#FinnickOdair

[rykemeadow]

While other tributes that year were hardpressed to get a handful of grain or some matches for a gift, Finnick never wanted for anything, not food or medicine or weapons. It took about a week for his competitors to realize that he was the one to kill, but it was too late. He was already a good fighter with the spears and knives he had found in the Cornucopia. When he received a silver parachute with a trident—which may be the most expensive gift I've ever seen given in the arena—it was all over.

District 4's industry is fishing. He'd been on boats his whole life. The trident was a natural, deadly extension of his arm. He wove a net out of some kind of vine he found, used it to entangle his opponents so he could spear them with the trident, and within a matter of days the crown was his.

The citizens of the Capitol have been drooling over him ever since. Because of his youth, they couldn't really touch him for the first year or two. But ever since he turned sixteen, he's spent his time at the Games being dogged by those desperately in love with him. No one retains his favor for long. He can go through four or five in his annual visit. Old or young, lovely or plain, rich or very rich, he'll keep them company and take their extravagant gifts, but he never stays, and once he's gone he never comes back.

[comehomeducklings]

ミ★ ᴀᴍʙɪᴛɪᴏᴜꜱ ᴀꜱᴄᴇɴᴛ ★彡

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞: 𝐍𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐓𝐨 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮

Pairing: Coriolanus Snow x capitol!OC

Summary: Seraphina Phoenix shares Snow's ambitious nature and determination to rise within Capitol society. Their shared drive creates a mutual respect that slowly transforms into an unexpected romance, complicating their goals and loyalties.

WC: 5k

Masterlist ; Prologue, Ch. 1 (soon),

It was cold, so cold that every breath resulted in a dragon’s roar of smoke coming from a little girl’s mouth. She looked at her hands smothered with wooly gloves, the same gloves she begged her mom to leave at home because it made her hands unbelievably itchy. When those gloves were removed, the skin touching the wool would be irritated, red beyond belief. She understood the argument her mother made now. Even with the gloves adorned, she could barely move the tips of her fingers. She was sure if she dropped a brick on her hand that it would shatter into millions of pieces. The gloves seemed of little use now because her hand was still cold, but without them, her fingers would probably fall off like her mom said they would. Seraphina quickly used her gloves to shove her scarf further up her face. It was difficult to actually grasp the material since the cold stopped much movement from her tiny fingers. Her nose twitched with the newfound material covering it. The scarf also served as a makeshift tissue to wipe away the snot running down from her nose. She glances around at the other mothers who grasped their kid’s hands within their own. She yearned for that, not for the affectionate part because her mother was not one to show she cared in the regular, outwardly ways. She craved the extra warmth that another’s hand gave, so it could warm up her own in the process. The other children looked like they did not agree with the cold either. Their mothers furiously wiped at their noses which agitated the redness further, their noses looked like the tomatoes the cook would prepare in the kitchen. Seraphina’s dad said hers looked like Rudolph, but when her confused face looked up at the man, he tried to explain how it was an old fairy tale they used to sing about. When she asked again what a fairy tale was, he gave up on the explanation and ushered her out the door.

When she glanced behind her mother’s body, she saw this woman walking quickly to where they were. The poor boy who was on the receiving end of her arm was dragged in an attempt to keep up with his mother.

“Is that you Mrs. Phoenix, how have you been?”

She seemed out of breath as she did one last drag of her son’s arm to plant him right next to her. She quickly fiddled with his coat and smoothed down his unruly curls to try to make him look the least bit presentable. The cold air took his hair and flung it around the place despite her efforts. Seraphina thought of offering up her frizz cream, but she left it at home. ”

“Yes, I have been as I’ve always been, you?”

“Oh yes, well, I am doing well, thank you for asking. This is your daughter?” She stumbled a bit on her words. Seraphina’s mother seemed to have that effect on people, her way of speaking always seemed to intimidate the other person in the conversation. It had a twinge of perturb, as if the counterpart was a distant face even if it was her closest acquaintance. It always left her wondering if her mother tolerated the person she spoke to or if she despised their entire being.

Mrs. Phoenix tapped Seraphina on the back as a gesture for her to introduce herself. 

“Hello ma’am, my name is Seraphina Phoenix, it is a pleasure to meet you.” Her robotic voice chirped in a phrase that seemed very well-thought-out. It should have been, for she had been taking lessons on her manner of speaking ever since her mother caught her with a twinge of a District accent. It was all the fault of the books she had been reading, ever since she could actually retain information no book was left untouched. There were books on the lower shelves which were thoughtfully laid out by her dad so she could read both informative and children's books. These pages usually ranged from counting sheep to learning how to genetically modify an organism. The end of that range was typically avoided till her older years, since she could barely hold the weight of the book back to her seat. Mr. Phoenix eventually switched those informative books into more comprehensive information a five-year-old may understand. Although, they still talked about how our DNA can be altered into a different species. It just spoke about it in a more understanding sense, often using pictures of a chicken’s head on a monkey’s body. There were some books, though, that were made by people in the Districts. These books often talked about imaginary places, they used vocabulary Seraphina would not hear in any other place. The problem arose when her mother caught her using a slang word and ultimately decided to discard those books for good. Those were always her favorite, she would get lost in the imaginary lands that would take her far from the actual world she was in. She could see why her mother did not like them, she always said that maladaptive daydreaming was for the poor. The Phoenix’s were far from poor, but not wasteful. 

“Aren’t you a cute one, very well-spoken. This is my boy Sejanus,” she looked at her son expectantly. He looked like he wanted to go run and hide in his mother’s coat. After a bit of silence, his mother laughed awkwardly and pushed him a bit towards Seraphina.

“Um, I’m Sejanus,” he spoke after the slight nudge, the Phoenixes assumed that was his name after his mother just spoke of it. Seraphina kept that to herself because she could see he was nervous due to the possibility of it being his first time meeting someone of their nature.

She outstretched her hand and plastered a big smile which cracked her lips open a bit, “Good evening! Are you going to the same school I’m going to?”

