#like what I'm trying to say is that peeta is his favorite in personality but in case of who he protects more?

[districtscare]

this is the offspring of this post and i think about haymitch showing up for katniss and peeta because they're his success story, the closest thing to kin, etc. and how he goes to great lengths to be there for both of them through the entire trilogy without pause; even if it comes with snark, sarcasm, dismissiveness and even what feels like betrayal. but clearly highlighted through just about every step of the way is his constant favor for katniss, even underlying self-loathing is tied to it.

she is his star pupil, the girl on fire, she is the mockingjay to him long before she knows it herself. with every sharp jab and cut in her direction, he returns it to himself. it is the product of them both being mirror characters, doomed to be aching and grieving, but forced to climb out of that grief to find hope's gift.

haymitch doesn't show the same sentiment of attention for peeta as he does katniss. it isn't because he underestimates him — he very much knows what peeta is capable of, but he doesn't share the same fire, he does not burn a path of rebellion the way that katniss does. even with his acting in the interviews, it cannot go hand in hand with every moment that katniss acts, katniss fights. haymitch definitely likes peeta, appreciates the good in him that others do not possess, but he is not the focus and he is always to come second, even if he is likeable, even if he's a reminder of all of the good.

because behind him is the reminder of a girl that perfectly reflects him. and more often than not, they hate each other for it. but more plausible than that, it is her greatest attribute.

[hungerhutch]

LUCKY

Peeta Mellark X AFAB!reader

Summary: you're worried about him during the quarter quell

Tags: fluff, slight angst, insecure little Peeta baby😔, kissing, one or two innuendos, three uses of y/n, established relationship (your in Katniss's place, obvi)

wc: 3.134k

Notes: there is definitely not enough Peeta fics!! I'm also working on a hijacked Peeta fic based off of one of my favorite songs! (idk when I'll finish it). Enjoy! also reposting this since it flopped

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It had been three hours since Peeta hit the force field and Finnick had to resuscitate him.

You have been keeping a frantic eye on him, just in case there was another deadly object he wants to bump into (silly lil Peeta. You can’t take him anywhere fr fr). 

“y/n- I swear I'm fine. You don't have to keep watching me.” Peeta mumbles and glances at you.

“I know, I'm just scared.. Maybe you shouldn’t be so clumsy.” you tease, trying to calm some of your nerves.

“Ok, ok. I get it. I thought everyone knew I was the weak one in the alliance.” he chuckles and shakes his head.

 “What do you mean? You’re not weak, Peeta. You won the games.” you look at him and raise your eyebrow.

“Are you sure? I won the games because of you. I was just.. Lucky.” he looks back at you and shrugs.

“Lucky? Peeta, I’m the lucky one. We probably wouldn’t have made it together if you didn’t find those berries.” you sigh and scoot closer to him. He wraps his arm around your shoulder and squeezes you gently. “y/n.. Just because I found some berries, doesn’t mean I’m not weak. I’m just a baker.. You deserve someone who can take care of you.”

You gently grab his chin and turn his head to face you. “But you can. You’re the only person I feel safe with. And I like that you’re a baker. It makes you more adorable.” you giggle softly and stare into his eyes. 

“You’re just saying that.” he blushes faintly and rolls his eyes playfully.

“No, I'm not.” you brush away a piece of his hair and shake your head.

He smiles at you and wraps his other arm around you.

You rest your head in his lap and lean against him, smiling back up at him as he strokes your hair. 

“So it's true. I guess the ‘star-crossed lovers’ are actually real.” Finnick snorts, nudging Johanna next to him.

“Isn't it obvious? I thought it was hilariously clear when she started whaling on him and shouting at all of us after his heart stopped.” Johanna laughs, nudging him back.

“I thought she was gonna start punching me after i gave him mouth to mouth.” He laughs with her, glancing at the two of you.

“‘Peeta! Peeta! Omg Peeeetaa!!’” Johanna mimics you, laughing even harder with Finnick.

You glare at them and sit up from his lap. “Do you two ever shut up?”

“Oh please, we all know how you got that ‘baby’ inside you.” He grins and wiggles his eyebrows at you.

You roll your eyes and scoff. “You two make me sick.”

“Whatever, lover girl.” they laugh again and walk back over to the rest of the group

You sigh and lean back against him “I can’t stand them sometimes.” 

“Me either.. I just wish they would give us some time to ourselves.” he mumbles and kisses you on the forehead. 

“‘Wanna go for a walk? For a break?” you smile and raise your eyebrow

“Yeah, why not?” he smile back at you and stands up

“Hey ‘love birds’! Come back with another bun in the oven so we can get some sponsors, eh?” Finnick shouts and laughs harder. 

“Don't make me shoot you!” you shout back and grab his hand as you head deeper into the jungle.

You lean against a tree next to him and rest your head on his shoulder. “I miss home so much. I would do anything to have your cinnamon buns one last time before my stupid inevitable death.”

“Cmon y/n, you’re not gonna die. I’ll make sure of it.” he strokes the side of your head with his thumb. “Once we get home together, I’m gonna make you your own batch.” he chuckles and pecks the top of your head softly.

“Peeta, you know it's practically impossible to get out of this together, right?” you glance up at his face and smile sadly.

“I know, but I'm willing to risk those odds. I’m sure I'm lucky enough” he smiles back at you and moves his hand from your hair to your cheek.

You grin and pull him into a soft kiss. Not a forced one, for the cameras or for the capitol. A real kiss. 

“you don't have to kiss me if you don't want to.” he says after you pull away.

“I know.” you nod and kiss him again.

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[buffyspeak]

In the quiet that follows, I try to imagine not being able to tell illusion from reality. Not knowing if Prim or my mother loved me. If Snow was my enemy. If the person across the heater saved or sacrificed me. With very little effort, my life rapidly morphs into a nightmare. I suddenly want to tell Peeta everything about who he is, and who I am, and how we ended up here. But I don't know how to start. Worthless. I'm worthless. At a few minutes before four, Peeta turns to me again. "Your favorite color… green?" "That's right." Then I think of something to add. "And yours is orange." "Orange?" He seems unconvinced. "Not bright orange. But soft. Like the sunset," I say. "At least, that's what you told me once." "Oh." He closes his eyes briefly, maybe trying to conjure up that sunset, then nods his head. "Thank you." But more words tumble out. "You're a painter. You're a baker. You like to sleep with the windows open. You never take sugar in your tea. And you always double-knot your shoelaces."

[a-aexotic]

literally anything angsty with peeta PLEASE IM BEGGING (happy ending maybe)

your ask is command<3, i hope u enjoyed it!

cw's: normal thg stuff, not exactly canon!au, descriptions of ptsd, anxiety attack, killing, and a small kiss at the end<3

The war had ended for the country, but it certainly hadn't ended for you and Peeta. Years of trauma certainly wasn't going to end just because the rebels had finally won. It felt like the war had ended for everyone except you and Peeta.

Peeta was supposed to be happy that Snow was dead. Peeta thought that after they had won, everything he'd endured would melt away. Oh, how wrong he was.

They had won the war externally, but internally, he was still fighting with his inner demons. Sometimes Peeta felt like they had truly won the war because they're dead - they didn't have to deal with the consequences of their actions, it seemed like Peeta was enduring them instead.

He couldn't even rest without getting flashbacks of the war.

You were downstairs, getting everything ready for dinner. Today had been one of the best days you and Peeta have had since after the war. It'd been months and everyday felt like a battle of it's own for you and Peeta, flashbacks haunting you both.

But today, you both awoke with a somewhat fresh attitude. Today was the first day of spring and the birds outside were chirping, the air was getting warmer. The snow melted as well as your negative attitudes.

You and Peeta had both awoken with a smile on your faces; Peeta had slept through the whole night without a single nightmare. It was the first peaceful sleep he'd gotten since, he doesn't even remember.

You were making dinner, humming peacefully as you saw the sun was setting. You were making Peeta's favorite dinner in honor of making it a whole day without a single interruption.

Then, as you were setting up the table, you heard a big loud crash upstairs. Your fight or flight was suddenly activated, and your heart started beating fast. You had started breathing heavily and you felt as though you were back in war.

Your mind was racing with flash backs and you don't even know how, but suddenly you were on the ground of your kitchen, staring blankly as you muttered incoherently to yourself.

You were back in the arena and the boy from District 3 was on top of you, trying to stab you and your chances of surviving were becoming slimmer and slimmer until you grabbed a rock and smashed it across his head.

His body was rigid for a second, his eyes blank. His face drained from pale to grey right in front of your eyes and you saw the life trickle out of his eyes.

He dropped on you, his head head laying right beside you as the blood starting getting on your face and body. He weighed so much, you couldn't get him off of you.

You heard the canon, and the smell of it right after. You were frozen in fear, shaking.

"Y/N!" Peeta saw you sitting on the floor and he ran next to you, putting a hand on your knee. He studied your face; it was blank, no apparent emotion on your face.

