justafewberries

[justafewberries]

i know prim left the reaping feeling so guilty after katniss volunteered for her

[justafewberries]

Plutarch Heavensbee is a Consequentialist. He prioritizes the rebellion's success over individual well-being or personal moral purity to achieve the “greatest good” of overthrowing the Capitol.

Consequentialism is a branch of ethics that holds that “whether an act is morally right depends only on the consequences of that act or of something related to that act, such as the motive behind the act or a general rule requiring acts of the same kind.” (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)

More specifically, Plutarch exemplifies Act Consequentialism, which holds that “an act is morally right if and only if that act maximizes the good, that is, if and only if the total amount of good for all minus the total amount of bad for all is greater than this net amount for any incompatible act available to the agent on that occasion.” (Moore, 1912). 

Essentially, consequentialism argues that so long as the outcome produces more “good” than existed before, the path taken to get there (however morally questionable) does not matter as much as the results. The ends justify the means.

Plutarch believes his actions, while manipulative or cruel in isolation, always serve a greater collective good: overthrowing the Capitol and ending the Hunger Games.

Time and time again, he acts only when the consequences would serve a larger purpose. For example, he does not reintroduce Katniss to the prep team until after she agrees to be the Mockingjay. Had he reunited them sooner, Katniss may have reconsidered her loyalty to Coin before the agreement was made. Regardless of whether he knew the conditions of the prep team or not, he knew they were in District 13, and only chose to reunite them with Katniss when it benefited the rebellion the most: right after she agreed to become the symbol. 

"We thought it might be comforting for you to have your regular team," Plutarch says behind me. "Cinna requested it." [...] "I honestly don't know." There's something in his voice that makes me believe him, and the pallor on Fulvia's face confirms it. Plutarch turns to the guard, who's just appeared in the doorway with Gale right behind him. "I was only told they were being confined. Why are they being punished? [...] "Do it on my authority," says Plutarch. "We came to collect these three anyway. They're needed for Special Defense. I'll take full responsibility."

He had not checked on the prep team before leading Katniss down to room 3908, despite knowing they were in d13. His concern was not for the prep team’s well-being, but for the utility they served. He focused on what the prep team would do for Katniss. He uses them as a tool.

He even questions if the prep team can start to serve the cause of the rebellion before they have even had a day to heal:

"Good. Splendid," says Plutarch. "How soon can they be put to work?"

To him, what matters is the end result, not the moral cost to get there.

Similarly to the prep team, Plutarch only authorizes the mission to save Peeta when it is clear the Mockingjay cannot perform without him:

"Plutarch's sending in a rescue team. He has people on the inside. He thinks we can get Peeta back alive," he says.

Perhaps the logistics and intel happened to fall into place at just the right moment, but the timing of the mission's authorization lends itself to how he operates. Once it became clear Katniss could no longer function without Peeta, Plutarch authorized the mission to save him. Saving Peeta only became important when it benefited the rebellion.

Which is why, in Peeta’s interview, he is focused more on Beetee’s breaking in rather than Peeta himself. Plutarch does not see Peeta as beneficial to the cause until it comes down to Katniss forcing his hand.

Plutarch's in spasms of delight and most everybody is cheering Beetee on, but Finnick remains still and speechless beside me. I meet Haymitch's eyes from across the room and see my own dread mirrored back. The recognition that with every cheer, Peeta slips even farther from our grasp.

He cheers when things go his way, such as Beete breaking in, and glosses over another pressing matter, Peeta’s visible deterioration. In that scene, the propos matter more than the person.

And even when Peeta returns, he is still willing to use his image to further the cause:

When I confront Plutarch, he assures me that it's all for the camera. They've got footage of Annie getting married and Johanna hitting targets, but all of Panem is wondering about Peeta. They need to see he's fighting for the rebels, not for Snow. And maybe if they could just get a couple of shots of the two of us, not kissing necessarily, just looking happy to be back together--

He uses people as means to achieve and end. He acts only when it would benefit the “greater good”, in this case, making sure the symbol of the rebellion, Katniss, can perform, and then making sure the people he saved are still being useful to the cause after the fact. To him, utility is more important than humanity.

Immanuel Kant, a deontologist, would say using someone merely as a means to an end is inherently unethical, but a consequentialist would view using the Peeta and prep team as a means to serve the rebellion as ethical, so long as it led to the “best” outcome. 

