#warwick x male reader

[wrthzell]

hi! Could you write a Vander x male reader where Vander in his werewolf(?)/Warwick(?) form recognizes the reader, and reader also recognizes him, and is so so happy to meet his old lover again

Sorry any mistakes, English is not my first language!

𝐑𝐄𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐎𝐍 — (Vander/Warwick X Male Reader).

Note: Thank you for the request! No worries; English is not my first language either, and your request was very comprehensible. It turned out a bit short, but I hope it's to your liking.

Summary: The old memories of what could have been and what was haunt you, but after being called to the mines you once used to work on, you find that maybe your life won't have to be filled with regret and longing.

Warnings: Spoilers, don't read unless you've watched Arcane.

Key: (Y/n) — Your name. | (H/c) — Your hair colour. | (E/c) — Your eye colour.

Sickly green neon lights reflect on murky brown water, and a stomach-churning stench rises from the walls of the worn-down building; the grey impregnated itself in any surface it touched, like acrid sulfur. (Y/n) crouched in front of The Last Drop, (e/c) eyes squinting to make out any recognisable feature in what once was a haven to him.

He dusted off the dirt that had collected in the upper part of his pants and inhaled sharply, lungs long accustomed to the poisonous fog of his hometown. He pressed forward. The inside was empty—needless to check; he wouldn't find her inside. The paper felt like lead in his pocket, heavy and foreboding—a reminder of his failures and the grief that followed any Zaunite like a wailing shadow.

He hadn't gone to the mines in years, and he hadn't had to work there in such a long time that he wasn't sure what exactly they looked like after everything. The entrance was falling apart, and wood planks, detached and broken, littered the floor, and glass cracked underneath his shoes. He tightened his jaw and looked down, the pitch-black darkness of the cave illuminating with every step. 

Thump, thump, thump. The impact of his boots against the floor echoed—the caves amplified each sound closer than it truly was—and the faint noises of water dripping reached his ears along with a low rumbling. She was deeper there, had to be. His fingers rubbed the paper note inside his pocket, hope simmering inside his chest.

Thundering footsteps started to come in his direction; something metallic scratched against the walls. He raised his guard, crouching and aiming his gun at the origin of the sound. The walls illuminated in a quick flash, and a dark shadow moved too fast for him to brace himself for it, the thing colliding into his chest and throwing him to the ground.

Mismatched eyes looked straight into his, and a gaping maw with sharp teeth stopped just short of tearing his face apart. Shivers went down his spine, and his lips quivered, tears welling in his eyes as he raised a trembling hand to the creature's face. A sharp set of footsteps entered the place, the light going up again and illuminating the monster's face further. Greyish dark fur coated a familiar face and warped it into something recognisable but not completely. 

“Thought you'd want to see him.” Powder announced, her gun clanking against her belt. 

Vi stepped closer, opening her mouth and closing it before finally settling on explaining it. “It's...”

“Vander.” He held the man's face in his hands, tears falling down his eyes, a thunderous storm inside his heart. The man he loved. The man he loves. He holds him tenderly but strongly, as if afraid that when he lets go, it will all dissolve and morph back into his bleak reality.

Vander softens, resting his head against the crook of the other man's neck. A content sigh leaves his nose and ruffles the hair on the (h/c)-haired man's head. “(Y/n).”

“Sheesh, even he recognised him way faster than you did.” The blue-haired woman jabbed at her sister, the corner of her mouth pulled up in a teasing smirk. Her facade breaks as she sees a hand outstretched in her direction. 

(Y/n) reassuringly squeezes her hand, a wide smile on his lips as he unburies his head from Vander's fur and turns it towards his daughter. “Thank you.”

“You don't have to thank me. You love him as much as we do,” she laughs bitterly. Her hand, albeit hesitant, holds his tighter.

“I do. I don't know how you found him or what happened, but you brought me back to him. I haven't felt like this in so long.” His voice sounds choked, and he looks back at the pair of blue and yellow eyes, his hands caressing the rough skin. He feels Vander's strong arms curl around him, and the fur tickles his neck and arms, warm and comforting. “I love you,” he whispers in the man's ear, loud enough for only them to hear it.

“Love... you.” He answers back.

[angryschnauzer]

Superior Specimen - Chapter 8

Summary: One night when you are following the Archaeology tag on instagram you stumbled across a fun looking dig… and an even more interesting Paleontologist who soon follows you back. Over the following weeks you start chatting and a friendship soon grows.

Relationship: AU Henry Cavill x Female Reader (No race or body shape mentioned)

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7

Warnings: Slow Burn, NSFW, 18+, Mutual Masturbation, Phone Sex, Drunken Piggy Back Rides, Oral Sex (Female Recieving), Drama, Theft, Amateur Heroics, Hospital Visit, Shower Sex, Oral Sex (Male Receiving), Blow Job, Fingering, Lavish lifestyle, Henry is loaded, The Shard, Expensive Gifts, Sixty nine, Unprotected Sex, Multiple Orgasms, Public Sex, Exhibitionism, Angst, Argument, Jealousy, Talk of car crashes, heroics, rough sex, use of safe words, Anal play,

I do not operate a tag list, but please follow @angryschnauzerwrites​ and put that blog onto notifications, as you will then be notified whenever i post something new.

I don’t have a masterlist, but all my works are on AO3, link here. Usually i post oneshots to Tumblr and AO3, and multichapters exclusively to AO3, but as this is my first henry story and its going to be a short series, i’ll post to both places.

Chapter 8

 On the tube an old woman had offered you a tissue and had whispered quietly;

 “He’s not worth crying over my dear”

 You swallowed and smiled weakly at her;

 “Unfortunately he was… he was just an idiot too”

 “They all are my dear, they all are”

 She got off at the next stop, giving you a pat on the arm before leaving the carriage, leaving you ride the rest of the way to Fulham Broadway on your own.

 You were on autopilot when you arrived, walking through the small shopping mall that had grown around the tube station, grabbing a pair of overpriced knock-off designer sunglasses from the concession stand to hide your puffy and red eyes, swollen from crying. As you stood in the crowd at the lights to cross the road, a stream of Ambulances and Police cars screamed past, lights and sirens blasting, but it was London, every day there was a crisis or accident and you were used to them. 

 The walk to your flat was quick, just a few roads from the tube, and you were thankful you’d brought your small clutch bag from the hotel room that had your phone, wallet, and keys in. Once inside you pulled off your clothing, everything Henry had bought for you, tossing it into a heap on the floor before you climbed into bed and curled into a ball, sobbing into the pillow.

 -

 You woke to the sound of a metal on plastic crunch from the street outside, familiar with the sound and you knew it was vehicle vs wheelie bin, an all too familiar occurrence when collection day was on a Friday and people went out that night, so the street would still be littered with bins the following day. Staring up at the ceiling you heard the doorbell ring, glaring at the ceiling but refusing to move. You didn’t care if your bin that had ended up a casualty of a car not looking where it was going, so when the bell finally timed out you closed your eyes… only to be rudely disturbed by a loud knocking on the door a minute later, a muffled voice from the other side;

 “Princess… it’s me; Henry… please, just tell me you’re ok… I’ve got to know you’re ok…”

 You could feel your emotions rising within you; a heat, an anger, and as the knocking continued you grabbed the dressing gown hanging on the back of the door and was still tying it as you pulled the door open, but surprised to see state of Henry, his clothes a mess and his face blotchy;

 “What the hell happe…”

 Your words were cut short as he pulled you into his arms, hugging you tight;

 “You’re alright… my god, you’re ok…”

 “Henry, what is going on?”