You were rocking back and forth and Peeta realized that you were having a PTSD flashback. He'd never seen you in such a state before; you were usually the strong one. He felt his heart break before you as he held your hand; he could only imagine how you were feeling right now.

As soon as his skin touched yours, you jumped in fear and started to cry. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I had to! I had to kill you, I'm sorry!"

Peeta's hand left yours and then he suddenly remembers how he found you once the announcement that two victors could be crowned.

A boy that was easily 2x bigger than you was laying on top of you, dead and you were frozen in fear. He helped you get the man off of you and you hugged him for what seemed to be hours, crying into his chest. He was the only person you had purposely killed.

"Y/N, can you hear me?" Peeta says, his eyebrows knitted in concern as he stared at you. He didn't want to touch you because that wouldn't help and would only make it worse.

Your breathing had became normal again and your shaking had slowed down, you could hear him.

"It's not real, baby, you're safe. You're home. You're okay. It's over."

Your vision was blurry but you could now see Peeta right in front of you. As your vision cleared, you started to cry even more. You immediately grabbed and embraced Peeta in a tight hug, sobbing into his shoulder as he whispered calming sentences to help you calm down.

"Oh, Peeta." You cried. "I-I was back there, back in the arena and-and he was on top of me. Oh, I could feel him on me. His d-deadweight on me, and I-" you couldn't even finish the sentence because of how panicked you were.

Your eyes were red and puffy and you were shaking; Peeta hadn't seen you this distraught since the war had ended. "It's okay, you're safe now. You're here with me and I will never let anything bad ever happen to you again, okay?"

Peeta couldn't bare watching you in such a state of panic knowing he couldn't take it all away. "I've got you now, baby."

"It was going so good, too. I thought we'd finally healed from it, Peeta. We're never going it heal." You had whimpered into his shoulder.

He shook his head. "No, don't say that. We're healing. We've... We've gotten better, okay? We've had no nightmares today and only one flashback. You couldn't say that two months ago, right? That's progress."

You sniffled and you understood what he was saying. He was right. You nodded slowly.

Peeta put his hand on your face and you looked up in his eyes. He smiled at you and then leaned in, planting a soft kiss on your lips.

"I'm so grateful for you, Peeta. I don't know what I would've done with you."

Peeta was genuinely happy to hear that. No matter how many times you'd said it, it never loses it's effect on him. "Me, too, love. I love you."

You leaned back into his warm embrace as he rubbed your back comfortingly. "I love you, too."

[stop-talking]

So I guess I should do an intro post / fanfic masterlist

Hi.

• I'm 20 yrs old, she/her, and obsessed with Josh Hutcherson. (Mike & Futturman especially have my heart)

• I'm new to writing, but I read like crazy and spend 90% of my time daydreaming up little stories about my favorite characters. Just using Tumblr as an outlet to get those little stories to the world.

• Feel free to request any fanfic related to a jhutch character. I'm most comfortable writing for Mike, Futturman, and Derek, but I'm willing to try to write for other characters. (Minus Peeta. Thinking about the Hunger Games makes me unreasonably sad & I'm not sure I know his character well enough to do him justice.)

My Works

╭── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──

✩ Mike Schmidt:

You're his ex, but he's desperate for a babysitter. (18+)

Exactly what it sounds like. His babysitter goes missing, but he can't leave Abby home alone. Unfortunately, he's broke as fuck, and can't afford to pay someone to watch her. So... he calls you. He'll endure your bitchy attitude and relentless teasing if it means his sister will be safe. Somewhere along the way, endure turns to enjoy.

Fem reader; 10k words (total)

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

No Abby, we're not getting ice cream.

Silly little one-off about the average shopping trip for Mike and Abby. He's just trying to get things for dinner, but Abby has other plans. Just Mike being the single mother that he is.

Mike's POV; 1.2k words

Read here

Open wide (18+)

Mike hasn't been to the dentist since he was a kid, but with his new job, and health insurance... he really has no excuse not to. One problem, though. He doesn't remember the experience being so... erotic? Is he insane, or is the attractive, young, dental assistant... hitting on him?

Gender-neutral reader; 2.8k words

Read here

Sleepless Nights

Abby is sure something's up with her brother. He's always been tired, sure, but ever since the events at Freddy's... well, he's gotten a lot worse. The stubborn man won't let her help, so she convinces him she's the one in need of comfort.

Abby's POV; 500 words

Read here

Gender-neutral reader; 2.8k words

✩ Derek Danforth:

So I'm stuck on this shithole island, and I can't even have a smoke? (18+)

You're hired by his mother as a last resort to try and get him sober. Alone with just him for three weeks, your job is to rehabilitate him.

Unfortunately, Derek sees you as his personal chef, maid, and whore. You flat-out refuse at first, but well, after so many days of only interacting with each other... The lines are a little blurred. something-to-lovers. It's complicated.

Fem reader; 22.9k words total (so far)

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 (Part 8 coming soon)

Derek sending you nudes while you're at work (blurb) (18+)

Read here

Older; not Wiser (18+)

Derek isn't the type to entertain 20-year-olds. Really, he's not. That is, until one falls right into his lap. Literally.

You're just so sweet and fun, how could he ever dream of saying no when you ask him to show you a good time?

Part 1 (Part 2 coming soon)

fem reader; 2.5k words

✩ Josh Futturman:

Win for me ♡ (18+)

You're tired of your boyfriend paying more attention to his stupid game than you. So, late one night, you take matters into your own hands. Literally. Hopefully his little gaming buddies don't mind hearing him moan into the mic...

Gender-neutral reader; 2.3k words

Read here

✩ Clapton Davis

Saturday School

(Request) "Imagine listening to music with Clapton while in detention... like sharing earbuds with him while y'all sit in silence. Then a cringe song comes on at the wrong time LMAO"

Gender-neutral reader; 2k words

Read here

╰── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──

[dr4wingfranciss]

"Gale is worse than Snow", "Prim Reaper", "Gale didn't love Prim", "he was just trying to separate Katniss and Peeta bc he's a asshole"

okay, i'm gonna hold your hand while i say this:

Gale Hawthorne, as much as he was annoying, an idiot, and often acted like an asshole, was a literal fucking WAR CHILD.

he grew up only knowing that the Capitol and President Snow were the ones causing pain across Panem, and keeping the Games going even after it was stablished that they were no longer a punishment to the districts but a mere entertaining show. The only thing Gale knew was that he was angry and that his best friend was willing to die just so she could spare her sisters life. He was inspired by Katniss' actions, and tried his best to protect her family while she was out in the Games.

he loved her in a very VERY toxic and possesive way, that will always be something i will NEVER excuse, and he hurted a lot of people with his inability to put his emotions into words, but he was still going to support Katniss and the revels. Gale was ready to put all of himself so the rebellion would succeed, and Panem will finally be free.

he despised Peeta, yes, but it was because of simple and pathetic childish jealousy, not because Peeta ever did something to him. They even would get along if needed, and respected each others opinions and points while discussing important topics. They weren't each others favorite person, but they were mature enough to try and "get along". I mean, do we all remember that Gale went on a mission to RESCUE Peeta?

and, the biggest mistake Gale ever made was to drop those bombs. Or at least, help create them.

i believe it is never implied/said that Gale knew that Prim would be there. He new the paramedics would be, so they could attend people's wounds, but we don't know if he was aware of the fact that Primrose Everdeen, the girl he saw grow up, that he protected like she was his own little sister, the girl he took care of when her big sister went to the Hunger Games just so she could live and then came back, the girl who was sweet and took care of others in a motherly way nobody else in Twelve seemed to be, would be there.

As much as i hate and can't stand Gale, i will never, under ANY circumstances, believe that he would EVER be okay with "dropping" a bomb over Prim. He would "drop" it over Capitol children any day, (which i believe is so fucked up i can't even put my disbelief into words) but Primrose Everdeen would remain untouched.

or at least that's what i think he thought.

if you are thinking this is a Gale defending post, and that i am a Gale Hawthorne apologist, you are absolutely wrong.

never in my life you would catch me excusing and trying to mend a FICTIONAL character's actions, but i will try my best to explain them. I've seen some justified hatred towards Gale as a character because of his actions, but it's more the amount of hatred i've seen from people that think Gale is redouced to a annoying bitch who just wanted to get with Katniss and who didn't care about her.

a) that shows me the amount of media literacy you have (none).

and b) you are just hating on him for the sake of hating, not for VALID reasons.

hating Gale because of his toxic behavior, his problematic ways of dealing with tense situations, and how he acted with other people are VALID reasons, but hating him because he was mean to Peeta, wanted to get with Katniss and killed Prim "in purpous" is perhaps the stupidiest shit i've ever read. Stop watering down COMPLEX and MORALY GREY characters just because of their superficial mistakes/actions.