Further, his choices are in stark contrast to Rule Consequentialism, which promotes that “the moral rightness of an act depends on the consequences of a rule.” (Singer 1961) In other words, if a rule were universally adopted, it should promote the greatest good. Both branches value outcomes, but Rule Consequentialism also emphasizes consistency.

For Plutarch, there are no guiding rules. He does not save people because saving them is the right thing to do, rather, he saves them only when it benefits the cause. His ethics are situational. For example, he does not attempt to rescue Peeta out of loyalty, compassion, or the fact he can save a life. He intervenes only when Peeta’s survival becomes necessary to Katniss’s effectiveness as the Mockingjay.

If Plutarch adhered to Rule Consequentialism, he may have developed guidelines for when and how to act. He might recognize that consistently exploiting trauma, even for a cause, can generate long-term harm that outweighs short-term gains. But under his Act Consequentialism, everything comes down to how useful it is.

This logic governs nearly everything Plutarch does. Many of his actions would be considered deeply unethical out of context, but in the context of war and rebellion, they’re justified by the urgency of the cause. His “by any means necessary” approach aims to secure the “greatest good,” even if that means making sacrifices.

Consequentialism allows for swift decisions. In times of war, it allows the actor to disregard individual suffering so long as the outcome is favorable. For Plutarch, ethical restraint is a luxury he cannot afford. He believes the outcome of a successful rebellion will always outweigh the cost it takes to succeed.

Plutarch is a liar. He’s a sycophant. He’s a backstabber. He’s ruthless and willing to throw anyone into the fire if it means achieving the greatest good of ending the Games. 

A brief overview of his major acts includes:

Becoming a Gamemaker (and later the Head Gamemaker)

Pushing for Katniss to become the Mockingjay

Knowing Katniss’s Prep team was confined

Willing to let the hospital in Eight go down to save Katniss

Only sending a team to rescue Peeta when it would motivate Katniss

Exploiting Finnick's trauma in propos

Willing to throw Delly in with hijacked Peeta

Through all of these instances, he keeps one thing in mind:

"If we lose?" Plutarch looks out at the clouds, and an ironic smile twists his lips. "Then I would expect next year's Hunger Games to be quite unforgettable.”

They have to succeed. He recognizes that what they are doing will be the death of everyone involved if they fail. It is not an ideological threat, but an existential threat. Therefore, the outcome becomes everything. How they get there is less important. The methods may be manipulative and shady, but if it ends the Games, to him, it is justified.

Katniss remarks upon this as well:

What's interesting is that Plutarch seems to have no need to share in the credit. All he wants is for the Airtime Assault to work. I remember that Plutarch is a Head Gamemaker, not a member of the crew. Not a piece in the Games. Therefore, his worth is not defined by a single element, but by the overall success of the production. If we win the war, that's when Plutarch will take his bow. And expect his reward.

Plutarch can only win if the rebellion wins. His worth is defined “by the overall success of the production”. His identity, like his ethical reasoning, is built around the big picture. He is not interested in virtue for its own sake. He doesn’t seek moral purity, individual accolades, or recognition along the way. He seeks to win for the greater good.

Which is how he justifies asking for things like Finnick reciting his traumatic experiences to the entirety of Panem:

"It's painful to watch, actually," says Cressida. "He knew so many of them personally."  "That's what makes it so effective," says Plutarch. "Straight from the heart. You're all doing beautifully. Coin could not be more pleased."

And:

I've been sufficient, if not dazzling. Everyone loves the bread story. But it's my message to President Snow that gets the wheels spinning in Plutarch's brain. He hastily calls Finnick and Haymitch over and they have a brief but intense conversation that I can see Haymitch isn't happy with. Plutarch seems to win--Finnick's pale but nodding his head by the end of it.  As Finnick moves to take my seat before the camera, Haymitch tells him, "You don't have to do this." "Yes, I do. If it will help her." Finnick balls up his rope in his hand. "I'm ready."

In the scene above, Haymitch, who sees Finnick as a person, and not just a means to achieve an end, pushes back on the idea. Unlike Haymitch, Plutarch believes the result will outweigh the cost, thus making it morally permissible. He is willing to encourage Finnick to sacrifice his well-being for the cause. 

