hutchhitched

[hutchhitched]

"As I drift off, I try to imagine that world, somewhere in the future, with no Games, no Capitol. A place like the meadow in the song I sang to Rue as she died. Where Peeta's child could be safe."

This August marks the 15th anniversary of the release of Mockingjay, where at the end, our heroine who had been terrified of having children in the dangerous world she was raised in, reveals to us that she has two children of her own, indicating that after all of her grief, there was finally a world where her children could be safe.

This is the true heart of Toast Babies Week, a celebration of two children symbolic of a future where every child can be safe.

While originating as a fandom event, it didn't seem right to simply dream of this future. And so in conjunction with Toast Babies Week, we're also going to be promoting a charity fundraiser for the following children's charities:

Palestinian Children's Relief Fund: "Our mission is to provide medical and humanitarian relief collectively and individually to children throughout the Levant, regardless of their nationality or religion."

Save the Children: "We work in the United States and around the world to give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. When crisis strikes and children are most vulnerable, we are always among the first to respond and the last to leave."

UNICEF: "UNICEF, the United Nations agency for children, works to protect the rights of every child, especially the most disadvantaged and those hardest to reach. Across more than 190 countries and territories, we do whatever it takes to help children survive, thrive and fulfill their potential."

GLSEN: "GLSEN works to ensure that LGBTQ students are able to learn and grow in a school environment free from bullying and harassment. Together we can transform our nation's schools into the safe and affirming environment all youth deserve."

Email proof of donation to fuhrgames74[at]gmail.com so we can track the amount of money raised for the event. While donating is its own reward, we also have gifts for the top three donors!

The top 3 donors will be getting the following:

The top donor will get the choice of a copy of the illustrated edition of Catching Fire OR the special collector's edition of Sunrise on the Reaping. AND an art commission from @cateluna that equals up to $50 based on her commission sheet.

The second and third-highest donors will get the choice of a copy of the illustrated edition of Catching Fire OR the special collector's edition of Sunrise on the Reaping.

***Top donors will be determined based on the amount donated in USD using a conversion tool if needed***

You can donate at any point in time from now and through Toast Babies Week happening from August 24-August 30th. The top donors will be emailed on September 1st.

[hutchhitched]

"It took five, ten, fifteen years for me to agree."

August 24, 2025 marks the 15th anniversary of the release of Mockingjay and thus the same length of time that it took for Katniss and Peeta to decide to have their first child.

In celebration of both of these, we're hosting a Toast Babies Week from August 24-30. This is a week encouraged to share fanart, fanfiction, meta, moodboards, fanvideos, headcanons, podfic, and whatever else you want to create about the Everlark family.

We have seven (optional) prompts, all taken from/inspired by the meadow lullaby. You absolutely do not need to do all of them or even follow these, it's just for prompting. What's important is that you do what interests you. But for those who are interested, here are the prompts:

August 24: Deep in the meadow August 25: Safe and warm August 26: Guarded from harm August 27: Dreams are sweet August 28: Hidden far away August 29: I love you August 30: The sun will rise

You can also reblog and share any previous creations around the toast babies and Everlark. Use #toast babies week in order for your work to be found and shared.

We will also be creating a collection on ao3 for anyone to share their fanwork to for this event. And remember, ao3 is not just fanfiction, so feel free to upload whatever else you create!

And don't forget to check out our Where Every Child Can Be Safe fundraiser!

[hutchhitched]

ultimate ships challenge - [1/4] opposites attract ships

Peeta/Katniss  »  The Hunger Games Series

You love me. Real or not real? Real.

[hutchhitched]

I wrote 1572 words of Code Name: Mockingjay, which I'm planning to finish for the WIP Big Bang this fall.

(First Everlark I've written in a while, although I've been writing a lot in my other fandom.)

Week 22 of 2025

And May is in done lol. I can't believe tomorrow is the begining of June. Where I live the temprature hasn't even climed past the mid 60's (15 C). I'm still using my winter boots and sweaters! How's the weather around you guys?

I managed to do:

The Apothecary Bakery 438

How did you guys do?

[hutchhitched]

911 lone star fashion -> every carlos outfit

↳ 2.04

[hutchhitched]

The 2025 WIP Big Bang & WIP Reverse Bang Are Open For Sign-Ups!