The little boy eagerly shook his head in an up-and-down motion and relaxed his shoulders a bit. His posture was so rigid it looked like he could break in half, she immediately thought of those peacocks she read about. The males who tried to puff out their feathers to appear stronger, confident. 

Sejanus outstretched out his own hand to shake hers, “I think so, are there multiple schools?”

Seraphina took her finger and placed it on her chin, in deep thought she spoke “Well no, so I guess you are.”

Her mother started to gesture towards the path in an attempt to keep moving, “We must be going, it was nice to meet you Seraphina.”

Seraphina waved at her newfound friend, she thought he was a bit timid and spoke weirdly but thought not much of it. He probably did not have to go through the lessons she did, all she knew was that his hand was nice and warm within his mother’s grasp and those gloves were not made of wool.

As they continued on the path to the school, she looked around at all the kids her age and tried to make a mental note of each one. These were to be her new classmates, a sort of family in a sense. Her mother said that these are going to be faces she will be seeing for the rest of her life, unless one fails so badly that they would have to be removed from the program. It would be a disgrace upon their whole family. It should not be too hard to pass this level, for she was only seven. The older girl who is their next-door neighbor told her that it gets harder every year, so someone as young as she is only has to deal with information a seven-year-old should know. 

“Mother, who were those people?”

Her mom kept her head straight while answering, “The Plinths, they are new to the Capitol. They come from District Two and their little boy is a year older than you are.”

Her head swarmed with this newfound information. District, they are a family from District Two and her mother held a conversation with them. It was a short one at that, her mother was never one to babble. Except with her father, he was the only one able to make her laugh and talk. She sometimes earned a smile from her mother, but Mrs. Phoenix would only speak when her child started the conversation. She loved her daughter, just in a different way than most mothers did. 

“District? You said all people from there were not, what is the word again?”

Her mother’s mouth upturned at the sides just a little to ghost a bit of humor, “Unsophisticated?”

Seraphina brightened at the reminder of the word just at the tip of her tongue, “Yes! That one, you said they don’t belong here. So why are they here?”

Her mother took a moment before speaking, “It’s a bit complicated.” Mrs. Phoenix tried her best to rack her brain to think of a way to explain this to her seven-year-old without compromising everything she understood. “They used to be District, but now they are Capitol. They have become sophisticated, like us. They proved their image to be well enough to live amongst us.

“Does that mean District can be like us,” Seraphina questions.

Her mother shook her head, “Most cannot be taught. They’re like animals, some can be caged while others are too rabid.”

The Plinths must be a special case, some that most people do not agree with. Judging by her mother’s body language toward Mrs. Plinth, she did not really have a certain conviction for the family. It was safe to assume that interacting with the little boy would not be of much interference with her family’s image. That thought brightened Seraphina’s day, he was a new friend to go through this new phase in her life.

After some time lost in her own thoughts, her mother stopped amongst a set of stairs to a large building. There was water spurting out of a large fountain that she must have missed while in her head. All the other children started to say goodbye to their parents and head in. Some kids were crying and refusing to be left alone. Seraphina could understand where they were coming from. She too, was a bit wary of the large building in front of her, the pillars that held the building up looked like Jack’s beanstalk her father used to read to her about. The swirls that were carved into the white stone reminded her of the branches that would help Jack climb to the treasure. The treasure, this time, would be the gift of knowledge and a chance at a future to make her family proud. 

“Are you leaving now,” Seraphina turns to her mother and she nods her head.

“Yes, you’ll have to walk home today for your dad and I will still be at work,” Mrs. Phoenix fixed her daughter’s scarf up a bit and adjusted her coat. “Make sure to stick with a buddy on your way home, we don’t want you getting lost or hurt.”

Seraphina starts to walk up the steps, “Yes mother, I understand.”

Mrs. Phoenix raises her voice just a bit, “Make sure to do your best, Phoenix’s do what?”

Seraphina turns her body and shouts, “They soar!” She turns back around and starts to quickly move up each steep step.

Her excitement grows as she enters the building, there are people directing her to a door that leads to a massive hall. Above the doorway read “Heavensbee Hall,” and inside were chairs all lined up perfectly. The space between each chair was evenly distributed with miraculous accuracy. Everything was symmetrical to lead attention towards the podium that was at the end of the walkway in the very middle. 

Seraphina assumed that important adults were the only ones allowed to be on the podium. She saw a kid that was a bit younger than her try to climb up onto it before he was stopped by a guard. They took the boy by his arm and led him to his seat near the back, she found that those of higher status would sit in the front. She could tell they were higher class because of the minuscule details her parents made sure she had. Like a special type of hair clip made out of fine stone and socks that were laced with the finest of cloth. Silk bows adorned these little girls' hair and the boys’ shoes were polished with a slight blue shimmer that only a certain type of brand could achieve. It also helped that these kids were a bit familiar to the eye, for a lot of them were neighbors to the Phoenix household. A lot of their mothers would bring them gifts in an attempt to soften Mrs. Phoenix up to them. It never worked, she always detested suck-ups. She taught her daughter that suck-ups are people who try to fill in the void where there is nothing to show, no talent, no charm, no power, nothing.

While admiring the tall ceilings, a boy accidentally bumps into her back, causing her to trip on the carpet below. Luckily, she caught her step quickly enough and fixed her posture. When she turned around to find the culprit, it was Sejanus, the same boy who she met earlier that morning.

“Oh hello, it’s you again. Are you okay?” Seraphina looks at the boy on the floor who scrambles up quickly. 

Sejanus fixes his stance and rubs his nose in an attempt to hide his embarrassment, “Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention. This is just a really big room.”

Seraphina giggled quietly and continued on down the hall, she looked back to see if he was following, but she caught him staring wide-eyed at the surrounding environment, “Are you coming? We have to find out seats.”

