#imagine a book from a district 1 person

[randommmthoughts]

Suzanne if you’re ever going to write another book please write one where we can see how Snow got all this power

And what happened to Tigris

I wanna knowwwwww

[be-the-glenn-to-my-maggie]

I just reread The Hunger Games for the first time since I was 12 in preparation for reading Sunrise on the Reaping. Here is everything I had totally forgotten about since I am now 25:

-that Peeta lost a fucking lEG to the mutts and has a fake leg for the rest of the series

-they had fucking night vision sunglasses in the arena

-Rue and Katniss were only allies for a day :(

-The mutts slowly eat Cato for the entire night because he was wearing invisible body armor, like that scene was horrific. It's bad in the movie, it's like 2000% worse in this book. The entire night, Peeta is bleeding out while Cato slowly gets chewed. He fights the mutts for an hour before he goes down, I can't even imagine.

-Thresh was chilling in a random field part of the arena we never see for the whole Games

-I finished the book and still don't know Foxface's name.

-Gale is not annoying in book 1, but he's so annoying in book 2. Like the entire first part of the book is Katniss worrying about shit, things getting way worse in District 12, and Gale being a little bitch. I don't know why I can't get past his utter inability to make space for her experience in the games.

-Kinda funny Peeta gets a debilitating leg wound twice in one Hunger Games

-I TOTALLY FORGOT ABOUT MADGE AND I'M OBSESSED WITH HER??? SHE GAVE THE PIN LIKE WHAT AN ICON.

-That the disabled boy from District Nine lives for so long.

-That Seneca Crane barely exists, all he does is get mentioned twice, fuck up IMMENSELY, and get murdered.

-That Katniss's prep team were just as if not more important in humanizing the capital citizens as Effie. God, that scene in octavia where they dress Katniss in her wedding dress for her interview. Cinna has talked to them because last time they were crying and making Katniss console them about her death. This scene when Octavia cries, Venia sends her out. Flavius makes it mostly through then starts crying and Venia finishes by herself silently, something that the prep team never is. Then she grabs Katniss' hands and tells Katniss it was an honor to make her look her best. I fully cried. They seem silly and foolish when we meet them before, but they see Katniss as a person who deserves better. As soon as they were corrected by Cinna, they immediately change their behavior and treat her as he asked. It's just such a human moment for them and for Katniss, who has always seen them as they see her, uneducated and strange.

-That Suzanne somehow convinced us frosting is the same as camoflage.

-That all the capital food sounds so good.

-I love the moment with Peeta being bad at hunting with Katniss because he's loud in the woods. I think it's just her most empathetic moment. It's like, the biggest contrast between him and Gale, right, he doesn't fit in her world, and she's annoyed with him. Instead of taking it personally he tells her to have him collect herbs and berries instead and even makes a joke about it. I think she even thinks like some guys would've taken it personally but not Peeta. It makes me think about how Gale would've taken it so personally. And then right after she thinks about how he went along with her and was making concessions for her and agrees to go back to the cave instead of sleeping in a tree like she wants. It's just so empathetic of her and she's like, a character who thinks she's so unempathetic. But her thoughts always are.

-How literally obvious it was all the victors were working to save Katniss and Peeta and Katniss was still like what's the ulterior motive here huh? Do we all just think Peeta is the best, because that makes sense. Just funny, like it's almost exactly the same as the first book where as the reader it's hard to see Peeta as anything but truly head over heels for Katniss, whereas she just thinks he might be trying to kill her.

-Mags is barely there and yet I remember her so well. Same with Wiress honestly.

-Didn't remember Finnick and Johanna being as good of friends as they were. When they called for each other on the beach, or checked in with each other- I am desperate to know their friendship backstory.

-Also desperate to know how Haymitch and Johanna's convo went when he told her she had to fetch Wiress and Beetee in order for Katniss to trust her, what a guy. What a conversation to be a fly on the wall for.

-Cashmere and Gloss, what is up guys, worst careers of all time there, that cornucopia attack was so bad. We're sneak attacking WIRESS??? Please.

-Even after Haymitch explains what happened during Beetee's plan, I still have no idea. Wire is cut. I assume the plan won't work. But Beetee actually only wanted to fry the forcefield. Why separate them all like that? So confused. ALSO WHERE DID PEETA GO AND HOW DID HE END UP THERE? Somewhere off fighting Brutus but not with Finnick, I am still baffled by this scene. Katniss sees Finnick and Enobaria come out of the jungle together at one point and I am endlessly fascinated by that, and by Enobaria as a character. Enobaria girl, what is up with you? Not in on the revolution but so ready for the capital kids to compete in games, please tell me more.

-They rewatch old games at one point: has no one noticed you can't watch game 10? I wonder about this all the time.

-Totally forgot about Chaff and Seeder and I miss them so much??? Seeder deserves the world okay. AND STOP KILLING HAYMITCH’s BEST FRIENDS. I wonder what changed, when Haymitch originally suggests Chaff and Seeder to Katniss as allies. But later he forces Finnick and Johanna on her, not them. Why? I assume they were in on the revolution?

- I forgot about the female morphing who dies for Peeta. Her death was so beautiful, and the way he sent her off really is what Katniss sees in him that she can’t see in herself: that deep down goodness. She sent Rue off that way first.

-Also still has me giggling kicking my feet that the entire rebellion plan hinged on keeping Peeta alive because Haymitch said Katniss wouldn’t work with anyone if he died. All these adults trying to stage a revolution and Haymitch slams his hands on the war table to be like "You gotta save her boyfriend or the revolution is over."

-ALSO giggling kicking my feet over Katniss suspiciously trying to figure out why everyone is keeping Peeta alive and she’s pretty sure it’s because they all see how good he is, like no girl you’re down bad.

-Then Haymitch is tragically proven right by Katniss’ attitude when she gets to 13. She said she needs him, then is instantly proven right lol it's not funny.

-(this is dark but how hard do we think Gale tried to get ANY merchants out of 12, because I think it wasn’t hard AT ALL).

-Barely any of Catching Fire takes place in the arena at all. I kept updating my mom, showing her where I was in the book and telling her I still wasn't at the arena yet.

-Gale drove me inSANE in Mockingjay. He was being normal, helpful even and then he would make some absurd comment to Katniss about her feelings for him. Dude. You are talking to the walking embodiment of PTSD, she's tOO BUSY FOR YOU. This clearly is not the time. And it would be so condescending, like "I wouldn't stand a chance if this happened" like telling her about her feelings and how she'd react oh it made me mad.

-Also, again, obsessed with Katniss's prep team. Oh my god I love what they represent. Gale arguing with Katniss over how she can defend them?? Infuriating. Like, you weren't there dude what do you know? He was just so condescending. Also Ocatvia being so young really hurt me. Posy telling her she'd be beautiful any color she was and Gale acting like they were normal to help Katniss, ugh, top five Gale moments, more of the prep team.

-Squad 451, especially Pollux and Castor, I love you and miss you. Icons I forgot about all of them literally. Castor's story of how it took five years for their family to buy Pollux's way out of the sewers??? How many more people are like that in the capitol? What did Pollux do to become an avox? I want to know more.

-I especially forgot and missed Messalla. There were so many more capitol rebels who were working on the front lines than I think I remember, and they highlighted that silly comment Messalla made about the apartment value right before all the skin was melted off of him like a human candle. Horrifying. I really like that they made it clear everyone suffers under a regime like that, even if it's different, and solidarity is important.

-Something about the way Haymitch and Katniss talk to each other just gets me. Them both accusing each other for being the reason they lost Peeta and then forgiving each other? Also the way he like, in the background staunchly defends and works to help Peeta recover while Katniss is like wandering around or in district 2? Obsessed. They are like the same person so they are simultaneously able to hold each other to a higher standard than they hold themselves, but also able to forgive each other more than they can forgive themselves. You get what I'm saying???

-Johanna and Katniss roommates training montage when? Forgot all about it, I don't even remember liking Johanna that much the first time. But the way she so matter of factly cuts to the root of the problem every time; telling Katniss about her and Peeta's time being tortured when Katniss asks, answering Peeta's questions about why Gale wouldn't have believed he'd be like that if he hadn't seen it himself: that he's the evil mutt version, not Katniss. I was like oh, the value of that honestly for Katniss who cannot read into anything to save her life, and for Peeta who can't tell what's real, is monumental.

-Also Gale made that comment about feeling the same type of anger that Peeta was when Katniss was in the first Hunger Games; wild. Like, that comment took me so aback I had to read it multiple times. Like, he couldn't really be telling her he was feeling homicidal rage at watching her kiss another boy in the TELEVISED MURDER GAMES. When I catch that man. He's a great character and he's realistic and honest, but god he just says all the wrong things all the time.

-Darius the Peacekeeper. Talk about a guy that haunts the narrative, I feel like this guy was in the back more than Katniss' dad. Peeta's description of his death will stick with me forever now, I had forgotten it!! Thanks!!!

This is getting too long and I have so many thoughts but: rereading childhood books that hold up is a WILD ride. Recommend me your everlark fanfictions, or even hayffie. I'm in a THG vibe now.

[sagegreenprose]

Here are some OFF headcanons centered on elsens that nobody really requested but my friend and I wanted me to write teehee ^_^

Elsens in Zone 2 are really nosy and gossip-prone. However, it isn't malicious-- it's more oriented towards keeping the community safe and alert. In fact, almost all of Bismark is aware of who has damaged what books, besides the Librarian of course-- the culprits are already at risk of getting themself papercuts, it would be so cruel to also get them in trouble too.

Elsens in Zone 3 have a very competitive and toxic work environment. When one elsen succeeds, another elsen is punished. Rations certainly aren't coming out of Enoch-- no, Enoch has it arranged that for every percent increase in rations that one elsen earns, there's a percent decrease for a less productive elsen.

Elsens in Zone 1 have a very cooperative and supportive work environment. The success of one elsen in a district is treated as an inspiration and something to model for the rest of them-- especially if that success gets noticed by Dedan. Dedan might be a loud asshole, but he knows how to make a productive work culture at least-- if only there were clones of Dedan like there are of elsens, he'd be a lot less stressed and pissed off. And unlike in Zone 3, Zone 1's elsens have some days off.

Elsens under the effects of sugar are referred to as "glazed," as opposed to "high" or "stoned." Additionally, that one elsen in Area 1 of Vesper whom we see looking out over the plastic sea was definitely glazed.

I see a lot of people think that wearing the necktie made The Batter be visually perceived as another elsen, but I disagree. The Batter didn't trick the elsens of East Bismark into thinking he's an elsen by wearing a necktie per se; what wearing the necktie really did was give them a sense of security in thinking that somebody there knew the Batter personally and let him borrow their necktie as a way of vouching for him to travel through. That vouching went right out the proverbial window the moment that the Batter began making the elsens there feel ill at ease though.

As a follow-up to the previous headcanon, I also like to think that-- although the valzong-burnt sprite and the overworld elsen sprite stay generic-- there wasn't actually a real prize to winning the Balloon Game in Zone 2's Theme Park, but the elsen in charge of the game knew that prizes were typically rewarded upon completion of those sorts of games, so he'd take off his necktie everytime he had to work the booth just to fix it onto the balloon in the middle. He never imagined that somebody would actually win that prize though, which is another part of why he was so freaked out (and the sound of the balloons popping certainly didn't help his nerves either, even he did know the source.)

Liquid plastic is occasionally referred to as water by the elsens-- primarily the ones of Zone 2 who've read about water in certain books, and then related the concept of water to the liquid plastic that they've got instead. Liquid plastic is not something you want to get on your skin though, and even less, ingest. But you'd find it in the same places you'd find water, so it works out. Reading about touching or ingesting water in books freaks elsens the fuck out though-- combined with the fear of ripping pages, the library might as well be considered full of horror novels.