Welcome to a new round! We're bringing back the OG WIP Big Bang, which is for finishing fic and getting art to go with it, and introducing the first full round of the WIP Reverse Bang, which is for finishing artwork and getting fic to go with it. All fandoms/ratings/ships are welcome, including original works!

Schedule

All times are by 11:59pm PST. Convert time zones.

Big Bang/Reverse Bang Sign-ups Begin- April 1st

Big Bang/Reverse Bang Sign-ups Close- May 21st

Big Bang/Reverse Bang Check In #1- May 22nd

Big Bang/Reverse Bang Check In #2- June 15th

Big Bang/Reverse Bang Snippets Due- July 1st

Big Bang Art Claims/Reverse Bang Fic Claims Begin- July 17th

Big Bang/Reverse Bang Check In #3- July 22nd

Big Bang/Reverse Bang Check In #4- August 6th

Big Bang/Reverse Bang Rough Drafts Due- August 15th

Big Bang/Reverse Bang Posting Claims Begin- August 23rd

Big Bang/Reverse Bang Posting Claims Ends- September 1st

Big Bang/Reverse Bang Final Drafts/Art & Fic Due- September 7th

Big Bang/Reverse Bang Posting Starts- September 8th

SIGN UP LINKS

WIP Big Bang | WIP Reverse Bang

FAQ

[hutchhitched]

[hutchhitched]

Sebastian Stan for Vanity Fair.

[hutchhitched]

[hutchhitched]

SEBASTIAN STAN for Vanity Fair.

[hutchhitched]

SEBASTIAN STAN GOLDEN GLOBES 2025

[hutchhitched]

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013) dir. Francis Lawrence

[hutchhitched]

WIPBB Big Bang/Reverse Bang 2025 - Coming Back April 1st, 2025!

We're coming back for another round, this time with a full length Reverse Bang for artists to finish their works and get fic written for them! Come join the community to get more news before the start of the round!

Schedule

All times are by 11:59pm PST. Convert time zones.

Big Bang/Reverse Bang Sign-ups Begin- April 1st

Big Bang/Reverse Bang Sign-ups Close- May 21st

Big Bang/Reverse Bang Check In #1- May 22nd

Big Bang/Reverse Bang Check In #2- June 15th

Big Bang/Reverse Bang Snippets Due- July 1st

Big Bang Art Claims/Reverse Bang Fic Claims Begin- July 17th

Big Bang/Reverse Bang Check In #3- July 22nd

Big Bang/Reverse Bang Check In #4- August 6th

Big Bang/Reverse Bang Rough Drafts Due- August 15th

Big Bang/Reverse Bang Posting Claims Begin- August 23rd

Big Bang/Reverse Bang Posting Claims Ends- September 1st

Big Bang/Reverse Bang Final Drafts/Art & Fic Due- September 7th

Big Bang/Reverse Bang Posting Starts- September 8th

FAQ

[hutchhitched]

Fic: "In Memoriam"

I saw someone request a fic that expanded on the epilogue. I couldn't get this out of me head, so now it's a fic :).

In Memoriam (AO3)

Summary under the cut...

When Haymitch adds to the memory book that Katniss and Peeta put together, they gain a new depth of understanding for their mentor.

[hutchhitched]

katniss and peeta (as i imagined them in the books !!)

drawn by me, @theladystardustt on insta and tiktok

[hutchhitched]

Sunrise on the Reaping Meta (Part 3)

Not gonna lie. Sunrise is my least favorite of the five. I kept hoping it would live up to my expectations, and it did not. That doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it, but it’s not the knock-it-out-of-the-park the other four were for me. Thankfully, the final chapter and epilogue saved it for me.

(Part 1) (Part 2)

Major spoilers below:

Part of the issue is that we already know the story of Haymitch’s games, and we also know that his family and loved ones are murdered as a result of his actions in the arena. Because of that, there aren’t surprises, and I would have preferred to gloss over the arena and move onto the aftermath. Because we get very little of the aftermath, the ending and Haymitch’s decline into an alcoholic seem rushed and some of the connections with the characters we “want” to see aren’t fully explored. For example, I appreciate that Burdock tries to remain friends with Haymitch, but there needed to be a little more explanation for why Katniss had no idea her father and her mentor were friends than that Haymitch threw something at Asterid’s head and cut it once.