“Oh yeah, yeah of course. My Ma told me that I’m in the second row,” Sejanus quickened his steps in order to walk right beside her. His shoes were polished, with a blue tint that only the richest could afford. He looked uncomfortable in the shoes, like he had never worn them before. From what her mother said, he is probably new to them. The Districts never got much, except for some sneakers and sandals that were always too small. She would catch a few strays digging through the family’s trash in hopes of finding useful items. One time she put some clothes her mother said she was outgrowing in the same trash for those people to find. By the next morning when she checked the garbage can the clothes she laid out were gone, all that was left was an engraving in the dirt that read “Thank you.” At least, she believed that is what it said because the handwriting was quite awful and some words were misspelled. The words were written in a way that sounded right but looked wrong.

“I like your shoes,” Seraphina pointed out. They were nice, she was sure that if she had a brother then he would have the same shoes he did.

“Thank you, Ma polished them for me!”

Seraphina furrowed her brows for a bit and then relaxed into a neutral expression. She assumes that the “Ma” he is speaking of is his mother. She had never heard anyone refer to their mom like that. It is usually in some form of “Mother,” “Mom,” “Mrs,” or “Ma’am,”  more on the formal side. 

“You call your mom, Ma?”

Sejanus nods his head and starts squeezing his way into the second row of chairs, “Mhm, what do you call yours?”

Seraphina smiles, “Mother, sometimes mom when we’re home.”

The conversation ends while he is trying to find the seat that belongs to him. He steps on a few people’s shoes which aggravates a lot of the kids in the section he is in. He then changed direction and moved back to the front of that specific row. Seraphina hopes he doesn’t make too many enemies, they only just started, and she doesn’t know if she would be able to explain her new friend’s personality to the boys and girls around her. She fixes her hair and adjusts the headband on her head before moving towards the front. Most of the kids are already sitting, except the front row who is standing and conversing with each other. She notices that none of the rows look behind them to speak to the other ranks. It might be a power play or the nature of the Capitol. She hopes that it is not an unspoken rule of any kind because she would break it when speaking to Sejanus. 

Seraphina looks at the front row and sees a couple of chairs without any inhabitants, but she is not so sure if they all have assigned seats. Since Sejanus went looking for a specific seat, she assumed that they were reserved for specific people. She does not want to anger anyone by taking their seat on the first day, so she asks a little girl around her age who was seated in the very first chair, “Hello, my name is Seraphina Phoenix. Do we have assigned seats?”

The little girl jumped out of her seat and took Seraphina’s hand into hers to shake it dramatically, “I’m Arachne Crane, it’s nice to meet you! My mother has told me much about the Phoenix’s and their legacy,” she continues babbling on for a bit before remembering the question at hand. “Oh the seating, the first row is for the elites, we get to choose the specific seat we prefer. Each row down is for the generations after us, they are all assigned a seat based on their family’s influence.”

Seraphina refrained herself from laughing at the boisterous girl in front of her. She talked super fast and she liked that about her. People who talked slowly usually did not know what to say and took their time to buy themselves more time to scramble a response.

“Can we be seating buddies,” Seraphina asks in hopes of not getting stuck with the seat all the way near the end. Her friend Sejanus is in the seat behind Arachne, so sitting here would be easy access to talking with her friend. 

“Yeah sure! The girl who tried to seat her earlier didn’t have an accessory in her hair. She even tried to borrow mine.” She scoffs, “As if, someone who can’t buy a simple accessory doesn’t belong in this row.”

Seraphina subconsciously adjusted her headband, “I guess so, maybe she forgot hers?”

Arachne shrugged, “You see on the other side, the tall boy? He’s my brother, they are all a year ahead of us. He’s always bragging to me about how he’s smarter and whatever. I mean, of course he’s smarter, I haven’t even started school yet.” She rolls her eyes and continues talking about all the awards she is planning on winning. She starts talking about these equations she has been studying, but Seraphina tunes her out after a bit of time. Seraphina started to take the bulky coat she had on and placed it, along with her scarf, over the head of her seat. When she turns to put the items on her chair, she casts a quick glance over at Sejanus.

He is seen fumbling with his fingers and making quick conversation with the kids around him. He has more of a response when speaking to the row behind him rather than his own row. The girl next to him looks like she is fuming smoke out of her ears, Sejanus probably stole the spot her family would have been in if he did not rise up in status. The poor boy is already making enemies by just existing. Her attention sways back to Arachne, who just finished her opinion about how fictional literature is a waste of the brain’s capacity. 

“Arachne, since we are friends now I have to make a nickname for you.”

Arachne abruptly stops what she is talking about and plasters a decent-sized smile, “A nickname? For you to call me or everyone?”

Seraphina pondered for a moment, “Well, nicknames are usually for close groups or people you know very, very well. So, maybe it can be for us in the front row,“ Seraphina clapped her hands excitedly. “We can have nicknames for just each other, something that tells us apart from the other rows.”

“I like that idea, your name should be Sera,” Arachne chimed. Seraphina liked the name she was given. It is simple, and an easy name to remember. She loves her name because of the meaning behind it, but it does get tiring to say. Her name is a bit long to write on a name tag as well. When she was practicing the letters during study time at home, her name was the hardest to perfect because of how many letters it uses in the alphabet. The length of it always made her hand hurt quicker from the number of times she had to repeatedly dot it down. Sera was a nice, simple name that sounded pretty to the ears and used the best part of her name. The small amount of syllables made it easier for the brain to remember. Since it rolls off the tongue, people will want to say her name more often. Her full name was usually rarely ever called since it required a lot of effort for the other person to remember the way it was pronounced. All of her teachers at home would misspell her name at times. Her new friend here would probably understand, her name sounds difficult to spell. 

“Ara is pretty too, you have to remember to introduce your full name and then your nickname after so people use it too.”

Arachne nodded, “Yes I will, but only this row. I won’t tell my brother because he will probably do the same thing. I hate when he copies me.”

Seraphina will probably relate to that in the future once her baby sister is grown up. She is looking forward to finding her clothes missing, with them draped over her sister’s head. When her father is at work, it’s quiet in the household. Her mother is typically out or lost in a book, she takes after both of them in various ways. Once she starts reading a book, it is hard to put it down. Getting that book in her hand is a difficult task, she is always bouncing off the walls in a  frenzy.