Elsen clothing is all made of polyester. Thankfully, elsens don't really emit body odor (even when they sweat), though they can accumulate a general funk from where they've been, which they do wash off with a nice metal dust bath. The exception to this is that elsens under immense stress and on the verge of going burnt do have a very slight smell of caramel about them. Burnts themselves have a very strong smell of charred caramel. On that note, the air in Zone 3 can be like a horrible punch to the nostrils to anybody not from there-- especially the farther North in Vesper you get. Sugar consumption can make the sugar smog more tolerable though.

Most elsens do their laundry communally, but some (mostly in Zone 2) prefer to do their laundry themselves and at their own pace. Honestly, everything happens at its own pace in Zone 2, besides trade with the other zones.

Most residents of the Zones, including elsens, make up for a general lack of water by getting all their hydration needs met through consuming meat... Somebody ask me my thoughts on Zone 1 cows please.

Zone 1 elsens tend to stay in their assigned districts for long periods of time, with various promotions scattered throughout. However, if an elsen is starting to become disillusioned or even burnt out with their current stations, there is a process for them to start anew in a different district (though it is lengthy)... Unless they're in Alma, but who would want to leave such a good job?.. Under normal circumstances, your average Shachihata worker can take years to become truly worn thin by their job, but in Alma, it usually only takes a month for the disillusionment and anguish to set in. This is why everybody but those who actually work in Alma sing Alma's praises so high: dead men tell no tales. And a month is not long enough for an elsen to completely deconstruct their preconceived views on Alma (and warn others of the pipedream)-- they'd much sooner just straight-up burn from the sudden influx in disappointment and doubt.

Also, this is not my own headcanon, not at all, but I am 110% a believer in that all the elsens originate from the giant elsen in the Room, forming on that guy like fungus on a log and then falling off... Onto something a bit more original to that though: the other elsens we see in the Room are in direct contact with the big elsen and-- along with having very streamlined, simple routines-- that's why they're so steady and confident. Meanwhile, the vast majority of elsens elsewhere had been taken from their progenitor so quick they can't even remember him, and they remember the Room just barely. So they couldn't even develop that essential part of identity that comes with having a connection to any sort of nurturing figure, though many in Zone 1 have imprinted on Dedan. A few in Zone 3 exalt the Director like that too, though much less directly, and it's almost always from those who have never met the Director. But then you've got the elsens in Zone 2 who've got no guardian that they know of-- no protection nor leadership... Japhet, unlike Dedan and unlike Enoch (who views the elsens more like peons), returned the feeling of kinship though-- which is not so much headcanon as it is canon actually haha.

[mystargirl-interlude]

𝑩𝑶𝑹𝑵 𝑻𝑶 𝑫𝑰𝑬

chapter 1 in the 𝑩𝑰𝑹𝑫𝑺 𝑶𝑭 𝑨 𝑭𝑬𝑨𝑻𝑯𝑬𝑹 book

When you are born in one of the districts in panem you are born to die, wether or not you are reaped or not.

if you aren't reaped you live in poverty and starve to death unless you're in a capitol district and if you are reaped and some how win the games the suffering never ends.

13 year old persephone sat one of the multiple rows at her second reaping, somehow making it through her first despite her name being in the bowl eight times due to her being caught multiple times trespassing, but now at 13 and her name being doubled in the bowl now at 16 pieces of paper.

"Hello! Hello! welcome to the 66th annual hunger games!" Says the district four escort who's name persephone couldn't care to remember

tuning out the screeching of her voice and deciding to take a look at her surroundings and everyone around her, she makes eye contact with last years winner, Finnick odair. She wouldn't deny that he was unbelievably attractive, but then she remembered she was being sent to get killed while he watched.

I hope i at least look good while being brutally murdered since the whole country was going to be watching she thought.

when she snapped out of her thoughts she saw that finnick and her were most definitely still in deep eye contact, he gave her a challenging look almost expecting her to look away first but she sent that look back 10 times harder, making him furrow his brows and quickly look away just in time as the movie about the history of the games ended

"well! let's get started with this years tributes, as always ladies first" she said as she dug her hand into the bowl

persephone wouldn't be surprised if the half the bowl was just her name

"and this years tribute representing district four is" she says unraveling the paper

"Persephone Levito!" it almost felt as the whole room went quite as the young girl was well known throughout the district for singing by the beach and her outfits, but before persephone it was her grandmother, she was well known and well loved and when she passed it took a toll on everyone in 4

Not surprised she rolls her eyes before remembering her act she needed to put on

eyes watering she slowly walks up to the stage wrapping her arms around ber self slightly shaking

she imagines she looks like one of those gross old chihuahuas her neighbor has

"hello dear, and how old might you be?"

"thirteen" she shakily exhales

"Lovely! and now on to our male tribute!" she smiles like she didn't just send a child off to her death

"and the male tribute representing district four is.. Christopher Monroe!"

if it was possible the day just got twenty times worse.

persephone knew christopher and she fucking hated his guts, they went to school together and he was the most annoying, obnoxious, disgusting specimen she's ever had to be around.

"These are our 66th Hunger games district four tributes! you may now shake hands!" she says

as they grasp hands she grip as hard as she can without breaking his hand while still maintaining her good girl façade

he pulls away as soon as possible and then they are pulled into the back to head to the train, all tributes are allowed five minutes to say goodbye to loved ones but persephone couldn't give two shits about her family as they never cared for her.

immediately heading to the train she walks inside and sees multiple blue velvet couches and a rectangle dinner table, deciding to pass time she looks around being nosy, as it was what she was best at.

about 6 minutes later everyone starts coming in including what she assumes are going to be her mentors and the escort who's name she learned was Anya

"Well hello, lovely's, please meet your mentors for your games, Mags flanagan and Finnick Odair"

persephone felt a switch flip in her, it was almost like a different person, the persona she had to put on to even attempt to make it past the bloodbath.

looking up from her empty plate she gives them both a small smile

"Please introduce yourselves guys" anya says smiling with a slight aggressive tone almost like they are embarrassing her when persephone never even met her let alone know her name until 2 minutes ago

"Christopher Monroe, Big fan of yours finnick" the boy spoke with a sickening tone of confidence

finnick gave him a awkward smile almost like he was embarrassed for him and he then looks to persephone

"Persephone Levito" she says with a shaky voice

"Yeah i know who you are, i would see you at the beach when i was younger" finnick says in the softest tone trying to comfort the clearly scared young girl but at the same time he feels as if there's something off about her

christopher looks over at them rolling his eyes in annoyance at the girl.

finnick and christopher make small talk while persephone puts an awkwardly small portion of food on her plate sampling each thing on the table and then sections them off into perfectly even sections

finnick can see what she's doing out of the corner of his eye and he furrows his brows taking a glance at the girl before cutting christopher off of his ramble that he was barley listening to

"Let's talk strength and weakness, chris would you like to go first?" finnick asked

smiling cockily he starts listing off his strengths while persephone struggles to not roll her eyes at the boy.

tucking her legs under her oversized white button up she listens to every word chris says despite hating his guts she had to know what she was going up against.

and him being the fucking dumbass he is he starts listing off every weakness he has but something that did make her start thinking was when he said that he had to get surgery on a tendon he had in his knee as he tore it when he was younger and immediately after he said that he said it was hard to use his dominate hand so he wanted to get better using his left because he broke a bone in his right and it was harder to use now

"what about you persephone?" finnick asked her

"yeah what about you" chris says smirking like he didn't just make the biggest mistake ever by him practically telling his whole fucking life story when all finnick asked for was strength and weaknesses

but who is she to talk, for all she knows chris could kill her the moment the game starts

"Um - i don't know, i guess i'm good with tying knots" she says with an embarrassed smile resting her chin on her knees forcing herself to not stab chris in the eye when she hears him scoff at her

"it's okay, that's what me and mags are here for, we are going to try our best to help you survive"

he says placing his hand on mags' shoulder

to be honest persephone forgot mags was even there with how quiet she was but she was cut off from her thoughts by the voice of anya

"I think it's best we all get some rest so that we are ready for tomorrows parade!" she says

persephone is the first to get up and leave the table.

walking to the room that anya had showed her earlier she looks in from the door way and then looks over her shoulder to see finnick looking at her, the look she gives him before waking into her room has him in deep thought, like she knew something he didn't. he's never been more confused by anyone in his whole life let alone and girl who was a year younger than him.

★ ✰ ★ ✰ ★ ✰ ★ ✰ ★ ✰ ★ ✰ ★ ✰ ★

The day after the parade was the first day of training.

walking into the training room with a few of the other tributes by her side she looks around at all the the different stations.

deciding to walk over to the knife throwing station she already knows she's going to have to embarrass her self in order to not seem like a threat.

persephone does a bit of each station before looking at what the other tributes are doing, of course she sees chris with the careers at the archery station.

keeping an eye on each one to see what skills their best at.

when she was younger, her grandmother would train her every day until the day she died to make sure if she ever got reaped she would be prepared, she's learned her way around the different weapons.

Day two goes by smoothly besides the fact that the careers and their groupie which unfortunately was her district partner were making fun of her the entire time.

Waiting for her name to be called for individual sessions she starts thinking about stories her grandma would tell her before bed and the disappearance of the 10th hunger games victor

"Persephone Levito"

snapping out of her thoughts she walks into the room taking a look at the different supplies laid out, making her way to the spears she grabs three and stands a few feet away from the targets.

she lazily throws each of the spears cringing as she misses each each target, she finishes her session as soon as possible due to the unbearable embarrassment she was feeling despite the fact that she was doing it on purpose.

sitting in a large room with chris, finnick and mags in front of a large TV awaiting their scores.

Ceaser begins listing off the tributes and their scores and then gets to district 4 "District four! Christopher Monroe with a score of, 8!" finnick and mags both congratulate him as he cockily smirks

"Persephone Levito with a score of 3!" with a thin lipped smile she looks over at finnick who gives her a look of pity.

The last of the days have been a blur especially with the interviews.

her last day at the capital has been pretty shitty and even more with the fact that everyone is treating her like a toddler, she's had a few more conversations with finnick but just briefly, and mostly just him telling her how to survive out there.

standing in a small metal room with her stylist who she's grown quite fond of

"what can you tell me about the arena?"

"it seems like it's going to be a constant change, you may be looking at forest mountains based on the shoes, weather may go from cold to humid because you have removable layers."

60 seconds

"good luck persephone, i know what you're doing i strongly believe i'll see you after the games"

her stylist stella tells her in a shaky whisper

"i'll see you later" persephone smirks before walking into the clear tube

Being lifted up into the arena she can already feel the cold breeze, looking around she sees fog, thicker in certain areas thinner in others, not bothering to see the other tributes next to her, her eyes narrow to the cornucopia, eyes landing on a belt with multiple daggers and knives and a back pack.

She realized she probably made the biggest mistake of her life by not making any allies

fuck

ladies and gentlemen let the 66th hunger games begin.

as soon as she heard the gong go off she ran as fast as she possibly could, her legs practically going numb she runs into the cornucopia grabbing the belt and then going for the back pack but a force pulling her back  has her heart skip a beat, not even bothering to see who it is she grabs a small dagger stabbing it into their pulse point, blood spraying all over her, her eyes dart around landing on a career coming straight for her.

Grabbing a another knife she throws it landing directly in between his eyebrows knocking him down but she then feels her airways being cutoff by someone putting her in a head lock, kicking her legs up and pushing off from the metal wall they both fall down, having to think quickly she grabs a longer knife from her belt she stabs it in the tributes gut she drags it up all the way to just below the sternum of the girl who she recognized was from district two, hearing ber ear piercing screams felt like she was about to go deaf but they soon stopped once her eyes rolled back in her head.