 He let you go and started pacing;

 “I was an ass, I didn’t follow you, I was stupid… I tried calling you but you never picked up…”

 “I had it on silent… I didn’t want anyone to disturb our date”

 “And then the accident, I’d gone back to the hotel, I knew it was the closest tube to where we were...”

 “Accident?”

 “There was an accident, on the road outside the London Bridge Tube, a bus and council truck collided and ran into the queue… I stayed and helped the emergency services; I was trying to find you… but you weren’t there…”

 Your hand was over your mouth, tears pooling on your lashes as you looked at him, and realised he cared so much for you that he had literally pulled people out of the wreckage of an major accident because he thought he had lost you. Wrapping your arms around his shoulders you cradled the back of his head as he slumped to the floor, sobbing into your shoulder and the softness of your dressing gown. 

 Finally he pulled his head back, a weak smile on his face as he looked into your eyes, and you saw a different Henry, one that was fragile, one that needed you as much as you needed him.

 “C’mon, let me put the kettle on”

 -

 Sipping on sweet tea as you both sat at the kitchen table, dunking Digestive biscuits in the deep brown steaming mugs, you looked him up and down;

 “You are a mess”

 He glanced down and realised his shirt and jeans were covered in dirt, grime, and in some places blood;

 “You’re right” he paused before looking back to you; “Look, I’ve got a suggestion… pack a bag. Comfy clothing, overnight things. We’ll head back to the hotel and collect our things, then head back to my place. I’ll cook dinner and we can talk… ask all those things we’ve both wanted to ask since we met, yeah?”

 He looked at you like a hopeful puppy, his deep blue eyes watery where he feared you would say no, but as you nodded he let out the breath he had been holding, and a genuine smile spread over his face.

 -

 Henry opened the door to his place and stepped aside, letting you enter and look around as he shut the door, resting all the bags from the hotel room on the shiny white tiles that covered the floor. 

 “This is your place?”

 “It’s home for the next few months” he shut the door and wrapped his arm around you; “I gave up on having a permanent place about five years ago. I would always come back to a dust filled nightmare and a fridge that was a biohazard. I keep a PO box for any mail and a storage unit for my things that I don’t need when I’m away”

 You looked at him;

 “It sounds very… lonely…”

 He paused, considering your words;

 “I’ve never thought about it that way… but, you’re right” he wrapped his arms around you, his gaze intense; “I’m sorry I over-reacted earlier… about your flatmate. I was just… I don’t know, so focused I guess on this amazing thing we have now, and what we were talking about last night… how those I fall for push me away when I have to leave… I could only think ‘this guy will be around when I’m not’...”

 You reached up and cupped his cheek with your hand, realising in that moment that for all the bravado and confidence, beneath that Henry was just like you, like anyone else, and feared losing those he cared for;

 “I would wait… I will wait…”

 You pressed a kiss to his lips, and the pair of you just held each other for the longest time, before he pulled away;

 “What kind of host am I? I haven’t even offered you a cup of tea!”

 Laughing you followed him into the kitchen, looking around at the sparse worktops, all the cupboards pristine white. Even the appliances were just plain brushed aluminium. As the kettle bubbled away you pushed yourself up onto the central island, sitting on the marble countertop as you watched Henry move around the kitchen, opening the fridge and pulling out the carton of milk, sniffing it and cringing;

 “Okay, tea may be off the menu… the milk’s off”

 Pausing he opened the cupboard, shoulders slumping when he saw the empty tea caddy;

 “No tea either…”

 Leaning back you pulled your phone from your pocket and opened google maps;

 “This is Warwick Square, right?”

 “Yes”

 You pinched the screen and zoomed out, jumping off the counter;

 “C’mon, there’s a Tesco Express just around the corner”

 -

 Walking hand in hand around Pimlico with Henry, it dawned on you that you had never visited this part of London, the sights and sounds much like most of the city, but where each little borough had its own character. Once you reached the supermarket he grabbed a basket and picked up the few things he needed, before his hand hovered over the selection of biscuits;

 “Ok, make or break time to find out if we are truly compatible” his voice had an element of mischief in it as he spoke; “Milk or Dark Chocolate Digestives?”

 You looked at the selection before you set your hand down on the bright blue packet;

 “Trick question, we both know the true answer is Milk Chocolate Hobnobs”

 He laughed as you dropped the packet into the basket, wrapping his massive arm around your shoulders and pulling you into his chest;

 “I knew there was a reason I loved you” he turned to the row of refrigerators on the other side of the isle, unaware of what he’d said, and how your eyes were a little wider as you took in his admission; “Shall I make some burnt offerings for you tonight? I have somewhat limited culinary skills, but I can rustle up something with meat or fish…”

 Nodding you were still a little stunned, finally finding your voice;

 “Yeah, I’ll eat anything”

 He cocked an eyebrow and you playfully batted at his arm;

 “Oh shut up” you laughed

-

 Dinner had been nice. An easy dish of roasted pork, Henry had thrown in some potatoes and had let them roast with alongside, and a simple salad. The one thing he did have readily stocked in his place was alcohol, and between the two of you an entire bottle of vintage Pinot Noir had been sunk over the course of dinner, and as you watched him stack the dishwasher you spread out on the massive white sofa that dominated the open plan space. You couldn’t help yourself but you popped the button of your jeans, letting out a sigh of relief. 

 Checking your phone you reopened your roommates’ email and read it again, before hitting reply. You knew deep down you wouldn’t be able to get a mortgage, but asked that you be kept in the loop and would start looking for another place come Monday. Having hit send you saw another email, this time from your Manager, requesting that you attend a review on Monday morning;

 “Huh, so much for giving me a week off” you muttered to yourself, before looking up and seeing Henry approaching you, two full glasses of red wind in hand.

 “Everything ok?”

 Taking the glass you smiled;

 “Yeah, work want me to go in for a review on Monday morning”

 “Did they say what it was about?”

 “No, but I’m guessing ‘playing heroics and injuring yourself on the job isn’t in your job description, please don’t sue us’ is probably on the agenda”

 Settling next to you he rested a hand on your thigh, giving it a squeeze;

 “I’m sure you’re right” he sipped at the wine before setting it on the small table at the side; “Hey I meant to ask, does your roommate have an Instagram account or Facebook page?”

 “Yeah, I’ll pull it up. Its where he’s trying to do more serious photography”

 He nodded and tapped at his phone for a few seconds before setting it aside, raising his glass again and clinking it against yours;

 “Cheers”

 -

 By the time the last dregs of the 2nd bottle of wine were drained from your glasses you were drunk as skunks and just an amorous. You were draped over Henry’s lap, his hand was attempting to sneak under your t-shirt as you curled one hand in his hair, wrapping a deep brown strand around your finger as you kissed him lazily. When his hand finally found your breast you moaned at his touch, his lips brushing against your neck;

 “I think we should take this to the bedroom”

 You giggled;

 “With the amount of wine we’ve had? Can you still get it up?”

