#which Peeta also has towards Gale

[mollywog]

Gale knows his anger at Madge is misdirected. On other days, deep in the woods, I’ve listened to him rant about how the tesserae are just another tool to cause misery in our district. A way to plant hatred between the starving workers of the Seam and those who can generally count on supper and thereby ensure we will never trust one another. “It’s to the Capitol’s advantage to have us divided among ourselves,” he might say if there were no ears to hear but mine. If it wasn’t reaping day. If a girl with a gold pin and no tesserae had not made what I’m sure she thought was a harmless comment.

As we walk, I glance over at Gale’s face, still smoldering underneath his stony expression. His rages seem pointless to me, although I never say so. It’s not that I don’t agree with him. I do. But what good is yelling about the Capitol in the middle of the woods? It doesn’t change anything. It doesn’t make things fair. It doesn’t fill our stomachs. In fact, it scares off the nearby game. I let him yell though. Better he does it in the woods than in the district.

Gale isn’t blaming the Merchants for the division: he is correctly identifying that the Merchant/Seam divide is a Capitol created division to distract the district citizens from the real enemy.

[lunar-years]

It's really interesting how Peeta's quiet rebellion in the first games is kind of completely overlooked by everyone, right down to President Snow, while Katniss emerges as The Singular Target. To the extent that by the end of the book when they meet Snow, Katniss can tell right away that only she is to blame for the berry trick, whereas Peeta is quickly dismissed and then for a long time, an afterthought,

Like, yes, the berry trick was Katniss' idea, but it comes to her straight from Peeta's rhetoric!! "They have to have a Victor, Katniss" and before that on the cornucopia, when Katniss asks him why they won't just let Cato die already and Peeta responds "you know why." Like...both statements are vague enough to maybe not seem of any big concern to the Capitol, but Katniss is directly picking up on the undercurrent of his words. And you can't convince me that by the time they actually go to put the berries in their mouths, Peeta isn't fully aware of the same thing Katniss is: the Capitol won't let them both die. They need their Victor, or it falls apart. Yet to Snow and the Capitol, they truly believe Peeta is just a lovestruck idiot carrying out a double suicide so they can be together forever, Romeo & Juliet style. Whereas Katniss, in their POV, is doing it out of direct malice towards the Capitol, not love for Peeta. Even Haymitch doesn't let Katniss and Peeta talk afterwards and only tells Katniss the reality of the situation in the Capitol because he thinks that if Peeta finds out the truth he'll get too upset or won't be able to handle it and things will blow up.

This is after an entire Games where Peeta has been doing something that I have to imagine is pretty unprecedented, and definitely in contradiction to the entire mindset of the Games, which that he neglects his own self preservation instincts and safety to protect and save Katniss. He's kind of playing the Capitol the whole time, because right from the beginning he's refusing to participate in the inherent selfishness and division they try to sow in the Games. And he's doing so in ways he can easily get away, because Snow and by extension the Capitol don't see love as anything other than a form of weakness.

And I'm not trying to say that Peeta is this mastermind deliberately plotting intentional rebellion from page one, because yeah, his actions are largely purely driven by love for Katniss. But the thing the Capitol can't understand is that for Peeta, that love has always been inseparable from rebellion. One necessities and fuels the other. The paragraph Katniss spends lamenting on how horrified Peeta would probably be if he heard the way she and Gale talk about the Capitol in the woods is almost laughable as a reader, because girl, Peeta would absolutely be right there with you. Meanwhile, Katniss is shocked at herself when she so much as thinks the word 'murder' for the first time in relation to a death in the Games. It's just fascinating!

And again, that's not to say Katniss isn't also very much rebellious, especially as the narrative goes forward, but what's key is that her rebellion also stems out of love, and it strengthens over the course of the books as her love strengthens. Her first act of rebellion is volunteering out of love for her sister. And then slowly, her mindset in the game evolves from pure survival as she comes to love Rue, then Peeta. In nearly every case it's love that prompts further rebellion. The Capitol just can't see it because they can tell the star-crossed lovers narrative is on her end, but not Peeta's, a ruse. That's why Katniss is singled out as a threat and Peeta isn't. And by the time the Capitol/Snow realizes the love is reciprocated and that Peeta is the key weapon to use against Katniss, the love is already so deeply rooted that nothing can stop the rebellion that follows.

[reesereadsalot]

𝐹𝒶𝒸𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒜𝓇𝑒𝓃𝒶

previous chapter - next chapter

Pairings: Finnick x pregnant!reader

Warnings: TW for child loss. Other than that refer to series masterlist

Desc: Your 7 months pregnant with Finnicks baby. When your the happiest you were in your life, your whole world comes crashing down. You were reaped for the 3rd Quarter Quell.

Credits: dividers by @cafekitsune

｡𖦹°‧masterlist

a/n: Again TW for child loss.

The gel was sticky. Hard to walk through even. It made a suction sound every step you took. But, it wasn’t poisonous. The group walked for what felt like forever until the goo started to thin out. On the fifth block we could start seeing the roofs of houses. The squad takes cover in one.

When the squad gets to the second floor of the apartment we hear a chain of explosions.

“It wasn’t close,” Jackson assures us. “A good four or five blocks away.”

“Where we left Boggs,” says Leeg 1.

Although no one has made a move toward it, the television flares to life, emitting a high-pitched beeping sound, bringing half the party to its feet. You don’t rise as you are trying to get Ronan to sleep.

“It’s all right!” calls Cressida. “It’s just an emergency broadcast. Every Capitol television is automatically activated for it.”

They play a live feed of them blowing up the houses you were just in. You gasp. Then you watch as you are all pronounced dead. They play the Capitol anthem as they show each of the squads faces. Just like in the Hunger Games. When it shows Finnick he smiles and you shoot him a look that says ‘not the time’. When it shows you, you see a picture of yourself holding Ronan and his name is on there too.

You forgot that he has also been pronounced dead.

District 13 does not intervene which means they think it’s true. District 13 thinks it’s true. The squad is on their own. You are on your own. Ronan only has you and Finnick.

“So, now that we’re dead, what’s our next move?” asks Gale.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Peeta says, finally tearing his gaze away from the windows to look Katniss directly in the eyes. “Our next move . . . is to kill me.”

“No!” You protest.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” says Jackson, which feels like a rather ironic protest considering she’s the one still holding him at gunpoint. You snort and she shoots you a look.

“I just murdered a member of our squad,” Peeta says steadily, as if his suggestion is only logical.

“You pushed him off you. You couldn’t have known he would trigger the net at that exact spot,” says Finnick.

“Peeta, you couldn’t have known. It’s not your fault.” You say bouncing Ronan up and down.

The conversation continues but you enter your own world. Where Ronan is a little boy playing by the water with Finnick as you watch on a beach towel. You occasionally resurface when the squad is eating food or when Finnick is whispering in your ear.

When you finish eating Finnick brings you to a corner to talk to you. You doubt anyone had forgotten about your outburst and your announcement. In the corner of the room, you have Finnick cover you so you can feed Ronan. When he gets a good latch Finnick talks.

“So you are?” Finnick begins “Pregnant, I mean.”

“Unfortunately.” You say with a sad smile.

“Why is that unfortunate?” Asks Finnick.

“Well, we’re here, and we could die. I don’t know if we are going to survive and I don’t want to slow anyone down.” You say.

