country. Workers in Hadley, Massachusetts, made history in 2022 by not only becoming the first Trader Joe’s store to vote to unionize but also by opting to form an independent union, Trader Joe’s United (TJU). However, like with Starbucks, Amazon, Medieval Times, and other companies where workers have been exercising their right to organize in recent years, rampant union busting has been part of the Trader Joe’s story from the beginning. What’s worse, as Alex Press writes in Jacobin, rather than be compelled to follow the law and play by the rules, the supposedly progressive grocery chain has joined Elon Musk’s SpaceX in attacking the very constitutionality of the National Labor Relations Board. What is the current state of the union drive at Trader Joe’s? What issues are employees (“crew members”) still dealing with on the job, and what can supporters do to help? In this episode, Max speaks with Alec Plant, a worker organizer at the Lincoln and Grace Trader Joe’s in Chicago and a member of Trader Joe’s United.

[allisluv]

Do you think Cato would end up like Annie if he won his Games?

tw: suicide mention

oh my god ive never thought about this. in some ways, i do reckon he would have ended up like annie but it wouldve probably been internal rathern than external. if i'm being a hundred percent honest, i don't think it would've ended well for cato. i think behind his cocky persona he was terrified. i don't think he would've dealt with the guilt very well and i do think it would've ended in him taking his life :((