[twirlingsmilingwriting]

Hunger Games Men as Taylor Swift Songs

Idk if this is kinda odd to post but I'm a person who loves music and every song I listen to paints a scene in my head and I've been getting super into hunger games lately so a lot of the songs I've been listening to have reminded me of the characters. Specifically, my delulu self can imagine being in certain romantic situations with them based on the situations happening in these songs. For the sake of continuity, we will use songs from Ms. Taylor. I wanna write little one shots inspired by these situations. I already wrote the Snow one today so maybe I'll continue.

tldr- these are Taylor swift songs that reminded me of what it might be like to be in a relationship with these characters.

Peeta Mellark

Jump Then Fall- Taylor Swift, Fearless

"The bottom's gonna drop out from under our feet, I'll catch you"

Honestly I was thinking 'Mine' at first but I felt like Peeta HAD to have a song off of Fearless. He is the human embodiment of sunshine to me and Fearless as an album is gold, bright, and holds a theme of puppy love throughout it. All of those things just SCREAM Peeta Mellark to me. 'Jump Then Fall' is a song that is relatively vague in terms of story telling lyrics but it is about loving someone and being happy just to see them happy and wanting to be there for your partner no matter what. I feel like Peeta is that kind of ride or die lover. Even after the capital had brainwashed him into hating Katniss he still found his way back into loving her again anyways. He is a lover you can trust. He truly would stick through it all so it's okay to 'Jump Then Fall'.

(Story Idea: Kinda toying with a cute little fluff where the reader and Peeta are going swimming at a lake or something. I have another idea for him too but it's apart of the Finnick X Reader X Peeta story I'm theorizing)

Gale Hawthorn

Better man- Taylor Swift, Red

"But your jealousy, I can hear it now talking down to me like I'd always be around you push my love away like it was some kind of loaded gun, you never thought I'd run."

Firstly, Red is my favorite album. Sorry had to get that out of the way. Gale honestly, ugh there was so much potential here. I think as the movies progressed he started to lose his empathy and grew a more selfish shell. Better Man really reminds me of what Katniss might have been thinking with him. He would've been the one if he was a better man.

(Story idea: reader contemplating their relationship with Gale a month or two after the break up and reliving the memories of the past that are gloomy and haunted over by the fact that, Gale really wasn't ready for a relationship. They ponder over things until coming to the disheartening conclusion that brought them to breaking it off in the first place, it really could've worked out if he was a better man.

Also possibly a part two of that with a tooth rotting fluff about Gale going through some character development and becoming a better man and then they get back together)

Finnick Odair

Starlight- Taylor swift, Red

"He said "Look at you, worrying too much about things you can't change, You'll spend your whole life singing the blues if you keep thinking that way"

Ahehehe Finnicks my favorite. It was hard to pick just one for him but I went with Starlight because he is just such a charmer. Starlight is a song about a whirlwind sort of romance where you are at a party and doing some silly things and you're falling in love. I can totally imagine this happening with Finnick. You meet at a capital party, run off together and start creating some chaos and fall in love. There's specific lines that remind me of him like the "he was trying to skip rocks on the ocean saying to me, "don't you see the starlight"". I could totally see Finnick doing that and just truly being a charming man and finding those little bits of joy in the messed up life given to him. I could see this also being a sort of sheltered reader and it being their first party and he helps them loosen up and have fun.

Honestly, its hard for me to pinpoint just one song for him because so many remind me of him so here are some honorable mentions.

Holy Ground- Same kinda vibe as Starlight

Forever Winter- he has trauma and I can help him. Ours- Finnicks Reputation makes your family question if you should be with him but you know him truly and they can't take whats ours

Mine- A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK THIS ONE BECAUSE OF THE "I remember we were sitting there by the water" line but the rest of the song doesn't fit him

Paper Rings- They wanna get married but Finnick can't because of the capitals uh plan with him so they have a little ceremony with just themselves and some friends and paper rings before the events of Catching Fire and then they decide to run off to district 13 to be together for real

Coriolanus Snow

Tolerate It- Taylor Swift, Evermore

"I know my love should be celebrated, but you Tolerate it"

honestly this was the one that inspired me to do this post. I already wrote this story because I CANT HELP MYSELF! This song was playing in my car after I watched tbosas and it was just painting this whole picture of how the person Snow ended up marrying after Lucy Gray must have felt. I'm pretty sure there was that line in the book too that was talking about how Snow never wanted to fall in love again because he felt so out of control and how he would marry someone he didn't love so that he never had to feel that way again. it was something like that. So Tolerate It sounds like the total POV of his next partner. The song itself is about a relationship with a power imbalance where the person singing the song is giving their absolute all for the love, affection, and praise of their partner and their partner gives them nothing in return. The term "Tolerate It" also is insinuating that the person the narrator is in love with is mildly annoyed with the things the singer is doing for them. They simply deal with it but are never impressed and that just gave me snow vibes.

LET ME KNOW IF I SHOULD SO A PART TWO WITH OTHER CHARACTERS (recommendations open :') ) OR OTHER ARTISTS. I listen to all genres fr.

Thank you for readings and let me know if you liked any of the ideas I suggested and if I should write them!

<3

[petruchio]

I'm loving the love that the "If what, Katniss?" line is getting!! I still feel butterflies everytime I read that.

And like, maybe it's late and I'm going a little insane but, throughout the series it's mostly Peeta being open about his affections towards Katniss and waiting (that's definitely the wrong word for this but I can't find the right one) for her to allow him to get closer. To want him to get closer. His earnestness is, in many ways, what keeps both of them alive for so long

I think it was @rosegardeninwinter that, a few months ago, talked about how Peeta always waits for Katniss to initiate affection first. He usually follows her lead, what she's comfortable with, what they agreed to, etc

Again, maybe I'm insane because of the late hour but like: isn't that what makes him start to slowly come back in Mockingjay? Like. He is "waiting" for Katniss to lead the way again, to show him what he used to do, to remind him of himself.

And then, right before the "you're a painter, you're a baker" line she's desperate. She wants to tell Peeta "everything about himself, about who I am, and about how we both ended up here" (I don't have an English version on hand so it may be a little different but anyways)

And later she immediately trashes around in her mind at the mere Idea of killing him.

She kisses him "don't let him take you from me".

"Stay with me".  "Always." And his eyes return to a state of normalcy

Am I reading too much into it?

YES!! one of peeta’s many dream boyfriend traits that often gets lost in his PALE IMITATORS is that he is just like, genuinely respectful. sure, he has a crush on katniss and he thinks she’s great and all (she is! dont we all love her!) but he also respects her boundaries (WHEN SHE SETS THEM) and makes it clear that he respects her more as a person than he does as an object of love.

one of my favorite peeta scenes is his apology in the beginning of catching fire — bc again to return to our discussion from earlier, he honestly DOES know to some extent that katniss wasn’t faking the whole romance. but he’s hurt by a combination of her claiming that she was, of her thinking he was dumb enough to fall for it, and her keeping secrets from him. (all valid!) yet he STILL goes out of his way to apologize and propose that they just try being friends, bc he values her in his life as a *human being* and wants to be close to her again without the confusion and complications of their “star crossed lovers” bit. LIKE come on! he’s a dream.

i’m intrigued by the idea that he’s “waiting” for her in mj — bc i feel like it’s a bit of yes and no. i think you’re right that a lot of what jump starts his fighting his way back to her are moments when katniss lets him back in: the painter moment, the always kiss, etc. like — when he first arrives back and she’s cold to him and she says “everyone says i loved you” but STILL refuses to admit it could be true, he makes no effort to refute that or to be kind to her. so in that way yes, he is waiting for her to open back up — it’s haymitch saying “peeta would never treat you this way” that triggers katniss to start softening to him, and you’re right that’s when he starts to come back to himself. and then she escalates things from there — the real or not real scene, touching his hair, the kiss.

but i also think peeta is trying to fight back on his own terms! like how he frosts finnick and annie’s cake or his “valuable asset” joke in mj when katniss notices him sounding like his old self. i think a big part of what makes peeta’s recovery so spectacular is that he does it at all, and i think a big part of that is HIM — his refusal to be a “piece in the games.” but then to your point… it’s what katniss reminds him of in the “don’t let him take you from me” line. so it’s both — but that’s very *them* — they’re helping each other, they’re inspiring each other, they’re building a future TOGETHER and that’s what makes them so special. ugh they have my whole heart forever!!!

[katnissdoesnotfollowback]

Since you're on a 9000 RPM answer kick right now, I'm so curious...

Peeta, knowing that Katniss was married, showed up to the race with parts for Katniss' car.

Was he hoping she was divorced? (Possibly having heard her name announced at the track as 'Everdeen'?) Or was my mans just so unbelievably still thirsting over her that he was willing to risk it all?

This is a question I prefer to answer with a few scenes from Peeta's pov rather than trying to explain it. Hope you enjoy!

<3 kdnfb

“You’re shitting me, right?” Peeta asks and glances to his left, pushing his body closer to the wall and the pay phone he’s using so an old man can get past him to the bathroom.