Most of the seats seemed filled, with the chatter slowly dying out. Two more guests arrive and make their way to the first row. One of them was a girl, tall with fair skin and a sharp chin. The boy beside her also had fair skin with blond curls. He had sharp blue eyes that seemed to pierce the room in scrutiny. As they made their way to the front row, the whole room hushed into whispers.

Arachne turned to look back from her seat, “Looks like the Snows are here.” She quickly stands from her chair and fixes her dress by patting it down to rid of the wrinkles that may have formed from sitting. It was a ridiculous idea, for her dress seemed ironed to the point where any more heat would have burned a hole through the fabric. 

The little boy let the girl he came with walk in front of him to a seat near where Ara and her resided. There was a free seat next to Seraphina, although only that seat was free, as the other seat was inhabited by another. The little boy gave a look to the guy seated in the chair, and he quickly stood up to pick a chair on the end side of the row. The blonde boy then took a seat beside Seraphina while the other girl took the seat right beside him. Seraphina could feel her friend Ara practically bursting with excitement over these seating arrangements.

Arachne gently pushes Sera’s shoulder back in an attempt to have access to the boy better, “My name is Arachne, from the Cane family, but you can call me Ara.”

The boy next to her glances her way and nods his head in such a small movement that it would have been missed by any other if not paying attention. 

“My name is Coriolanus Snow, this is Tigris, my cousin. It’s nice to meet you Arachne.”

At the mention of her name, Tigris turns her head towards Arachne and offers her a smile, ‘Hello Ara! We have heard much of the Crane family, your house is across from ours is it not?”

Arachne continued to stare at the boy named Coriolanus, “It is, my father is well versed with yours. I shall call you Coryo.”

Coryo seemed displeased with this nickname, with a slight grimace at the mention of it. His cousin made that nickname a while ago. It was only acceptable when Tigris called him that.

“What is your name?” Seraphina looks to her left to see both the Snows looking at her expectantly. She believes the boy, Coriolanus, is the one who asked her the question. He probably is trying to escape the penetrating eyes of her friend Ara.

“Seraphina Phoenix, it is nice to meet you both.”

“That’s a pretty name, rolls off the tongue,” Tigris exclaims.

Coriolanus tilts his head slightly, “Phoenix? You’re the daughter of Emery Phoenix.”

Tigris moves Coryo’s head out of the way to get a better view of Seraphina, “Like the guy who created pyrotechnics?”

Coriolanus laughed a bit while fixing the one strand that got out of place when he was pushed backward, “He’s done much more than that Tigris but yes. The fireworks we buy for your birthday come from him.”

Tigris’s smile grew unbelievably brighter. Seraphina was afraid that it would widen to a point where it would hurt her mouth from the stretch.

“Oh I do love those fireworks,” she says. “They always spell my name out, like magic!”

“It’s one of my favorite inventions he’s made so far, the first time he tried them out he almost burned down the room,” Seraphina reminisces. He set off one of those “fireworks” in their library. She was sitting in a chair reading when he came in to show her his new invention. The firework, he called it, was said to burst into a thousand little stars with a chivalrous bang. She quickly found out what it did when he accidentally lit it when showing her where to light it up to set it off. Luckily, her mother was able to stomp out one of the sparks that caught onto the rug. They were in a fit of giggles while her mother was scolding the both of them for almost burning down the building and themselves, while all they could manage was laugh. Her mother ended up fighting a smile while confiscating the leftover firework parts. Her father always managed to put a little spark into their lives.

“Oh how scandalous, are you both alright?” Tigris asks.

Arachne furrows her brows, “Of course they’re alright, she’s right in front of you?”

“You can call me Sera if you wish, or my full name, whichever is easier.” she interrupts. “My friend Ara and I made these nicknames, so our row could use them to distinguish each other”

Tigris smiles, “Sera is very pretty, my name is already short so I assume I wouldn’t need one.”

Seraphina shakes her head, “You can have one too! Like T, or Titi, or Ti, or maybe Iris.”

“Ooh Iris is a good one,” Arachne agrees.

Tigris gently giggles and shakes her head, “I think Tigris is fine.” Tigris then directs her attention towards Sera in a whisper, “You can call me any of those if you want, just not Iris.”

They both giggled and turned their attention back to the center podium, where a man stood at the center, tapping the microphone to bring everyone’s attention to where he stood. He is an intimidating man, with dark eyes that seem to seep into your desires and thoughts that are never to be spoken in the presence of anyone.

“Settle down children, we are already behind schedule.”

The chatter that once filled the hall immediately quieted down until all you could hear was gentle breaths being emitted. Except for someone in the far back, wheezing a bit too loud. It was probably the dust that adorned every item in this dated building. They should hire maids to dust around here, it might dirty someone’s clothes or mess with the freshly polished shoes most boys seem to be wearing lately. 

“Welcome to the Academy, My name is Casca Highbottom and this is where you will be spending your time studying and advancing your way to further years. As children of the Capitol, you are expected to uphold challenging expectations. As of now, this program is fairly new and was created to introduce the younger generations to knowledge before the four years of the official academic program the Academy offers. The children on the right are the first group of students to test out the program, this is now their second year and will be attending secondary school after they have been fully through this vigorous program. They have shown miraculous improvement in their comprehension skills, which has furthered the program into allowing another wave of students to join, which would be you lot.”

Arachne’s brother is in the group Mr. Highbottom mentioned, this program was made just last year to improve their student population’s test levels. The past generations seemed to have been slowing down on their academic vigor, and none have produced the level of creativity and intelligence the academy used to produce. Their parents were the last generation to truly show results in their teaching who moved on to become important members of the Capitol with their innovations. This program allows kids ages six through eight to enter the program, it goes by groups of years rather than ages, which is why there are six through eight-year-olds scattered within the groups of students. Seraphina is seven, within the middle group, so not too young to grasp things but not too old to be expected to know much.

Mr. Highbottom coughs into his handkerchief and wipes the inner corners of his mouth with it, “You are to uphold our values and if you prove promise then the brightest students may move on to the Academy. We hope to see these promising faces in the years to come. Make sure to pick up the list of supplies and the books that should already be memorized and easily recited when asked. 