He does this to Katniss when she is mourning Peeta after he warns about the incoming bombing of d13:

"Katniss, obviously this is a bad moment for you, what with Peeta's setback, but you need to be aware that others will be watching you." "What?" I say. I can't believe he actually just downgraded Peeta's dire circumstances to a setback. "The other people in the bunker, they'll be taking their cue on how to react from you. If you're calm and brave, others will try to be as well. If you panic, it could spread like wildfire," explains Plutarch. I just stare at him. "Fire is catching, so to speak," he continues, as if I'm being slow on the uptake. "Why don't I just pretend I'm on camera, Plutarch?" I say. "Yes! Perfect. One is always much braver with an audience," he says.  "Look at the courage Peeta just displayed!"

He sees everything as an opportunity to be harnessed. What he is saying is true, as Katniss later finds out people are looking to her for how to act, but he still utilizes her as that symbol instead of allowing her a moment of private grief. He does not seek accommodations for her. He does not extend a shoulder to cry on. He thinks only about how she will influence those around her. He encourages her to suppress her grief and project bravery because it serves the rebellion.

He constantly uses people to achieve optics:

"You're going to be as useful to the war effort as possible," Plutarch says. "And it's been decided that you are of most value on television. Just look at the effect Katniss had running around in that Mockingjay suit. Turned the whole rebellion around. Do you notice how she's the only one not complaining? It's because she understands the power of that screen."

He does not ask if the squad wants to fight, he tells them they must perform on camera. They are tools for propaganda, not people with free will and choices. 

Further, we see his morality play out in how he commands the propos in District Eight, when the Capitol is arriving to bomb the hospital. He commands them all to retreat to safety, which would condemn the hospital to the bombings. He does not even consider telling them to try to take out the hovercrafts. He immediately concludes saving Katniss, the symbol of the rebellion, would be more beneficial than saving the lives of those in the hospital:

"The hospital." Instantly, Gale's up and shouting to the others. "They're targeting the hospital!"  "Not your problem," says Plutarch firmly. "Get to the bunker."  "But there's nothing there but the wounded!" I say.

Katniss is concerned about the immediate threat of innocent people dying. Plutarch is concerned with preserving the symbol of the rebellion. At this point, Katniss is still barely known to be alive and actively fighting. She traveled to District 8 to prove she's more than a rumor. Had she died fighting off Capitol hovercrafts, the rebellion may have lost its figurehead and its momentum.

As Katniss says:

"That's because Plutarch doesn't care who dies," I say. "Not as long as his Games are a success."

Plutarch does not seek to save the most lives while carrying out his plans. He seeks only to save the lives that would guarantee the rebellion’s success. Everyone else is expendable. To him, casualties are not failures. They are necessities.

He fantasizes about weapons of mass destruction: 

I spend the short ride back to 13 curled up in a seat, trying to ignore Plutarch going on about one of his favorite subjects--weapons mankind no longer has at its disposal.High-flying planes, military satellites, cell disintegrators, drones, biological weapons with expiration dates.Brought down by the destruction of the atmosphere or lack of resources or moral squeamishness. You can hear the regret of a Head Gamemaker who can only dream of such toys, who must make do with hovercraft and land-to-land missiles and plain old guns.

He does not seek to destroy the weapons, rather, he fawns over the power they gave the people who wielded them. He could achieve the ends faster with more powerful, destructive weapons. There would be a quick end to any conflict. It would not matter how much blood was spilled, so long as the end arrived. 

This all comes to fruition when the bomb is dropped:

"However, I must concede it was a masterful move on Coin's part. The idea that I was bombing our own helpless children instantly snapped whatever frail allegiance my people still felt to me. There was no real resistance after that. Did you know it aired live? You can see Plutarch's hand there. And in the parachutes. Well, it's that sort of thinking that you look for in a Head Gamemaker, isn't it?"

Plutarch knew what was happening. He knew a second bomb was coming. He kept the cameras on the pen. He knew children would die. And yet, he ensured the cameras were rolling. He made sure it aired live. He understood the horror would end the war and considered that outcome worth the cost. He gave no warning nor protest. He operated solely on cause and effect. 

Despite how his goal is to end the Games, he does not dismantle them. He brings the logic of them with him. Every act he does resembles how he operated as a Gamemaker: manipulating optics, exploiting trauma, orchestrating narratives, and engineering deaths for spectacle. This suggests that while he changes the regime, he does not change the tactics of power. In fact, his methods of information control and propaganda mirror the Capitol’s strategies.