Looking up persephone sees that everyone has left the cornucopia and she sees chris and the tributes from 1 and the boy from 2 running into the forest.

collecting her knives and grabbing anything else she finds to be helpful she makes her way towards the foggy woods opposite of the way the others went.

after what felt like a few hours of walking she comes across the end of a rocky hill which leads to a water stream. her blonde locks look like they have been dyed red and brown.

walking down the hill she goes straight for the water immediately dipping her hands in the wash off all the caked on blood and then collects some of the water in a water bottle she found in a back pack she stole from one of the tributes.

mentor viewing room

finnick has been in staring off into space ever since the bloodbath ended

the once scared blonde that barley spoke two words was now covered head to toe in blood that wasn't hers

he didn't know how to feel, proud? scared?

he settled on proud for now and just decided to see where it would go.

arena

a  day has passed and so have four more people at the hands of persephone, she's washed her skin off a few times in the river but some sections were still stained red.

the day was pretty boring as nothing had happened but she was woken up in the middle of the night to harsh whispers and leaves rustling.

"she's asleep we can just kill her now, it's easier if she doesn't put up a fight" she heard a feminine voice say

"okay fine, do you wanna do the honors?" she heard a male voice say, she can practically hear the smirk in it

tightening her grip on her knife she shoots up immediately stabbing the male in the esophagus hearing the canon go off she then hears his partner scream, persephone slaps her hand over the girls mouth and then proceeds to stab her straight it the tit where she knows it hurts and then continues once she's on the floor. when she's done the girl at least has 7 stab wounds on her.

gathering her stuff the starts making her way in the opposite direction as the scream most likely drew attention.

Another day goes by and many more dead, sometimes done by others, most of the time done by persephone.

With almost everyone dead all that's left is chris and the one of the careers.

after waking around for a few hours she hears two people arguing. Climbing up the nearest tree as fast as she can she gets as high as possible and looks down at the last two standing. Fucking dumbasses, they aren't even aware of their surroundings.

Deciding to have some fun messing with them as it was once again night time and they couldn't see her. Throwing a stick on the floor next to them and them being the dogs they are they run straight to it giving her enough time to climb down the tree as quietly as possible.

"HELLO? YOU CAN COME OUT WE DONT BITE" chris yelled as they both laughed and for once in the games the whole arena got quiet, no birds, no crickets, just the sound of heavy breathing

"psst!" the girl from one turned around frantically ready to fight but that was soon ended as a gut wrenching scream was let out.

persephone stabbed her repeatedly in her torso, the clouds now moving past the moon letting the moonlight shine through which let her see a lot better.

Chris jumped on top of persephone pulling her off of the girl she just murdered, putting his hands on her neck once again having her airways cut off for like the fifth time, having to react quick she knees him as hard as she can between his legs which knocks him off of her.

she swears they have been having a wrestling match for what feels like forever. frantically looking around

to see if she can find anything that would kill him her eyes land on a sword that the other girl had persephone tried to reach for it but unfortunately for her chris also had his eyes on it and immediately pulled her back which led to her literally face planting on the dirt, he begins choking her again

"jesus- fuck why does everyone go for the- neck" she says in between wheezes. she remembers when he was talking to finnick how he said his weak spot was his right arm, despite the fact that both her arms had multiple gashes and stab wounds she builds up as much strength and punched her hand into his elbow dislocating it which makes the most disgusting pop noise that makes her gag

"you dumb fucking bitch, you broke my arm!" chris says practically spitting him her face. rolling him off of her she grabs knife that was still lodged in the girl from 1 she stabs him on his side but he didn't go down without a fight, he threw persephone off him him and stood up, now fighting standing up she continues to stab him wherever she can get her knife through but he still has a tight grip on her, at this point she doesn't even know how he's alive, there's blood pouring out of his mouth and she's sure she hit every major organ

"why.... won't- you.. die. FUCKING HELL ARE YOU IMMORTAL OR SOMETHING?" she says between gasps with one swift slit to the neck the cannon finally goes off.

there's a moment of silence before the announcer comes on

"ladies in gentlemen, your victor from the sixty sixth hunger games! persephone levito!!!" she hears the voice say

"FUCK" where the last words she remembers saying before passing out.. face planting the dirt.. again.

hi queens so this was like the introduction to my new child persephone and how she became a victor, there wasn't much finnick but there is definitely going to be a lot more in the next chapter, the next one is going to be briefly of the 74th games but just for her mentoring purposes but it's mainly just gonna be other stuff, anyway!

WC: 3168

© mystargirl-interlude

[emhahee]

Hi hi,

So like I have a question around your Hayffie headcanon’s. Because if I remember correctly you ship them? If not please ignore this.

Two questions actually

1: When do you think they went from arguing (derogatory) to bickering (affectionate)

2: What do you think happened after the war with them Book Verse v Movie Verse. (I only differentiate because a lot of people have different interpretations because of what happened with Effie book v movie)

I think the progression of Haymitch and Effie’s relationship from genuinely not being able to stand each other to making bedroom eyes at each other was a lot more gradual than what we saw as an audience. Like as readers, we only saw the last three years of the development of their relationship when they had YEARS of lore before that that we never saw. I’m sure when they first met, they were both a lot younger and Effie may not have even been an escort at that point. My guess is that they met when she was just working with the stylists, still learning the ropes, probably caught up in being a regular capitol young adult person, which probably hugely impacted their initial impressions of each other when they started having to mentor together, especially considering haymitch’s demeanor. That’s not to say Haymitch didn’t call her “sweetheart” in his Appalachian drawl just to see if he could make her blush through her makeup. Because he would, and she did. But also, for years and years before katniss and Peeta, Haymitch and Effie experienced the losses of their tributes as one. Katniss observed that each of them have different ways of coping with having to send two children to their imminent death year after year: Haymitch uses alcohol, and Effie lives in a hazy cloud of ignorance about what the games even really are, wrapping herself in the glamour and excitement leading up to the games and presumably tuning most of the event itself out. I think over the years, Haymitch and Effie certainly developed a mutual empathy for each other in this regard, because you can’t really blame someone for how they cope with unimaginable loss and suffering. But I think there was a shift in their dynamic around the time of katniss and Peetas first games, not only when they experienced the hope of having victors for the first time, but simultaneously becoming wrapped up in a rebellion. Effie was one of few constants in haymitch’s life and it is my personal belief that their feelings had been stirring for a long time but probably really took off on the victory tour. I’m sure there were nights where effie had a few too many and started sloppily confessing her feelings for Haymitch and the attendants on the train just looked the other way because it would NOT be a good look in the face of unrest and uprising to have a capitol employee fraternizing with a district citizen. But in that regard it was also 🎊forbidden🎊 which makes it so much better in my opinion. But I don’t think Haymitch would really have been able to admit his own feelings for Effie until learning she had been taken by the capitol, much like katniss wasn’t really able to know she loved peeta until he had been taken, too. And like I legitimately cannot imagine the torment Haymitch must have been experiencing at knowing someone who, on the surface, had such an innocent perception of the world being tortured for her association with him and his colleagues. I think Haymitch got home to 12 after the war, fairly soon after got a phone call, and, remembering his phone lines had been reconnected, knew exactly who was waiting on the other end of the line. And from then on it was game over. Or whatever. At least that’s how it is in my head.

[atefingersdagger]

If you don't mind me Asking what drew you to shipping thresh and glimmer I just love knowing other people's ideas on unlikely couples/ships and what do you imagine their dynamic to be?

I don't mind at all! Love explaining my niche ships! <3

Originally, it was for an AU where the tributes were somewhat "resurrected" by District 13 (technically the canons fired early for all tributes so they could retrieve them before they succumbed to injury with the exception to those who died in the bloodbath)

And Glimmer's interest in Thresh was for a pivotal conversation with Clove about it. As it, one, showed that Clove wasn't holding a grudge against her killer, and two, that she became close enough to Glimmer that she wants to see her happy. As a way to show Clove's growth and maturity.

I also was thinking about similarities and differences between all the tributes and this random thought that originally wasn't supposed to take up much space in my mind, decided to become something that I actually quite liked.

So, Glimmer likely is insecure, but not in her body, but rather the opposite. She's been told and ordered to be only an attractive body by her stylists and by society. That she isn't much else to anyone but a pair of attractive body parts others can rearrange as they please like a doll. She likely hadn't seen much autonomy.

I see Thresh understanding her lack of control in her life and body within himself. He is described as "built like an ox," which implies he's tall and as brawny as the Career tributes can be. This also implies he had been working and doing labor for a long time in 11. Which means his worth was tied to how much he was harvesting or any other job he was able to have at a young age. So, he feels like he is nothing more than a machine to be geared up and see no fruits of his labor.

I do think they have a lot of differences, though. Glimmer was groomed in many ways to be a tribute and to use her looks to her survival ability, which would have likely completely robbed her of her autonomy as a victor. She was raised to respect the Games.

While Thresh saw through all of the bullshit of the Capitol, he just felt like he was stuck and that it's the luck of his draw. This is why he is solemn and doesn't talk during his interview (according to the book). He won't play their Games, but Glimmer feels like she has too.

They both have been robbed of many choices (at least in my headcanons) and how these understandings help bridge the gap that the propaganda tries to do with the districts. Glimmer learns just how unfairly lower districts are treated, and Thresh learns that District 1 really isn't luxurious but just another place that holds seedy undertones as any other place.

Glimmer is talkative, charismatic, and everything many girls want to he by first glance, but I think Thresh is probably one of the first people to see her as a person. Someone deserving of respect, first and foremost. I think Marvel and Cato were gentlemen and never judged her as she likely got from other men, and Clove was cordial as an ally and not a catty girl. But they were still all technically enemies to start off with.

And I think Glimmer would help bring out Thresh's happier side and allow him to let his guard down in terms of allowing himself to be happy and to have fun once they are in 13. They get to be different and similar simultaneously and embrace both in many ways. As a show of how love and compassion, and not even romantic, necessarily, can break propaganda and years of conquer and divide tactics.

Thresh seems like he wanted to protect the girls, too. Yes, he killed Clove, but he was livid about what she said over Rue, who was arguably "more innocent" in Thresh's eyes at the point. He spared Katniss, and I'm sure he knew Cato would be on his trail and not because of the fact he took the bag with the 2 on it, but because he took an eye and now Cato needs to take an eye in order for them both to make themselves further blinded by the Games. He practically sacrificed himself for the better.

Glimmer and Thresh would find a lot of freedom in each other (as I think Cato did with Clove and Katniss with Peeta) they are attracted to each other but saw much deeper than what they could offer as labor or entertainment, but just as people. Beyond tributes and allowing themselves to truly choose what they want.

Sorry, this rant was so long. Originally, it was supposed to be like 2 or 3 paragraphs, but I had so many details I wanted to explain as I've seen no one else shipping them 🤧

(I also remember finding two pictures of the actors being cute with each other and started giggling cause I was like, "This is evidence that they'd be cute together as characters")

[cheetabites]

☆ ~ meet me on the beach

pairing: coral x district 12!reader summary: daydreaming always brought the possibilities of what you could’ve been. warnings: fem!reader, second person, reader kinda takes lucy gray’s place, jessup and reader friendship, mix of things from the movies and books, not much romance but a little bit a/n: yes guys i’m a coralbaird shipper

when she’d first confronted you in the cattle truck after her and the others had an unwelcoming encounter with your mentor you’d felt an overwhelming desire for her.

it might’ve been your desire for something that’ll keep you from spiraling into the deep dark hole you were in or it could’ve been that you felt it was unfair that such a beautiful tribute would be one you would have to be against soon.

even when she was threatening to kill your mentor you didn’t once interrupt her, obsessed with the bloodthirsty smirk held on her face and the crackling of her knuckles. the only thing that ended up interrupting your adoring gaze was the back of the truck shaking, a chute unceremoniously dumping all of you onto the ground of the monkey enclosure.

-

you had stayed closer to jessup through the hot days and the cold nights, cuddling up together for some sort comfort. even when the brandy girl died and you and the others were heavily chained it didn’t stop you. it also didn’t stop you from taking glances at the captivating redhead that strayed even closer to her district partner.

but the days were growing longer and your bodies weaker; despite your mentor - coriolanus - bringing you food whenever he could. yet whenever you slipped away and deeply thought about it, even though on the surface his intentions seemed genuine, deep down you felt that he was doing this to gain an advantage - for what, you didn’t know.

however, the only capitol citizen that had caught your attention was the muscular but otherwise kind looking boy that had brung a huge bag of sandwiches (meatloaf if you remembered correctly) and plums. you could sense that he was seemingly different than coriolanus, never outwardly bringing the attention of the crowd and broadcasters to show that he was being a good person. only doing it because he wanted to.

you honestly wouldn’t have minded being his tribute rather than coriolanus’.