 He pushed his crotch up against you;

 “Princess I’m already ‘up’, now I need to be in, and I don’t care which hole, I just want to feel you around my dick as we have some nasty drunk sex”

 You attempted to slide off his lap and land on your feet, but what really happened was you tumbled into a heap on the soft white rug, one leg still on the sofa as the other hit the coffee table and your ass in the air;

 “Help!” you cried out, giggling as Henry stood and swayed, before wrapping his arm around your waist and carrying you under his arm to the bedroom like a misbehaving poodle in Harrods.

 He dropped you onto the bed and in the light from the lounge you watched as he yanked his t-shirt over his head, and started to unfasten his jeans, letting out a sigh of relief when the massive bulge in his boxers was allowed more room to grow. With a growl be bent over you and pulled your jeans down your legs, your panties following suit, before flipping you over so you were on your front. He went to reach for your ass but had forgotten his jeans were still around his thighs, and he proceeded to trip-tumble onto the bed beside you. You couldn’t help but to giggle into the soft duvet, and it earned you a single spank on your ass that make you squeal.

 Rolling onto your back you looked at Henry as he huffed and puffed to take his jeans and boxers off, and you spread your legs as your hands strayed to your pussy;

 “Are you doing to fuck me, or shall I just get myself started?” you said with more sass than needed, but it earned you a low groan and you could have sworn you heard seams ripping as he finally rid himself of his clothes.

 “Cheeky wench!” Henry pounced on you, pulling your top over your head before fumbling with your bra, finally getting you out of it as he flung it across the room and you heard it hit something in the darkness; “I’ll show you, gonna fuck you so good you’ll have to sit on a cushion when you go into work on Monday”

 He flipped you over and pulled your ass up, and you instinctively arched your back and bared yourself to him, prone and ready, begging for attention. You felt his hands smooth over your ass before dipping between your legs;

 “Already so wet for me, you need me to fuck this cunt Princess? Fill you up with my cum? Or should I cum over your beautiful tits, so you can watch me as I spray my load on you, huh?”

 He slid two fingers into your soaked hole, stretching you as his thumb found your clit and he rubbed harshly at it, the wine making him lose his finesse but up his pressure. When he pulled his fingers out you let out a needy whine, only to feel him press his dick against you, rutting into your crease and smearing your juices over himself. 

 The friction was delicious, and you found yourself pressing back and eager for more, earning a low chuckle to rumble up from Henry’s chest;

 “You like that Princess? Like me rubbing my dick against your asshole?”

 “Oh fuck… fuck… more…”

 You felt him spit on your ass as he lowered his dick and slowly but firmly filled your pussy. As you were getting used to be filled so deep you felt his thumb press against your asshole;

 “NERD!”

 Suddenly Henry stopped;

 “Princess?”

 You turned, looking over your shoulder;

 “Look Hen, I may be up for some anal play, but lube… you gotta use lube…”

 You saw him look back and forth between your ass and his bedside drawers, as if trying to work out whether to forget the ass play and just fuck your pussy, or to give up your pussy for just a few seconds and get the lube. In the end the lube won, and he quickly slid out of you, leaning across the bed and yanking the drawer open, before pulling out a small bottle of Durex Lube. You saw it and grinned;

 “Ooh nice one. Make sure there’s enough for a tit-wank in the morning”

 Henry paused and looked at you, and you could almost see his brain short circuiting at what you’d said as it fought through the wine haze;

 “Fuck, if I didn’t want to fuck you doggy style quite so much I’d say let’s do that now…”

 He settled behind you and rammed his dick straight back into you, making you squeal as he filled you. You heard the quiet squeeze of the pump on the bottle before the cool gel fell on the crease of your ass and his fingers started to massage against your back door. He ran his finger around and around your brown rose, and you could feel yourself relaxing and trying to push back to get him to go further, making you whine;

 “Please Hen… do something…”

 He ran his thumb over your asshole and rested it on it before finally pushing in, holding the digit inside just up to the first knuckle, and that’s when he started to move in your pussy.

 “So. Fucking. Good. My dirty little Princess…”

 You whined for more, for him to go harder, deeper, and he did so with glee;

 “You want more? Fuck yes, take my dick, can feel your insides parting for me, you like my thumb in your ass? Like being double stuffed?”

 “Fuck…” your head was swimming, your chest resting against the bed as you snuck your hand between your legs and started to strum at your clit, urging your orgasm on as Henry turned into a feral beast behind you, fucking you raw and dirty, you pushing back for each thrust to feel him deeper and split you wider.

 Your orgasm happened without warning, screaming out his name as you came so hard he was sure if he hadn’t pulled his thumb out your muscles would have broken the bones in it. Your knees gave way and you slumped down onto the bed, Henry still deep inside you, fucking you as you lay spent on the bed;

 “So close… almost there…

 “Cum on my ass Hen…” you muttered as he railed into you, and you heard a groan as he pulled out of you, seconds later the splash of his hot seed landing on your naked ass, back and thighs.

 For a moment everything went quiet before you felt him wiping his cum from you, and he moved you in the bed until you were curled up in his arms, the little spoon to his big;

 “You’re fucking amazing Princess, I fucking love you so much” he slurred, before the two of you feel asleep in drunken stupors.

Chapter 9 >>>

[methethgfan]

The 49th Hunger Games

“That’s it, Brainy. You fought well. Now come to me. I’ll make it short. I won’t hurt you much, I promise,” he said to her with an evil smile on his face as he swam towards her. She looked at the taser in her hands, hesitated, then turned it on and threw it into the water. Wiress watched him being electrocuted from afar, and listened to his blood-curdling death cries.

Hickory, dickory, dock. The mouse ran up the clock. The clock struck one, The mouse ran down, Hickory, dickory, dock...

The arena: A beautiful, mountainous landscape with many great lakes and large forests. Small, wooden huts were to be found at certain places in the arena, always hidden behind enormous trees ascending to the dark sky. The Cornucopia was standing in a rather remote area, on a willow, far away from the largest lake in the middle of the arena, and behind the forest that encircled every other part of the arena. Thus, the tributes were forced to enter the forest, whether they liked it or not. The ground was always muddy because it was constantly raining. The air was so fresh that it was painful to take a deep breath. The temperature, neither too hot nor too cold, was another bonus. But the appearance was deceiving. Mutated piranhas living in the largest lake were longing for human flesh eagerly: if a tribute entered the lake with blood on their body, the piranhas immediately started attacking them. Therefore, it was very important to double-check whether one had blood somewhere on oneself before entering that lake. More danger was guaranteed with mutated frogs living by the lake, but luckily, none of the tributes were killed by them. The 49th Hunger Games were a little different than previous years: when there were only ten tributes left, Xander Holliehopp, the Hunger Games announcer, announced an exciting news: he invited the tributes to a game, more precisely, a quest. Chests were hidden in certain places in the arena, containing everything ranging from food and weapons to special equipment. At regular intervals he would give them a riddle, and the correct solution would lead the tributes to the respective chests. The discovery of a chest was announced with trumpet sounds so that other tributes wouldn’t search for it in vain. That way, the Gamemakers hoped to bring the tributes together in order to have them fight each other. Suddenly, those with little chances of winning had equal, if not better chances…

The tributes: This year’s Career pack consisted of highly skilled fighters. They all received at least 9 points during their individual training sessions, and two of them even got 11 points. A few other tributes were promising as well, but the majority didn’t know how to fight, let alone hold a weapon properly. Thus, many people were certain that a Career would win the Games for the third time in a row now. In fact, they felt so certain that several news agencies sent their journalists onto the streets of the Capitol to conduct interviews and ask the people which one of the Careers had the best chances of winning (”1, 2, or 4 - Who is it worth rooting for?”). Good thing the Games were always good for a surprise...