Haymitch realizes after waking from a drunken stupor that Lenore Dove’s “secret” that Maysilee mentions earlier in the book is her propensity to rebel by spray-painting anti-Capitol slogans around District 12. Since that’s revealed following Lenore Dove’s death, the enormity of Haymitch dating a rebel, being best friends with a rebel, and descended from rebels doesn’t seem like such a big deal. A more serious conversation about standing up to the Capitol between Lenore Dove and Haymitch either before his participation in the Games or after his return home would have given this more punch.

Since this book is supposed to be about implicit submission and controlled/faked narratives through propaganda, I was hoping there would be more emphasis on this. The threads are there, but Ballad did such a good job of demonstrating the descent into cruelty and madness through poor choices that I was hoping for more with this book. Plutarch asks Haymitch at one point why he didn’t rebel when he had the chance (sometime in part 2, I think), and that’s the most overt mention. I honestly think this book from Plutarch’s POV would have been more interesting since his job in this novel is to create a specific, modified narrative for District 12. As it is, there are mentions of Haymitch noting the differences in versions of the Games, but it seems barely explored and falls a little flat. In addition, Haymitch isn’t “submitting” up through the time he’s crowned the victor. It’s only after he wins the Games that he realizes he needs to try to protect his family and loved ones by conforming to what Snow wants. I want to “see” the implicit submission instead of wondering where it was in the story.

That said, the final chapter—his visit to the Covey cemetery in the woods—and the epilogue saved the book for me. It’s in the final 20 pages or so that we finally feel Haymitch’s emotions and understand the high stakes he’s managed to survive. His safety and victory lead to losing everyone he loved, including those who lived and he drove away. Losing Lenore Dove, his mother, and his brother are tragedies that understandably mess him up in ways I hope to never experience. It’s his admission that he mated for life with Lenore Dove that explains why he’s alone and miserable by the time he mentors Katniss and Peeta. It’s also the promise to his lost love that keeps him tethered to this world instead of moving onto that one beyond. In the end, Haymitch has integrity and doesn’t die until he’s kept his promise to destroy the Games. His goodness comes through in his care and love for Peeta and Katniss.

I wanted more of that story—of his connections and loyalties, of the way he built relationships that resulted in the rebellion, of his mindset changing from the kind person he was at the beginning of the book to the sarcastic, acerbic, drunk (loveable) asshole he was in the trilogy. The fact that Collins does include some of this is what takes the book from a 3 star to a 4.5 (rounded up to 5) star for me. (This is VERY similar to my take on Margeret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, which is brilliant with the Historical Notes at the end. Before that, I didn’t understand the hype of the book. Once I read the Historical Notes, I could not rave about the book enough. It probably helps that I’m a historian, and all of it made sense.)

One note: There were no block lyrics in the original trilogy and only two songs (Deep in the Meadow and The Hanging Tree). Ballad had several sections of lyrics that I felt contributed to the overall story, although they got repetitive. Sunrise included the entirety of Poe’s The Raven, and it was distracting and unnecessary. If there had been clearer connections between the stanzas and the story, I would have been more on board with this. As it was written, it just felt like I was reading a poem within a story that didn’t contribute to the plot.

A comment on the title: I’m glad that the sun is the focus of this title, especially since “Snow lands on top” was so prominent in Ballad. Since the sun melts (destroys) snow, I like the metaphor.

Last but not least, I was happy to see Lucy Gray’s grave in the Covey cemetery—not because I wanted her dead, but because I think there’s something to be said about individuals attempting to escape District 12 by themselves. I don’t believe Lucy Gray made it to District 13 or is living in the woods secretly on her own. If she survived the gun blast (not necessarily the case), then I believe she revealed herself or was found by other members of the Covey but did not return to District 12 to live. If she had, Snow would have known and arranged for her murder/execution. To me, seeing her grave in the cemetery reveals that she’s deceased. If the cemetery was available for public viewing, I’d be more willing to believe it’s only a memorial stone. Since it’s in a private place far from District 12, I believe her body is buried there. How long she lived is entirely up in the air.

My point is this—Gale considered escaping with Katniss; Katniss considered escaping with Peeta and her family; Snow and Lucy Gray attempt escaping and fail; Haymitch decided to escape and Lenore Dove dies. The only time anyone really leaves District 12 and makes it to District 13 is after the firebombing at the end of Catching Fire. There’s something to be said of an entire district escaping, of leaving Panem together, instead of the bulk of people being left behind to suffer while a small minority gets away and starts a new life beyond the fences. Yes, there is safety in numbers, but there is also humanity in not leaving anyone behind.