-

the only way you were coping was by daydreaming. your imagination ran wild with the thought of escaping with the other tributes, with coral. maybe up north, you could find a place and learn to live with what you had together - connecting in a way that you’d wouldn’t have been able to because of the separation of the district borders and the threat looming over all of your heads.

but you knew that wasn’t plausible after seeing the district 10 girl hanging from the crane while you were paraded in a cage during the capitol girl’s funeral. it wasn’t plausible when you heard the bullet shells clang against the arena floor as districts 1 and district 2’s tributes got gunned down after running. it wasn’t plausible because no matter how hard you hoped, you couldn’t develop any more of a platonic or romantic interest in the others because in a few days your hands could be tainted with their blood.

but that logic definitely didn’t stop your heart from beating a little faster when you felt her eyes on you, even when her gaze was predatory. or the blush that would take over your cheeks when she came a bit closer to you than she should’ve - even if she was just passing to grasp one of the offers from the crowd. and it definitely didn’t stop jessup from noticing, your shy smile more than enough of a hint of what you could possibly feel towards her.

“did you really have to lay your feelings for the district 4 girl,” he whispered softly towards you, ignoring your objecting nod, “don’t give me that bullshit, this bite may be deluding my senses but i’m not stupid.”

you fidgeted with your fingers, “i know, with the situation we’re in it’s probably not the best idea to get all love sick. and i know that i just..i don’t know? i can’t stop myself from wanting her, jess.”

he nodded in understanding, “i’m not saying you can’t go for it but..sooner or later one - or both - of you would end up dead.” there was a pause as he considered how to lay down the next words, “plus, she seems very determined to win so i don’t even think she would be open to your feelings..”

your face fell but you knew jessup was right, “yeah, i know. but thank you, for worrying about me. i’m happy that i was stuck with someone as kind as you in this horrible circumstance.”

he laughed with whatever energy his body had left, “yeah but it would be funny if you two did get together. you’d be some sort of star crossed lovers.” a smile appeared on your face as you leaned your head on his shoulder.

although, never knowing that despite your careful whispering, hidden in the dark was the short haired redhead who was shocked at your revelation. if not also a bit smug.

-

the day had finally come, a multitude of dread, fear, and nervousness radiated off of all of you as you were placed on the red markers; just minutes away from the gong ringing. weapons lined up on the cornucopia waiting to be stained with blood.

you knew your plan, despite your mentor’s advice you’d planned to grab one of the weapons before leading jessup to the tunnels. anticipation weighing heavy on your chest as you waited for the gong. and as soon as it sounded you ran as fast as you could into the bloodbath.

initially you dodged most of the others that came for you, only getting a bit knicked before quickly swiping a fair sized combat knife quickly tucking it away before searching for jessup.

once you found him you quickly escaped into the tunnels, running from whoever decided to target you two. the doors were locked but you were able to escape through the small opening at the bottom, just seconds before an axe came down on where your foot rested just moments before. gasping in relief as you heard the displeased banging on the other side.

“hey lumberjack, get in there and get her out,” her voice echoed through the tunnels. “i’m not sticking my head in there, she could be waiting with a brick.”

she scoffed, you could tell she was already impatient with them, “you’re useless.” the tunnel went quiet, and as time stretched on you assumed they were either leaving to hunt some other unfortunate soul or camping outside the door to ambush you once you got out.

averting your attention you gently patted your shoulder, allowing jessup to lean on you after noticing the prominent dark eye bags resting on his face. trying to ignore the adrenaline that felt too good, spiraling through your chest.

-

you didn’t remember falling asleep, and you almost cursed yourself for doing something so stupid until you realized you were temporarily protected by the door closing you in. there was a stir against your shoulder, alerting you that jessup must’ve woken up too.

he definitely looked dehydrated; fatigue shown on his face pairing with what you could remember the occasional twitching coming from him. so hoping to relinquish that, you gently cupped some water from the nearby source, holding it up to his face. barely making it to his chapped lips since he hurriedly slapped your hand down, leaving you a bit confused and scared.

“jessup?” you looked towards him, only to see his dark eyes staring at you. “what’d you do to it?”

you backed away from his intimidating stature, fear coursing to your veins - knowing if he did turn on you, you could either run or use the sharpened knife you held in your boot. “i didn’t do anything!”

sensing how this was going to escalate you dived down to the opening you had gotten through the day prior. not wasting any time in escaping the tunnels as - what you now realized - a rabid jessup hastily chased after you.

you had climbed up one of the elevated pieces of debris, knowing - hopefully - in his haste he’d probably loose his balance. but eventually there wasn’t anywhere else you could escape to.

yet it seemed like you had some outside help, the objects flying overheard now proving of that. another obstacle that jessup would have to face to get to you.

as it booked straight towards him the unreliable drones had broken the bottles open, the water splashing from the impact, making jessup react horribly. not even realizing the tilting of his feet until he’d fell smack down onto a piece of rubble.

you quickly looked down in both shock and horror. and for a moment as you watched you could see jessup’s body release all the energy he had before, it slipping away like the white foam trailing down his chin.

you carefully got down to where he was resting, scared but you knew he couldn’t hurt you anymore. his slow blinking and shallow breaths were the only sign of him being alive, although you knew he was slipping away fast.

“it’s okay jess, you can rest,” your shaky hand gripping onto his, wanting him to at least know he wasn’t going to be alone in his last moments, “how can you dream if you don’t sleep?”

his hand gave a brief squeeze in recognition since his mouth couldn’t do the job for him, him tilting his head to get a better view of you even if it was just for a second.

silence rang as you watched him take his last breaths, shakily sighing before closing his eyes. you pulled out a piece of ripped clothing you stored in your pocket, taking it to the puddle of water to soak it before cleaning his face; wanting him to atleast have one last piece of kindness.

only seconds after would your world spin, a certain redhead ready for your blood.

-

she’d decided that using your momentary vulnerability would be the best to get rid of you, not to mention after hearing your little confession to your district partner she knew you’d (most likely) wouldn’t be willing to hurt her. but underestimating always brought a person down.

you heard them before you saw them. you tucked the makeshift cloth under jessup’s hand before pulling out your combat knife. yet no matter how fast you ran there was always one to stop you in your place; the little one mizzen, the cowboy from 10 and the lumberjack from 7. not to mention the dangerous woman wielding a trident being the most eager.

luckily your speed and the aftermath of the drones crashing against their bodies buyed you enough time to escape. hoping that this would be the last time you’d encounter them like this.

-

you could sense her following you as climbed up the rubble, wanting to get as far away from the winding bodies of the holographic snakes that were out for blood. you only had gotten a safe distance away before she collapsed at your feet, the snakes wrapping around her arms and neck as they sunk their venomous teeth into her skin. a betrayed look on her face. “it’s not fair, it’s not…i couldn’t have killed them all for nothing.”

the feelings you felt so strongly when you first saw her returned. the ultimate defeat you and her both felt in the moment left you with clarity. so you tried your best to grip onto her hands, pulling her up so she rested on you.

even as more snakes came for her you tried to fight them off, pulling at them but stopping when you heard the pathetic whimpers leave her lips; the strong front she held till now disappeared.

“i’m sorry for what i did,” her voice was weak but she fought her hardest to get it out, “for hunting you.”

your eyes crinkled as you listened to her. “i’m sorry that we had such little time with one another and that we never got to experience more together.”

she fought against the venom as she pulled up her head from your chest, “i’m sorry that we couldn’t have gotten together like we both wanted.”

you gently pulled her head so it rested back on your chest, lips skimming across her forehead since it’s the last opportunity to do so. “we can still be together if you just promise to wait for me.” her eyes slipped closed as you whispered the last words, “just wait for me on the beach.”

and as coriolanus watched the other side of the screen, an astounding buzz rang through the room, your profile being the only one that was standing.

-

a/n: the snakes didn’t attack reader cause y’know snow cheated and made sure she’d win :3 (sorry this was so late. i appreciate everyone’s patience!)

[kaveat]

This post was inspired by lucky lefties district deep dive, so please go watch. I left a similar post in a comment under her video but I wanted to expand on it since I spend an unhealthy amount of time thinking about the career districts.

I’ve seen people online with the opinion that 4 is different from the other Career districts somehow. That they either aren’t prone to sending up volunteers or that their tributes aren’t as cut throat.

I personally hate this theory however I can see why people have come to such a conclusion.

In the books the two district 4 tributes are never named and both die very early on despite having supposedly trained their whole lives to survive this sort of thing. Also I doubt the movie helps as in the films the male district 4 tribute is extremely young and is killed by Cato during the bloodbath.

The girl dies later to the tracker jackers along with Glimmer and I think the impression people form because of that is something must be different about 4. Why else would their tributes be so young and die so early?

In the books Katniss does however, mention that it is strange that the district 4 male died so early on and we know he’s 18 unlike in the films, and it’s not hard to imagine that the girl from 4 was simply unprepared when the nest fell on her like Glimmer.

However, I also think the district 4 Victors we end up meeting only serve to confuse people further. We don’t meet many of the district 4 victors but the ones we do see aren’t exactly what you would expect from a career district. Mags who is extremely old, fragile and kind by the time we come to meet her in catching fire and Annie who is described frequently to have suffered a complete mental collapse during her own games.

They’re not exactly the paragon of strength, intimidation and glory that we associate with Careers like Gloss or Enobaria.

Finnick is definitely the most stereotypical career out of all of them, at least in appearances and stature, but throughout the books we learn that he is incredibly kind and gentle despite what we’re lead to believe spending most of the first few days in the games caring for Mags and ensuring Katniss’ safety by playing up her pregnancy for the Capitol.

It’s hard for us as the audience to really reconcile the fact that 4 is like 1 and 2 because we actually get to know the tributes from their and we learn that they aren’t as one dimensional as we’re lead to believe with the others.

So yes I do believe all 3 were careers. I think Mags probably formed a pack similar to the one we see Coral forming in Tbosas she was probably an earlier example of a career. Meanwhile Annie I believe suffered a similar breakdown to Cato after Clove died.

I don’t like how people assume that just because she was well trained and prepared that she somehow wasn’t still susceptible to trauma. If she was a career then we can assume she grew up close with her partner and like how Cato and Clove had a close relationship. Watching him die so brutally would’ve had an affect on any teenager career or not.

Finnick is definitely the hardest to see being a career ironically enough and that’s simply by virtue of the fact that he was 14 years old when he was reaped.

If the whole point of career tributes is to ensure your district wins and is granted the food and wealth that the Capitol gifts to the victors as a reward then why let a 14 year old child volunteer?

The only reasons I can think of is

1. Either he was some sort of prodigy (though I still find this confusing as wouldn’t waiting for him to turn 18 and sending him up with assurance that he might win not be better than sending a half trained 14 year old and hoping he’ll be the first?)

2. He got unlucky. Maybe the reaping system is employed some years or they don’t always manage to get volunteers, though I find this unlikely it is definitely a possibility.

3. Or (and this is more of a personal theory btw) like 1, 4 tries to play the social game with the Capitol and figured sending an attractive, prodigy 14 year old would stir up interest (and provide Finnick with a good storyline for interviews) while also ensuring lots of sponsorships based on his looks.

I personally believe the third theory though there’s not much evidence so I would take it with several grains of salt.

However even with all that sorted I believe that district 4 does train their tributes in a slightly different way then 1 and 2 however I think this comes more from a place of culture and propaganda than anything else.

Since district 4 runs the fishing industry they obviously have access to the ocean. They’re one of the only districts to do so barring maybe 5 and even then 4 has access on a much larger scale. This is bad for the Capitol.