The names of the tributes were...

Warning: Some readers may find the following text disturbing. Reader discretion is advised.

Ten tributes died during the Cornucopia bloodbath. The Careers proved to be very talented fighters. Eight tributes escaped the bloodbath without getting involved in any fights with their opponents.

24. Scarlett Briggs (age: 15 | skill: x | training score: 3 | days survived: 0): Female tribute from District 8. Scarlett was the first tribute to be killed: the girl from District 2 sent a knife to the back of her head.

23. Foncer Warwick (age: 18 | skill: x | training score: 5 | days survived: 0): Male tribute from District 9. Foncer was killed by the girl from 4 on his way to the Cornucopia.

22. Daizy Munt (age: 15 | skill: x | training score: 4 | days survived: 0): Female tribute from District 11. Daizy wasn’t planning to run towards the Cornucopia, but she didn’t want to leave it empty-handed either. She had just bent down to pick up a pair of socks lying on the ground not far from her own platform when she was hit by a knife belonging to the boy from 2.

21. Linen Nash (age: 13 | skill: x | training score: 2 | days survived: 0): Male tribute from District 8. Linen was killed by the girl from District 2. While he had been searching a box for useful supplies, the girl had caught him in a headlock from behind and broken his neck. Never before had a female tribute done that, which is why the viewers were highly impressed with her.

20. Gage Hoberry (age: 18 | skill: bodily strength | training score: 7 | days survived: 0): Male tribute from District 6. Right at the start of the Games, Gage got into a fight with the boy from District 1. Both had grabbed a backpack at the same time. And although the boy from 1 would have the entire Cornucopia for himself and the other Careers, he still didn’t want to let go of the small backpack that could have been live-saving for Gage (“You can have everything else you want!” – “But I want this, buddy!”). Gage was stabbed to death by him.

19. Kernel Renvin (age: 16 | skill: bodily strength | training score: 6 | days survived: 0): Female tribute from District 9. Female tribute from District 9. Kernel had succeeded in collecting some supplies at the Cornucopia, but when she attempted to run to safety, she was attacked by the girl from District 4. Kernel survived the attack and could’ve easily run away, but instead, decided to fight the girl (“Oh, no. You shouldn’t have done that, sweetie. Not with me!”). They wrestled on the ground for a while until the boy from District 4 showed up and killed her with his trident.

18. Thyme Fernsby (age: 18 | skill: x | training score: 3 | days survived: 0): Male tribute from District 12. Although Thyme was one of the oldest tributes, he was very weak physically. Having dealt with hunger his entire lifetime, he weighed at least sixty pounds less than his age-mates. Thyme was overpowered and killed by the girl from District 4.

17. Saline Declan (age: 14 | skill: x | training score: 3 | days survived: 0): Female tribute from District 5. Saline was killed by the boy from 1 on her way to the Cornucopia.

16. Cash Stasbury (age: 14 | skills: bodily strength, speed | training score: 8 | days survived: 0): Male tribute from District 11. Male tribute from District 11. People were taken aback when it was revealed that Cash was only 14 years old: he was tall and physically very fit. It was no surprise that he scored 8 points at training. Cash was already searching the Cornucopia for weapons before the Careers had reached it. Although originally looking for a spear, other weapons were tempting for him as well, which is why he wasted too much time there. The Careers – the two boys from 1 and 2 – reached him before he could escape. The boy from District 2 seriously injured him (“That’s what you get, you stinky frugivore.”) and then walked away to grab another weapon. Cash bled to death short time later.

15. Norah Nell (age: 15 | skill: speaking | training score: 8 | days survived: 0): Female tribute from District 6. Norah was the only child of Jetta Nell, victor of the 18th Hunger Games. It frequently happened that children or other close relatives of former victors were chosen as tributes. And because of their family backgrounds, these tributes have always attracted a lot of attention. In Norah’s case, however, it was her personality that made people like her from the beginning: funny, witty, self-ironic, adorable. A brilliant speaker and stand-up comedian. Her interview with Caesar Flickerman was an emotional rollercoaster because she would make the audience burst out laughing just to make them cry the next moment. She didn’t even try hard to become their favorite candidate (“Caesar, do you think it’d be possible for me to stay in the Capitol for a few more days? I’ve seen a man with whiskers this morning, and I really want to go back and check whether he was a real cat or just a copy-cat. You may dump me in the arena afterwards – but I wouldn’t complain if you didn’t!”). And even during her individual training session with the Gamemakers, Norah decided to impress them with her talent for stand-up comedy instead – and received 8 points for that (to be fair, the Gamemakers were a little tipsy at that point)! People believed she had a hand for weapons, too, since they didn’t know what talent she had showcased behind closed doors. Inside the arena, Norah decided to run towards the Cornucopia and grab something with her before she left. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the right thing for her to do because she was severely wounded by the boy from District 2. She turned around and limped away while pressing her hand against her abdomen to stop the bleeding. Minutes later, she collapsed to the ground and died of blood loss. Her death left the people in the Capitol devastated, and some people even demanded to hold a nationwide moment of silence for her (which, of course, was denied). This was the very first time in the history of the Games that a tribute had become one of the top favorites of the Capitol audience despite they hadn’t survived a day in the arena.

A total of 14 tributes had survived the bloodbath. The Careers began searching for more victims that same day. But it turned out to be a hard task: apparently, the others were too good at hiding. The unsuccessful search (that lasted for a full three days) was very depressing for the Careers. They felt weak compared to Careers of previous years who had always found their competitors very quickly. The psychological pressure, and the increasing feeling of looking nothing but stupid while wandering around the entire arena, resulted in one Career putting the blame on another (”If you wouldn’t walk so slow!”, “Stop being so loud!”, “You never listen to me!”, “I told you we should’ve searched for them in the afternoon!”). And the hot temper of some worsened everything even more...