“We are going to live.” Finnick places a hand on the small of your back. He sits behind you, still covering you from people seeing Ronan eat. “How far along are you?” Finnick asks.

“Ten weeks,” you begin and a ghost of a smile is on your face “I see a little of a bump.” You put your index and thumb close together to indicate how small.

“Can I see?” Finnick asks placing a hand on your belly.

“You don’t need to ask.” You say as he pulls your armor down a bit more and uncovers your belly. Your armor open at the top for easy breast feeding access. He has tears in his eyes.

“I see it.” He says swallowing the lump in his throat.

You pull your armor back up and place Ronan down as he has finished. “We will be okay. I promise.” You say as your thumb draws circles on his cheek and you hold out your pinky. He smiles at you.

“You better keep it.” He says before wrapping his pinky around yours. You smile at him. You can’t help but feel excited for your soon to be family of four after this war.

You escape to your own world where your family is now a family of four not three. And you all play in the water.

You wake up to the whisper.

“Katniss”

How did you get here? Where’s Ronan? He’s not in your arms. You begin to panic and look around.

“Y/N, Ronan is right here.” Finnick says and you turn to him.

“Where are we?” You ask Finnick.

“Underground.” He says confused as to why you don’t remember. Then he thinks back and remembers your glossed over eyes. He should’ve known. He silently curses himself.

“Katniss”

Peeta says it along with whatever is whispering it. “Katniss” he mumbles again. Katniss raises her bow at him and you close your eyes, scared as to whats may happen to him. “Katniss!” He screams and you open your eyes. Peeta’s eyes are frantic but there’s no hint of evilness in them. “Katniss! Get out of here!” He yells at her and you stand up.

“Why? What’s making that sound?” Katniss asks and you want to tell her that the squad should leave. Why does everyone lack survival skills here?

“I don’t know. Only that it has to kill you,” says Peeta “Run! Get out! Go!”

Everyone looks around confused before Katniss speaks. “Whatever it is, it’s after me. It might be s good time to split up.”

“But we’re your guard,” says Jackson.

“And your crew,” adds Cressida.

“I’m not leaving you,” Gale says.

Katniss looks at the crew. A lot of the squad doesn’t even have weapons. Katniss suggests that Finnick should give one of his guns to Castor. Eject the blank cartridge from Peeta’s and load it with a real one. She has a hard time deciding who should get the gun. You hope she would choose you but it’s a lost cause. Finnick arms Pollux. Gale and Katniss give their bows to Mesalla and Cressida. Now the only ones without weapons are you and Peeta. You understand why Peeta didn’t get a weapon, but you? You trained for this. You lock eyes with Peeta and shrug. You wrap the cloth that holds Ronan around your belly loosely because they need to leave. You place Ronan in it and you kiss him on the nose. He giggles.

You guess that the mutts are tracking the squad based on scent. Katniss and Pollux work out a plan. They decide that if the squad works swiftly they can reach Snow’s mansion before the mutts reach them.

The squad has covered three blocks with Finnick behind you. He makes sure you keep up the pace by placing a hand at the small of your back and lightly pushing you along. Screams begin and you panic. You try to conceal it but it’s so scary.

“Avoxes,” says Peeta “That’s what Darius sounded like when they tortured him.” Oh right. The torturing they talked about which you blocked out.

“The mutts must have found them,” says Cressida.

“So they’re not just after Katniss,” says Leeg 1.

“They’ll probably kill anyone. It’s just that they won’t stop until they get to her.” Gale says. He is probably right.

Katniss tries to convince everyone to let her go alone but the squad protests.

“Listen,” Peeta says quietly.

The screams have stopped but the mutts continue to whisper “Katniss”

The squad starts to run and so do you. Katniss scans for a possible alternative on the Holo when she starts gagging.

“Masks on!” Jackson orders.

You try to slip Ronan’s on but your shaking hands and his crying doesn’t help. You start to cry.

“Finnick.” You whisper. “Help me please.” Finnick notices what you’re struggling to do and slips on Ronan’s mask. You let out a sigh of relief before slipping on yours too.

We continue on and Katniss orders us to go around a pod.

“Katniss!” Finnick stops Katniss. You turn around.

Mesalla is under golden light that radiates from the ceiling. You watch in horror as he melts like wax. Bile threatens to rise out of your throat but you keep it down.

You round an intersection when you see them. Peacekeepers. Except they aren’t peacekeepers. Katniss yells something but you don’t hear. They look like lizards but white and big.

What is going on? You come back to reality while your climbing a ladder. You look down at Ronan except he’s not there. You look back down the latter to see Finnick and others fighting the mutts. You see Ronan crying on the floor with the cloth that’s supposed to be around you. You start to climb down the ladder. Ronan screams and cries as he thrashes around.

“Finnick, Ronan!” You scream. Finnick notices Ronan but it’s too late. He’s swept up into the mouth of a mutt under the ladder. You kick your boot into the mutts face until it drops Ronan. You grab him quickly and without looking back you scream, Finnick! Come on!” You climb up the latter with your baby in your hands.

Finnick follows you, trident in hand. When you reach the top you turn around and grab onto Finnick’s hand. You feel like you’re being pulled down. You look down to see a mutt has latched its mouth onto Finnick’s foot.

“Finnick!” You scream.

You feel yourself slipping down along with him. You’re clutching Ronan while someone pulls you and Finnick out of the sewers. You keep a tight hand on Finnick.

You hear Katniss whisper as she drops the Holo in the tunnel “Nightlock, Nightlock, Nightlock��. It causes a big explosion that leaves ringing in your ears.

“Finnick!” You sob as you pull Finnick into your arms. You expect to hear another person crying but you don’t. You quickly place Ronan down.

“No!” You scream as you see the big gash in Ronan’s chest. He isn’t breathing. “No, no, no, no, no!” You cry compressing his wound to stop the bleeding. “You’re okay. You’re okay, baby.” You say as tears roll down your cheeks. Finnick comes up next to you.

“Y/N.” He says while tears free fall from his eyes. He tries to pull you off of Ronan but you resist. You meet his sea green eyes now glassy and red.

“No!” You cry. “He’s okay! He’s gonna be okay! He’s going to live!” You sob to Finnick as you start doing compressions on your baby. Your voice cracks at the end of your sentence. He’s going to live. A small pool of blood surrounds him. He is too far gone but you refuse to accept it. “You’re okay. You’re okay.” You repeat over and over as Finnick stares into oblivion. You lean over and throw up your last meal that you had been struggling to keep in. Time freezes. Every memory you have of Ronan plays in your head.

“Y/N.” You hear someone say your name but you’re not listening. Someone tries to pull you back. Tears and blood soak his tiny black armor.

“No!” You scream. “He’s okay!” You say giving him more compressions when you hear a crack.

His ribs.

“No.” You say picking him up. “I can’t. I can’t. It’s all my fault!” You sob. Finnick is still somewhere else. Gale comes beside you.

“Y/N.” He says placing a hand on your bicep that’s covered in your son’s blood. You place him down and curl into a ball around him. “Y/N we have to leave. I’m sorry.” He says.

“Leave him?” You ask him still sobbing.

“Yes, we can’t take him.” He says. It takes everything in you not to slap him across the face. You sit up angrily.