He knew the bomb was going to be dropped. He chose to film and live stream it. He chose not to warn anyone. Everyone who dies was a means to an end. Every life lost, including Prim’s, was just a necessary sacrifice to achieve a goal. For Plutarch, it was the final, brutal play in a long game. His final bow. The war ended. The Capitol fell. The Hunger Games were abolished. And the children who died to get there? Collateral, just as he had allowed them to be for the decades he was involved with the Games. 

Everyone is a piece in Plutarch’s games. 

If you enjoyed this essay, please consider helping me pay for grad school.

[justafewberries]

I wouldn't wish that walk home on anyone

[justafewberries]

plutarch risked everything.

he spent years infiltrating the Games, rose to the position of Head Gamemaker, a job with a death sentence, and played double under the constant threat of exposure.

just because he prioritized the rebellion's success over individual safety doesn't mean his neck wasn't on the line, too.

he valued the cause more than his own life his entire career.

[justafewberries]

What if Beetee's arena destruction plan succeeded?

They would have died. It would have been, as Katniss calls it, like shooting fish in a barrel.

There was nothing to continue the momentum. There’s mention of the districts being in unrest toward the end of the novel due to the sheer number of tributes reaped, but that’s not a collective, panem-wide rebellion. It’s skirmishes at best.

In mockingjay, the rescue mission doesn’t go according plan. They barely had enough time to escape with Katniss, thus why they left Peeta behind. But they at least had a plan in place to catch the fall out. Unlike in sotr, they had a place to go.

There’s no mention of a rebel hovercraft, no afterthought of what happens. The arena blows up, sure, but then? Nothing. They don’t have 13. They don’t have an army:

“Luckier, or with better timing. Having an army at their back wouldn’t hurt.”

D13 is heavily militarized for this reason. They either don’t have an alliance, or they don’t know about it. Either way, there’s no “army at their back”.

They acknowledge this in Mockingjay almost verbatim:

"It's not that simple," he shoots back. "We were in no position to launch a counterattack until recently. We could barely stay alive. After we'd overthrown and executed the Capitol's people, only a handful of us even knew how to pilot.

Even if blowing up the arena worked, Haymitch would have no where to go. They chased Capitol escapees all the way to d12. Besides, Haymitch still has his tracker.

There’s nowhere to go. There’s no escape. There’d be no escape for any of them. They all would have died. They need a winner, so they’d likely choose the most loyal tribute, and figure out what to do with the rest of them.

As for the rest of the rebels? Death. It’s like throwing a rock in the air and being surprised it comes back down. There’s no movement to catch the rock. There’s no one to take on the burden and continue harnessing the unrest.

It would be the Order 66 moment we see between Catching Fire and Mockingjay. Clearing house. And there’d be no organized army to fight back.

There’s no possible way it would have succeeded.

[justafewberries]

I’m about to make a comparison that y’all are gonna haaaaate me for, but here it goes. I struggle to fully blame Gale for Prim’s death, because I think a far more interesting read on Gale and on his “using Snow’s rulebook” is a study in a young man (an adult, mind, not a teenager, just, to get that out of the way) who has been abused by the system his whole life and is then given a sense of autonomy to fix it. He has every right to be angry, but he is, in a way, naive. His worldview (one that sees some people as collateral because of their allegiances) is informed by his anger and his sense of powerlessness, and designing the trap with Beetee allows him to grasp a sense of putting his skills to good use, of making a difference. And then, because the people he’s working for aren’t so different from the people who used to abuse him, and this isn’t hypothetical talk in the woods anymore, it all goes wrong. Gale talks a lot. Gale doesn’t do all that much: and he can’t! It’s not really his fault! But you can almost see how it’s easy to make these decisions in the abstract, when it’s not impacting you; when you’re not in the Games, or trapped in The Nut. Playing by Snow’s rulebook in any case is a dangerous game, because Snow was once angry and powerless too, and that doesn’t excuse him, but let’s not lose sight of Coin’s hand in this.

Okay, with me so far? Well, here comes the comparison you’re gonna hate. It’s not Katniss or Peeta’s fault that the man in District 11 is shot. It’s the Capitol’s fault. But let’s look at some similarities here: two angry (yes, Peeta is angry) kids who are trapped in an abusive system (and one from an abusive household) are given a shred of what looks like autonomy (money and a microphone) and they try (and Peeta in particular tries, by offering a yearly gift from their winnings) to use some of that autonomy to make things right — and people die. This is not to discount the differences in the way Gale, Katniss, Peeta are viewing the world and the people in it. This is most certainly not to say that designing a trap to take advantage of people’s compassion is anywhere near the same as offering people condolences and money.