14. Volta Finley (age: 16 | skill: x | training score: 4 | days survived: 3): Male tribute from District 5. Volta survived the Cornucopia bloodbath because he didn’t even participate in it: he had turned around and run away immediately. And since he had no blood on his body, he crossed the great lake without any problems with the piranhas (which he didn’t even notice) by clinging to a boat with one hand and rotating his other arm wildly to push himself forward. Soon he realized that his clothes were apparently holding him on the surface, which is why he let go of the boat and stopped moving. Indeed, he was floating on the surface. Volta reached the opposite bank a few minutes later, and after wandering around the woods for a while, came across a small hut that was well-hidden by giant trees. He remained there until on the fourth day he was so hungry that he decided to leave his hiding place to find something to eat. He was found by the Careers shortly afterwards. Volta had tried to run away from them but slipped on the muddy ground. The Careers were happy that they had finally found another victim, but they couldn’t decide which one of them should kill him because everyone wanted to carry it out (”Leave it with me.” - “No way, he's mine!”). Eventually, they agreed upon killing him together: one after one, the Careers stabbed Volta until the cannon went off.

13. Sable Archer (age: 17 | skill: bodily strength | training score: 7 | days survived: 5): Female tribute from District 10. Sable and her district partner were classmates, which is why they immediately allied with each other once they had entered the arena. Both were well-built and ready to put their lives at risk. Both ran towards the Cornucopia and grabbed everything they could, they didn’t even think twice. The way they wandered around the arena without showing any signs of fear or anxiety very much resembled Careers. It was unusual for a non-Career to act like this inside the arena, which is why both appeared as likely contenders for the victory. Plus, Sable looked very pretty with her strong physique, wavy blonde hair, protruding cheekbones, and dark blue eyes. Thus, it wasn’t surprising that she received a sponsoring gift on the second day (a sandwich box), and another on the fourth day (a cheesecake) because she was craving sweets. Her district partner on the other hand had received nothing. Therefore, it was very normal for him to be envious of Sable. And as it’s expected from a true ally, Sable even shared her sponsoring gifts with him. But what seemed to be usual envy was actually hatred. Her district partner knew that this wouldn’t go on forever, that in the end, their ways would part, if Sable didn’t kill him first since she was the one receiving all the sponsoring gifts, not him, and therefore wouldn’t have a problem surviving on her own. But these were his thoughts, not Sable’s. And these thoughts quickly turned into a murder plot. Armed with nothing more than a kitchen knife, her district partner decided to put his plan into practice. He prepared lunch with plants and fish they had collected before and the leftover cheesecake, and when both were having lunch, he heaped praise on Sable for being sponsored, and then hugged her (”What would I do without you?”). Sable was very surprised by that since the two had never been close, but she wasn’t suspicious. Instead, she tried to swallow the cheesecake, uttering “Oh, uhm, it’s OK”. But her district partner didn’t let go of her, and embraced her with all his strength combined. Sable tried to shake him off, now being alarmed, but it was too late: her district partner pulled out his kitchen knife and stabbed her in the back (”But every good story needs to come to an end”).

12. Oakley Huntsman (age: 15 | skills: hiding, speed | training score: 4 | days survived: 6): Female tribute from District 12. Oakley’s parents were merchants, they owned a small bakery in District 12. That’s why she was well-fed in contrast to her slender district partner. At the start of the Games, Oakley had been indecisive as to whether she should try her luck and take some supplies with her, or run away immediately. Finally, she decided to run towards a backpack a few meters away, and to her surprise, managed to grab it and escape. The boy from 2 threw a knife in her direction, but Oakley was fast and smart enough to zigzag away. The backpack turned out to be a gold mine: it comprised plenty of snacks, a rope, a pocketknife, an empty water bottle, and two small, metallic objects Oakley couldn’t identify. They looked identical and resembled stones. Their surface, however, wasn’t smooth: instead, it seemed as if they had handles. Oakley tried everything that came to her mind to find out what exactly she was holding in her hands (”What on earth?...”). When she couldn’t think of anything else, she held the objects against the wall of the small hut in which she was hiding. But nothing happened. Disappointed, she wanted to put the two objects into her backpack, but they seemed to be glued to the wall. With great difficulty, Oakley managed to detach the objects from the wall by slightly rotating them. Apparently, she was in possession of magnets sticking on any type of surfaces. But she still didn’t know how to make use of them, until in the early hours of the second day, she woke up to voices nearby. As if she had already unknowingly prepared herself for such a situation, she packed all her things together, strapped her backpack on, and took the magnets in her hands. Then she jumped out of the window (that she had left open in order to listen to suspicious noises nearby more easily), held the magnets alternately against the outside wall of the hut, and climbed onto the roof. She heard some people entering the hut at that precise moment, and recognized them by their voices: the Careers looking for victims. Oakley kept still and waited for them to leave, but the Careers seemed to be in no hurry. Just at that moment it started raining, and Oakley got soaking wet while she was lying there face down, too scared to move. After what felt like an eternity, the Careers finally left. Oakley didn’t change her hiding place because she thought it was very unlikely the Careers would enter her hut again. She remained there till the seventh day. In order to kill time, she grated branches the wind had driven through the open window of the hut using her pocketknife. Suddenly, lightning struck her hut and set it on fire: the Gamemakers wanted to lure her out of her hiding place. Oakley, who had been startled by the sudden noise, cut her finger but didn’t realize it because she was rushing to leave her hiding place alive. She wandered around for some time, but didn’t feel safe at where she was, which is why she decided to cross the great lake. She grabbed a boat, but was too afraid to hop into it in case someone would see her. Hence, she used it as driftwood. The moment her bleeding finger touched the water, she was ripped to pieces by mutated piranhas.

11. Amos Saywell (age: 16 | skill: kitchen knife | training score: 7 | days survived: 7): Male tribute from District 10. After he had murdered his ally (and collected her sponsoring gifts), all hell broke loose in District 10. A large crowd protested in front of the Justice Building, demanding that the Gamemakers should make Amos’ time in the arena a living hell. This was the first time a district had done this. The Gamemakers, however, were in raptures about Amos because he had given the viewers in the Capitol exactly what they had wanted: entertainment. And the Gamemakers were very fond of such tributes. A street interview conducted in District 10 convinced most people that returning to his home district was probably not the smartest idea for Amos. One particular interview stood out the most because the interviewee was a close relative of the female tribute (”What do you think of him?” - “What I think of him? He’s a real shame, that’s what I think! And if he should ever come back, I know exactly what I’m gonna do with him”). After that interview, people started calling him “Amos, shame-os”. Of course Amos didn’t have a clue what was going on in District 10, although he was clever enough to assume his actions would have consequences. But that was the last thing on his mind, what was important now was that he somehow had to survive the Games. When he was rambling through the woods, he forgot to smear his footprints on the muddy ground. Tracking him down was therefore child’s play for the Careers: the girl from District 2 sent a knife into his right shoulder, and the entire Career pack ran after him (”You can’t escape from us!” - “He really thinks he can run away from us! How cute!”). But when Amos ran towards the lakeshore, the Careers stopped: he was just about to enter the great lake with a bleeding wound. The Careers watched him jumping into the water (”Who’s gonna tell him?” said the boy from 1 jokingly) and being torn into pieces by the piranhas. Amos screamed in pain, but not for help. His last words before he was decapitated, were: “Sable! Forgive me!”.