“No! I can’t leave him! No!” You scream as Finnick comes to. He sees Ronan’s dead body and begins to break down. He pulls you into a big hug. You lay your head against his chest. He whispers in your ear.

“We have to leave.” He says to you. He kisses your hair on the top of your head.

“I can’t leave him Finnick!” You sob. “I broke my promise! I’m sorry!”

“We have to.” He strokes your hair. You begin to protest before he interrupts you. “Shh. We have to leave. Ronan wouldn’t want you to give up.” He pulls you out of the hug and wipes your tears. His thumb rubs circles on your cheek.

You kiss him, salt on your tongue from both of your tears. He rubs your stomach as he pulls out of the kiss. You’re reminded of the other life inside of you. You put two protective hands over your stomach. You nod at him, tears still streaming down your face, and stand up.

You pick up Ronan and cradle him in your arms one last time. Touch his face for the last time. A face that could’ve grown into a boy then a man. You lost years of seeing him grow up.

You lay him down in a hidden area. One where nobody—you hope—will find him. You close his sea green eyes with your fingers. You let out a strangled sobbing noise. His hair the same shade as yours ruffles in the wind. Your lip quivers and your hands shake as you kiss his forehead one last time blood smearing on your lips. Finnick is at your side kneeling by Ronan. You look him in the eyes and see Ronan’s. Another strangled noise comes out of you. He strokes Ronan’s cheeks and places a kiss on his noise before covering his body with a blanket. A baby blanket. His favorite—or so you think—one that’s as blue as the ocean and has little darker polka-dots on it.

You find the will to keep going. That’s what Ronan would want.

Then something you aren’t used to sets in you. Anger. No stronger than anger.

Rage.

Chapter 12

[derangedchameleon]

So I‘ve been hearing everybody talk about how similar young Haymitch is to both Katniss and Peeta. With Katniss‘ „things will never change so don‘t think about it“ attitude, family relations, and tendency towards reckless behaviour, and Peeta‘s „I don‘t want them to change me“ and and belief in humanity, and ability to sway a crowd.

What I have not been hearing is his similarities with Gale (please don‘t stone me I don‘t like the guy much either) but seriously! As soon as Haymitch went running straight at Snow with Louella in his arms all I could think was „Had Gale been reaped, this would have been him.“

Haymitch is way more openly rebellious than either Katniss or Peeta on day 1. Gale would have never been able to be subtle about his rage. I hear people say constantly that Gale would have played the game perfectly and ruthlessly (probably because of his „killing people isn‘t different from killing animals“ comment (which I honestly think he only said to make it easier on Katniss, since in order to survive she‘d have to kill anyway)), but I think they‘re really selling the absolute ball of rage that this boy is short. He has been the primary caretaker for a family of 5 since age 13. He is cursed to end up in the mines where his father died, while all he wants is to be out in nature. I think his rage is very comparable to Maysilee‘s. Stuck. With no hope for a way out. So he often misdirects his rage (example: his snide comment at Madge‘s pin), just like she does with her meanness in the beginning.

Yes Gale‘s rage would have ended up much more targeted towards the careers (that chocolate scene would never have happened) but he would have 100% been hyped at the idea of blowing up the arena and would have been all in. And hey. Maybe his rage would have become more directed at the capitol after his reaping, just like Maysilee‘s did.

Even in family relations Gale and Haymitch are quite similar. Yes Gale had 3 siblings to take care of instead of 1, but their mothers are very much alike. Being present and working in a laundry business even after the tragic deaths of their husbands in the mines. And Haymitch‘s little brother is way further to him in age than Prim was to Katniss. The only year in which Haymitch could have possibly volunteered for Sid would have been in his own final reaping year. The same for Gale and Rory. And then there‘s also the fact that, had Haymitch‘s twin sisters not been born early… he would have also had 3 siblings to take care of instead of the one.

Anyway I think if Gale had been reaped, he would have ended up acting a LOT like Haymitch in the games. People forget that his sadistic streak and true loss of perspective on who the true enemy is happened after the bombing of 12. (also it‘s not like he gave the order to use those bombs on the rebels, or even had the idea to use them against the rebels, and Beetee designed the things but somehow he gets a free pass)

I think Gale would have 100% ended up a failed Mockingjay. The biggest difference between Gale and Haymitch, I think, is that after Snow comes and burns his family (and probably also Katniss) to the ground for his rebellion, he wouldn‘t collapse. He‘d just get more angry, maybe try and stage his own private assassination attempt on Snow idk.

Anyway. My point is. There are also similarities between Haymitch and Gale (and also cut Gale some slack guys. He‘s an incredibly complex character and I think a big part of the hate he receives is blown out of proportion)

[liberalk1tsch]

What do you think Haymitch thought about Gale and his behaviour towards Katniss (and Peeta)?How much did he know about this complicated relationship? I always considered Haymitch to be a rather good judge of the character -which his book imo confirms, so I feel that he would have Gale figured out pretty quickly but at the same time they come from similar backgrounds so that might have clouded his view somehow. Idk, what are your thoughts on that?

this is going to be one of my more unpopular opinions i reckon, but i’m ok with that.

once again — if you can't accept criticism of gale, dni

i’m gonna say it — i don’t think haymitch likes gale whatsoever.

i think he respects him for helping asterid and prim in katniss’ absence during the games and for helping to save the people of d12 from the firebombs, but that’s where he draws the line.

haymitch sees gale's relationship with katniss from a distance — not as her parent (not at first) viewing childhood friends or another love interest, but as someone on the outside looking in. he’s not caught in the emotional tangle; he sees a young man pursuing his sweetheart who’s barely had time to breathe, let alone process everything she’s been through. and while the age gap isn’t massive, haymitch is a district 12 native — he knows that 18 or 20 in the seam isn’t adolescence. it’s adulthood. and that makes his emotional pursuit of katniss feel . . . off.

nobody likes to hear this, but gale is a man. legally. physically. socially. hormonally. emotionally too for the most part, even if that aspect is a bit stunted. he's graduated from school. he works full time in the mines. supports his family. probably pays taxes. is legally able to get married with someone his own age.

it's different from an 18-20 y/o in our society where they might still be finishing up high school, going off to uni, not really being independent adults yet. there's no in-between steps like that in d12 for people between school age and adulthood/career. the responsibilities and expectations are different. by d12 standards, gale's a grown man.

and he uses his free time to hang out with a 17 y/o girl.

if it were just friendship, that would be one thing. but gale clearly wants something more, and he keeps pressing for it, even when katniss is drowning in trauma and fear. haymitch knows what trauma looks like. he lives it everyday. and he also knows what it means to love someone in a way that’s not about possession or control — love that’s protective, patient, and painful.

he sees that in peeta. not just the love, but the sacrifice and restraint. and he recognises it because it mirrors his own. haymitch is the Original Loverboy, and while he can acknowledge that gale does care about katniss, it’s a different kind of care — one that doesn’t always align with her best interest.

what makes it even more layered is that haymitch and gale have near-identical backgrounds. they both grew up in the seam, oldest siblings of fatherless families, raised by mothers who worked as washerwomen. they both broke the law to feed their families. they both watched their homes go up in flames.

haymitch understands gale. he knows what that situation does to a person. he sees the ruthlessness in gale during the rebellion — the tactical coldness, the willingness to sacrifice lives — and while he doesn’t condemn him for it, he knows that it’s not what katniss needs.

so yeah. haymitch respects gale’s tenacity. he understands his grief. but he doesn’t like the way he treats katniss. and he definitely doesn’t trust it.

because katniss finally has people who look out for her, and haymitch is going to make damn sure they’re the kind who deserve her.