Once the Dean steps down the hall erupts with voices, some excited while some wavered. The Snows immediately stand up from their chairs and Coriolanus moves to retrieve two papers for both him and Tigris.

“We must be going,” Tigris says. “It was very nice meeting you Sera, and you Arachne.” She picked up her coat and quickly moved her long arms into the sleeves. The two children made their leave out of the hall, and out into the cold winter. 

“I can’t believe Coryo sat near us, my father is going to freak now a Snow knows of me. Once our families are well acquainted with each other then I could see Coryo anytime I want. Oh and that cousin of his, don’t you think she’s a bit weird?”

Seraphina took the coat off of her chair and started buttoning it up to her neck, “Not really, she seemed quite sweet.” After putting on her scarf, Sera spoke a quick goodbye to Ara and waved at Sejanus for him to join her.

“What did you think?”

“Of what,” Sejanus questions.

“Of this program, it’s a lot to take in. He spoke kind of fast.” 

“Oh yeah that,” Sejanus attempted to put on his gloves, but his fingers kept fitting into the wrong hole, “I’m worried about the reading, I haven’t read a lot of books, so I would have to catch up.”

Seraphina thought of the plethora of books she had read so far, when looking at the list she snagged, she noticed that a lot of these books were read when she was merely five years old, “I can help you if you want. We have all of these at home in our library, I can give you a rundown of most of them if you can’t read them all in time.”

Sejanus’s mother was waiting for him at the bottom of the steps, waving at him. 

“You are the best, I gotta go, my Ma is waiting for me. By Seraphina!”

“Bye-bye!” Once her friend had left her she made her way down the flight of stairs and into the cold night of Panem. With all but the warmth of her heart, excited for the opportunities to come.

[iamliterallyjohannamason]

Not all men

Your right, winner of the 74th hunger games peeta 'if it weren't for the baby' mellark would never

[joshhutchersonoiledup]

me when i see that deleted scene of finnick odair saying “don’t look at me look at the knot

(i’m cvmming)

[vermoutszh]

Are there butterflies effect in hunger games preq? Tell me pls

[maggie32432]

Prisoners - Finnick Odair Imagine (Part 4)

Finnick Odair and Sirena Nighthart both won their respective Hunger Games at age 14. Both from District 4. Finnick and Sirena both grow up in the Capitol, though keeping their distance from each other. What happens when both get reaped at the Quarter Quell for the 75th Hunger Games?

We walk away and I ask,  "How are you so good at that?"  "Good at what?"  "People, I mean the way you talked to her was intimidating and you didn't even have to say anything directly threatening," I remark, 

"It's how you use people around here, Blue," he says while we get on our chariot. My hands shake slightly, but he holds my hand once more.  "Don't let Snow know you're afraid. You and I gotta show him that we're not scared," he whispers in my ear. 

The chariots begin to move forward and he holds my hand, preparing to raise it in the air.

Everyone in the Capitol and all the victors know that Finnick and I are a force to be reckoned with. That I never doubted. The only thing I'm nervous about is keeping me and Finnick alive. 

The crowd cheers as the chariots roll in a line. Just like last time. It's all just like last time. 

I hear my name being chanted by a few people in the crowd, but it's hard to hear over the drums beating loudly as we move. 

Finnick's hand holds mine gently, of course, he knows that I'm nervous. 

I don't smile the way he does, my face stays hardened. It's the only way right now that I can conceal the fact that I am terrified.  We are one of the first carriages to roll around the circle to where President Snow stands. His eyes follow me and Finn carefully. 

No signs of emotion are on his face. Nothing other than a stoic and serious look from him.  His eyes follow us still, but as I make eye contact with him he gives me a nod. I clench my jaw a bit, my body stiffening up. 

Finnick looks to President Snow as well, but the smirk does not leave his lips. He raises our hands in the air, just as a few of the other chariots do.  What the hell did that nod mean? And why does he always look at me with such intrigue and curiosity? 

I don't understand. 

The chariots begin to roll back the way we came, and I just feel relieved that I no longer have to be under the eyes of President Snow. Now his eyes are on Katniss. 

If President Snow ever figures out our plan to protect her then we're all dead. Well, we may already be dead anyway given the situation. 

I wish it were simpler. Just protect Finnick and me. 

But I can't do that because I have to protect her now. For the sake of Panem. 

"How ya feeling, Blue?" Finnick asks me with a grin on his face,  "I feel like I'm re-living the past," I mutter as if I didn't already have enough PTSD from the first time around. 

"I can assure you that most of the people here are much more afraid of you than you are of them,"  "I'm always afraid," I whisper as the chariots come to a slow stop.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That evening Haymitch Abernathy brings us into a secluded room with a few other victors that I recognize.  Finnick sits beside me, raising an eyebrow toward me about why we're here.

There are about 10 or 12 people in here, not including Haymitch.  "It's no question that Katniss has inspired everyone in the districts," he says and I ask, 

"What does that have to do with us?"  "There's a revolution against the Capitol coming. Katniss is going to be the leader. The Mockingjay. Plutarch Heavensbee is also in on it, but if you're here it means I need you to keep Katniss alive," 

"Why should we risk our lives to protect her? Especially while we're already saving our own asses in the arena," Finnick asks,  "Because this is bigger than the Games, but we need Katniss. I need you to be her allies to get her out of there," Haymitch says, and I nod while pondering it over. 

It's true that things are changing across Panem, especially because of Katniss. 

"So what? We befriend her in the arena? What then?"  "Heavensbee and I have a plan to get her out when necessary, but you can't let her know or discuss the plan outside of this room," Haymitch argues and I nod. 

"Well, I'm in," I say,  "Sirena," Finnick argues,  "We need this. Panem needs her," I argue and he sighs, 

"Well if Nighthart's in then I'm in," He says and it makes my stomach flip just a little to hear him say that. 

Everyone else in the room eventually agrees to help Katniss, it's ironic that she doesn't even know we're all willing to risk our lives for her.

We all know what's been coming for years now, and we know that Panem needs the Mockingjay to overthrow The Capitol. 