Day 7: “Dear tributes, I hereby open the Quest. Remember, every two days you’ll be given a riddle that you’ve to solve in order to find the respective chest. In total there will be three riddles. Now you may be wondering why you should play along. Well, there won’t be any sponsoring gifts during this time. So, if your supplies are running low, or you simply want to get your hands on unique weapons and special equipment, this is your chance. Ladies and Gentlemen, here is the First Riddle. Good luck! ‘A piece of art. Standing there, apart. Maybe you'll find a dart? What else wants your heart?’”

10. Munira Kirklyn (age: 16 | skill: x | training score: 6 | days survived: 7): Female tribute from District 7. Munira’s family belonged to the upper class of District 7, meaning she hadn’t spent her childhood with cutting trees. Therefore, she had never actually used an axe, which was rather unusual for someone living in 7. Still, she pretended that she had a way with axes, and tried to impress the Gamemakers by swinging an axe. They weren’t highly impressed by her, but still gave her a 6 because they convinced themselves that she - a tribute from 7, the lumber district - had been cutting trees at home daily. But once Munira was inside the arena, it turned out that she hadn’t. She allied herself with her district partner, and hoped to survive with his help. Munira was very adventurous, and never hesitated following her partner around the arena. After the Gamemakers had revealed they would soon propose them riddles, the boy from her district suggested them to ally themselves with both tributes from District 3 (”They’re clever. I’m sure we’d find the chests more quickly that way. We need them.”). Hence, both began searching for them without taking a break (”We need to find them before they announce the first riddle, Munira.” - “What are you going to do, if we wouldn’t need their help anymore?” - “Get rid of them.”). And indeed, they found the two climbing up a mountain (”We won’t hurt you, promise!” - “Here, you can have our weapons. Or you know what? We’re throwing them away, see.”). The girl from 3 was hesitant, but the boy from 3 thought this alliance would benefit them since neither one of them knew how to fight. Therefore, the tributes from 7 could serve as their bodyguards. So, they accepted their offer. Only a few minutes later, the announcer proposed them the first riddle, and the girl from 3 solved it in a few seconds (”Art, apart, dart, heart... Start! The Cornucopia - that’s where everything started!”). The boy from 7 felt vindicated that he had made the right decision. They ran as fast as they could in the direction of the Cornucopia, but when they were inside the woods, Munira ran against a force field that threw her backwards, and her heart stopped. The two from 3 stopped to help her, but the boy from 7 told them to move on (”There’s nothing you can do for her! Hurry!”).

Day 9: “Ladies and Gentlemen, here is the Second Riddle. Good luck! ‘Careful, stay where you are! And don't listen, even though they say "Come in!". Waiting for red, waiting for dead. Step in, and they'll tear your skin.’”

9. Tiber Yusko (age: 18 | skills: close combat, knife | training score: 10 | days survived: 10): Male tribute from District 2. Just like some of his allies, Tiber had volunteered as a tribute. He was a tall muscleman who was very gifted at close combat. But surprisingly, he preferred throwing knives at his opponents instead of using his body strength to his advantage. The viewers, however, gradually became more and more annoyed by him. Reason for that was his way of talking: his vocabulary was very limited, he would use vile language, and constantly tell anti-jokes. He was also the main reason why the Career pack had a hard time searching for victims: he would unintentionally set them on the wrong track by claiming to know where the other tributes were hiding (”Believe me, my instinct is inevitable” - “You mean inerrable?” - “Yeah, whatever”). After the first riddle was announced, the Careers racked their brains over where the chest might be (”Piece of art? Sounds like a portrait to me. Or a picture?” - “I feel like it’s right under our nose.” - “Wait! Could it be the sky? That’s the only artsy thing here.” - “Right! And darts could be, you know, thunders?” - “That really makes sense. So I guess the chest will come with a parachute or something?”). And while others were searching for the chest, the Careers just stood there, hopefully staring at the sky, until a trumpet sound told them that someone else had found the chest. They embarrassed themselves yet again on the ninth day (”I think this one’s pretty obvious” - “Yeah - ‘stay where you are’ - like, don’t move or you’ll be torn to pieces.” - “Wait, what are you guys talking about?” - “The mines at the Cornucopia. They’ll explode once you touch the ground before the Games are officially opened.” - “But what about the ‘come in’ part?” - “The Cornucopia. Because it’s so tempting.” - “Makes sense!” - “So, what are you waiting for? Let’s go and get that chest!”). But when they were standing at the Cornucopia, proud of themselves for having solved the riddle, the boy from 1 suddenly facepalmed (”Wait - no! The lake! The piranhas! Go, go!”), but it was too late: a trumpet sound was heard at that very moment. Thereupon, the Careers blamed each other for that mistake (”How stupid of you to think the chest would be hidden inside the Cornucopia!” - “You had the same idea!” - “Hold your horses!” - “What are you, a groom?”). The Careers hadn’t gotten along very well since the start of the Games, but after not being able to find the chest for the second time, their relationship was finally shattered. They had eaten up their supplies, and thus, were starving for the first time in their lives. It all came to a bitter end on the tenth day...

8. Isla Shaw (age: 17 | skill: katana | training score: 9 | days survived: 10): Female tribute from District 4. Since the two previous Games had been won by tributes from Districts 1 and 2, many people hoped a tribute from 4 would come out as victor this time. And Isla seemed to fulfill all the requirements needed: with fiery hair, petrol blue eyes, and delicate pink lips, she was another tribute who captivated people across Panem. She was a talented fighter as well. During her interview with Caesar Flickerman, Isla seduced the audience with her looks and charming manner. Many people were betting on her. However, viewers were disappointed to see that Isla never stood up for things she believed were right, and instead did what she was told without ever contradicting her allies (”But what if the chest is at the la-” - “Isla, we’ve already solved the riddle. It’s at the Cornucopia. Aren’t you listening?”). On the tenth day, Isla found pouched food in the backpack of the boy from 1, while she and the others were starving. Isla gathered all her courage and confronted the boy in front of everyone (”I thought you were starving?” - “What are you talking about?” - “I found this in your backpack.” - “Yeah, sure. I guess it’s yours and you’re just too scared to admit” - “You, I- How dare you say that!”). Things escalated once the other Careers got involved (”I always thought you were the type of person to do such thing, Isla” - “On the contrary, Awes seems to have the word “thief” written all over his face.” - “Why don’t we just calm down and share the food?” - “Oh, shut up!” - “Fine, I pouched it. It’s not my fault you’re all too dumb to have done it as well.”). That’s when several Careers drew their weapons... Capitol’s favorite (4th-choice).