[chrkrose]

Just wanted to say that I completely agreed with your Sunrise take. It's almost as though you plucked it out of my brain and put it in words.

Its a shame that the Maysilee/Haymitch ship has been struck down so explicitly. I can't see the ship being popular now without fans claiming that we've 'missed the whole point'.

I also agreed with your take about Lenore: to me, she's far too similar to Lucy Gray for me to care about her in her own right and that's a shame.

I'm interested to see if you have any other thoughts since I enjoyed your first post a lot.

More thoughts on SOTR, Maysilee and Maysilee/ Haymitch.

I mean… I have issues with several aspects of Sunrise on the Reaping (SOTR), honestly. Like, the way the book handles its themes is just so on the nose. It lacks the subtlety Suzanne used to have. One of the biggest appeals of the original trilogy was that Katniss wasn’t a chosen one—she wasn’t special, she wasn’t trying to be a rebel, she was just surviving. And now suddenly we’re rewriting that entire foundation to make her destiny feel preordained? Add in all the fan service, which felt so Marvel-level with its cameos and callbacks, and yeah… I struggled with a lot of it.

The Maysilee stuff—and the Maysilee/Haymitch potential—is just one example in a list of things that didn’t work for me, but it’s a great one to highlight what went wrong.

First off, my gripe with Maysilee and Haymitch isn’t even just that they weren’t romantic. Sure, I do think a romantic storyline would’ve added more depth and been more compelling, but what really bugs me is the way people jump to that “not every relationship needs to be romantic!!” discourse like it’s some mic drop moment. And like—yeah, of course not every bond has to be romantic. The series already gives us beautiful platonic relationships, so what are you truly saying here? I always feel like that argument has a bit of a misogynistic edge, like romance automatically weakens a story or a character. That it’s less serious or important just because it’s “girly” or emotional. It’s the reverse of the people who think romance is the only thing that matters—it’s still minimizing, just from another angle.

Personally, I think a romantic connection between Maysilee and Haymitch could have added a lot to the story. Not because romance is inherently better, but because it would’ve allowed us to actually see the relationship develop. Imagine Haymitch having to confront and dismantle his class prejudices toward her. Imagine the layers that would add to his trauma, to his choices, to the person he becomes. That arc would’ve felt way more grounded than suddenly introducing Lenore Dove—a character who feels like a Lucy Gray copy-paste—and expecting us to accept her as the Great Love of Haymitch’s life.

And look, I’m a sucker for a good love story. I would have eaten it up so fast if this was a good one. But it simply wasn’t. There was no tension, no buildup, no spark. Just symbolism on top of symbolism, and a girl who was written to be “quirky” and “different” and important, but never felt real. She was too mythical, too much, too “main girl who haunts the narrative” without earning that weight. At least Lucy Gray had quirks and nuance. Lenore just felt like Suzanne ticking boxes: rebel, covey, singer, poet attached to her name, dead too soon. And I’m sorry, but having Haymitch still pining for his 16-year-old girlfriend decades later, when we barely get to see him reflect on his family or his fellow tributes? At least give space to his mother and brother, to the tributes he bonded with, to all the people he lost along the way.

And that’s what really bothers me. Suzanne always trusted her readers to come to their own conclusions. She showed us dynamics—Katniss and Peeta, Finnick and Katniss, Johanna and Peeta, even Katniss and Gale—and let us interpret. She never had to spell out who these people were to each other. But it seems like she didn’t trust that when it comes to Maysilee and Haymitch, and to Lenore and Haymitch as well. Suddenly we were told what to feel, how to perceive every relationship. And that just doesn’t land for me. It actually undermines the emotional weight because it feels like she didn’t trust the story to stand on its own.

And if the whole idea was to subvert expectations and say “Surprise! Everything you thought you knew about Haymitch’s Games is actually propaganda,” then… I don’t know. That twist didn’t work for me either. It didn’t enhance the themes, it just made me feel, again, like I wasn’t capable enough to reach conclusions on my own. For a book who speaks of propaganda, she sure tried to determine how we would interact with it without room for anything else.

Now, about Maysilee herself—she would’ve worked so much better as the ghost in Haymitch’s narrative. Platonic or romantic, an ambiguous bond between her and Haymitch had more potential than what we got. The Capitol downplaying her role would’ve tied beautifully with Haymitch’s later manipulation of the Katniss/Peeta narrative. She mirrors both of them in ways Lenore doesn’t: she’s a merchant girl like Peeta, she’s got Katniss’ fire, and her pin—her pin—becomes the ultimate symbol of rebellion. She painted the final poster. Not to mention the quiet tragedy of him having to see her twin sister around town for the rest of his life. That’s the kind of subtle, haunting storytelling that would’ve worked.

But instead, they stripped all that from her to give it to Lenore, and in the process, even Katniss’ story gets hurt. Because now, Katniss isn’t just a girl who stumbled into something bigger than herself—now she’s been chosen since the beginning. Which removes one of the most powerful things about her arc: the idea that regular people, caught in the right place at the right time, can change the world.

Lucy Gray worked as a ghost in Snow’s story. Maysilee should’ve been that for Haymitch. But unfortunately, all that depth, all that symbolism, was handed to a character who didn’t earn it and who honestly just didn’t deliver the emotional payoff Suzanne thought she would.

[acekoomboom]

So.

Gale Killed Prim, and his relationship with Katniss ended because of it. Why is Peeta different?

"Why was she able to forgive Peeta but not him? She had dismissed Gale from her life with barely a blink. Snow had twisted Peeta’s gifts and turned him into a weapon against the people he loved. Hadn’t Coin done the same thing to Gale? He loved Prim like his own sister." A quote from oakfarmer on ao3 that I actually have SO many thoughts on, though I can't remember which of their fanfics this is from. Darn me for not labelling my notes well enough.

What it boils down to, for me I think, is that the capitol has to create things to manipulate Peeta but D13 used what was already there for Gale. Gale already had a mean arrogant streak and wasn't good at taking criticism or rejection. He already had a cold callousness about killing and death. He was already a bit radicalized, and Coin did twist that into something worse. No, Gale didn't kill Prim, Coin did. BUT Gale did invent the weapon + tactic used by his ally and superior to kill her. Katniss told him it was wrong, this trap he'd made, and he condescended to her about it, how this is just how war works. Acted like she was just naive about it. His own ignorance of the reality of life and death and his complete disregard for human life on the other side of the war is what got Prim killed.

Peeta, on the other hand, is nothing like his highjacked self. They didn't take pieces of his personality, personal flaws, etc. and twist them into their perfect soldier. The capitol had to use false memories, had to inflate his insecurities, had to use chemicals and torture and mutated venom. They didn't make Peeta aggressive through hatred or vengeance, they made him aggressive through bodily fear. The venom and his body's extreme adrenaline, the fight or flight response to that. He didn't attack Katniss bc he thought he was better than her or bc she deserved it, he attacked her because the very sight of her caused his body to go into overdrive of adrenaline to protect himself from her. This is a Peeta that *hates* Katniss, and he wants to kill her, but her specifically. He only reacts negatively towards other people (other than normal trauma-induced stuff) when she is involved somehow, like him flipping out on Delly while Katniss watched behind the glass.