We leave the room a bit after that, knowing that this Quarter Quell is now much bigger than ourselves.  As we walk back to the tribute village, I notice an unusual number of guards around the floor where Finnick and I are staying. 

"Oh God," I whisper, knowing all too well what this is going to mean.  As we arrive at the main room Finnick still has a smirk plastered on his face, but it doesn't reach his eyes. 

"President Snow," I say with a smile, making sure that it does reach my eyes,  The menacing man sits at the table in the middle of the room, simply enjoying a glass of wine. Guards stand around him all over the room, 

"Finnick Odair. Miss Nighthart," He says,  "What brings you here?" Finnick asks charmingly,  "I wanted to speak to Miss Nighthart, privately," He says, sipping his drink. 

Finnick stands slightly in front of me, unmoving, 

His face would never show it, but I can tell how tense his body is now.

Not wanting to leave the room...aka leave me.  

"Of course, President Snow," I say kindly, putting my hand on Finnick's arm for just a moment.  "Well I'll be right upstairs, then," He says, giving me a reassuring nod while hesitantly walking away. 

I take a heavy breath and sit down across from President Snow.

[wittyminds]

Requests are open

I'm a new writer here and really want to start creating stories so if you have any requests i'll do my best!

Characters i'll do:

Remus Lupin, James Potter, Regulus Black

Steve Harrington

Eddie Roundtree/Loving

Steven Meeks, Charlie Dalton, Neil Perry, Knox Overstreet

Finnick Odair, Peeta Mellark

Chandler Bing, Joey Tribbiani

Bradley Bradshaw

George Weasley, Ron Weasley, Newt Scamander

Jess Mariano

JJ Maybank

Nikolai Lantsov

Bucky Barnes, Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield/Tom Holland)

What i wont write

Inappropriate relationships

[geekbetweenthelines]

What is your favorite Finnick scene? 🔱 We discuss him finally entering the story in our episode on Chapter 15 of #CatchingFire! We talk about everything from his iconic opening line (art by @artbyjuliajm) to questions about his diet and if it's monitored by the Capitol.

In the episode, we also explore tribute age gaps, Johanna Mason, Darius as an Avox, Cinna channeling his emotions into his work, and much more!

👉 Listen on your podcast app, via our biolink, or at: bit.ly/catching-fire-podcast.

💬 What is your favorite scene with #FinnickOdair in Catching Fire?

📷 Image is fanart by Julia JM. The drawing is of Finnick Odair leaning toward Katniss Everdeen, with the text “Sugar cubes?” Finnick is wearing only a fishing net and Katniss is in her glowing ember jumpsuit and crown for the Opening Ceremony in Catching Fire. Source: https://juliajm15.tumblr.com/image/43104465605

[lemonluvgirl]

Guy Talk Part 3

Peeta: *in a slightly drunk and slurring voice* I have to  make sure she’s thoroughly stuffed at least THREE times before bed or else I’m in BIG tr-trouble.

Finnick: No way! Three times a night? Every night? 

Gale: Bullshit! 

Peeta: For real! Sometimes, she wakes me up in the middle of the night for more and---jeez---by morning I’m dragging! By midday I’m exhausted! I think I’m operating mostly on naps at this point. 

Finnick: Wow, I hear you dude. I mean when Annie was pregnant she got pretty demanding--

Gale: *looking at Finnick* Please tell me you are not buying this!

Peeta: *giving Gale the stink eye* What? You think I can’t keep up with what my wife wants? 

Gale: Its not that, its just if you’re up all night stuffing her, how do you get up so early to make the bread in the morning?

Peeta: I mean, I just get up and do it. It's my job. Sometimes if I’ll do prep work for the next day if I’m up late so I can sleep a little longer before I have to open the shop. 

Finnick: Man, Peeta, that’s dedication to your wife and your work. 

Peeta: *nods humbly* Yeah, I mean who am I to deny Katniss her cheesebuns at 3am? I mean, she’s carrying my baby! She can have all the fresh pastries she wants!

Gale and Finnick look at each other for a second and then burst out laughing. 

Gale: I knew it sounded too fantastic to be true. 

Finnick: *wiping tears of laughter from his eyes* 

Peeta: *oblivious* And to make matters worse, ever since Katniss hit her second trimester she’s been after me like a dog with a bone. If she doesn’t want me baking for her, she wants me naked and--

Peeta: *turns bright red and shuts up, looking around guiltily at his friends* Forget I said that! You guys weren’t supposed to hear that part!

Gale groans and Finnick bursts out laughing anew. 

Peeta: I’m serious! You can’t ever repeat that! Katniss will kill me! 

Finnick: *puts his arm around Peeta’s shoulder* You’re secret’s safe with us man. 

Gale: *grunts and hands Peeta another beer sympathetically* 

Peeta: Thanks. I’m so lucky to have you guys. 

[anonymitywriterprescott]

I wanna practice writing full stories. I'm gonna work on posting some of them soon but you can also send me recommendations or inspiration.

(grammar and quality are not guaranteed)

What I'm willing to write:

• Fanfics about characters I'm familiar with (I'll edit to add more over time) • Hunger games • Stranger things • Scream Franchise • Buffy the vampire slayer • Doctor who • Supernatural • Marvel • Bones • and more, just ask

• About characters above the age of 18 (if romance or sexual situations is involved)

• Xreaders of any gender

• Headcanons and AUs

• No name characters for the sake of pure story prompt (example: My old story please keep in mind I wrote this 6 years ago and hopefully I've grown since then)

• Oc characters: a bit more difficult so I'd prefer either lots of details in the ask or to dm me so I can ask questions

• Lgbt, Poc, Disabilities, and more, I am lgbt and disabled, but if its about a group I am not apart of I will do the research I can to make sure its accurate, not stereotyping, not offensive, etc

• Non romance based stories

• Kink/kinkish dynamics, yes no smut but that doesn't mean no knives or leashes

• Polyamory

Things I won't write:

• Currently I don't want to write smut, I'm not confident in my ability to write about it so I want to practice writing in general before diving into that