“I wouldn’t shit you. You’re my favorite turd,” Levi retorts. Peeta would laugh at the joke, since he walked right into it, if what his brother just told him weren’t so fucking ridiculous. “It’s the best we could do. Mom and I don’t have time to sit around Capitol, waiting on a bus, and I’m not asking Leah to do it. She’s got enough on her plate with the kids. This was the best we could do.”

“I get that,” Peeta says and shifts his frame again as yet another person excuses themselves to get by him. This pay phone is horribly placed, he thinks with a frown. “It’s just… really?”

“Think of it like you parked it at the bus station and just left it there… without stealing it.”

“Does it at least have gas in it?”

“Didn’t look,” his brother says and Peeta bites back a curse. “Keys are in the glove box.”

Peeta opens his mouth to ask what the fuck he’s supposed to do if someone realizes between now and then that the truck is unlocked and steals it, but there’s a loud crash and the sound of a child screaming.

“Fuck. I gotta go. Call us when you get to Capitol.”

The line disconnects and Peeta snaps his mouth shut. Then hangs up the phone with a little too much force. He listens to his change dropping down into the reservoir and clenches his jaw, breathing deeply a few times before he turns back around and returns to where he left his bag by the diner counter. His burger has arrived and he sits down to eat, keeping one eye on the bus terminal across the way to make sure he hasn’t misjudged the timing and gets left here without enough cash to buy another ticket home.

He swallows and rinses the food down with a coke. Barely flicking a smile and a “Thanks” at the waitress when she brings the check. When he’s done eating, he feels like a dick for leaving the tip almost all in change, but at this point, it’s better to assume that he’s going to need the bills he has left to put gas in the truck. It’s highly unlikely Levi thought to leave their dad’s old truck at the bus terminal with enough gas for Peeta to get home.

He doesn’t miss his bus, and even though the seats are still as uncomfortable as they were on the first leg of this trip, he manages to get some sleep. Probably because he’s just so damn tired at this point.

The bus driving over a speed bump and jostling violently enough to make a few of the passengers cry out is what wakes him. Peeta rubs the sleep from his eyes and blinks through the tinted windows at the eerily familiar bus terminal in Capitol City. It’s like he never left. He’s pretty sure he recognizes some of the graffiti on the wall and there’s still trash caught in the grass and weeds growing up against the chain link fence. 

Thankfully though, there are no flat tires on the truck. It hasn’t been stolen, and his brother left half a tank of gas. It’s enough, barely, to at least get him in the right county. He’ll probably still have to stop for gas somewhere around Seam.

The thought makes him pause, mid action while he’s pulling on the seatbelt. Maybe he should stop here for gas, he decides. Not that he thinks Katniss will still be in Seam, Alabama. But he’s paid attention to the new drivers in Tribute League every year and still hasn’t seen her name. Not as Katniss Everdeen, and not as Katniss Hawthorne.

He finishes buckling and drives off the lot, finding a gas station before heading towards the interstate. The drive goes by faster than he’d expect or want, dreading his return home. And that goes much as he’d expect, too. His mother gives him a perfunctory hug before telling him supper will be ready in a few minutes and she left clean sheets on for him on a bed upstairs but she didn’t have a chance to make it. 

He drops his bags in the old room he used to share with his brother and stares at the makeshift cot his mother set up for him, shoved against the wall. A set of clean, folded sheets sitting on top with a lumpy, stained pillow. Most of the room is taken up with several tables covered in craft projects at various stages of completion. Macrame, ceramics, mosaics set in stepping stones, jewelry and wind chimes. 

Well if he’s staying, he’s going to need his own place, he thinks with a wry twist of his lips.

The next few days are about as bad as he expected them to be. His last Baja check arrives, less than he was hoping for because he had to bow out before the season was over. He discovers just how fucking uncomfortable sleeping on a rickety old cot can be.

And he has to be present at his father’s funeral. Which he has nothing appropriate to wear to and has to borrow clothes from Levi, including a tie he has no idea how to tie. In the end, his brother ties it for Peeta, in brusque movements while they stand outside the church and his brother berates him for everything from his shoes looking scuffed to the fact that he never learned how to tie a necktie.

Somehow, he manages not to laugh or snort or scoff when anyone talks about what a great man his father was. A devoted husband and father. Eventually, he just stops listening and bows his head, hoping his body language can pass for contemplative rather than annoyed as fuck.

But eventually, the old bastard is in the ground and Peeta is somehow the one his mother holds onto as they walk back to the cars. Her heels keep sinking into the grass, so they have to walk slowly. By the time they make it to the house, his brothers are already hosting the guests, accepting casseroles and other assorted food. More condolences and thoughts on how much Bobby Mellark will be missed.

Unable to handle it a second longer, Peeta makes sure his mother is established on the sofa with a drink and then retreats upstairs. He shrugs out of the borrowed sports coat and yanks off the borrowed tie. Kicks off the thrift store dress shoes and flops onto the cursed cot to stare at the wall and ignore the murmur of voices and weeping from downstairs.

Eventually, he falls asleep and wakes up with a crick in his neck. He stretches and changes into jeans, surprised to see that it’s still light outside before heading downstairs.

“Oh good. You can help me get all this mess in the fridge,” his mother says and Peeta falls in, covering the dishes with foil or plastic wrap according to her dictates and finding places for everything in the fridge, all while his mother sits at the counter talking to her good friend, Francesca Cartwright, and sipping on cheap wine.

When he’s done with that, he finds Donald Cartwright in the living room, kicked back in his dad’s old recliner and watching a baseball game. Without a word, Peeta slips past him, out to the garage where he yanks on his boots and grabs his tool bag, tossing it in the truck before driving off.

He has no set plan except away. He’s been aimlessly driving around town for almost an hour when it occurs to him what he really wants to do. It somehow feels fitting. The only right thing to do after burying his father.

Stopping at an auto parts store, Peeta grabs an assortment of parts. He doesn’t want to consider what it means that almost everything he grabs works for a Chevy. He blows the last bit of his cash on the stockpile and throws up a silent thanks that Donald agreed to hire him on full time, starting Monday next week. At least he’ll make this wad back.

As he drives to the track just outside of Seam, he kneads the steering wheel and tries to calm the nervous butterflies crashing around his gut. He has no way of knowing if she’ll even be there. If she’s even driving tonight or if Gale is. Or maybe he’s missed her rise entirely. 

And if she is there, what is he going to do about it? She’s married. He’ll probably wind up just watching her and feeling like a schmuck who lost out. Although there is a part of Peeta that’s morbidly curious to see her with Gale. To see what exactly he lost out to.

By the time he makes it to the track, he’s convinced himself that this is a form of closure. A full circle stop on his journey of escaping his father’s fists and his drunken diatribes against Peeta’s worthlessness. Because Katniss was the first person he met when he ran away from home. And she was the first person who made him feel significant, valuable, wanted, even loved, if only for a night.

He parks in the grass field and leaves his tool bag in the truck. Pays for a ticket and finds a seat just as they’re announcing the lineup of drivers. He spots her car within seconds. Still looks the same except more beat up and worn a little more. In desperate need of a paint job. He waits as the names go down the list.

“And number twelve, Katniss Everdeen!”

Everdeen?

He claps, but he’s one of the few in the stands who does. By the time they finish, Peeta’s still mulling over the name. Then again, maybe Katniss chose not to change her name, he reminds himself. It’d be seen as odd around here, but it’s not impossible. He rests his forearms on his thighs and leans forward to watch the start. Within a few laps, he’s smiling to himself. Damn, she’s good. 

Not quite as improved as he would’ve expected after five years, but it’s a thing of beauty, watching her maneuver her car around the track, into tight spaces most would flinch away from to pass the other drivers. 

She does take a few hard hits, and when the race ends with her in fifth place, Peeta spends a few minutes debating. After all, she did say that she and Gale take turns driving the car. If it’s her night to drive, Gale would likely still be here as her pit crew.

Unless he’s not. He wasn’t here the night Peeta first saw Katniss drive.

Finally, he caves. Grabs his bag from the truck, tossing in a few spare parts he thinks she might need based on the way the car looked and sounded to be handling on the track. He heads towards the pasture that serves as a pit area and finds her pretty fast. She’s still driving her dad’s truck. That’s another sign in his favor, Peeta thinks as he approaches.

She’s got the hood of the car propped up and is staring into the engine bay with annoyance. She’s still so beautiful it makes his heart ache over what could have been. If he hadn’t been running from his father. If he hadn’t been desperate to get away. If he hadn’t already signed a contract in Levi’s name with the baja team. If if if what if.

She doesn’t look that different. More filled out in places. Her hips definitely look wider and curvier and he’d be lying if he didn’t admit to having a few x-rated thoughts when he notices. Her hair is braided back again, a few wisps escaping in the humid air, a few sticking to her face and neck with perspiration. The tank top she’s wearing is old and worn enough that he can see the outline of her bra and the ring of sweat stains under her arms.

As he gets closer, he can hear her muttering.

“Obstinate no good hunk of junk. You just remember that Rodney got replaced by Rhonda the pitbull and she just had puppies. I can sell you to the junkyard and the whole litter will piss on you.”