These characters are not equivalent. And from a meta perspective, they're not supposed to be. Katniss ends up picking Peeta. Yes, the character obviously would have picked him, but also Katniss as a narrative figure picks him. She picks what he represents. Integrity in war. That boy on the rooftop that said he was willing to kill in self defense and to do what he needed to do but wanted to stay himself. Wanted to stay a human being even in that violence. Wanted to come out the other side of it still intact. Wanted the flowers to grow again after the harsh winter; a dandelion in the spring. Not the cycle of destruction, of forever punishing those that have wronged you, that both Gale and a capitol-kids hunger game would represent.

Which brings my thoughts also to the male loneliness epidemic. (We won't even get started on the fact that when women have problems it's something they need to just get over and take a joke, but when men have problems it's an epidemic) That is Gale. Yes, he has absolutely valid reasons behind his emotions. But he then takes those emotions and becomes radicalized, become something lesser. And that is so indicative of our current political climate in a lot of ways. Men have been hurt by the patriarchy also, they have been raised and socialized and desensitized and to not forming genuine emotional connections with the men around them or the women there in a relationships with. And I do separate those specifically, because men are also taught to not see women as people, so to a lot of men you are either a. someone they are related to b. someone they are romantically interested in or c. someone they are sexually interested in. And that is all a woman can be to them, not a friend.

So every which way they turn men are not taught the skills it takes to not be lonely. Community and having a support system and a network of people doesn't just happen by accident. That is something that you build, and cultivate, and prune, and intentionally add to. Men are lonely because they want someone else to do the work for them. But the onus is on them and the system that made them that way.

And that man is the same as Gale. Someone who is rightfully hurt and wounded by the society they live in but then takes those real feelings and experiences and lets it justify all of the awfulness that follows.

Gale and Peeta are not equivalent. In dumbed down terms, Gale became bad because of what was already in him and then was fine to stay that way. Peeta became bad because of something someone else put in him, and then he did the work to not stay that way.

Oakfarmer again, to bring my rambling back to its original point: "Snow turned Peeta into a weapon, Coin turned Gale into a weapon. Both had been unleashed to destroy Katniss. They were the same, but they weren’t the same at all. The Capitol pumped venom into Peeta to create a hateful mutt. Coin only needed to provide an outlet for the hateful venom already circulating Gale’s veins. Hate and rage, he had never tried to suppress. Hate and rage, Peeta painstakingly clawed his way out of to recover his identity."

[justafewberries]

How did Katniss’s views of Peeta’s episodes change over time?

Hey, nonny!

This is going to be a sequel post to another ask here, where I discussed evidence for Katniss wanting to help Peeta out of his episodes in Mockingjay. 

In order to answer this, I’m going to separate Peeta into two characters: crafted image Peeta and Hijacked Peeta. Crafted image Peeta is going to be the idea of Peeta that Katniss has crafted in his absence. It is composed of everything “good”. Hijacked Peeta is the character post Capitol torture, specifically from the time he is rescued to the end of the book. 

I believe that Katniss detested Hijacked Peeta, but not because he’s Peeta, but because he’s a manifestation of what she feels like is her failure. She went into the arena with the intention to keep him safe, and she failed. There was a bigger plot in play, of course, but her feelings towards her failure overshadow the fact she largely could not have prevented what happened. Still, she spends much of her time in 13 feeling guilty for “failing”, so when she hears Peeta has returned, she feels this sense of relief. In her mind, she is no longer guilty, everything is okay, and Peeta is back. 

So when he strangles her, again, everything comes crashing down. She is once more condemned to be at fault, and she begins to resent Peeta for it. That crafted image Peeta she believed she was going to see doesn’t exist. She sees hijacked Peeta, a manifestation of what she tried to prevent, and it crushes her. She doesn’t admit this, of course, she runs, like I said in my last post. She doesn’t ask about him, she doesn’t visit, and she tenses up when he’s around. 

I don’t think she ever resents him for being Peeta, I think she resents what he has become. 

So when discussing the timeline of her warming up to his episodes, I’m going to credit it to Haymitch. In the Capitol setting, Katniss sees Peeta as a mutt. She doesn’t humanize him anymore because to her, she feels she has to cut her losses to survive. Could she ever actually kill Peeta if it came down to it? No. I wouldn’t even say she could do it out of necessity, as she didn’t pull the trigger when Gale was asking her to at the end. Here’s where Haymitch comes in:

"What are you trying to do? Provoke him into an attack?" he asks me. "Of course not. I just want him to leave me alone," I say. "Well, he can't. Not after what the Capitol put him through," says Haymitch. "Look, Coin may have sent him there hoping he'd kill you, but Peeta doesn't know that. He doesn't understand what's happened to him. So you can't blame him--" "I don't!" I say. "You do! You're punishing him over and over for things that are out of his control. Now, I'm not saying you shouldn't have a fully loaded weapon next to you round the clock. But I think it's time you flipped this little scenario around in your head. If you'd been taken by the Capitol, and hijacked, and then tried to kill Peeta, is this the way he would be treating you?" demands Haymitch. I fall silent. It isn't. It isn't how he would be treating me at all. He would be trying to get me back at any cost. Not shutting me out, abandoning me, greeting me with hostility at every turn. "You and me, we made a deal to try and save him. Remember?" Haymitch says. When I don't respond, he disconnects after a curt "Try and remember."

Up until this point, Katniss has been pushing him away and writing him off as violent. She’s not necessarily trying to provoke him into an attack, like she says, but she’s not exactly treating him compassionately, either. 

She can’t write him off as irredeemable anymore, like she has tried so hard to convince herself. That’s why I think this conversation with Haymitch was the turning point in how she begins to view Peeta’s episodes. This also happens a few chapters before the “stay with me” kiss from my last post, which provides more evidence for how crucial this conversation was in Katniss’s mindset.

Before that call, she was punishing Peeta for being a culmination of what she believed to be her failure. After that call, she has a new perspective.

[stay-with-me--always]

I need to take a moment and do a deep dive on the scene where Katniss sits with Gale after he's been whipped vs the scene where Katniss sits with Peeta as they work on the plant book.

Why these two scenes? These scenes in particular I feel like have a lot of similarities as far as Katniss' narration is concerned. They are both scenes where she is alone with either boy in an unrushed, natural environment where she is capable of really looking at them and noticing them both. and in both scenes she IS actively noticing them. it is important to note though, that the tone of these scenes are pretty different, since Gale's is right after he was whipped, and she's still reeling from her intense day. Even so, the plant book scene with Peeta takes place during a time where Katniss has more reason to be worried about her life/family than ever, so I feel like a direct comparison of these isn't too much of a stretch.

----

The Gale text in question:

"I touch parts of him I have never had cause to touch before. His heavy, dark eyebrows, the curve of his cheek, the line of his nose, the hollow at the base of his neck. I trace the outline of stubble on his jaw and finally work my way to his lips. Soft and full, slightly chapped. His breath warms my chilled skin." (CF, 116)

The biggest thing to note is the detail in which she describes him. Katniss takes her time and touches Gale's face with her hand, taking in his features. and yet, most of the descriptions are very generic and could adequately be attributed to most anyone's face, including Peeta's. Even the lines where she takes a bit more notice 'his heavy, dark eyebrows', 'the outline of the stubble on his jaw' are pretty vague and don't give much detail into her REALLY noticing him. the most detailed part we get is the last line about his lips.