This is to say that the real enemy is always the system that pits people against each other in such a way that one group’s good requires the destruction of another, whether you are being taught by said system or trying to resist it and being punished for it, or both: am I talking about the Capitol or the Rebellion? Yeah. Yes.

[justafewberries]

Chapter 13 of Haymitch's Return is up! This one was cathartic to write. Haymitch chews out Plutarch.

“You think you’re some kind of hero? You watched forty-nine kids die this year. But it’s fine, right? Because you gave it the old Plutarch twist? Because you stacked the cards, so it all makes up for it?"

Read more on AO3

[justafewberries]

This is so interesting because you’re right in thinking the Peeta detonated the bomb, but I’m brainstorming a few ways The Capitol could have tried to save it:

- The tributes think you’re too stupid to know. They think they’re smarter than you. They’re deceiving you. Look, we’ve never deceived you. You are smart! We have the brightest people in the nation here in the Capitol. Trust yourself first. You knew she wasn’t.

(Targets self-image, confidence, and gaslighting them into something that makes them feel superior. You knew it, even if they didn’t, it feels good to be right)

- We test all of our tributes. We value the young lives of Panem. There is nothing more important than a child. It’s why we stick to the standard reaping age, that’s very important to all of us.

(Doesn’t strictly mention the age of reaped tributes, makes them seem older than they are, makes them seem thorough and one step ahead)

- They give their youngest lives for the Games. You think they care about a baby?

(This one’s tricky. The Captiol would have to reframe the games as a willing sacrifice, which should be easy enough with the barbarian angle. Framing the career districts would be easy. They may even reframe Katniss’s volunteering as someone desperate to get into the games to win, not save her sister. Rewrite her narrative, make her less credible. Could also use 1st qq footage (voting in their own) and 2nd (double tributes, look how willing!))

- They’re trying to get out of the games. They tried to conceive to dodge the Games, and they failed. They’re lying to you. They don’t think you do enough for them. We have dressed them better than they ever have been before. Fed and housed them. Brought them into our open hearts and homes. You paid your hard earned money to sponsor them, and this is how they thank you? They don’t care about you like you care for them.

(Plays on the sympathy of Prim being the Capitol’s sweetheart. The people in the Captiol adore her. Break the news Katniss doesn’t adore them back, betrayal)

I think some of these would work better than others, but throwing it back on the tributes, making them seem lesser-than, and playing into the superiority complex of the capitol would’ve (maybe) quelled the unease in the audience. They didn’t air the recap the interviews either, so they would have controlled the narrative completely after.

Have caeser come on the next morning’s news and explain the whole thing as one of those reframings above. Make them hate the tributes again. it might could work.

It always shocks me how the capital didn’t test Katness for pregnancy when Peeta said “If it weren’t for the baby.” Like the Capital punishes people for small things they do against them, and they are uptight about so many things.

[justafewberries]

In canon during the treatment of Peeta's hijacking in 13 did the doctors have the complete tapes of the games and victory tour or only the Capitol edited versions?

I don't think they had anything that wasn't aired. I'm not 100% certain on this, because I don't believe it comes up verbatim, but if we look at this scene:

"That's not an answer," he tells me. "I don't know what to think when they show me some of the tapes. In that first arena, it looked like you tried to kill me with those tracker jackers." "I was trying to kill all of you," I say. "You had me treed." "Later, there's a lot of kissing. Didn't seem very genuine on your part. Did you like kissing me?" he asks.

It aligns fairly well with the recap scene in thg:

I seem heartless in comparison — dodging fireballs, dropping nests, and blowing up supplies — until I go hunting for Rue.

And:

I make up for it now, by finding him, nursing him back to health, going to the feast for the medicine, and being very free with my kisses.

It doesn't seem like they have anything beyond what was aired. It could be they had other footage they used in the propos that I don't recall, but as for Peeta's hijacking, it seems like they only used what they had:

We've only tried it on one memory. The tape of the two of you in the cave, when you told him that story about getting Prim the goat.