Of course it’s said that Panem is the only surviving nation from after the world changed but they could easily be lying and either way, having a whole district with the potential to utilise the only bit of the world the Capitol doesn’t and cannot have complete control over if they ever decide to rebel means that district 4 is a threat.

I think that the Capitol places a lot of emphasis on inter personal relationships in the district, I also believe that like 11 they are probably heavily monitored, especially on the ocean and that whippings, beatings and executions are probably commonplace as the Capitol wants to discourage any attempts at escape.

I think district 4 has a very close knit community, and that the Captiol does everything it can to tie them to their homeland, establishing roots and connections that mean many people in district 4 don’t want to leave their home.

However I think this is also a double entendre because the close sense of community between district 4 citizens means that they get especially frustrated when their children die in the games and while I’m not saying that the other districts don’t care about their kids as much, something we see, at least in district 12, is a very defeatist attitude towards the games. The kids reaped there have given up before they’ve even made it into the arena and I imagine it’s similar with a lot of the other poorer districts, just accepting their grim reality and not bothering to try and fight. It’s implied in catching fire that 4 outright rebels and on Katniss’ victory tour she describes them as one of the districts angry at the Capitol. I believe this is because the strong emphasis on community bonds and connections means that the citizens in district 4 don’t take the abuse lying down so much as other districts like 12.

This is why I also believe the district 4 focuses primarily on survival when training volunteers. And I don’t mean survival techniques like how to start a fire or stop an infection because I don’t think the Capitol would allow those types of skills to be taught, but I think district 4 basically teaches their tributes to do anything they can to make it home.

We see it with Coral in Tbosas movie where she breaks down sobbing about how all her kills couldn’t have been for nothing. I think this feeling of doing what you have to to make it home ends up being a driving factor behind their teachings.

They’re taught to put morals aside and that even if they’re in an alliance the only one safe to trust is their own partner. Maybe they’re also taught to use whatever they can to endear them to the Capitol, whether that be their looks or their skills in the arena.

So while they’re equally as indoctrinated as 1 and 2 I believe that a lot of their training is focused on doing whatever they need to in order to live.

[nighthuntingclato]

what would clato be like if they came from district 1 instead of 2?

dailyclatoism 8. if anyone wants to contribute to this, feel free @atefingersdagger @dhaampyr

this is actually a very interesting question, since i feel like the different environments of d1 and d2 shaped a lot of the careers' personalities. honestly, it feels a little odd to think of them in One since i feel like d2 contributes heavily to who they are on a fundamental level and how their characters were set up. however d1 and d2 are not monoliths, so they could probably still keep a lot of the personalities they had in canon even if they grew up in d1 instead.

movie!cato was a classic pretty boy (alexander ludwig being the main reason for this), so growing up in d1 might give cato a better understanding of how to lean into that image. in the book neither cato or clove cared about presenting as attractive, and seemed more focused on brutality, honor, gladiators values that presumably are a product of d2 culture. cato and clove would keep that viciousness of their personalities even as d1 tributes, but they'd grow up more around things like beauty standards and whatnot which evidently shaped training (we see this with the cashmeres and glimmers using their sex appeal and White Blondeness).

cato - the movie version especially, but also the book as well - reads more as a socially successful privileged boy type who's used to getting what he wants. as Hannah and I have joked about in the DMs, he is very classically an irritating white boy. from what we gather in canon and how I've seen d1 approached in fics, d1 seems to value Image and Appearances and Status and Social Success, so cato, in my opinion, would assimilate easier. however, i still think he maintains his serious intensity and would not be as playful as marvel, maybe instead having more of the quiet imposing energy that movie!gloss did (that's a generous statement on gloss who barely stands out as a character, but whatever amdjfhfj).

we saw in clove's interview in the movie that she can play up the sweet, feminine angle (pink dress, that smile, her voice - which all seemed very calculated and purposeful, both on clove's part and the actress's, isabelle's talent strikes again). she did this because she saw how she could take advantage of that performance, while still remaining true to herself, as opposed to glimmer, who from what i remember mostly played to sexualization with her sheer dress, because the stylists wanted to commodify her. clove would not respond to that strategy, would vehemently reject it, even if she had grown up in one. this is not a judgement of cashmere or glimmer!! but while growing up in d1 would make clove more appreciative and conscious of things like aesthetics, it just is not in her nature to rely exclusively on her looks or try to objectify herself (which is not the best description of what happened to glimmer, since she was obviously being exploited, i just believe clove would have adamantly refused from the start.) however, i can see her being more flirtatious like glimmer was, but in a subtle way.

I'm sorry if this disappointed, i just have a very fixed idea of their personalities and could not imagine them thriving in one/acting how cashmere & gloss & glimmer & marvel did.

tldr: basically keep who they inherently are and what they value, but maybe adjust by making them more interested in things like socializing and their appearances.

[onepiecereactions]

Marine Academy, chapter 3

Note: Chapter 3/28, Akainu X OC. OC is called Murphy. SFW.

Marine Academy Part 1 Chapter 3

"He really came back to see you?" the redhead asked incredulously, throwing her chemistry book to the other side of the room.

"Don't forget what I told you Murph', find your future rear admiral and enjoy retirement at 30. Your fish looks like a big one, he could even end up as a vice-admiral. And then, it's the jackpot, my dear". Emma interrupted, noisily drinking the soup she had brought back from the kitchens, her pink slippers on her feet.

Murphy sighed.

"He didn't come to see me personally, just to bring soldiers he had unintentionally injured during training". She explained, remembering Sakazuki's last visit to the training medical office.

"I smell a good deal Murph', I'm telling you, you're going to end up rich and bourgeois" The brunette continued in her corner.

The blonde had a hard time stopping herself from sending her pillow directly into her friend's face.

"Be careful though Murph'. Be careful. There's never anything good with soldiers in general". Claire finished, worried for her friend.

[...]

It had been five months since Murphy had joined the prestigious medical training. Thanks to her hard work, the student had managed to stay in the top of her class. She devoted herself body and soul to passing her exams, even if it meant temporarily putting her private life aside.

She had a goal and she knew why she was sacrificing herself. Her second internship at another medical training office had just ended.

It was just as unpleasant because of a few "brainless" as Claire called them, but it allowed her to put her knowledge into practice. And above all, it had allowed her to see this soldier again.

The blonde had been intrigued by him from the first time he had visited her. She could feel it, he was different, something about him attracted her. Was it because she knew he was powerful and promised to a great future in the Navy? Or his imposing and undoubtedly very attractive physique? Or his way of addressing her, with respect and without ulterior motives unlike the other soldiers ?

Still, she was never disappointed to see him come at the office with his "unintentional victims".

Murphy locked the front door of the office, exhausted but relieved. She discreetly put the key in the box provided for this purpose and massaged the back of her neck. The day had been exhausting. The first class of soldiers had done intense inter-class training and the wounded soldiers had not stopped coming in the office. She had spent her day treating minor wounds or redirecting the soldiers to the Academy's care center depending on the severity of the injuries.

But tonight was a big night. Her end-of-internship evaluation, done between two soldier screaming to death despite a colossal dose of painkiller, had been perfect. She had just validated her internship and thus validated her first semester. The young woman had successfully passed her theoretical exams which meant only one thing: a full week of vacation before starting the second semester.

So she and her roommates had decided to celebrate: they had a meeting in the student district of the Academy to have a drink and a real hot meal. Probably a barbecue.

Murphy looked at her watch. Claire and Emma must have finished their day at least a good two hours ago. The blonde imagined them already half drunk, started eating half the meat, ready for a second round.

So she hurried across the training ground, and headed towards the neighborhood that was always lively at this hour. Her Den Den Mushi rang.

"Hi Murph', sorry, but Emma is already half dead drunk. She's going to give me an alcoholic coma in the middle of the bar and seeing how the soldiers are circling around her, I'd rather take her back to the dorm before it gets out of hand.'"

Murphy didn't even have time to talk before Claire had already hung up. The blonde sighed. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise, she was exhausted. The restaurant could wait a few days now that they were all on vacation.

She stopped, however, at the stand that was in front of her, bought six meat skewer as well as some rice and started to turn around.

The moon was already high in the sky, but the air was warm, pleasant. The young woman took the time to cross one of the gardens that she did not know, next to the sea. The blonde suspected that she would not have any bad encounters in this corner of the island, usually very little frequented.

She decided to go back along the beach. The path was certainly a little longer, but tonight, she could do it. Since the young woman had left her island, she had not taken the time to appreciate the sound of the ocean, the lights of the boats on the horizon, the smell of the sea breeze...

She missed her island, her parents especially, but also the calm she felt at that time, when she was just a simple high school student full of dreams and ambitions.

An explosion brought her out of her reverie. With her mouth full, she turned around abruptly.

A second explosion.

This time, she saw the sky light up red for a few meters. Surprised, the blonde decided to follow her curiosity anyway and approached the cliff where this agitation seemed to come from. Only a few steps away, she clumsily dodged a hot and radiant liquid that crashed at her feet. Surprised, she dropped the skewer she was chewing, watching it disappear into what looked like lava.

"Damn, my skewer" She simply sighed, still disturbed by the lava at her feet. She didn't even notice that a man had quickly approached her. When he reached her, he didn't say a word to her, but simply pushed her gently so that she would move away from the lava that was slowly flowing down the sand to join the ocean. She was as if hypnotized by this spectacle.

"My skewer..."

She couldn't think of anything else to say to him when she recognized Sakazuki who had already moved away from her to start again his training.

The blonde quickly understood that he was training, again, while he too had just finished his first semester.

Murphy didn't even bother to ask him if he had passed his exams. The brute strength of this man coupled with his devil fruit made him one of the most promising soldiers of his generation.

While a new flow of lava pierced the starry sky, the young woman remained for a few minutes, simply observing this spectacle. This lava splitting the air had something hypnotizing about it.

The fatigue accumulated over the last few days, however, came back to hit her hard. It was time for her to find her bed. But, strangely, she felt good here. The sight of the lava, the sound of the waves licking the sand and the strange heat that seemed to emanate from this man encouraged her to stay for a few more minutes.

Murphy settled down on the sand, her back against the cliff, and finished devouring her skewers without a sound. Sakazuki hadn't looked at her or spoken to her since he arrived, but seemed to tolerate her presence. In just a few seconds, sleep embraced her completely, before she could even finish her last skewer.

[giggly-squiggily]

thank youuu i hope so too (this weekend would have been my first shift at work in two months and i was so excited rrraahhh 😭😭) crying about finnick doesn't have the healing effect i was hoping for unfortunately 🥲

idk how the ballad of songbirds and snakes movie is as an adaptation because i didn't read the book but on its own i really liked it but i'll watch anything for rachel zegler so idk i might be super biased 💀

THE BLUE LOCK AU- the things i have so far are vague thoughts, rough scenes at best, but i wanted to share anyway. first up the tributes (put them into that one simulator for better overview)

few things:

- i was devastated i couldn't put sae in and too much of an idiot to just google him, i was so convinced he was 19 😭💀

- at first i wanted to put the top 6 into the career districts but reo is upper 1% so not putting him into district 1 would have felt wrong

- also i lowkey wanted shidou in district 7 because shidou alone is already terrifying but imagine shidou with an axe

- i also tried to go off the u20 arc but there were too many characters on the blue lock 11 i just Did Not Care About and yeah okay guilty your honor i wanted the wanima twins back just to torment chigiri and for no other reason 😔

(- also kuon for that traitor spice)

- i put mr glamorous allergic to dirt aryu into the agriculture district for the same reason i put canonically scared of water karasu into the fishing district which is just that i, personally, find it extremely funny

OKAY onto scenarios (it do be a little graphic. not gruesome details but yk. hunger games. children kill each other. beware.)