Let's keep all of that in mind while we contrast that to the lines any Everlark fan probably knows by heart - the eyelash scene:

"I also become a little fixated on his eyelashes, which ordinarily you don't notice much because they're so blond. But up close, in the sunlight slanting in from the window, they're a light golden color and so long I don't see how they keep from getting all tangled up when he blinks." (CF, 161)

In the time it took for her to describe Gale's entire face, she only managed to describe Peeta's eyelashes. the level of detail that she notices about Peeta goes far beyond what she sees about Gale, even in a moment where she's really taking the time to look at him. The description she gives about Gale's face really accentuates her feelings towards their relationship - practical, obvious, concise. Whereas the description for Peeta just highlights what shes been thinking about him all along - interesting, perplexing, alluring. It's clear from those paragraphs that she just doesn't see Gale in the same way that she sees Peeta.

These scenes can be analyzed all day, and I've been busy making notes on the way she describes both boys, to be compiled and analyzed once I've gone through all 3 books, but I feel like these two scenes alone give a very good look into Katniss' mind and what she really sees in each of her boys.

[clovemaysilee]

i don't know if climax is considered the right word for this but the two pivot moments in thg are - to me at least - first rue's death and clove's (and not just because I'm obviously a biased clove stan). with rue's death, this was the first one that sparked actual grief and genuine emotion from katniss, since they shared an intense alliance/sister-like connection, enough so that her parting words to rue actually took precedence (!!!) over her promise to prim.

it's also the early stage of katniss's transition from responding to the careers' aggression with her own bloodthirsty behavior/thoughts to a more reluctantly empathetic attitude toward them, since her first instinct was to direct her hatred away from marvel to the Capitol instead, who she believed actually deserved it. of course, seconds later, she's still prepared to "make the careers pay" for what happened to rue, but for the most part that was more her grief-stricken haze than actual blame. it was this horrible incident that helped her understand what peeta wanted to communicate on the roof, made her recognize the importance of gale's rants that were "no longer to be ignored," and helped her realize she could have a bigger role and make an impact rather than passively accepting what happened out of a sense of impotence.

i know that the idea of clove's death having any kind of meaningful emotional impact on katniss could be the more unpopular opinion lol, but it does also severely change the mood of the story. aside from her observing marvel to be weak and vulnerable in death, this was also a time when she felt a kinder emotion towards the careers. despite clove's unhinged behavior with katniss, she is still depicted as the suffering and victimized child she is. cato as well is, if only momentarily, not a brute or monster, but rather a fellow tribute grieving the loss of his district partner, which katniss goes so far to say pains him.

katniss reflects on her dynamic with peeta twice before the feast and frequently in the falling action after, realizing that if he died it would condemn her to loneliness and suffering the pain of the arena by herself, which parallels the fact that cato himself was left alone - to the same fate katniss desperately wanted to avoid - with clove gone. the way she chooses to narrate the story has a more somber tone as she no longer desires any tributes death and while this was more explicitly about thresh, who actually did something nice for her, it was subconsciously for cato too, because she doesn't want anyone else to die. (ch 22, thg). this is definitely a drastic change, especially considering how she speaks of the other tributes - the pack and even non-careers like thresh and foxface.

what happened to rue was a tragedy and injustice, and was the primary catalyst for the revolution. but the weight of clove's brutal death (at least in my interpretation) is that it partially laid the groundwork for katniss to eventually come to the catching fire epiphany of who the real enemy is, and who truly deserves punishment.

[sasukekys]

the fundamental difference between katniss and gale.

katniss contrasts the people from the seam and the merchants, because she knows the former have it rougher, but she not only knows the anger towards the merchants would be misdirected, but she also learns that peeta, who had it easier than her, isn’t as wealthy as she imagined, that his family, despite not battling starvation, only eats the leftovers because they can’t afford fresh food. her only friend at school is the mayor’s daughter, someone gale resents.

so the problem must be with the other people in the districts. but it’s not, and katniss knows the capitol tries to keep the districts alienated from each other to fuel the feeling of distrust and discourage their union. she learns from rue that people in district 11, for example, also struggle to put food on the table, despite its economy being agriculture, workers there can’t eat what they harvest.

would the problem be the careers, who eat better and train their whole lives to win the games and get the glory? but they are children as much as any other tribute. she can’t bring herself to hate marvel. despite him killing rue, he also appeared vulnerable in his death. cato’s death is much crueler, and after katniss’ act of mercy, both her and peeta feel hollow at his death. the problem isn’t with the other tributes too. meanwhile gale compares killing other tributes to killing animals.

so it has to be the capitol citizens… but she still can’t bring herself to hate them, because not only katniss understands they have different upbringings, and she herself wonders how different she would be if she was raised in their environment, but she learns that, despite being sometimes alienated to the point of acting insensitive, most of them are willing to help, they cry for her for having to return to the games and they respect and are nice to her mother. katniss doesn’t want her team to be tortured at district 13, because she knows it’s wrong, something gale can’t bring himself to comprehend, simply because they are from the capitol.

katniss’ anger isn’t misdirected, she remembers who the real enemy is, which would be snow, but also coin, the political leaders that put the people in those positions for their own interest and safety. i don’t believe gale would kill children wholeheartedly, but he does believe in “necessary evils”, like taking the easier solution with the nut, the one that would have more casualties, and he designed the bombs that killed children and healers and sisters. so where do you exactly draw the line when it’s all extremism?

gale and katniss have the same upbringing, have gone through similar experiences, losing their fathers on the same accident, signing up for the tesserae, battling against starvation, getting their district bombed, but they go on opposite directions. gale falls into extremism because he sees human life as expendable. katniss extends her compassion, because rebellion comes from loving humanity and believing a better life is possible. fire can’t burn enough to turn everything into ashes. the last chapter or the epilogue isn’t a surprise, it’s just a synthesis of what has been going for three books.

[mollywog]

Characters and Berries in The Hunger Games

Gale -> Blackberries

He plucks a few blackberries from the bushes around us. “And may the odds —” He tosses a berry in a high arc toward me.

In folklore blackberries are associated with bad omens. They can also symbolize haste and remorse. There’s a 1966 poem Blackberry-Picking by Seamus Heaney about growing up and loss of innocence.

Madge -> Strawberries

When we finish our business at the market, we go to the back door of the mayor’s house to sell half the strawberries, knowing he has a particular fondness for them and can afford our price. The mayor’s daughter, Madge, opens the door.

Strawberries often symbolize purity, passion (fuel for Gadge and Kadge shippers), and healing (Madge delivers the Morphling after Gale’s whipping).

Rue -> Unfamiliar Berries

I roll an unfamiliar berry in my fingers. “You sure this is safe?”

“Oh, yes, we have them back home. I’ve been eating them for days,” she says, popping a handful in her mouth. I tentatively bite into one, and it’s as good as our blackberries. Taking Rue on as an ally seems a better choice all the time.