In that moment, he knows. He’s exactly where he’s supposed to be tonight. Even if she’s married still. He’ll be able to take this one perfect moment home with him tonight and live off the memory of her like this for another five years.

“Still bad mouthing your baby,” he says and her entire frame goes completely rigid. Does she remember him? He pokes to see if she does. “She’ll never purr for you if you threaten her.”

Katniss whirls around, a dark glare on her face. His smile wavers and he hesitates at the naked fury… and fear? That he sees in her eyes. But his father was probably right about how dumb Peeta is, he thinks, because he still opens his mouth and keeps talking.

“I half expected you and Gale to be on the NASCAR circuit by now as a kickass husband-wife duo.”

“Life didn’t turn out that way. Yet,” she says and he nods. He can understand dreams taking longer to achieve than you expected, after all. “How was baja?”

So she does remember. He works hard not to grin at her for it. “Great.”

“So why’re you here?”

“Missed home after all.” She stares at him, her piercingly gray eyes making it clear she doesn’t believe him.  So he shrugs. “And my dad died, so I was expected at the funeral.”

“Well, sorry for your loss,” she says and turns back to the car.

“Don’t be.”

He can’t leave, although he probably should. Before her husband shows up and kicks his ass. If he were her husband, he’d kick his own ass for the things he’s already done to her. The things he’s imagined doing to her. Just for having the audacity to approach her five years after making love to her followed by five years of nothing. But he can’t leave, so he moves to stand next to her, keeping his eyes on her and greedily searching for any kind of sign that she might still want him around or be interested in him. For a moment, for forever.

She crosses her arms over her belly and seems to shrink in on herself. The motion is so unlike the girl he remembers that it catches him off guard. Maybe she’s afraid of what will happen if Gale shows up, it occurs to him. Although that thought enrages him, he tries for a light tone as he pries.

“So should I scram before your husband welcomes me with a shotgun?” She snorts and looks over at him with a scowl. Only it’s less fierce this time.

“I could use a mechanic. But I might not be able to pay you,” she says, and they’re the best words he’s heard in a long time. His smile feels inevitable. Uncontainable. But he still doesn’t know about Gale.

“Same deal? And maybe watch my back so I don’t get shot.”

“Gale won’t be here,” she tells him and then waves towards the race car. “Alimony, you remember Peeta. Peeta, this is Alimony.”

He whistles and sets his bag down, trying not to break into a celebratory dance. It’s probably awful of him, being glad she’s divorced, but on the same token, she’s still a kickass driver and a gorgeous woman. Any sane man would be crawling on hands and knees for a chance with her. “No offense, but you got screwed.”

“In more than one way,” she mutters. He doesn’t comment on that, because how her marriage ended is none of his business… yet. But he grins as he digs the spare fuel line he bought tonight out of his bag.

“I brought something with me. Just for you.”

“A brand new fuel line. Got a radiator hose in that bag of tricks, too?”

“Glad you asked,” he says and produces that too. She smiles at him and his heart starts doing cartwheels. Coming here tonight, he decides, was the best decision he’s ever made.

“You sure know how to spoil a girl.”

[lemonluvgirl]

What's the reasons you ship Everlark? Please tell me all things you like from Katniss and Peeta ❤

Thank you.

@everlarkshipper

Ok first, I like their relationship because Katniss is written as a real girl with real problems. I like that Peeta is also written as a nontypical romantic lead. Katniss' relationships with the men in her life are complicated, and of course there's the whole symbolic thing with peace (Peeta) and vengeance/retribution (Gale) that Collins tried to convey, but honestly the only person who seems to understand that Kantiss is struggling too much with everything to even consider a relationship during all the shit she's going through, is Peeta Mellark.

I mean, just gets her you know. They've been through hell and yeah he thought they had fallen in love, but he realizes that they were both trying to survive. And he tells her she saved them and she doesn't owe him her feelings or her heart in book 2.

(Ok, yes, the dude does have a small pity party after the train tracks scene at the end of book 1. But I don't even think that Katniss is the main reason for that. I think she's the catalyst. Losing his leg, and surviving a gladatorial contest to the death where he had to fight other kids his age, and genetically engineered monsters, and losing his sense of identity and security, was most likely the MAIN reason he pulled back from everyone and everything during those 6 months before the Victory Tour.)

But he came to terms with everything and became the friend Kantiss needed.

Tell me what person out there is willing to say, yeah you know what, after everything we've been through it sucks that you don't feel the same as me, but I'm willing to work with you to save the lives of our families and we can still be friends. I'm not gonna hold it against you because we're both in this shitty situation and I'm gonna make the most of it, for both our sakes.

Peeta is just so aware of the stakes, and the effect that holding onto pain and anger has on a person. Even when Katniss hurts his feelings, he still doesn't let it break him. That is something I admire.

And Katniss, for as much as she denies it and lies to herself she's just totally gone for Peeta. From Book 1.

She knows he's her kryptonite. His kindness, his overall nature just gets to her, gets under her skin and her defenses and she is literally willing to KILL with a capitol MURDER anyone who tries to hurt Peeta or take him away from her.

There's this one line in a fanfic, one of my favorite Peeta POVs, where Peeta talks about the moment he realizes Katniss has feelings for him after they kiss on the beach in Catching Fire.

So, this is what it means to be loved by Katniss Everdeen. It is to be protected and covered with every inch of her life.

I think that sums it up for me about why they work together. Because Kantiss is the consummate protector/provider for those she loves and she says things in her actions that she could almost never say with words. And Peeta understands this in a way others don't. He SEES her. He leans to speak Katnisseese.

And he appreciates her. In a way Gale really doesn't because Gale needs the validation of her words, and needs Katniss choosing him over everything because to Gale that's what love is. All or nothing.

But for Peeta love is like the rest of the world, its like people, imperfect and complicated, it comes in all shades and all colors. Its precious and valuable even if its platonic. Even if its not exactly what he wants, he still sees the goodness and value of being in a relationship with Katniss, without romantic feelings, because HE loves her, unconditionally. Its doesn't matter if she returns his feelings because he doesn't need her to love him back romantically for their love to be validated. Its just is. Its its thing that doesn't need labels, or ultimatums, or a dramatic confession to be real. They care so deeply for each other, in so many ways, that its more than just a plain love story.

It transcends that. It's what two people who would lay down everything for the other looks like. Its deeper than what your normal two 16 year olds experience. Their love is refined in the fire, to bring in some biblical imagery. Their hearts are purified by the crucible of the Games and the countless tests and trials they endure, and they come out the other side, broke but pure. Burned but reduced to their core elements.

For Peeta that's empathy and compassion. For Katniss that's safeguarding and preserving. From there they rebuild themselves and each other and grow their love up from the literal ashes of their lives.

Because after everything they survived the seed of their love for each other thrives in peace and blooms when all the pressure is removed from their lives.

And that's why I love them, your honor.

[heavensbeehall]

"Catching Fire", Chapter 4

Part 1: The Spark

Chapter 4: Katniss worries the Capitol will force her to have children that go into the Hunger Games. She realizes this is why Haymitch has never married and (I assume) driven people away. The next day, Katniss has to be prepped more and it annoys her that Peeta doesn't (the patriarchy!). Her bad mood causes her to snap at Effie at lunch. Peeta comes to talk to her. She is surprised when Peeta apologies to her for the way he acted at the end of the previous book, saying he was jealous of Gale. But now he wants them to be friends. She asks to see his paintings. They discuss their PTSD nightmares. Then they arrive in District 11 and shit hits the fan.

Thoughts:

-- Katniss's first ideas about having to have a child go into the games is to a) commit suicide and b) run away. I understand the impulse to o flee. To be free. But I'd probably consider some kind of birth control (I don't know what's avail in Panem) or just never having intercourse. I am asexual so that wouldn't be much of a problem for me. Some people have said Katniss reads as asexual to them, and I sort of disagree. It might be just splitting hairs but to me she reads as someone who has not matured into a sexual being yet--probably because all her focus is on simply surviving. But she does seem to have some vague idea of having a life married to Gale possibly in the future, and then when it's presented to her that she will have to marry Peeta, her mind immediately goes to having kids. Also there's the "hunger" scene on the beach but we'll get there.

-- The "fight" with Effie kind of reminds me of siblings or cousins. Where you get fed up and just lash out, but know the person won't hate you later. (They're a team, aren't they?)

Quotes:

I try to enjoy the food like Hazelle said. The kitchen staff clearly wants to please me. They've prepared my favorite, lamb stew with dried plums, among other delicacies. Orange juice and a pot of steaming hot chocolate wait at my place at the table. So I eat a lot, and the meal is beyond reproach, but I can't say I'm enjoying it. I'm also annoyed that no one but Effie and I has shown up.

Aww I hope the kitchen staff didn't get blowed up in the rebellion.

As far as I can tell, they never get up before noon unless there's some sort of national emergency, like my leg hair.

I don't know why this is a line that I never forgot, but it is. Some things just stick with you. Like leg hair.