7. Strawberry Fair (age: 16 | skill: | training score: 9 | days survived: 10): Female tribute from District 1. Strawberry was the third child of Lovejoy Fair, victor of the 27th Hunger Games. She grew up in the shadow of her mother, and because of her mother’s popularity in their home district, people expected her children to be as talented as their mother was. Thus, Strawberry was constantly compared to her mother, the honorable victor from District 1. Unlike her siblings, Strawberry was the only one of “reaping age”. Her siblings had never dared to volunteer as tributes, much to the disapproval of their mother, who was eager to make history by becoming the very first victor with another victor as their child. Only her elder brother had attempted to participate in the 48th Hunger Games, but another volunteer had been picked as the male tribute of that year instead (and Strawberry’s brother had secretly been very glad about that). Therefore, Strawberry was her mother’s last chance to rise to fame yet again, and she didn’t want to disappoint her. She promised her that she would volunteer as a tribute once she had reached the age of 17. But when her name was called during the Reaping, it was no longer necessary for her to wait for so long. As it’s typical for Career districts, another girl immediately volunteered, and the Capitol escort asked Strawberry whether she would like to give her place to that girl instead. Strawberry didn’t answer immediately. She turned to her mother who was sitting behind her on the stage, inconspicuously shaking her head, and then said “No, I’m fine”. Not because she didn’t want to disappoint her, but because she didn’t want to dwell in her shadow for the rest of her life. Strawberry turned heads in the revealing red cashmere dress she was wearing for the interviews, with a golden strawberry pattern on it. Inside the arena, she wore her blonde hair in a ponytail that was secured with a strawberry hair clip. The Capitol audience was already in love with her before they had seen her fighting. When a fight broke out on the tenth day, Strawberry got into a fight with the girl from 2, and was fatally injured by her. Capitol’s favorite (3rd-choice).

6. Jigger Seelig (age: 16 | skill: trident | training score: 9 | days survived: 10): Male tribute from District 4. Jigger was a cute boy with an innocent face. He seemed to be much younger than 16, which is why he looked out of place next to his tall and strongly built allies. During his interview with Caesar Flickerman, Jigger was constantly blushing and smiling shyly (”So, Jigger, tell us something about yourself” - “I... uhm... so...” - “Oh, no need to blush! I promise we won’t tell anyone!” - “I’m actually a very shy person, Caesar...” - “Well, looks like you didn’t show that side to the Gamemakers - 9 points! Congratulations on that.”). But behind the curtain was a boy who enjoyed killing to the fullest. Thus, everyone was surprised to see how dangerous he actually was. While some Careers, including his district partner, got into a physical fight on the tenth day, Jigger didn’t interfere, and instead secretly put the food in his pockets. When he was about to run away, the boy from 1 chased after him (”I’m afraid it’s not so easy!”), and broke his neck. Capitol’s favorite (5th-choice).

5. Tosca Tyrell (age: 18 | skills: bodily strength, sword | training score: 11 | days survived: 10): Female tribute from District 2. It didn’t happen very often that a female tribute had such an intimidating effect on others. Tosca was muscular and the tallest out of all Careers. Many of her male opponents looked like a joke next to her. Most people were certain she would make it to the final battle, if not win the Games. But things turned out differently. Tosca punched the boy from 1 in the face after she had learned that he had secretly pouched food. This set off a chain reaction: the boy from 1 tried to give her a headbutt, but the boy from 2 shoved him to the ground. The girl from 1 went in between to keep the three apart, but was slapped in the face by the boy from 2. Suddenly, they faced each other armed. All the frustration of the last days had built up in such a way that the Careers lost their temper. The girl from 4 tried running away but Tosca rammed a sword into her back before the boy from 1, who had just killed the boy from 4, slit her throat. Capitol’s favorite (2nd-choice).

4. Copper Emmens (age: 15 | skills: intelligence, inventiveness | training score: 5 | days survived: 10): Male tribute from District 3. Copper was very intelligent just like his district partner. They quickly became friends in the arena, and helped each other surviving it by inventing things. The viewers were highly impressed by them, but still believed neither of them would win the Games. Although very clever, he wasn’t good at judging people which unfortunately sealed his fate. Capitol’s favorite (7th-choice).

Day 11: “Ladies and Gentlemen, here is the Third Riddle. Good luck! ‘Ascending to the bright sky. You're asking why? Because they're hiding something from the eye. A perfect place for a spy!’”

3. Awes Castellan (age: 18 | skills: bodily strength, sword | training score: 11 | days survived: 11): Male tribute from District 1. Awes was another volunteer, ready to risk anything in order to win the Games. After the other Careers were dead, he took the food with him (”Morons...”) and calmly walked away while eating crackers. Awes had good chances of winning, if it hadn’t been for the surprise his final opponent had in store for him... Capitol’s favorite (1st-choice).

2. Veneer Foye (age: 17 | skill: axe | training score: 8 | days survived: 11): Male tribute from District 7. Veneer was very smart and determined. He was also very elusive. But above all, he was a great actor. He enjoyed the attention he received as a tribute to the fullest, and always made sure to act for the cameras. Although the viewers seemed to understand the nature of Veneer’s opponents by the time they had entered the arena, Veneer still remained a mystery to them. By joining forces with the tributes from 3, he hoped to solve the riddles and find the respective chests. And indeed, they found two chests (the first containing a tracking device that was able to find tributes thanks to the trackers injected into their arms, and the second baskets filled with food supplies), before their alliance split. Veneer showed his true colours near the end of the Games after the cannon went off several times, announcing the deaths of the Careers. Veneer had miscalculated the cannon shots, wrongly thinking the only survivors beside him were his two remaining allies from District 3. That’s when the horror began... Capitol’s favorite (6th-choice).