These berries are never identified, so bear with me here…

We know Peeta mistakes nightlock (also not identified) for Rue’s berries, but that nightlock is toxic and Rue’s are edible. We also know Nightlock berries are dark (the dark berries glisten in the sun) and Rue’s berries are round (I roll an unfamiliar berry in my fingers), so two potential options are Elderberry or Blackcurrant.

In pagan traditions Elderberries are associated with Faerie realms - (fitting for the magical wisp of a girl who wore wings to her interview.) They heal; and are associated with breaking curses (Rue’s death has forced me to confront my own fury against the cruelty, the injustice they inflict upon us.)

Despite health benefits, in the middle ages Elderberries began to be associated with grief and sorrow.

Blackcurrants are often associated with protection (Here it’s safe, here it’s warm Here the daisies guard you from every harm)

They are also associated with gathering courage, specifically before going on a solitary journey.

Blackberries (bad omens) are referenced in the description of the taste of Rue’s berries.

Regardless of the berry, they also reinforce Katniss’s decision to take Rue on as an ally (Taking Rue on as an ally seems a better choice all the time.)

Peeta - Nightlock

My father’s voice comes back to me. “Not these, Katniss. Never these. They’re nightlock. You’ll be dead before they reach your stomach.”

Nightlock is likely based on two real ones: Nightshade and Hemlock.

Unsurprisingly, toxic Hemlock often has negative associations, however it is also associated with Socrates. Socrates was convicted of impiety, but refused to renounce his beliefs; Hemlock was his chosen method of death which could be viewed as either rebellious and/or a noble sacrifice. “Scholars surmise that Socrates conceived of his death as a freedom of his soul from the unreasonableness of humanity and the confines of his body.”

Nightshade has been suggested as the poison used in Romeo and Juliet (fitting for the star-crossed-lovers) and Macbeth (poisoning that lead to a civil war)

Thank you to @wistfulweaverwoman for assistance researching! Other interesting [x][x][x]

[thesweetnessofspring]

What do you think is Katniss’s main character arc through the series?

Such a great question Non, and one I wanted to take time to consider!

While the themes of THG revolve around war, Katniss's personal arc is that of hope.

In chapter one, Katniss recognizes the injustice of life in Panem, but doesn't do anything about it. "So I learned to hold my tongue and to turn my features into an indifferent mask so that no one could ever read my thoughts." She also tells us that she doesn't want children, and the proposal Gale makes to leave the district and live in the woods also seems impossible to her. "We can't leave, so why bother talking about it?" All of this shows a teenage girl who, from the trauma she's experienced, is stuck in the pattern of how life is and simply surviving. She doesn't see the possibility of life being different and changing. She protects herself from vulnerability, and what makes her the most vulnerable is trusting in that hope "that life can be good again." Another way we see Katniss deny this hope is in her declaration, "But to be honest, I'm not the forgiving type." Because I think that to withhold forgiveness is one way of saying that there a lack of belief that the future will be different.

Through the series, we see Katniss shift. She initially tries to protect her loved ones from Snow by following his instructions to "convince me" that she loves Peeta. But then she sees that they need to fight back against the Capitol, and sees that there is a world in the future "where Peeta's child can be safe." The hope is challenged over and over though the bombing of D12 and Peeta's hijacking and Prim's death. And Katniss does at times fall into such pain that hope is nearly gone for her; she is kept alive by medical intervention after Peeta's capture, she goes on a suicide mission after his returning hijacked, and she was going to take the nightlock pill after assassinating Coin. But each time, the hope returns, and she drags herself to keep going toward that time when life will be kinder.

This is why she chooses Peeta. "What I need is a dandelion in the spring. The bright yellow that means rebirth instead of destruction. The promise that life can go on, no matter how bad our losses. That it can be good again." This is also why it is vitally important that Katniss decided to have children. From Chapter One, she doesn't want to have children because she sees no future in which there are no Games or no starvation. But that has changed. Katniss is not naive and believes that her children will have no pain. She wonders, "How can I tell them about that world without frightening them to death?" But here, Peeta, her embodiment of hope, gives her the answer: "Peeta says it will be okay. We have each other. And the book. We can make them understand in a way that will make them brave." This is not a guarantee, but now, Katniss lives her life so that she has hope for herself and her family.

[looking4answers25]

Prettying up The Hunger Games - a la the Capitol

One important thing that happens in the book is that Rue is the first real source Katniss has for information from another district (11) that is not censored by the Capitol. It's where she learns that the kids are pulled out of school to work the fields during the harvest, that they're whipped for even slight infractions as enforced by the Mayor, where a boy was executed for taking a pair of night vision goggles. She's aware that their conversation will be blocked by the Capitol so that the districts remain ignorant of the conditions in other districts. It makes Katniss reflect on how, in comparison, District 12 doesn't seem too bad - where the Mayor and Head Peacekeeper buy from known poachers (Katniss and Gale), and peacekeepers are some of their best customers, and the electrified fence on the edge of the district is rarely active.

I feel like the movie not showing that conversation is reflective of how the Capitol hides the 'ugly' parts of history and the games. The same way that any oppressive regime controls the media narrative - not showing the truth of the conditions of their people.

It also erases the disability representation - specifically Katniss and Peeta. The movie doesn't show how Katniss loses her hearing and has difficulty navigating because it takes away one of the senses she needs most while hunting. She only regains it because of the Capitol healing her. It doesn't show how Peeta's leg was so far gone he had to get a prosthetic. He was close to the death and dying of sepsis (blood poisoning) due to infection and Katniss did a lot to try and heal him but was failing until they received the medication needed. He only survived because Katniss was determined and wanted him to live.

The movie did so many good things with the sound - voices being muffled when Effie is blathering on while driving to the train in District 12 to indicate Katniss is not listening, the muffled audio when Katniss gets on stage for her interview showing her out-of-body experience, the ringing noise as soon as the Game begins showing the utter confusion and disorientation of the beginning, the ringing in the ears after Katniss explodes the Careers' food storage. I think it was a missed opportunity to imply how developed Capitol technology was and how they fixed absolutely everything they thought made her 'not pretty' via full body polish. Katniss loses the callouses she had from years of hard work, all the evidence and physical reminders of the Games and her years in District 12 and the woods beyond it but is left with the Trauma.

One of the things that confused me was the immediate rioting in District 11 after Rue's death in the movie. There was also another young boy (not sure from which district) and Cato kills him right at the start - which is horrifying but there's no reaction to that. Why? There must have been other young tributes like Rue that didn't have someone volunteer to take their place so why? It would have been more hard hitting if Katniss had gotten the bread from District 11 as she did in the book because I cried when I read that. I feel like the movie showing the violence of the rioting but not the gifting of the bread falls in line with Capitol ideals - showing the audience the violent reaction as part of the entertainment. After all, global news is often inundated with the violent, horrible, incidents and events rather than the good and hopeful ones because the former gets more engagement.

The movie takes away how unorthodox it was for a district to send something to a tribute other than their own. How District 11 decided to go against the rules of the Games by sending Katniss the bread. It speaks far louder than the overt rioting while still being an act of dissent by the people of District 11 - thanking Katniss for her kindness toward one of their own.