Okay, one final last but not least: There are numerous mentions about Haymitch making his own “Poster.” I understand this is a reference being in control of his own narrative and not allowing the Capitol to make him “just another piece in the Games,” but I don’t think it’s very well explained. For it to the title of part 3 of the book…? I could have used a bit more clarity.

My main complaint with this book is that the theme seems to have fallen a bit flat and the Games took too much time. However, this is still Panem, and Collins is a genius to have written this series. Would I have liked the book better if there had been more social commentary and less revealing the connections between Ballad and the original trilogy? Yes, but I’m still thrilled to be back in this world in which hope is greater than fear, empathy and compassion are more powerful than hate, and the sun melts snow. Let it also be so for reality. We are on the brink of this alternative right now, and it is too horrifying to comprehend.

[hutchhitched]

Sunrise on the Reaping Meta (Part 2)

The story's heating up after a bombshell at the end of Part 1. Here's a link to Part 1 and Part 3.

Major spoilers below:

Louella is back as a zombie/android/fake Louella, and Haymitch has lost his “sweetheart.” Louella, who dies in the parade, is replaced by a young female prisoner from District 11 who’s brainwashed (hijacked?) and has a speaker implanted in her ear that issues commands. Haymitch knows automatically that this imposter is not his Louella, not his sweetheart, and he’s appalled at first at the sheer audacity of the Capitol to replace a dead tribute with another person. For Snow, the tributes are interchangeable, pieces in the Games. The tributes have been dehumanized even more.

Quickly, the District 12 tributes realize that they can’t hold it against Lou Lou that she’s a pawn of the Capitol and decide to protect her. That decision brings in the tributes from 9 and 11 to the Newcomers’ alliance and gives the Career pack a distinct numerical disadvantage. Unfortunately, the bloodbath at the beginning of the Games, whittles the numbers down pretty quickly, including the almost immediate loss of Wyatt as Haymitch grabs supplies and flees to the north. Although Haymitch is on his own, he’s sought out by some of the Newcomers (Lou Lou and Ampert). This reminds him of his responsibility to protect others while he’s pledged himself to sabotage the arena.

Prior to the opening of the Games, Beetee visits Haymitch in the Tribute Center, and they hatch a plan to sabotage the arena. With the help of Beetee’s son, Haymitch will blow up the water tank under the arena and cause it to malfunction. He does so, and it works—temporarily, but Beetee’s son is destroyed by carnivorous squirrels, intimating that his son’s death is a driving force behind his desire to destroy the Capitol.

During scoring, Haymitch receives a 1, which is a clear indication that he’s targeted by the Capitol for destruction. Because of that, he has to come up with a strategy for gaining support and sponsors, and he settles on the option of being a “rascal,” a lovable but sarcastic character who others consider entertaining. This seems to be a foreshadowing of Haymitch’s character later in the trilogy, but he still seems sweeter and kinder than he is when he’s older and drunk. Obviously, part 2 doesn’t have the aftermath of him winning the Games and his family being killed/punished, but it’s sad to see his innate goodness swallowed up by the Capitol.

The big reveal(s) in Part 2 come from Plutarch and Effie.

First, Effie appears with her (somewhat misplaced) positivity, and her flair and sense of style. Her involvement in the Games comes from helping her sister who’s in danger of failing her college class because Magno, the District 12 stylist, is MIA, kissing snakes, and obviously insane. Her attention to detail and her interactions with Haymitch help explain the connection they have in the original series, although not the enmity.

Plutarch takes Haymitch aside during an impromptu District 12 photoshoot and gives him advice. It’s clear from this conversation that Plutarch is already planning for a future rebellion, and it’s fascinating to me that it takes 25 years to make it happen. His propensity to try to manipulate media to tell a story is used to undermine the Capitol, but his rebellion is done so in a way that’s subversive and far from blatant. In the modern world of competing narratives, this is a more subtle look at the propaganda machines that create false worldviews for half the country.

In short, there’s a crap ton that needs to be resolved in Part 3, but I don’t doubt Collins’ ability to tell a story. I’m a little underwhelmed with this book compared to Ballad, but it’s in the same spirit as the original trilogy. I love both—just in different ways.

Next up, Part 3—the Poster.