It's good to feel his fingers entwined with mine again, not for show but in actual friendship. We walk back to the train hand in hand.

This is the cutest thing I ever did read.

Some you wouldn't get right away, if you hadn't been with him in the arena yourself. Water dripping through the cracks in our cave. The dry pond bed. A pair of hands, his own, digging for roots. Others any viewer would recognize. The golden horn called the Cornucopia. Clove arranging the knives inside her jacket. One of the mutts, unmistakably the blond, green-eyed one meant to be Glimmer, snarling as it makes its way toward us. And me. I am everywhere. High up in a tree. Beating a shirt against the stones in the stream. Lying unconscious in a pool of blood. And one I can't place--perhaps this is how I looked when his fever was high--emerging from a silver gray mist that matches my eyes exactly.

When I went to a mental hospital for PTSD, we did art therapy. I was not as good as Peeta. Mine was a lot of heavy black lines.

[mandapandaaaa]

What's your favorite character from The Hunger Games trilogy?

Why do you like this character?

Favorite quote or moment from them?

Please state one (or more) thing which you don't like from them.

Thank you 😊

@curiousnonny

@curiousnonny thanks so much for asking, I love ranting and raving about THG :)

My absolute favorite is and has always been Peeta. I love how Suzanne Collins used her characters to introduce the topic of just war theory to young readers. Or maybe not introduce, but continue a vital discussion. Peeta represents a viewpoint and lifestyle of love that isn't separate from war and tragedy, but a love that blossoms through the struggle and the pain. He fights for love constantly, deliberately, and sometimes violently because that's what is necessary. He fights for a love that isn't just romantic, but a love of humanity, a love of nature, a love of community. He represents hope and perseverence through his whole story, beginning with, not only life under Panem's authority, but also the abuse he faced at his mother's hand. Throughout the story, he remains gentle and I think that's a strength that a lot of people tend to undermine.

I think my favorite moment would be in Catching Fire when he paints Rue for the gamemakers. It's one of the first moments that we get to see him choosing on his own to rebel and to do it in his own way. I think it's a real turning point for him as a character, as well as a turning point in Katniss' view of him.

It's so hard to come up with something that I don't like about him because even his "flaws" are necessary for the plot, so I'm gonna give kind of a cheat answer and say that I think in the movies he lacks depth. We don't get to see a lot of moments that are in the books that shine light on different elements of his personality. He doesn't talk much at all if it's not about Katniss. For instance, I think, a lot of people view Gale as the one who encouraged Katniss to join the rebellion when actually Peeta was the first one to do so. When they're finishing up the victory tour and he and Katniss are talking about the people on the capital drinking the stuff that makes them throw up so they can keep trying the food, he says "maybe we're wrong about trying to subdue things in the districts." So yeah, that isn't a character flaw, it's a fault of the movie makers but that does bother me.

In conclusion, Peeta Mellark isn't just a love interest and I will defend this point until the grave <3

[springmagpies]

I was asked in this post to name some of my favorite Peeta book moments and oh my gosh, that's really difficult! I gave condensed answers there, but I'm actually rereading the books for a book club my friends and I started, so the first one is very fresh in my mind and I wanted to go more in depth because that's just who I am. I'm starting the second one (my favorite one) soon, so I'll update this when I have reread the books and they are fresher in my mind! This will just be the ones that stand out in my head, and in my many many sticky-note marked pages, for the first one. Also, I am so so sorry for just how over done this is about to get. Thank you so much for this ask! I love a good ramble about how much I love Peeta Mellark! Literally one of my all time fictional crushes. I still have posters of him in my room. I love him so freaking much. But, I digress.

Book 1

Favorite: "Only I keep wishing I could think of a way to... to show the Capitol they don't own me. That I'm more than just a piece in their Games."

Underrated: There are so many underrated Peeta moments. I love when they're on the chariots and holding hands and Katniss realizes she's been squeezing his hand too tight and apologizes and tries to let go and he's basically like, "Please. I might fall out of this thing." And it's just this sweet moment where Katniss realizes that she isn't alone in a strange way. Like, she realizes that her personal anxiety and fear is somewhat shared with Peeta. I also think it shows the really sweet humility Peeta has. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but I just think it's sweet.

Another underrated moment is when they watch the playback of the games and Katniss sees that Peeta had her back the entire time. Like, he knew her odds of winning were better than his and he just wanted to protect her and get her home. It's comforting for the audience, and I think for Katniss, to know that he has her back no matter what. He was always leading the Careers away, making sure she was alright when she was up in that tree, fought Cato to give her time to run, and even thought of her when he was camouflaged by the river. I also like to believe that when the Career pack say that someone needs to go back and make sure the tribute they just tried to kill was really gone, Peeta volunteered, not so that he could kill her, but so that the girl didn't die alone and didn't have to be finished off by one of the Careers.

Sweetest: Peeta is the sweetest boy and so a lot of his scenes and lines could be counted as this. I love love love the scene where he tells Katniss when he first started liking her. I love the fact that this boy literally took a beating to give her that much needed bread (and that she thinks of him every time she sees a dandelion). I love his whole description of falling for her and how detailed it is, because not only is it super sweet, but it is so undeniably genuine.

I also love at the very start of the book when Haymitch falls into a pool of his own vomit (shudders in fear of vomit) and Katniss and Peeta drag him back to his bathroom to clean him up.

Funniest: Peeta is actually so freaking funny and I wish that was talked about more. Some of my favorite Peeta moments are when he is trying to make Katniss laugh or is just being a sarcastic king. One of these moments is when they're in the cave and get gifted food. Katniss brings up how Effie is probably crying at their manners and so Peeta literally licks the rest of his plate clean and blows Effie a kiss and says, "We love you, Effie!"

Badass: His whole fight with Cato and the end is pretty badass. This man is literally bleeding out and still manages to help give Cato a run for his money. Peeta is also much smarter than he gets credit for. He can work an audience (the whole interview with Caesar is badass in itself), but he is also actually pretty strategic. I love when he marks Cato's hand with an X, because while Cato has only one thought in his head and Katniss is rightfully freaking out trying to figure out what to do, Peeta's quick thinking skills come into play.

[cinematicnomad]

can I ask what's the thg fic? I have a feeling I'm going to be making a brief jump back into that fandom for a little bit very soon and could use some recs.

oh hell yeah i can rec the fic! i don't read a lot of thg fic tbh, but a few years ago i stumbled across @ellanainthetardis's haymitch/effie fics and they're just???? INSANELY good, especially her fics that deal with the universe pre-thg bc her world building is EXCELLENT.

the specific fic i'm re-reading right now is:

invictus by EllanaSan (116/116 | 355k | M) hayffie; alternate universe—divergent pre-canon; alive abernathy family; angst; emotional hurt/comfort; canonical prostitution; slow burn

"so then, before i can even think about doing something stupid like trying to stab him with his fucking golden paperknife, he gives me a choice, see?" haymitch continued, almost detached. "either i play nice like all the other victors or he'll kill my family. i could either become his puppet—greatest punishment he could give me, according to him—or i could become the example." AU in which haymitch's family lives.

the fic opens up with effie's first year working as 12's escort which is about, eh, 10 years before canon begins. and just like the summary says, in this fic haymitch agreed to snow's terms and his mother and brother are still alive...and then the fic just goes from there and goes all the way through the end of mockingjay. it explores how them living would affect haymitch and the secrets he would hold close to his chest to try and keep them safe. what i love most about this fic is the attention to detail and the relationship building that goes into all of ellana's fics—we get to see how the victor's interact with each other, who haymitch turns to when he needs support, effie's contrasting bonds with haymitch and his brother hayden, how effie would react to the different tributes each year. and as you can tell from from the word count, this fic is a slow burn. it meticulously follows them year in and year out and carefully tracks how haymitch and effie grow closer and closer, and the ways they try to avoid their inevitable coming together because they know it's not smart or safe.

but, weirdly, maybe my favorite thing about this fic is just—the tributes and games that came before katniss and peeta in the 74th year. ellana breathes life into these faceless figures who we know are doomed from the moment they’re introduced, and then breaks your heart so despairingly. there are the tributes who cling to effie for support, whose deaths she feels keenly, and then there are the tributes who are bitter and angry....and whose deaths strike a blow all the same even as effie tries to numb the pain. and the games themselves are always inventive and horrifying and true to canon—one that strikes my memory takes place in a frozen tundra and is particularly devastating to read.

beyond that, ellana expands on the other canonical tributes, exploring what the friendship between haymitch and chaff would look like. the fic tracks the life of finnick, following his games and then weaving him into effie and haymitch's lives, then detailing how the capitol began selling his person and how haymitch and effie worked to help him.

genuinely, i fucking love this fic. i've read it about...oh, 3 or 4 times now in the past few years and now i'm about a third of the way through this re-read. HIGHLY recommend to anyone vaguely interested in the hunger games series if you want an intricately written narrative that fucking destroys you heart and soul. i tried to keep this light on spoilers because there's just. so fucking much that i love about this fic that you deserve to experience for the first time on your own.