Interestingly, he does say "the tape", not the clip. Katniss uses the term "clip" to refer to parts of footage trimmed down in the terms of beetee's propos, and they use it again to talk about the recording of her singing The Hanging Tree. Both Peeta and Haymitch use the term "tapes". This doesn't mean anything definitively, just interesting. They could have access to multiple tapes with multiple angles, or they could have clipped the cave scene onto a separate tape.

I don't know if we can know for certain, but based on what we have, I lean more toward they only had what the Capitol aired.

[justafewberries]

If there is a lake is their a swamp in district 12 and does that swamp lead to malaria infections in 12?

So, there's likely not a swamp near by, at least, a stereotypical one with gators, but now that I'm picturing it, I do want someone to write a swamp boat tour AU for everlark.

Getting back to your question, there are swamps and marches in WV (and not just the Asterid kind). I think it's safe enough to say there's no body of water within the confines of the fence. They'd have to leave for that, so most people wouldn't go far enough to run into a swamp-inhabiting mosquito. All it would take would be one person, though.

And all of this isn't to say mosquitoes wouldn't exist beyond a swamp. I imagine mosquitoes would behave the same way they do now. It could be one just happens carry the parasite and find some standing water in d12.

So it's possible. I guess we can't rule it out entirely. It's unlikely, of course, as it's unlikely to contract malaria in the current US if you don't travel beyond the borders. There was an increase in cases in FL and TX in 2023, though, so maybe it would be more common in other districts?

[justafewberries]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The top 3 donors will be getting the following:

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

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

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

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

[justafewberries]

⭐️

The phrase ‘goose patterned past’ may be my crowning achievement

This is the first thing I sent @thesunpersists after we set up The Commons’ chat:

Pinterest is still not sure what to do with me. It primarily suggests vintage goose kitchen ware and pictures of the actor we picked for Sid (not at all sorry.)

‘The Makeover’ is the next episode, so maybe we’ll see The Commons updated out of ‘Grandma’s kitchen core’

Director’s Cut

[justafewberries]

Does Katniss still respect Peeta after the hijacking? If not is that just a defense mechanism a reaction to verbal abuse and grief or are those things just the cause of real contempt? Or are those things not the same as disrespect?

Adding your context from the other ask here: That last question is not a dig at Katniss and Peeta (who lost respect for Katniss due to being hijacked) I'm wondering if contempt is a separate factor.

She still respects him, but I'm going to go off on a bit of a tangent here to use your ask to explore symbolism having to do with respect. When characters eat together, when they "break bread" together, it's a form of communion and respect. so when peeta appears in the cafeteria with this scene:

I'm starving and the stew is so delicious--beef, potatoes, turnips, and onions in a thick gravy--that I have to force myself to slow down. All around the dining hall, you can feel the rejuvenating effect that a good meal can bring on. The way it can make people kinder, funnier, more optimistic, and remind them it's not a mistake to goon living. It's better than any medicine. So I try to make it last and join in the conversation. Sop up the gravy on my bread and nibble on it as I listen to Finnick telling some ridiculous story about a sea turtle swimming off with his hat. Laugh before I realize he's standing there. Directly across the table, behind the empty seat next to Johanna. Watching me. I choke momentarily as the gravy bread sticks in my throat. "Peeta!" says Delly. "It's so nice to see you out…and about." Two large guards stand behind him. He holds his tray awkwardly, balanced on his fingertips since his wrists are shackled with a short chain between them.

It ends with her telling us:

Gale finishes his milk. "You done?" he asks me. I rise and we cross to drop off our trays. At the door, an old man stops me because I'm still clutching the rest of my gravy bread in my hand.

Meaning Katniss did not eat with Peeta at the table. She stopped eating. She did not cast her bread aside and throw it away, however, she took it with her. She gripped it in her hand and didn't realize she was holding it until someone pointed it out.

So, symbolically, one could say she did not share the respect of eating with him, but I still think it's symbolic how she held onto the bread, as if keeping her respect stashed away, but not yet gone. Kind of like how Haymitch points out the "bread in her hand" when he calls to knock some sense into her in squad 451.

[justafewberries]

in the gamemaker-mopping-arena scene, Haymitch notes how mopping is a bottom of the ladder job. We know for a fact it isn't the bottom of the ladder job in the Capitol from Castor and Pollux in mockingjay, but it has me wondering how the scene would play out had they sent the actual bottom of the ladder job into the arena: avoxes.