1. Wiress Thorner (age: 15 | skills: technology, intelligence, inventiveness | training score: 4 | days survived: 11): Victor of the 49th Hunger Games from District 3. Wiress was an inconspicuous girl with short brown hair and ashen skin. She was reserved and preferred not to display her emotions. During her interview with Caesar Flickerman, she gave him such clever answers that he had difficulties keeping up with her. He also gave her the nickname “Brainy”. Among other things, she told him about her inventions and discoveries. In addition, she could express herself excellently, and knew more than anyone else - like a mobile encyclopaedia. Furthermore, her instinct was very reliable: Wiress had great insight into human nature, and sensed things way before they happened. But her opponents underestimated her, thinking she wouldn’t need her brains in the arena. Wiress, however, proved on many occasions that she was way ahead of them: when she was soaking wet after fishing with her ally in a small lake (they had built the angling rods themselves), she took off her clothes and hung them on a temporary clothesline so that it would dry faster in the cool air. Together with her ally, she also devised a water filter system by collecting sand, gravel, moss, a piece of cloth and coal, the latter had been sent to them by a sponsor. While others wandered around the arena helplessly, Wiress and her district partner used every possible resource the arena offered them. When the tributes from 7 wanted to join forces with them, Wiress intended to decline, but her district partner thought it was a better idea to accept the offer. Wiress disliked the boy from 7 because he was the only tribute she wasn’t able to judge, and thus, couldn’t outguess. But she had no other option than joining them. She was always very careful around him, and watched him closely to understand his complex nature. Wiress always thought about running away, but was afraid the boy would kill her district partner. On the tenth day, she tried to persuade her district partner that the boy from 7 was highly dangerous, and was intending to kill both of them very soon (”Copper, he is up to something. We better leave him now before it’s too late.” - “Wiress, you’re just overthinking. He’s just pretending to be dangerous, that’s all.”). Her district partner, however, told her that he wouldn’t be able to fight both of them on his own, regardless of his fighting skills. But Wiress was still convinced something bad was going to happen very soon. Hours later, when the three were sitting inside a hut, the cannon suddenly went off multiple times, announcing the deaths of several Careers - 5 out of 6, which meant that one Career was still alive, reducing the total number of players to four. Wiress was already on her feet and ready to escape, when the boy from 7 rushed forward and stabbed the boy from 3 to death. Wiress escaped through the window and ran away as fast as she could, but the boy from 7 wasn’t in a hurry (”You can’t run forever!”). Wiress ran through the woods until she sought refuge inside another small hut which also happened to be the place where the third and final chest was hidden. But Wiress didn’t realize that at first: she was trembling uncontrollably, and had difficulties breathing normally. Then she noticed the chest, opened it, and found a taser inside it. An hour later, she heard a twig snapping, and looked up to see the boy from 1 standing at the window and directy looking at her with a creepy smile on his face (”Peek-a-boo!”). He entered the hut through the door, and approached Wiress, grinning (”Didn’t expect to find you here, I must admit. But I’m not mad about it.”). After standing in front of her for a minute, he decided to try out something new (”I haven’t choked anybody. Yeah, I think it’s about time.”), and slowly approached Wiress who was just staring at him in horror. Then he suddenly screamed and sank to the ground: Wiress was holding the taser in her hand. While he was trying to get up, Wiress grabbed a knife that had slipped out of his pocket. The boy tried shaking off the paralysis caused by the taser, and then approached Wiress again (”You little rat.”). He raised his hand, ready to strike her, when he suddenly stopped moving: Wiress had rammed the knife in his throat. Thereupon, the boy coughed and splattered her entire face with blood. Wiress sank to the ground, teetering back and forth while lethargically staring at her bloody hands and the dead boy lying in front of her. She was too traumatized by the death of her district partner, her friend and companion, and the horrible death of the boy from 1, to feel any other emotion than horror. Half an hour later, a sudden knock at the door startled her out of her thoughts (”Knock, knock! I know you’re in there, Brainy. Won’t you open the door for me? Oh, that’s rude, Brainy. I thought you were clever.”). Wiress slowly got up, moved to the window, carefully looked out, and then escaped the hut through it. She leaned against the wall, unable to move due to fear. Suddenly, the boy from 7 showed up right above her: he had climbed onto the roof and now looked down at her with a broad smile on his face (”Tick tock, time is running, Wiress! Aren’t you tired of playing the cat-and-mouse game? I mean, it’s a lot of fun, but let’s better end this right now.”). Wiress ran away again, this time in the direction of the nearest lake. She swam across that lake until reaching the shore. The boy from 7 calmly followed her (”I totally forgot about that boy. You’ve killed him on your own? I’m very impressed! Too bad you won’t be lucky this time.”). Wiress put her hand in her pocket, holding the taser, while staring at the boy who was still grinning, unaware what was expecting him (“That’s it, Brainy. You fought well. Now come to me. I’ll make it short. I won’t hurt you much, I promise.”). He then laughed at the sight of her (”Just a tiny little bit. Tick tock, the time is up!”). That’s when Wiress turned the taser on and threw it into the water. She watched him being electrocuted from afar, and listened to his blood-curdling death cries. The cannon went off, and she sank to the ground yet again, teetering back and forth while singing a nursery rhyme (”Hickory, dickory, dock. The mouse ran up the clock. The clock struck one, the mouse ran down, hickory, dickory, dock.”). She remained in that position even after the hovercraft had showed up to bring her away, and got up fifteen minutes later, still in great shock. Capitol’s favorite (8th-choice).

Wiress was never the same. Although her mentor, Beetee Latier, had protested that she shouldn’t be interviewed due to her condition, Wiress was still brought on stage. But she didn’t talk. The Capitol was not happy with a victor like her. President Snow initially believed that she was just acting so that the Capitol would leave her alone, but then realized she wasn’t. Wiress lived in seclusion until she became friends with Beetee: he reminded her of a friend she had lost in the arena. During the 75th Hunger Games, Wiress kept having flashbacks of her first Games: the clock arena reminded her of Veneer’s catchphrase (”Tick, tock!”), and the blood rain reminded her of the time Awes had splattered her face with blood. That’s why she had been too shocked to tell her allies about what she had found out about the arena, and had been repeating “Tick, tock!” over and over again. As if the ghosts of those two boys had appeared decades later to haunt her again.

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*Capitol favorites attracted Capitol citizens’ (and therefore whole Panem’s) attention the most. Various reasons for this included their unique skills, impressive deeds or exciting storylines. More screen time made it easier for them to survive in the arena compared to less noticed tributes (e.g. in terms of sponsor gifts). Also, there was a lower risk for them to be exposed to the Gamemaker’s arbitrariness (e.g. mutts, different dangers) due to contributing to the viewer’s excitement. The higher their placement (1st, 2nd, 3rd…), the better. Nevertheless, the possibility of encountering dangers in the arena was never completely ruled out.

Sorry for any language mistakes. English is not my native language. Please let me know about any mistakes I have made.

I’d be grateful for your feedback! I spend A LOT of time writing all of this, so I’d really like to know what you think.

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Other finished recaps: The 1st, 25th, 36th, 50th, 65th, 68th, 69th, and 70th Hunger Games

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MOOMINVALLEY is based on the beloved Moomin stories by Tove Jansson and will consist of two series of 13 x 22-minute-long episodes. It will broadcast in 2019 on Sky One in the UK and public broadcaster YLE in Finland. The show is being created by an outstanding team, including Oscar®-winning director Steve Box (Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit).

Cast and characters:

Moominmamma – Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl, A United Kingdom, An Education)

Moominpappa – Matt Berry (The IT Crowd, Toast of London, The Philanthropist)

Moomintroll – Taron Egerton (Kingsman, Eddie the Eagle, Testament of Youth)

Snorkmaiden – Akiya Henry (Bing, Bottersnikes and Gumble, Noddy in Toyland)

Sniff – Warwick Davis (Harry Potter, Star Wars, Life’s Too Short)

Little My – Bel Powley (The Diary of a Teenage Girl, A Royal Night Out, Carrie Pilby)

Snufkin – Edvin Endre (Eddie the Eagle, Vikings, Nameja gredzens)

Ninny – Mayumi Kawai

Teety-Woo – Matt Lucas (Bridesmaids, Doctor Who, Little Britain)

Too-Ticky – Katie Leung (Harry Potter)

Misabel – Rebecca Root (The Danish Girl, Boy Meets Girl)

Mymble – Jennifer Saunders (Absolutely Fabulous, French and Saunders, Shrek)

Emma the Stage Rat – Alison Steadman (Gavin & Stacey, Pride & Prejudice)

Hemulen (Female) – Susie Brann

Hemulen (Male) – Joe Wilkinson (Rovers, Miranda, Him & Her)

Mrs Fillyjonk – Kate Winslet (Titanic, Revolutionary Road, The Reader)

The Muskrat – Will Self (Shooting Stars, author of Phone and Sky Arts drama The Minor Character)

The Ghost – Richard Ayoade (The IT Crowd, presenter of Travel Man & Crystal Maze)