- for the arena i was thinking something like catching fire where it's separated into sections but it's just plain grass, open field with some headwaters sprinkled here and there but no place to hide or take shelter, and in between the sections are huge wall-like mountains with hidden entrances and each wall contains a tower. the cornucopia is stuffed as usual but all the long distance weapons are hidden in the towers, so if you secure a tower and grabbed enough food from the cornucopia, you might have a pretty good shot at surviving (pun intended)

- as the games near the end the towers start crumbling and collapsing one by one to force all tributes into the open field sooner or later

- i was thinking some catching fire sort of thing where the rebels bust in at the end to save a bunch of tributes? for future scenarios and also there are some people i just. don't want to die. desperately.

- saved tributes include but may not be limited to, depending on whether or not i change my mind halfway through the ask: rin, nagi, niko, bachira, isagi, gagamaru, barou, chigiri, hiori

let's go through the deaths i have already set my mind on! fun! :D

- reo is part of the career pack (reo, yukimiya, sae, nagi, otoya, karasu) and after their tower crumbles they get separated due to the rubble and shidou ends up hunting him down. reo puts up a sick fight but ultimately gets overwhelmed, rip king eat the rich i'll love you forever. by the time of reo's death the only remaining careers were him, otoya, yukimiya and sae because nagi joined isagi & friends and karasu, well.

- otoya orchestrates a little betrayal with the wanima brothers ft. kuon rather early on and his actual plan is to get rid off sae because he views him as the biggest threat but the fight gets messy, sae is just too op and the assassin squad escapes. it ends with karasu fatally injured because he shielded otoya and it's the first time karasu sees otoya cry - "this is my fault..." - and karasu laughs and coughs up some blood for dramatic effect - "damn, i knew it, this had your fingerprints all over it" - and otoya gives him a coup the grace - "don't hate me for this." - "i won't, dum-dum. see you later." karasu dies smiling. otoya promises him to go back home and get his token, a small wooden crow, back to his family, but he never gets to keep the promise

(- i have yet to decide if i actually want otoya to die or not because it would be kinda cool to later on have a character in the rebellion where no one is really sure if they can trust him or not, either way he never sees karasu's family again so idk)

- HEAR ME OUT. HEAR. hear me out. rin kills sae NO WAIT WAIT STAY WITH ME 🙏🏻🙏🏻 rin gets through the games on his own because sae didn't want him in the career pack ("you're too half-baked. you'll just slow everyone down.") and they get into a fight at the cornucopia which sae wins but doesn't finish, he just gives rin this long, disappointed look and walks away and that's the point where rin has his "i'm done being itoshi sae's little brother" moment because what do you mean i'm not even serious enough of a threat for you to finish me off. they meet again when the tower collapses and sae comes stumbling out of the rubble, disoriented, slightly injured, and yet he still manages to dodge rin's attack that comes out of nowhere, lands the first hit and calls him half-baked all within 15 seconds. their fight is long and harsh and devastating to watch and by the end of it, they're both bleeding from several cuts, bruised all over and rin kneels on top of sae, pinning one of his hands down with his own and a knife buried in sae's throat, sobbing and crying - "that good enough for you? that fucking good enough for you?" and sae says nothing and doesn't smile but he does give rin's hand a very gentle squeeze and it will take rin years to understand that sae kept the ruse up until the end so that maybe rin can return to a peaceful life and maybe he won't be made out to be the bad guy for killing his own brother

are you crying yet? i'm very sorry, have some treats and a hug 🍪🍩🍡🫂

- i hate to be the one to tell you but kunigami doesn't make it past the cornucopia. hears keisuke yell "hey glass doll!" and throws himself between chigiri and the spear aimed at his head. chigiri nearly breaks down right then and there, kunigami shoves him away weakly, croaks out "run... princess, run...", isagi drags chigiri away, the cannon goes off, that's it. rip kunigami, i'm sorry i had to sacrifice you to give chigiri enough murderous intent to make it through the games, you will be dearly missed

... 🍪?

- shidou falls victim to rin's grief-induced rage; he's on the hunt again after taking out reo and sees rin sob over sae's dead body. ofc his first thought isn't anything particularly nice but rather "awesome :D" and sneaks up on rin, but rin sees his shadow in the light coming from the hovercraft that's patiently waiting in the air for him to get off sae so they can take his body away and he just whips around, completely takes shidou off guard and honestly it's not even a real fight, it's just a lot of stabs to the chest because honestly i don't wanna give shidou a deep honorable death

- kuon tries to backstab isagi squad, manages to escape and teams up with the twins. they have a strange obsession with chigiri because he effortlessly made them look like idiots in training. idk how to fit the knee thing in here since they don't meet until they enter the games but i think it'd be cool if chigiri and hiori got glass clothes during the parade (as a fun little twist on district 8 being for textiles) and that's where the glass doll nickname comes from. they're super eager to hunt chigiri down and when they spot him from the tower they occupy and aim for him, kuon kills keisuke to save chigiri and in return gets killed by *scrolling up to check the name* junichi who later dies in an encounter with the remaining careers

- doesn't make it past the cornucopia because i'm lazy squad: aryu (can't handle the bloodshed, gets nauseous and run over by karasu), raichi (underestimates reo), tokimitsu (frozen in fear and promised himself he wouldn't participate in this bloodshed, easy target for shidou), igarashi (runs in the same direction as rin, unfortunately)

- i got nothing for nanase and yukimiya tbh, i would save them but that's nearly half the tributes then and that might be too many idk

boy that got long! and there's more, strap in!

- isagi squad consists of the titular isagi, district buddy gagamaru, love interest bachira, gone but not forgotten kunigami, adopted little weirdo niko, prissy but actually useful chigiri, would've rather gone with rin but well now we're here hiori, isagi beat him in a practice fight so now he has to join him barou and, later on, randomly decided these guys were cooler and switched sides during a fight nagi

- the side switch wasn't actually all that random; nagi and niko are the only ones who are in on the rebel plan (ego is their mentor and he blabbed) but nagi kinda missed his opportunity to make alliances with isagi before the games started and when the career pack encountered them in the arena he was like "oh right"

- hiori and rin kinda fell for each other during their time in the capitol and they were planning on playing the games together, but when rin got into his fight with sae at the cornucopia, he signaled hiori to run and chigiri dragged him along

- the rebels weren't planning on saving rin (they had a very messed up sorting system of 'indoctrinated career kid, too far gone' - 'useful' - 'eh whatever let them perish') but hiori begged and cried and screamed and anri was feeling sympathetic. as soon as they save rin, hiori rushes to his infirmary with ego hot on his heels, but he manages to slam the door shut and get a few seconds with rin alone before they both get an anesthetic and hiori is dragged to another room

- niko gets badly injured in the chaos right before they get saved; sae spots him and gives him a scathing cut after stumbling out of the rubble and bachira swoops in and gives sae the iconic face kick before getting niko away. they're relatively safe as sae then gets distracted by rin and bachira desperately tries to stop the bleeding. when the lights of the hovercraft fall onto them bachira tries to shield niko, yelling how he's not dead, until niko pats his arm frantically and manages "they're... allies..." and he gets the treatment he needs to survive

- chigiri gets a shit ton of sponsor gifts; the capitol people already love him for obvious and disgusting reasons and kunigami sacrificing himself pushed the very true rumor of a tragic lovestory which got him a lot of sympathy points

i think... that's it. for now. there might be more in the future. sorry for this hunk of an ask and i hope it wasn't too sad ily stay awesome and wonderful 🫂💗💗

I’m so late to replying but HERE WE ARE! 💪🏻🥰🙏🏻💖 REY!!! I wanna watch the hunger games again now whxbwnndnwndnend

-initial thoughts in you are so real on Reo being the 1%; he absolutely HAS to be in District 1! And Shidou with an axe nanxnwnznwnxnns he’d have such fun with that oh my god- 💀

NO NOT ARYU AND KARASU QHDNWNXNNWNXNEND that’s so mean but so funny REY! 🤣🤣🤣😭😭😭 And the twins for the sake of irritating Chigiri- poor babe 🤣🤣🤣😭🙏🏻 I love it already!

I got so caught up in the story the “Are you crying yet?” Part took me OUT QHXBWNNXNSNX 🤣🤣🤣���🤣🤣 I am crying! Poor Karasu- may he pull an Eren and fly high little bird 😔✊ (he’d be a vulture in his next life) BUT AHHH I LOVE IT ALREADY 🤣🤣💖💖🥰🥰

- We love our murderous Rin- even more murderous Chigiri 🙂‍↕️ KUNI NOOOO!!! Gonna be real- he feels like the guy who dies first in RPGs so I’m not at all shocked 💀 BUT ALSO MY HEART!!! AND THE ITOSHIS GOD DANG WHXBNWNXNWNS 😭😭😭🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

(THE FREAKING COOKIE 🍪? REY QJXBANNZNSNS)

I love that??? The glass outfits from their district is so cool??? I also have no idea how the knee thing would come in play with Chigiri in this AU- especially considering if what I’m remembering HGs for- they can fix it??? *movie voice* They have the technology 😎 or something of that degree eh? But I love it all the same REY!! (Most of this is me reacting sorry I haven’t contributed much to the chat, fam ✌🏻)

Would rather be gone with Rin Hiori I see you Rey 🤣🤣🤣🥰 I love the nicknames for the squad qhxbwnnxnsnxnsn (Also love the Hiorin featured my heart is happy thank you🥰🥰🥰💖) AHH IT WAS ALL SO GOOD!!! Bachira protecting Niko, Nagi fogetting about the plan until halfway in, the whole saving thing with the rebels YES!! 🤩🤩🤩🤩💖 I love it!!

Rey this is a masterpiece! Lemme know if you get more HG AU thoughts I’d love to read them all! 🥰🥰🥰

[petruchio]

sorry, this is SUCH a specific ass question (and SO not a criticism of your work i love it!!!) but why do you think both Annie and Finnick would have volunteered? I know 4 is a career district, but I thought that it wasn't until graduating the academy that the tribute-to-be would volunteer - which in turn added to the careers' lethality in general. surely, if someone from the academy volunteered every year, the fear of being actually chosen in the reaping would be way less effective? I had always assumed that the academy was less an established and open school but more under the (official) radar but still known 'workshop' - and that there might not have been a 'graduate' willing to go every year. I think its a really interesting angle to go with that at 14, Finnick put himself in the arena so to speak, rather than an unlucky child who made the best out of a bad situation of being reaped because of his looks and could then never escape fully etc and then Annie?? who seemed frightened in the arena to begin with? hiding not hunting? did she bite off more than she could chew?? when did the game become too real?? what happened if two graduates wanted to volunteer at the same time?? much to chew on, it's not that deep, sorry, but I just love having a wee discussion xoxo

nooo it's an AMAZING question and also like, i love nothing more than talking about the INSANE thoughts i have about thg as well as the EVEN MORE INSANE thoughts i have while writing my fanfics so i am SO HAPPY to discuss!!!

so the reason i think they both volunteered is honestly bc i think like... it makes it even more interesting?? so obviously i have reasons for doing what i did in the fanfic and i also just have some general thoughts about 4 as a career district so i'll try to answer my general thinking first and then explain why i did what i did in my story

so -- generally i just think 4 being a career district is SUPER interesting given the winners that we have being finnick, annie, and mags. because katniss tells us in the first book that 1, 2, and 4 are the career districts but i think it's clear from the jump that 4 is kind of the dark horse in that lineup -- because even in book 1, she focuses WAY more on the tributes from 1 and 2 as the "careers" that she's the most intimidated by and the most threatening to her -- we don't really get all that much about district 4 in book 1 at all, so it kind of piques your interest -- because if 4 is *as much* of a career district as 1 and 2, why don't we get anything about those tributes like we do on the level of marvel/glimmer/cato/clove?? we DON'T!