Pollux is an enslaved man turned avox whose family had to save for years to buy his release. He's forced to work in the tunnels. To him, it was work or die.

avoxes would not have been able to refuse the work in the arena. they are expendable. they can be replaced. they are subhuman to the capitol. just like pollux, it was work or die.

the tributes are also viewed as subhuman. they're forced to fight or die.

putting avoxes in the scene would hold a mirror to the tributes. instead of assuming a man is at the bottom rung of the ladder from him holding a mop, why not genuinely choose characters who are actually from the bottom of the ladder?

would they still kill them? perhaps they have the "capitol look" like Lavinia. would they identify them as avoxes before acting? would they even let them try to communicate before pulling the trigger? would they empathize with them? they're all pieces in the games at that point. would the careers use it as an opportunity to appear "more capitol" like how plutarch suggests d1 and d2 are trying to do?

[justafewberries]

If your sibling/relative (with same gender as you) being reaped to the hunger games, would you volunteer like Katniss did to replace Primrose?

Yes/No? Why?

If yes, what kind of strategy would you use to win the hunger games?

Thank you.

@curiousnonny

Probably not. I'd die instantly, she would too. She'll probably see this tbh. have fun in the arena girl! <3 (tbh i probably would as a knee jerk reaction, but she def wouldn't for me)

I've been thinking about the rationale of volunteering based on Peter Singer's answer to a question about saving a woman vs. saving a baby. Most people would instantly say to save the younger person or the child, but Peter Singer actually says the loss of a better established person would harm society more, so we should save the woman.

So assuming the sibling in the scenario is younger, I wonder if it would be more ethical to volunteer, thus saving the life of a younger person, or if it would be better to preserve the life of the older person (in this hypothetical, me) who is more established and more ingrained in society.

I know this isn't the answer you expected but I've been grappling with this haha. Maybe new utilitarianism and volunteering as tribute essay soon.

[justafewberries]

there is something about Katniss we need to talk about because it has baffled me for years and I need to understand the reason … why does she put her boots on before her pants?

[justafewberries]

⭐️

In Haymitch's Return, one of the first things Haymitch remarks about d12 is how dry it is:

I dig the toe of my shoe into the floor of the forest. It comes up dusty instead of muddy. I can tell it hasn’t rained here in a long time. Great. Maybe he’s thinking about water for the mutts, too. I look away. That stupid feather. “Let’s just go.” I gripe.

This, coupled with the coal dust, makes it easier to burn things faster. Not only does it make it easier to burn his house (sorry, Ma and Sid, rip), but it primes the district as kindling for a rebellion.

A phrase used to characterize the public's perception of Haymitch is how he sets fires and runs:

“They were gonna let her out,” he bites, voice tight, “until you opened your damn mouth. Tam Amber and I fought to get her free again. She was so close. Until they found that law about the music. They didn’t care until you started bragging about selling to the commander. Next thing we knew, new charges hit her.” He dips his chin, pushing his tongue against the back of his lips. His throat contracts, swallowing down, “You set things on fire and ran

Which helps spread the rumor he burned his own house down. He has been painted as mentally unstable. People believe him to be an arsonist, so when they avoid him, it's d12 avoiding the spark. There's whippings to quell what little rebellion we see:

Asterid pipes up again, “Haymitch, you should know. After they closed the mines, they brought in a lot of peacekeepers. They’ve done up the square in more banners, and there’s stockades again. Hattie came by to tell me she’s closing down for the season. She knows we use her stuff for our shop sometimes.” She chews on her bottom lip, deciding whether to keep speaking, “And people aren’t happy. With you, I mean. The peacekeepers are telling everyone you’re the reason all of this is happening. They’ve started telling everyone you’ve gone mad.”

But no lasting rebellion. Hattie closes up shop. Liquor's another fuel for fire. Haymitch's flash-in-the-pan rebellion only got his own house burned down.

After he returns from the woods and his house burns, only then does precipitation come. Not real water, but Snow. Haymitch's first victor basket:

We limp into the Victors’ Village. They hover on the lawn of the well-lit house. I don’t wait. I push my way through the door and collapse against it, sealing myself in my tomb. I lock the door and limp through the too-quiet hall and into the too-still kitchen. I drag myself to the counter, where a gift basket awaits my arrival, wrapped like a birthday present. My blistered skin bubbles into pained hissing as I rip it open. 

"Snow" comes down to stamp out the fire, which he knows Haymitch to be:

He leans forward. “There is only one difference between yours and the other eleven. You.”