[katnissmellarkkk]

Okayyyy here comes the next chapter ! Number .... lemme look. Okay, number six! 🥳🥳🥳

And yes, my thoughts as usual will be a messy, very Everlark-biased and full of typos. Letsss gooooo 🥰🥰🥰

Is this the first time Katniss and Peeta have been to their floor or is this just the most opportune time to explain and introduce the Tribute Center living quarters?

Also why are they called tributes anyway? That word suddenly seems weird to me after nine years... 🤔🤔🤔

“I've ridden the elevator a couple of times in the Justice Building back in District 12. Once to receive the medal for my father's death and then yesterday to say my final goodbyes to my friends and family” .... 😶😶 so only good memories and connotations to elevators then, huh?

“The walls of this elevator are made of crystal so that you can watch the people on the ground floor shrink to ants as you shoot up into the air.” My mind is just imagining the elevator in Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone’s Spider-Man movies 🤗.

“It's exhilarating and I'm tempted to ask Effie Trinket if we can ride it again, but somehow that seems childish” this is so cute and innocent omg. Katniss, like I said in my last chapter blog, still has some childlike innocence left in her 🥺🥺🥺. I’m a sad.

Also excuse the unnecessary extra gif use but 🤭🤭🤭

Oh wow, so Haymitch hasn’t been around since they were on the train? No wonder neither Katniss nor Peeta fled they could trust him for basically the entirety of the first book. 😐😐😐

You know it’s bad when Effie being around feels like a blessing to Katniss. Girl has more restraint than me, I’d have ripped off this woman’s janky wig by now without remorse. 🤷🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️

Effie acts like they’re her purebred show dogs. I know I know how is this news, that’s a blatant fact. The movies really softened her up tho for the general audience. And I bleed the movies and books together more than I should 😔😔😔

Well at least she’s made herself useful, trying to get Everlark sponsors ... even if it’s ultimately to benefit herself above anyone else .... 😤

Effie calling Twelve barbaric while she’s preparing them for the slaughter isn’t even ironic it’s like literally just brainless. Johanna probably had the nickname floating around for a lot of people before she officially knighted Katniss with it 😭

“Everyone has their reservations, naturally. You being from the coal district.” Is this how they refer to Twelve? So basically if a district makes a better item, it’s a more worthy one in the Capitol’s eyes? So essentially, if District Eight made like diamonds or pearls or whatever then it would be more worthy? So are the districts assigned their numbers (one, two, three, four, etc) based on their order of importance to the Capitol’s lifestyle? I always thought it was based on their distance in relation to the Capitol? Okay so I didn’t really pay much attention to these facts previously when I read these books ok look away I’m an idiot

Omg 😭😭😭😭 Effie is such an idiot. But the coal turns to pearls thing is my favorite line from her only because it serves as the cutest inside joke when Peeta makes a callback to it in Catching Fire and Finnick is just like “why are these two teenagers so stupid who did I ally with? 🥵😳🥵😳🥵”

“I wonder if the people she's been plugging us to all day either know or care.” After reading Songbirds and Snakes, I’m sure they don’t have a clue, boo. 😑😑😑😑 although not everyone was an idiot back then ... maybe Snow is putting lead in the drinking water?

“But don't worry, I'll get him to the table at gunpoint if necessary.” I know she’s trying to help and I know we say this kind of thing today, but considering this is two kids she’s well aware will be heading into a death match this is just bad wording I know surprise surprise 🙄🙄🙄😬😬😬😬

“Although lacking in many departments, Effie Trinket has a certain determination I have to admire.” Katniss really does see the best in people. What’s sad, y’all, is I think Katniss unconsciously really tries to like people and that’s why she has her guard up so high. Because the softer you are, the easier people will step all over you. Terrible phrasing here, Samantha, I’m so sorry to any of my readers ... okay now that sounded arrogant, implying I have readers 🤭🤭🤭🤭🤣😅🤣😅🤣😅

“My quarters are larger than our entire house back home.” Omg? I mean, yes, I knew this already obviously no duh but like also. Just the fact that three people live in a space smaller than a bedroom and bathroom arena is saddy sad sad. Also do they have indoor plumbing in the Seam or is their backyards just full of—okay, I’ll see myself out. 😶🤭😅🙃

“The shower alone has a panel with more than a hundred options you can choose regulating water temperature, pressure, soaps, shampoos, scents, oils, and massaging sponges.” I’m just imagining a Spongebob scene ngl.

I’m sorry there’s so many gifs this time around it’s probably taking us out of the reading headspace I’ll never do it again 😩😩😩😩 I talk like I have a class of people listening to me 🤭🤭🤭

“Instead of struggling with the knots in my wet hair, I merely place my hand on a box that sends a current through my scalp, untangling, parting, and drying my hair almost instantly” I need this someone invent this NOW my brush is yanking out my hair 😔😩

“I program the closet for an outfit to my taste.” ‘Yes, Alexa, I’d like a hunting jacket, some boots and a green shirt. Yes, it can be brown.’

“You need only whisper a type of food from a gigantic menu into a mouthpiece and it appears, hot and steamy, before you in less than a minute.” I like this idea because it means that Peeta could order hot choccy to comfort Katniss after her nightmares in Catching Fire from the comfort of her their own bed. 🤗🤗🤗 also I want this for myself. The bad people are giving my greedy self ideas look away everyone 😬

“I walk around the room eating goose liver and puffy bread until there's a knock on the door.” 🤢🤢🤢🤢 Of everything you could have chosen, child, this is what you decided on? Someone help my girl and her rotten tastebuds now.

“Effie's calling me to dinner. Good. I'm starving.” Baby, you were just eating. She’s so nutritionally messed up. 😔😔😔

Katniss trying wine 🥳🥳🥳 she’s so funny, trying to find a way to improve the taste 😅. She’ll make a good taste tester for her baker husband one day.

Hahahaha Katniss not liking the feeling and judging Haymitch for always being tipsy. Also this is sad because she ends up addicted to morphling later one which is far worse than a little wine.

I’m glad to know Baked Alaska survived the apocalypse 😅🥳

Katniss just constantly trying to decipher the recipe of every meal and how to recreate it reads cute on a surface level but it’s actually so tragic because everything to this girl is based around food. Like even more than is typically noticed. They really should have given a hint at this in the first movie. Good thing she marries a man who can always keep her full.

I’m just forever side-eyeing you, Gare Bear.

That’s Gary Ross for the confused kids in the back.

Why does Katniss yelling mid-sentence, “oh! I know you!” add to her innocence? 🥺 it’s because she was overwhelmed by all the food and new luxuries she’d never even been able to imagine ... and also this is pre her first games so she’s still got some childhood left in her 😩😔

I wonder how Lavinia felt seeing Katniss volunteer and knowing she’d be her Avox? I wonder if she, like Cinna, somehow volunteered to be her Avox?

I mean ... talk about convenient placement that this specific girl was assigned to Katniss’ district—oh wait, y’all, I just caught myself. She’s from Twelve. She was assigned to Twelve’s tributes because she’s from there, duh. I’m such an airhead omg just call me Effie.

Don’t you actually dare.

“When I look back, the four adults are watching me like hawks.” Meanwhile, Peeta is just like 😬😬😬 eating his dinner.

Actually, ngl, this could be such a reach and it probably is but like maybe Peeta sensed a confrontation coming and, because of his implied upbringing, he naturally becomes silent or makes himself invisible when trouble starts looking like it’s gonna arise. 🥺🥺🥺 I don’t know why I say these things I’m just hurting my own feelings but ya know the drill. I thought it so I said it.

Why is Effie yelling at Katniss for saying she knows the Avox girl like omg overreaction much? And I know, the sky is blue 🙄🙄🙄 she’s prejudiced against basically everyone, I know, I know

Rip her wig off, Katty Deen 🤗🤗🤗

Oh I stupidly forgot that Avoxes are supposedly known by everyone to be traitors or criminals. So I suppose this isn’t Effie’s worst offense but I’m keeping a tally anyways

Katniss is blaming her stuttering on the wine but my girl just has social anxiety 😔😔😔

Peeta coming in with a save 😭😭😭 he’s already trying saving his girl 🤧

Alsoooo the unspoken friendship, the covering for the other and teaming up against the adults, is still riding high and going strong here 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰 look away, y’all, the shipper comments are coming in strong

Also why is this the first real interaction with Peeta in this chapter yet? My baby needs more page-time 🤭🤭🤭

“Delly Cartwright is a pasty-faced, lumpy girl with yellowish hair who looks about as much like our server as a beetle does a butterfly.” Now why did Katniss just tear Delly to shreds for no reason at all 😭😭😭 this was a surprise assault on the poor girl 🙃🙃🙃🙃

“She may also be the friendliest person on the planet - she smiles constantly at everybody in school, even me.” Okay not to tie absolutely everything back to Peeta ... but to tie absolutely everything back to Peeta ... this description of poor, sweet Delly is actually indicative of Peeta’s character? Since Delly, we find out in Mockingjay, is Peeta’s childhood best friend, her personality being this sunny, kind, good-natured person tells us Peeta has always probably been somewhat like her and perhaps not as much like the other town kids Katniss implies to be stuck up or snooty. Maybe Katniss is just shady and deflects onto others 🤷🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️.