and then ofc we get book 2 and the first person from 4 we meet is finnick, and at first he SEEMS like he's just another capitol pet -- but the more we get to know him, the more we realize he ISN'T, he's actually probably one of the biggest rebels we have in the entire series. in a way, he's kind of the centerpiece to the whole thing (and he shows up at like, basically the exact midpoint of the series) (i'm thinking, just for example, of the fact that finnick and annie parallel katniss and peeta in so many ways, the way that finnick ends the story by dying but his child lives on meaning the story ends with a child from a fatherless home just as it began, the way finnick is the one to point out katniss' genuine love for peeta, the way finnick is the one that creates "real or not real" by suggesting that it's "what annie does," -- i could go on. but he's genuinely one of the most central characters of the whole series and his introduction sets in motion basically the entire back half of the narrative)

so that's all to say that, i DO think 4 is a career district (bc the text establishes it) but i also think we're sort of meant to understand that it's DIFFERENT -- but it’s up to you in what way you imagine it to be different beyond what we're told in the text (basically that bc their industry is fishing/procuring food, they just have a natural tendency to be like, well fed and fit, which means training for the games is probably a pretty easy thing to do, and they can all swim/handle weapons (similarly to how we see johanna being able to wield an axe -- the industry of the district has a large effect on its people))

SO. kind of how i imagine it in my head, is that while 4 *is* a career district, the idea of winning being an honor is a bit different than it would be in 1 or 2. so when i was brainstorming, basically my thought is like, let's say they do have some kind of training academy (i agree with you that it would probably be less formal than what i wrote it to be, but that's just what i did for that story haha) but my thinking was what if it was kind of like ... a last chance kind of place? as in, it's not a competitive honor like it would be in 1 or 2, but like, if, for example, you're poor or an orphan or your parents need to get rid of you, they send you "away" to train for the games as a way of kind of controlling you. kind of like an extension of the tesserae system that we see enacted in all the districts. because four has enough resources (food-wise) that people probably aren't signing up for tesserae in the same way they would be in twelve, the sort of proxy for it that i imagine would be training for the games. if you win, you get money and glory. if you don't, well, you were probably going to die or have a terrible life anyway, so what's the loss?

because yeah, it IS weird that finnick won at fourteen and annie won despite being "mad" if they have some sort of formal training. but what if the reason they were pushed to volunteer is because they were the best of whatever crop of people that four had that year? (is this making any sense??) like, they were the best because although four might have "careers" they aren't really there because they WANT the glory of winning, but because they have no other choice than to try? (and also on the topic of annie not really fighting -- we actually don't really know that. we only know that she runs off "after" the partner gets beheaded, but we don't know when that was in the games. i kind of imagine it was like, halfway through or something, so she could've been holding it together/fighting fine for the first half but that moment was what tipped her over the edge. just some food for thought.)

so for the purposes of my story, i tried to figure out backstories of both finnick and annie that would've tracked for them being kind of "sent away" to school -- i was kind of thinking of the trope of being sent away to boarding school or some kind of military school that you see often in teen shows -- so in the story i wrote, finnick is this sort of "naughty" kid that gets by on charm and looks and his parents, in their attempt to keep him out of trouble, send him to train for the games as a way to kind of whip him into shape. and then my backstory for annie was that her mother died and her father didn't really want her around, so she put herself into the school as a way to get out of a bad situation. so for both of them, it was a *choice* -- but it wasn't really THEIR choice, it was more like, this was their best option in a world where they had pretty terrible options available to them. so that's how i landed where i did for the fic.

anyway all of that is just like, purely from my head!! i don't think there's much textual evidence to support any reading any which way, but it was one of my impulses when writing the story to try to find a way to fit all of their backstories together in a way that aligned with the very few lines we do get in the books about them -- so i was like, how do i make them career volunteers but ALSO make them make sense as the characters we meet in catching fire and mockingjay? and that was what i endeavored to do!!

[runningfrom2am]

1. coryo’s reaction at the the beginning is very real. “i thought we were over this.”

2. r trying to get jessup to the open grave reaper organised is everything to me. she deserves all the hugs.

3. her being closest to the person she was when she left district 12, while offering her life in exchange for a few words feels she is trying to hold onto her identity.

4. “My heart was heavy, for its trust had been / Abused, its kindness answered with foul wrong;” there is no way she doesn’t remember the first two lines of this poem but that part is personal and she gets to keep it.

5. not gonna lie, coral made me laugh there. imagine you’re fighting to death and there’s a girl who conveys her every thought through poems.

6. how i love reaper, honestly. he genuinely might be the best of them. it would be horrible if he were to be hit by the drones.

7. “What would be the use in helping her now?” oh, the reality and the corruption it brings.

8. SHE SMILED AT CORAL!! this might be the “death” of our “juliet”, i wonder when will “romeo” “die”.

9. coryo finally seems to have learned how to twist the truth, good for him!

10. TAKE THE GIRL OUT OF THERE! it’s horrible enough to have experienced all of that but to spend a night at the same spot with only guilt to keep company is terrifying.

11. wondering if coryo regrets what he did because she has done things that she isn’t proud of, empathy might become the very thing that keeps her sane. also i think this is the first time she called him coriolanus, internally.

12. her look on everything is being challenged, from her morals to her love. this actually made me cry.

13. is coryo not going to be exiled? with the compact seemingly unnoticed and the note having an explanation to exist there, maybe he gets away.

this one is long y’all- strap in

1. literally lol- he’s like “damn i JUST find out you’re still alive and you’re giving up??”

2. ugh yeah 🥺 and he deserved it too like i literally think she saw no other options. she was sure getting him there would cost her her life and it was worth it.

3. yes this!! i think she had a few minutes of clarity almost- where later on she thinks ab how the “old her” is just a voice in the back of her mind it’s really not! only when her life is threatened not on her terms does she really stray from that relentless empathy that really makes her who she is.

4. yuppp you get it you get it.

5. NO LITERALLY like if i was coral i wouldn’t have patience for that either like i do get it hahaha

6. REAPERRRR he deserved so much better and i LOVED his character especially in the book. he’s so complex and i do honestly think he’s quite similar to r, but he just put up this show that he was a threat and she never made that attempt. all he wanted was to protect dill. i’ll cry for him forever.

7. YUP. i feel like she doesn’t even want to think that way or even necessarily believe what she’s thinking but she doesn’t have time for second-thoughts and is constantly almost in this battle with her mind and her body where she wants to do the “right” thing but her body is doing what it can to protect and save itself before she can think of repercussions. that would be SO incredibly confusing and scary to deal with so her mind almost has to “pretend” to play along to protect itself. (if this makes any sense at all.) i just mean that the more “dark” less characteristically accurate thoughts she is having feel almost performative, she has to trick herself into it so she doesn’t feel as guilty. (this doesn’t work.)

8. now as we go on in the chapter my last point starts to get very blurry. because a smile, a comment like that, literally mocking coral in her last moments are so unlike r that it’s shocking. like you said, the death of juliet, in a sense. so how much of that is genuinely what she is feeling, and how much is what she thinks she should be feeling? she comes across as kind, gentle, even naive, but this interaction makes it obvious that she has never seen coral in much of a positive light- especially after the games started. so maybe she saw no consequence in getting at least one jab in at her, but she does regret this later when that clarity comes back.

9. lol yeah he ATE. (in this one i needed him to have his “i’m just sending water” moment and this was it lol)

10. no LITERALLY like dr. gaul knew damn well those boys in the vents were dead even if she thought it was by the snakes. it feels almost more like a test for coryo than for her, though it is a cruel punishment to just leave her like that.

11. i’m so glad you get it, like this girl bleeds empathy. i think leaving her overnight wasn’t meant to force her to dwell on what she had done, because according to the cameras, she really hadn’t done anything. i think that’s what made it so hard, too. no one knew what she had done besides herself. she doesn’t know or care if anyone besides coryo is still watching by the time she pulls out the compact, intent on taking her own life whether she realizes consciously that’s what she wants or not, and then when he takes that from her she confesses. as far as she knows, she’s confessing to the world bc she really couldn’t live with herself otherwise. she’s just lucky that he happens to be the only one there. she’s lucky, but she doesn’t care.

ALSO the coriolanus thing,, yup. she was VERY quick at the beginning to separate him from his name. as soon as she found out his nickname she clung to it and really decided that he was coryo, not coriolanus. that line is so blurred by now that she doesn’t know who he is anymore.

12. me too 🥺 my heart breaks for her because even if she did technically “cheat”, she didn’t do anything wrong. she was so much more harmless than almost all of the others, she tried her best to stay that way but she just couldn’t.

13. i mean… as long as no one looks over the footage of what happened that night and early in the morning he should be fine 😬

[fkevin073]

Raquel got me into snowbaird so here I am! Lol

Okay so👀

1, 2, 10, 14, 23?

But also nickziggy!😭

1, 21, 23?

omg lol welcome to the club and to another tragic ship for us nickziggy girlies!!

here we go!

snowbaird

who brought up marriage first?

I think I've answered this before so apologies for the short answer but I think definitely Coriolanus. for as cold and rational that he is he just wants to possess her all the time and 'make her his' (because he's a weirdo like that) so he's ready to pop the question at any given moment. I do think in canon universe Lucy Gray would also bring it up because marriage provides her a protection just being his girl doesn't afford her. so that too!

which one proposed? was it private or public?

I think private in every universe - like them in the districts, in the capitol, modern universe, etc. Coriolanus may appreciate a good public image and has interest in selling the narrative, but I think he's also pretty private in his own way, and that's not a moment he or Lucy gray would like to share. I don't think they want to perform their genuine moments after all they've been through, though I don't think Coriolanus is above making them redo it publicly after he's already asked her in private, just for the publicity and all. also Coriolanus definitely proposes because he's too traditional and anal not to.

do they get married through court? church? secret third option?

I don't think there is Church or religion in Panem, so probably the court? I can't imagine either of them being really religious in modern day, but maybe Coriolanus would do it just for appearances... as for secret third option, in canon universe I think Lucy Gray would have them do the toasting ritual from twelve, because even though the covey aren't from there I imagine she'd like it for some reason.

do they follow any familiar, religious or cultural traditions at the wedding?

hmm. we talked about the toasting before. Maybe the covey have some private cultural traditions before hand? Maybe she writes a song as her vows or something, and Coriolanus has to write a poem for her (something he'd only deliver to her privately because again, he's very deeply weird). and maybe for the Snows there's a private tradition of her picking her wedding bouquet from the roses they grow on their rooftop? I like that headcanon

if the couple could describe their wedding in one sentence, how would they?

oou. this is hard. um..... I imagine Coriolanus would be very dry about it because he's a very private person, and Lucy Gray would lean into the romance a bit more. I'm not too sure about this one :/

now for nickziggy

who brought up marriage first?

omg nick hands down no question! he's insane like that. ziggy is more skeptical and non-traditional 100%, but I do think he'd give up marriage if she really didn't want to.

do they have a honeymoon? where to? how soon after?

I think right after the wedding tbh because ziggy doesn't want to have to deal with people coming to say congratulations constantly. about where.... uh, anywhere other than shadyside or Sunnyvale would be great I think for either of them. tbh I think they'd love doing like some cross-country book tour of houses authors they loved live in - or even going to England and doing that. or maybe doing something others rarely do, like going to Antartica or something. anything private - I think a private island would be nick's cup of tea.

if the couple could describe their wedding in one sentence, how would they?

nick - "a dream come true".

ziggy - "none of your fucking business".

:)

thanks for the ask!! ♥️

[cyraelin]

The 45th Hunger Games Tarot Prediction (Career Pack Only) 🔮

(I wanted to send this on Discord but i exceeded word account😭💔)

In my daily creative process, I frequently turn to tarot cards as a tool to generate new ideas and inspiration. This time I’ve decided to use tarot cards to predict the death order and possible events for the Career Tributes in the 45th Hunger Games😿. In a way, narrowing it down to the Careers helps clarify the basic progression of the storyline. I originally wanted to do everyone, but interpreting the cards for just these six already fried my brain😭 Maybe next time I’ll do a tarot reading for the outer-district tributes! All predictions are based on some previously revealed info, the tarot card meanings, and a bit of my own imagination. I’m still an amateur at tarot, so my interpretations might not be entirely accurate—much of my knowledge comes from websites or tarot books. 🥹 I tried my best not to let my personal biases influence the results. It's totally fine if you don't believe in this!