• Gore, I will never write full gore, the sweet spot is between the Saw franchise (which I genuinely cannot watch) and the Scream franchise

• Pregnancy

•Real people, even if they have specified they are comfortable with it, I am not

• Underage characters in inappropriate situations

• Incest

• SA

• Bigotry of any sort

• Overall anything I consider immoral (just incase I haven't listed it)

Other notes:

• I am up for criticism at this time as long as its in good faith

• I would like to write about characters/concepts that don't get written about often enough or are underrated

• If your ask, prompt or request is vague then I will run with it, if you want to specify in the future I can make a new version of it (I don't mind rewriting things because this is so I can practice writing but also practice posting publicly and accepting public opinion)

• If I decide to delete any stories, and if my reason for deletion isn't moral, I will give fair warning and you can message so I can send it to you privately if you wish

• I will attempt to update any future multi-part series as much as can but I do have job irl and I tend to do projects like this in spurts

• If I'm start being proud of any specific stories I will cross post them, I will have them linked here so no one thinks I'm stealing my own writing, but if they are posted on accounts not linked here then thats not me and please let me know

If I forgot anything I will edit to add, last updated 02/03/2024

[ohwarnette]

long live or all too well for the t swift ask?

omg i!! was!!!! screaming!!! long live!!! all!!! the!! magic!!! we!! made!!!!!

send me two taylor swift songs and i’ll tell you which one i prefer

[comehomeducklings]

ミ★ ᴀᴍʙɪᴛɪᴏᴜꜱ ᴀꜱᴄᴇɴᴛ ᴍᴀꜱᴛᴇʀʟɪꜱᴛ ★彡

Pairing: Coriolanus Snow x capitol!OC

Summary: Seraphina Phoenix shares Snow's ambitious nature and determination to rise within Capitol society. Their shared drive creates a mutual respect that slowly transforms into an unexpected romance, complicating their goals and loyalties.

✰ Prologue: Nice To Meet You

✰ Chapter 1: Coming soon

[nix-rose]

Rocket's Little Girl ii

Phoenix flung her curtains open gazing out to see- 

A brick wall. Yeah, her hotel room wasn't the best but it was Day 22 on this interesting little planet and also the day that she had set as her birthday. 

There were always markets going on in this area. Maybe she should go to socialize a little bit to treat herself. 

Self care is good, she thought silently

 Recently the young woman had been so wrapped up in moving from place to place, she hadn't done any exploring in this little run down town.

Well, no time like the present, she thought to herself, feeling excited for the day. 

After grabbing her key card and her translator, Phoenix left the room wiggling the earpiece on and  stuffing her key into her small backpack.

Before she left the lobby she turned to the person working behind the counter.

“Excuse me, are there any exciting places to go around here?” 

The being glanced up at her. The only way to describe the look they gave her was incredulous. 

“There's a couple of bars down the way. 'Herjard' and 'Drinks, Drink, Drunk'. If you’re looking for something a bit more lively there's a market downtown.“ 

Phoenix grinned thankfully. “Perfect! I really appreciate it.” 

The response she got was a mere grunt. 

Phoenix pushed her way through the door, into the busy street. 

The hustle and bustle of the city hit Phoenix like a train. 

The blunt force of the horns honking, people yelling, and strange smells made Phoenix's head spin. Taking her breath away as she turned left and hoped she was going the right way. There were no signs so Phoenix decided to wander until she wanted to ask for more explicit directions.

The mix of old and new architecture fascinated the young woman. She ran her hand over the uneven stones that she supposed were to resemble bricks. They were cold and rough, the next building was different. Newer. Its walls seemed to be made of a smoother material. Phoenix paused at one of the mirrored walls, fixing her outfit. It was one of her favorites and oh so comfy. Green is a good color on me, she decided with a smile as she turned back to the sidewalk.

The breeze was stagnant and full of dust, although Phoenix was quite sure she could smell some sort of food being cooked. 

The sunlight was warm and glittered off of the large buildings, creating a soft light in certain areas. It put a hazy glow on her surroundings. 

Soon enough the woman stumbled upon 'Herjard'. It was a bit run down, a couple of window shutters could definitely be replaced and the stairs could really use a touch up but Phoenix heard a lively tune from inside and followed her gut. 

Pushing open the doors, Phoenix saw that the interior was no different from the exterior. A couple of walls looked too old to be standing and the ceiling seemed to be caving just slightly but no one seemed worried by any of it. Some people were sitting at the bar and some were sitting at the few tables scattered around the room, none seemed very tipsy and quite a few were on the dancefloor spinning to the music the jolly fiddler was creating. 

Phoenix let out a chuckle and made her way to a less populated area of the bar. 

With a small sigh the young woman settled into her booth, her seat seemed as if it had been cushy at one point and the table held carvings of initials, dents, and what seemed to be various stab marks. Phoenix ran her fingers over the wooden surface. The texture was soothing to the woman and she quietly continued her pastime, enjoying watching the spinning dancers.

"Whatch'a want, hon'?" A voice startled Phoenix out of her staring. "Or are you jus' living vicariously?" 

“Oh,” Phoenix glanced to her menu, not really looking over the options. “I think I'll just get a water. Thank you.” 

“S’no problem, I'll be out with that in jus’ a little bit.” And with that the woman turned back to the bar and soon disappeared into the back room.

Not too long after the small exchange, the song ended and the fiddler, along with the people who were dancing, went to the bar to have a break. 

The quiet murmur of voices created a white noise which put Phoenix on edge, the change was too abrupt for the woman. Too sudden. Nothing to listen to. Just her head creating its own world of what could happen. A distant shout tore Phoenix from her fantasy, she brought her guard up. Eyes flashing around the room. 

Raised voices could be heard but Phoenix couldn't pinpoint from where. A slight sense of dread filled her gut as she heard a loud bang from below. People soon became a little restless around her as footsteps grew louder around her feet.

She shifted uncomfortably in her seat and glanced around. Maybe this is normal…? she thought to herself. A few individuals looked just as confused as she was. Good. Or bad. A loud yell from below then alerted more people to the unknown guests. The bustling bar then began to grow just a tad quieter.