"My thanks to the people of District 11"

[dandelionsunset1210]

I never see this mentioned but I do very much like your portrayal of Peeta’s jealousy. Sometimes it seems like everyone thinks Peeta is perfect when he’s on record to be the jealous one between him and Katniss. He’s just not insane and a jerk about it like Gale. Your portrayal of him not being insecure about Gale, but being annoyed by his existence and grumpy about the past, works so well. Where it’s not toxic and he’s not really jealous in general, he just has a grudge against the past. He’s not even mad at Gale or Katniss, but he’ll take the opportunity to feel closer to his wife. Also it’s hilarious and matches his subtle jealousy in the first book perfectly. And the “when did you use tongue” line in the Five, Ten, Fifteen had me cracking up.

Oh, thank you! I love writing jealous but not really jealous Peeta. Echoing what I’ve seen in other posts recently, I don’t even think he hates Gale because of his romantic involvement with Katniss. But Katniss is so precious to him that he can’t comprehend the way Gale treated her (“I don’t hate him for kissing you, kissing you is amazing! I just don’t like that he didn’t appreciate how amazing kissing you is.” -Peeta to Katniss at some point).

I’ve also really tried to evolve Peeta’s attitude towards Gale with age. Like, during ~the kitchen table scene~ they’re still 18, newlywed, and by all accounts BABIES. It makes sense for Peeta to be nervous about the first time Katniss sees Gale. But by the time they’re in their late 20s-early 30s Peeta’s secure in their relationship to be able to joke about it and openly discuss his dislike of Gale without fear of being accused of jealousy.

That being said, I do think they got in a little bit of a (lighthearted) argument after the whole “tongue” conversation. And Katniss isn’t one to keep secrets from her husband, but she is taking the fact that Gale kissed the bruises on her neck to her GRAVE (which, by the way, can we discuss how out of pocket that was for Gale to do???)

[sounds-of-some-day]

Sunrise On the Reaping Chapter One Thoughts

I've always wanted to do this for a book, chapter by chapter. But I struggle with having the patience to do something like this, because I can't put a book down once I start getting into it. But I am once again going to make an attempt. I'm on break this week, so I have time.

Let's see how this journey goes.

Caveat: I haven't read Catching Fire since before the movies came out actually, so I don't remember too much about what all is said about Haymitch's game, and I'm not fully up on all the lore. And I'm okay with that. I kinda like the idea of going into this mostly blind. This means that I may theorize about things that everyone else already knows/knows is wrong. That's okay. My predictions rarely turn out anyway, lol.

Obviously, spoilers through the listed chapter, as well as potentially some spoilers about the original trilogy and Ballad.

I'm very intrigued by Haymitch's voice in the narration. I don't think this is what I would have quite pegged for him, but in reflection, it's quite well done. He sounds so young. Not naive, but definitely young. Already jaded to a certain extent in the way that Gale was (and Katniss to a lesser extent), but also hopeful in the way that Peeta was, if that makes sense. Like there's a realism there, but there's still that underlying shimmer of hope. Contrast this with what he's like in the og trilogy and it's quite the stark difference.

It's impossible to not compare and contrast Haymitch to Katniss. They have a lot on common, obviously, which 1) they would have to, given that they both come from the Seam in District 12 and also 2) those commonalities are important, because we know that Haymitch sees at least a little of himself in Katniss (and I would think Peeta, to an extent as well).

So, Haymitch's father died in a fire in the mines, and he and his younger brother were raised by a single mother. Unlike Katniss, Haymitch's mother doesn't fall apart when she loses her husband, and so Haymitch has a little less responsibility resting on his shoulders as he grows up than Katniss does, though he does still work (doing something illegal, like Katniss) to help provide for his family.

Haymitch is slightly older than Katniss (was Katniss 15?) at 16 years old, in some ways feeling older but also younger than Katniss. Younger because he hasn't had the same level of responsibility yet, but older, or, I'm not really sure how to put this, older in the sense that his life seems more on track. Whereas Katniss seems to be in pure survival mode from the beginning, it's that underlying hope that sets Haymitch apart. He's got a girl that he's in love with, and you can almost feel the way he's shifting towards adulthood in a way that Katniss wasn't. Again, I'm rambling, probably not making much sense, but Haymitch is in the process of settling into a life for himself, with a job (with a potential future) and a girlfriend.

Lenore Dove. I love her. Won me over pretty much immediately. I really hope we get to see more of her. A member of the Covey, she of the Baird family. I won't lie, what with her mother being dead and the vagueness about her father, I had a thought for half a second that she was actually Lucy Grey's daughter, which, there would be a certain sense of dramatic irony if she was Snow's daughter, given what we know is going to happen to Haymitch after the games, but then I did the rather obvious math (lol) and clearly this is not the case, which is good. Dramatic irony aside, that level of plot twist is, I think, beneath a series such as this. But she is related in some way to Lucy Grey, which is purposefully done for some reason or another.

Speaking of Lucy Grey! At the reaping, there is no mention of listing out previous winners? Well, winner. It's possible this is just an oversight, but I'm hesitant to think that given that there's been a lot of discussion in the fandom about exactly how much is known about Lucy Grey and her victory in the tenth games. We know that the records of that game were scrubbed (? I think we know this? If I'm wrong, holler at me) but Katniss references there being two winners (only one -- Haymitch -- currently alive) in her year, so the fact that there was a winner from twelve before Haymitch is known.

Katniss' parents! Gah, I really like her dad. I actually really like the sort of easy camaraderie between Haymitch, Burdock. and Blair. Did we know that Haymitch was friends with Katniss' dad before? I didn't anyway, and it heaps another bit of tragedy onto Haymitch's story, having to mentor his best friend's daughter in the games.

There's clearly a lot of commentary in this first chapter about current events (and like, I'm not even trying to make this US-centric. What's happening in the US right now is not unique.) But the messaging is pretty clear, and what I find the most interesting (so far...) is the way the Capital touting it's strength is shown. Like, this was in Katniss' book too, so maybe I am just looking at this with the eyes of someone today instead of the eyes of someone whatever many years ago when I was reading the original trilogy, but it just hits different. Like there's something quite hollow about the way this messaging comes across.

Haymitch notices a capital friendly sticker in the apothecary window and gets a little judgmental, but then Katniss' mom (Asterid) explains that the peacekeepers made them put it there. That actually disappointed me slightly. I think it would have been maybe a little more interesting to see *some* pro-capital sentiment, or at least, Capital friendly sentiment -- even if it was only self-serving -- in the District, if only because every authoritarian government ever has always had it's supporters. And I think it would have given an extra layer of complexity to Asterid if that was her family background. I know we get some of that (a little) with the career districts to an extent, but keeping it as such starts to stray a little too close to Harry Potter good groups and bad groups, when it's often more complex than that, and this franchise has already shown that it's willing to paint in grey instead of just black and white, so I was just a little taken back by the near immediate retraction of Haymitch's perception.

The reaping!! Suzanne said "Oh, you thought! You thought you knew." Again, another way of twisting the knife in Haymitch's story. The overwhelming (even if guilt-ridden) relief followed by what hasn't happened yet, but is sure to come. A beautiful subversion of expectations -- I did not see this coming. I hope whoever directs the movie directs this with as much drama and drawn out anticipation as possible, just for those viewers who haven't already read the book.

Okay, there's my thoughts on chapter one. If anyone joins me in this journey, welcome. If not, I'll just shout my thoughts into the void. I just always thought bookclubs would be more interesting if people met and talked about it while they were reading it instead of after. Or maybe I just miss the days of weekly episodic tv.....