Also the fact that she gives this like ... mean description of Delly but saw Peeta as popular, even though surely Delly and Peeta spent time at school together, implies further that Katniss did indeed harbor a secret crush on Peeta even before the reaping. A very mild comparison of his on her though, of course 😅😅😅

“It must be the hair” “something about the eyes too” their piggybacking on the other’s comments really is just chiefs kiss 😘🤗🥰🤧 FYI I know the saying is chefs kiss but I made the typo once a long time ago and decided to add it forever to my brand 🤗🙃🥳

Also though this Everlark interaction is reminiscent of when two kids get caught by their teacher goofing off in class and covering for each other 🥰 only it’s a lot more deadly stakes

“A few of the other couples make a nice impression, but none of them can hold a candle to us.” She’s so modest 🤧🤧🤧 her narration here and during the Tribute Parade just has the vibes of ... well .... sorry in advance

Haymitch’s comment “Just the perfect touch of rebellion. Very nice” leads me to think he and Cinna and maybe Portia were always in cahoots about the rebellion even before Katniss and Peeta came along and well ... lit their match on fire 🥁🤗🤣🤭

Katniss is like “rebellion??? Rebellion where??? What’s that you old people speak of???” And yet, girlfriend goes out to the woods and hunts illegally every day of her life 🤣🤣🤣🤣.

“But when I remember the other couples, standing stiffly apart, never touching or acknowledging each other, as if their fellow tribute did not exist” too lazy too look it up but there’s a quote from Ballad about Lucy Gray and Jessup being distinguished by their visible friendship too that set them apart from the other tributes.

Either Suzanne thought of drawing a nice parallel showing what a failed Everlark attempt looks like, because I firmly stand by the fact that without their real feelings behind their act, even Katniss’ unconscious ones, they wouldn’t have pulled it off, or Suzzie just reused her own content. I prefer the former but I think it’s probably the latter 🤭🤭🤭

“Now go get some sleep while the grown-ups talk." I know Haymitch is being facetious here but this quote reminded me of the fact that the movies would have hit differently if they’d cast actual sixteen year olds in the roles.

“When we get to my door, he leans against the frame, not blocking my entrance exactly but insisting I pay attention to him.” This is such a flirty, high school boy pose, you cannot convince me otherwise 😭😭😭

Also I definitely feel like Peeta is getting more and more confident here because he’s oblivious to Katniss’ inner monologue as much as she is his actually we all are his sadly and he probably thinks she’s starting to like him 🤧🤧🤧

“So, Delly Cartwright. Imagine finding her lookalike here." 🤣 He honestly cracks me up idk why this line isn’t even special or that great. He’s just so ... subtly nosy / funny. Which brings me to that quote from Mockingjay where Katniss talks about his sense of humor because it’s one of the things she loves most about him 😭😭😭

But he’s like, “I can keep a secret, Katniss, tell me who that tongueless chick is to you 😬”

Katniss stop talking about debts, friends cover for the other all the time 🙄🙄 I know it’s in her character stop yelling at a fish for swimming that’s not a real phrase I know that too

Okay first of all, they’re about to share a secret 🥰🥰🥰🥰. My shipper goggles are on tight and obstructing my vision. I know this and am proud 😬🥳🤗

And secondly, “Maybe sharing a confidence will actually make him believe I see him as a friend.” Hey, butthead, you two are already friends. She doesn’t even recognize that the girl who constantly sits with her, talks to her, eats with her and trades with her is her friend either though, I’m shocked she calls Gale her friend

Does Peeta get to know Cinna too? I don’t think so but it’s mentioned now a couple times in this chapter alone that Peeta has interacted with Cinna. Katniss never interacts or has a conversation with Portia.... then again, is that even surprising? Katniss isn’t ... what you would call ... social. Hashtag relatable.

Awww, they’re communicating so effectively together 🥰😭🤧🥳

Also rooftops belong to Everlark only 😍😊😉 I mean, seriously, Katniss never goes up on a rooftop with anyone else. Besides Haymitch in the first movie but we ignore.

“Electricity in District 12 comes and goes, usually we only have it a few hours a day.” Earlier she said the Seam didn’t often have electricity, in particular, so either she’s not specifying her section of the district anymore or Suzanne is backtracking.

“But here there would be no shortage. Ever.” I’ve had two power outages recently so clearly the Capitol isn’t based on us currently today then 😐😐 I’m just joking ok

“I asked Cinna why they let us up here. Weren't they worried that some of the tributes might decide to jump right over the side?” .... boyfriend, where does your mind go sometimes? Peeta’s darker than we realize, y’all 🤭🤭🙃🙃

“He holds out his hand into seemingly empty space. There's a sharp zap and he jerks it back” between this and Catching Fire, Peeta is addicted to getting shocked by forcefields 🤧🤧🤧

“I wonder if we're supposed to be up here now, so late and alone.” If this was a romantic drama or comedy, that line would have meant something a lot more fun 😒😔😬😉😏

“On the other side of the dome, they've built a garden with flower beds and potted trees.” Is this meant to resemble Snow’s grandmother’s garden???? Like he had them put a garden there to like ... put a piece of his Grandma’am in the games? Idk this made zero sense it was a stupid thought

Two people in a garden at night, with wind chimes, sounds romantic in any other context. 🥺🥺

Ummm does everyone in the entire district know Katniss and her father used to hunt together?

Oh nevermind, Lavinia is not from District Twelve. My bad, guys. I should go up and edit my previous thoughts but that’s a lot of work. 😅😅😅

Katniss, stop being so hard on yourself. You and Gale were kids. 😣😣

Ummm, Katniss for a girl always complimenting Peeta’s storyteller, you’re pretty good at painting a picture yourself...

Peeta noticing she’s shivering 🥰🥺

He gives her ... his jacket 😭😭😭😭 such a romantic troupe Samantha, get over it there’s literally children dying

Oh wow, Lavinia was from the Capitol originally. Hmm, it is sus now that she got District Twelve this particular year.

But also 🤧🤧🤧 “he secures a button at my neck.”

His hands .... are .... often .... at her .... neck .... 😶😬 .... look away, y’all

Oh wow, Katniss is over here thinking, “who’d leave the Capitol if they were from here???” And Peeta’s like instantly, loudly, without hesitating, “well I would 🙋🏼‍♂️”

Hot take, y’all ready? Peeta was a bigger rebel than Katniss from the start. At least internally.

Awww, Peeta is so jealous 😭😭😭😭 and kind of nosy 🤭🤭🤭

Katniss : “me and Gale are not related” Peeta : “😬🙃😭😩😶”

“I'd set out to tell her I was sorry about dinner. [...] my apology runs much deeper. [...] I let the Capitol kill the boy and mutilate her without lifting a finger. Just like I was watching the Games.” I feel like this is actually a good comparison though, because of you grew up in a society where you have to watch kids die, your whole entire life you’ve watched it in a glorified television show, you would be really desensitized to it...

“You don't forget the face of the person who was your last hope.” Here she’s talking about Lavinia but it applies to Peeta too. Katniss was Lavinia’s last hope and she feels like she let her down but Peeta was her last hope once and he came through. And, as she said in chapter one, she’ll never forget him for it. And for other things too. Later on. 😏

Of course my last bullet point was focused on Everlark 🤣 is anyone surprised you shouldn’t be we all knew who this post was written by right? 😅

And once again, if too made through this marathon, congratulations 🥳🥳🥳🥳 maybe next chapter I’ll talk less not likely though so don’t count on it 😅

[mega-ringsandthings-world]

For someone who claims to want people to respect and allow for different opinions...the only ones you seem to accept is "Peeta is an manipulative ass and Everthrone should have been canon!!" There are so many asses in this fandom who are unwelcoming, that fair, but even the people who would be normally aren't going to be so to someone who just goes on and on about how bad their favorite character, ship and interpretation is.

That Peeta has faults and that Gale and Katniss should have ended up together, or at least had their relationship not completely ruined are my personal opinions. Of course I'm only going prefer opinions that are like mine. The rest of you have the entire fandom that favors Everlark and Peeta, so I'm not sure what tf you're complaining about? I don't want any of you to like me, I just want you to ignore me at the bare fucking minimum. I see a bunch of absolutely unfavorable things regarding Gale and his relationship with Katniss out there but I don't harass people about it, or try to drive them out of the fandom. I just post on my grievances and interact with others who share my opinions. And that's the difference between me and the rest of the fandom. It's people like you that can't handle my opinions, and who are unwelcoming. All you need to do to "welcome" others is to mind your own business, and not say anything if you see something you don't like. That's what I do all the time. Because that’s part of accepting that people have different opinions, even ones you personally hate.