Prediction (Career Pack Only) ⚔️

Results (from earliest to latest death):

1. Oscar 🐟 (D4M) – Dies from natural causes (e.g., heatstroke/fever)Death Date: Day 7

2. Diana 🧱 (D2F)– Dies in a hunting ambush. Death Date: Day 9

3. Keelia 🐟 (D4F) – Dies in some form of self-sacrifice (likely due to resource scarcity + injuries; I suspect the Cornucopia is already destroyed by this point) Death Date: Day 11

4. Celeste 💎 (D1F) – Dies in an outer-district alliance ambush. Death Date: Day 14

5. Garrison 🧱 (D2M)– Dies in an outer-district alliance ambush Death Date: Day 14

6. Ace 💎 (D1M) – Dies in a final showdown with Chaff Death Date: The Last Day 

More detailed card interpretations below🌟

District 1 💎

Ace Javorski: 

His cause of death was, in my opinion, the most accurately reflected in the cards. The spread (left to right): Reversed Judgment, Reversed Ten of Wands, Reversed Sun. 

- 【🗡️ Reversed Judgment】 – Unshakable obsession, refusal to awaken, denial of truth. This aligns perfectly with his relentless pursuit of revenge for Flash and his extreme hatred toward District 9. This fixation will be the catalyst for his downfall. 

- 【🔥 Reversed Ten of Wands】– Collapse under unbearable weight. Paired with his obsession (Reversed Judgment), I believe he’ll kill one or both District 9 tributes but at a massive cost—severe injuries, dehydration—leading to his complete breakdown. 

- 【☀️ Reversed Sun】 – Extinguished hope, drained vitality, isolation. He either dies after separating from the Careers or is the last one standing. Given that his death date card suggests Day 17, I lean toward the latter. This card also hints at false salvation—Ace might believe he’s close to victory, only for that delusion to hasten his end. The Sun’s association with burns + Chaff is literally associated with fire. Makes me think Ace survives until the final showdown but dies at Chaff’s hands, badly wounded. 

Death Date Spread: The Fool (0), Judgment (20), Queen of Cups → Day 17. 

- The Fool (beginning) + Judgment (end) suggest his journey spans the entire Games. A tragic, full-circle fate. 

--- 

Celeste Marigold:

Her death spread feels tragically avoidable. Cards: Knight of Wands, Four of Swords, Reversed Three of Wands. A chain of action → stagnation →loss of control. Likely impulsive overextension (Knight of Wands) leading to physical/mental collapse (Four of Swords), worsened by poor preparation (Reversed Three of Wands). 

- 【⚡ Knight of Wands】 – Sudden, fiery energy. Could mean an ambush at the Cornucopia or a freak natural disaster.

- 【🛌 Four of Swords】 – Rest, recovery… or ignored warnings. She might’ve tried to pause, regroup, but the underlying threat wasn’t resolved. 

- 【🌪️ Reversed Three of Wands】 – Plans derailed, foresight failed. An unexpected event (possibly Keelia’s death—more on that later) disrupts her strategy. Alternate take: Emotional turmoil (from Keelia/Diana’s death?) + heat-induced delirium make her rush into a fight without backup. Maybe Ace/Garrison *warned* her but didn’t shield her in time. 

Death Date Spread: Reversed Seven of Swords, Four of Pentacles, Reversed Queen of Cups → Day 14.

- Simple math: 7 (Swords) + 4 (Pentacles) + 3 (Cups) = 14. Fittingly, Temperance (XIV) in the Major Arcana mirrors her spiral from balance →chaos.

District 2 🧱

Garrison Kennedi

After reading his cards, I felt like his death will wreck me😢 The spread—Justice, Reversed Knight of Swords, The Star—paints a heartbreakingly gentle, futile end. That Justice card alone feels so him. 🥹 

-【 ⚖️ Justice (Upright) 】– Karma, institutional judgment. Given Garrison’s established character, I think this reflects his fatal flaw: an extreme pursuit of fairness that spirals into self-destruction. His rigid moral code—like insisting on "honorable" combat—ironically becomes his undoing. 

- 【🗡️ Reversed Knight of Swords】 – Betrayal or ambush. I felt like career pack in 45th will not fight over each other, I lean toward a sudden attack. Pair this with Celeste’s cards + their shared death date (Day 14), and it’s likely they fell in the same ambush. Logistically, killing two Careers at once is tough—unless natural disasters + outer-district alliances stacked the odds. My theory: Celeste is overwhelmed first; Garrison arrives too late. He could flee or fight dirty (the smart choices), but he refuses to do so. Think Rhaenys Targaryen’s last stand in House of the Dragon.

- 【⭐ The Star (Upright) 】– Cruelly ironic next to Justice. It symbolizes hope, but in death’s context? A delusion of hope. Redemption masking ruin. Garrison probably believes in that hope anyway, so his death feels "peaceful"(like a moth to flame 😢). The Capitol will 100% weaponize his corpse for propaganda—"Glory in death over obscurity in life!" —which just makes it worse. 

Death Date Spread:Reversed Knight of Swords, Reversed Ace of Cups, Reversed Hierophant** → Likely Day 14 or 17.

- Simple math: 7 (Swords) + 1 (Cups) + 5 (Hierophant) = 13, but the **Reversed Knight of Swords implies disruption—so I’d adjust to 14 (tying to Celeste’s fate). If unrelated, Day 17. 

Diana Lynch 

Diana’s cards, much like Garrison’s, speak of an idealist’s downfall—but hers is far more abrupt. 😮‍💨 Spread: The Fool, The Magician, Eight of Pentacles.

- 【🃏 The Fool (Upright) 】– Blindly stepping into danger, unprepared for a sudden turn. Given Diana’s restless nature, this fits—likely during a hunt, either solo or with another Career. 

- 【✨ The Magician (Upright)】 – Raw skill, ingenuity. Two theories: 

1. Her death ties to tech or traps—maybe triggered by a District 3 contraption or an arena hazard. 

2. She misjudges a fight, clinging to "honorable combat" against a ruthless opponent. 

- 【🛠️ Eight of Pentacles】 – Relentless focus, grinding effort. Diana might hyperfixate (e.g., tracking prey/tending wounds) and miss looming threats. Death by tunnel vision.

Death Date Spread:Reversed Two of Cups, Reversed Magician, Reversed Three of Wands → Day 9.

- Numerology: 2 + 1 + 3 = 6, but reversals flip it to 9(completion). The broken bonds(Reversed Two of Cups) and disrupted plans(Reversed Three of Wands) scream mid-Games tragedy. 

--- 

District 4 🐟

Oscar Northcott

Spread: High Priestess, Four of Wands, Reversed Queen of Wands. Surprisingly non-violent—no Swords or Tower cards. 

- 【🌙 High Priestess (Upright)】 – Secrets, intuition, feminine energy. Hints at hidden causes: natural death, health issues, or a emale tribute’s involvement (Yamaha/Vida?). 

- 【🏠 Four of Wands (Upright)】 – Celebration, unity. He dies during the Careers’ "honeymoon phase"—a sudden accident (falls, burns) due to youth/inexperience. The group’s shock would be devastating。

- 【🔥 Reversed Queen of Wands】 – Lost vitality, fire-related illness (fever/inflammation). Supports natural causes over murder. 

Death Date Spread: Knight of Swords, Reversed Three of Cups, Reversed Wheel of Fortune → Day 7.

- Knight = speed; Reversed Wheel = chaos. 7 symbolizes crisis, turning points—fitting for a tragic early exit. 

Keelia Sapsis

Her cards broke my heart…😢 Temperance, Four of Swords, Strength—all upright. The water element is strong with this one (fitting for her district). 

- 【🕊️ Temperance (Upright)】 – Balance, adaptation, transformation. But in a death reading? It hints at slow depletion—physical or mental energy draining over time. Keelia was likely already severely injured before her end. 😭💔 This card also suggests failing to cross a threshold—mentally and physically, she’s trapped in a cycle of self-sacrifice. 

- 【🛌 Four of Swords (Upright)】 – Rest, recovery, passive waiting. Keelia’s done fighting. 😮‍💨 She’s either healing wounds or emotionally spent. My guess? She blames herself—for Oscar’s death, for Diana’s death. Her spirit’s crushed. 

- 【🦁 Strength (Upright)】 – Normally courage, but here? Overexertion. She’s forcing herself to endure the unendurable (e.g., pushing through fatal injuries). Alternatively, her "strength" is a choice—to die on her terms. Freeing herself (or others) from suffering, and protecting others.

Death Date Spread: Reversed King of Cups, Reversed Three of Pentacles, Reversed Star → Unclear. I asked my friend and she said it would be a 4 or 11. For me, 4 is more likely to be her district number, so i predict day 11.

Okay, finally, here's the complete Career Pack storyline I've pieced together based on the tarot readings:

First, Oscar dies from recklessly triggering an arena trap, suffering severe burns that later become infected. Keelia spirals into guilt, blaming herself for his death. When Diana suggests a hunting expedition, Keelia volunteers—only for Diana to perish unexpectedly during the mission, leaving Keelia critically injured. This deepens Keelia’s emotional turmoil, and by the time she returns to the Cornucopia, she’s completely withdrawn into self-loathing. 

However, Celeste makes consistent efforts to connect with her, and the two gradually form a genuine bond. (I imagine Keelia reminds Celeste of her late sister/brother, as one of Celeste’s core motivations is "to outshine her siblings who died in past Games." 🥹) 

By Day 11, the Cornucopia is likely destroyed. With Garrison and Ace away, only Celeste and Keelia remain. Rather than burden Celeste further, Keelia chooses self-sacrifice, dealing Celeste a devastating emotional blow—essentially forcing her to relive the loss of her sibling. This trauma shatters Celeste’s usual rationality, and on Day 14, she acts on impulse, determined to end things quickly. But this single moment of emotional weakness becomes her downfall. 

Garrison arrives too late, finding himself surrounded as well. He could flee, but he chooses to fight—and dies. With this, the Careers are reduced to Ace alone. 

I believe Ace’s subsequent "revenge" isn’t just for Flash but also for his fallen allies. His obsession leaves him severely wounded, crippling his combat ability. If tied to the [Reversed Sun]card, he might even be blinded by sunlight at a critical moment, then losing the final duel of his life. 

That's so cool! I have some tarot knowledge too (not an expert, but I enjoy that the cards often allow you to interpret things in your own way).

I have to say, without spoiling which deaths are accurate and which are not, the cards seemed to have figured out the tragic flaws behind their downfall.

For Ace, it is his obsession and desire for revenge — that was a very accurate one!

For Celeste, it's glory and performance.

For Garrison, it's misguided honour and fairness.

For Diana, it's also misguided honour and her relentless energy.

For Oscar, it's his youth, lack of experience, and desire to prove himself.

And for Keelia, it's her steadfast and tough nature.

[kald-dal-write]

out of the districts 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, and 11 what do you think the order is for who wanted to help rebel first or who wanted to the rebel the most, also the least willing rebels, because like I feel like maybe 1 person from a district didn’t want to rebel but their partner convinced them to, or the other way around. there was a fanfic where D5 F wanted to help the rebellion but her district partner didn’t want to and she respected that so she didn’t help, anyways your opinion on that?

So definitley have plans to get into that in TOFS, especially from D6’s side. So don’t think I want to go fully into this because it’s going to spoil future events of the fic :)

Can imagine the D8/D11 victors were some of the first involved in the plan though, seeing how rebelious those Districts are in the book. Definitley think that both of the District partners had to be fully in on the plan. But yeah going to touch on the whole rebellion soon in TOFS, so look forwards to that :)

Side note I remember I saw a post that questioned if the M.Morphling was even involved in the plan at all and in the context of my fic I just imagine this would have happened if that was the case

Plutarch/Haymitch: Okay you got it, that’s the plan, make sure you can help the rebellion in anyway you can and don’t tell anyone

Maureen: Yes got it perfectly :)

*Later*

Maureen: OMG CASS YOU ARE NOT GOING TO BELIEVE THIS!!!