Without even realizing it, she stood, her feet making a way for the door before she even blinked. Seconds after she left her seat a crash below sent the entire room into a state of frozen panic. Something in her head seemed to shift. The thought that they might be coming for her crossed her mind. Phoenix couldn’t help it, she knew it wasn’t the case… they couldn’t have found her. Rocket had helped her escape them…but Rocket was gone now.

Phoenix had to gulp and shake her head to try and focus. It’s just some random fight, just some random fight… 

“Just some random fight,“ Phoenix whispered to herself. After which, she felt her lungs burn. She wasn’t breathing. Phoenix had to get out of here. Forcing a deep breath, Phoenix turned back for the door, as multiple other people began to stand from their seats. Not a moment later, the whole floor shook next, then a loud amount of crashing and shaking filled the whole room.

People started yelling in the bar and scurrying out, but Phoenix just stared at the door. Her body refused to move, instead her hands instinctively went to the knife on her side. Seconds before she was aiming to leave for the door, now her body was betraying her. Keeping still means death. Keeping quiet means death.

Why wasn’t she moving? 

Why was everything so distant? 

Why was it so loud?

A scream cut through Phoenix’s head, and behind her the floor burst open. They were here. They found her. Tears pricked her eyes as she whirled around and launched herself at the nearest man with a weapon, letting out an ear piercing scream. It honestly might have not been her screaming, but she couldn't tell. All Phoenix knew was that she couldn't see, she couldn't breathe.

She was panicking, the walls were closing in, all she could do was blindly rip open the man in front of her with the blade she clutched like a lifeline. There were voices, the dust was thinning, Phoenix’s heart was racing, she was there again. The screams, the yells, it was all too much. Flickers of lights. Flickers of burning sun in the ceiling. Her hands felt warm and fuzzy. Warm and fuzzy.  

Phoenix stared down at the bloodied body and the red staining her hands. The fuzzy feeling made her want to puke. The blood made her once again see the blood on Rocket's back. The blood from her recent stitches that would rip apart. She was ripping apart. They were going to rip her apart. 

A person stumbled into the corner of her vision, and her head whipped around, launching at the person. The knife dug into the man’s shoulder as Phoenix started to lose every thought of her present state. 

“I CAN’T GO BACK!!” her voice cracked, immediately making her throat burn. All she could see was dust, flickering and flashing lights, and the blood on her hands. She only could hear distant yells, and the pained foreign words of the man in front of her. All Phoenix felt was warmth, and yet she trembled like she was freezing. 

A few seconds later, Phoenix stood over another limp body, her own hands shaking. At this point her vision was gone, she could just barely comprehend that blood had dripped into her eyes. With an ever so delicate shaking hand, she wiped away a stream of tears, readjusting the grip on her knife. Then she saw the form of a fuzzy figure. Something about that made her snap. Her body seemed to float, and feel weighed by a thousand planet’s gravity. 

Voices drifted around her slipping in and out through her ears. Strangers' muffled tones made her stumble to look around. They were going to open her up again. They were right there. She lunged for the closest person to her, and the knife dug into the woman’s arm. A scream, a yell, and a stinging in phoenix’s cheek were the only things that truly registered. Phoenix wrestled for her own life, only for a voice to cut through the haze. 

“-it’s not one of them, kid! You are in a bad smelling bar, surrounded by worse smelling people,“ the gruff voice quickly spoke. The voice. His voice. 

Phoenix dared to blink, her movements freezing, and the woman below her also began to cease. “That’s it, kid,“ said the voice in breathless relief. 

“We aren't there, we got out. You're on this weird happy planet. You're safe,” he continued. Phoenix felt the air become stuffy and smell like alcohol and iron. A huff was heard but Phoenix could barely comprehend who it came from, she didn’t dare look anywhere but the knife in her hand. 

“I am Groot.”

“Yeah I know what I'm doing, ya idiot.” 

Phoenix’s heart slowed. With a hard blink, she sat back, the woman below her getting up. 

“I- I'm so sorry..” Phoenix gasped. "I swear- I- oh my gosh.. " 

People huddled away from the young woman in fear. None of them would make eye contact, scared that if they did she would go feral again.

"You didn't mean to. It was an accidental kinda thing." 

He spoke again, taking the attention off of the other beings, who were quickly making their way out of the bar. 

Phoenix looked at the owner of the voice, it had been so long…

There was no way…part of her said, but it is him. Her other side assured.

Only one being that she remembered ever talked to her that way. 

"Rocket?" 

The furry being took a slow step forwards, so as to not frighten her again.

"Yea. It's me, kid, " he breathed out.

Phoenix felt her eyes tearing up, a waterfall of emotion cascading out as if a mental dam had been broken. She reached out in an unspoken question and she grabbed the creature in front of her in a rib crushing embrace. 

Phoenix could feel the texture of his fur mixed with the metal embedded in his skeletal system. The smell of grease and dirt mixed in a soothing manner. The way he tensed but melted into the hug as if he fell asleep. Everything was once again right in the world. It was like everything she feared melted away the second she felt little furry claws hold onto her. 

"I missed you," she whispered, almost worried that if she talked any louder, he would disappear. 

“I missed you too, kid," he whispered back, echoing her own tone. 

Phoenix could stay like this for eternity, never letting go again. All too soon a cough came from behind Rocket, that broke the two apart. 

"Kay, Rocket. Dude. This seems important and I feel very uncomfortable right now." 

Phoenix's head shot up as she let go of her old friend, she hadn't noticed Rocket's companions.

"Oh my god, Quill. Shut up." Rocket snapped at the tall man. 

Phoenix tuned-out the bickering and glanced down to her hands. The knife still rested on the floor beside her. Blood and dirt covered her forearms, hands and even her torso. 

It was a disturbing image that  made her stomach churn. She had ruined her attempt at a normal day and injured multiple beings. 

"Oh my gosh I attacked someone-" she rubbed her hands on the floor aggressively to get rid of the blood but her panicking was cut short when she heard her name being called. 

"Kid, stop that. Kay? We'll get ya some other clothes as soon as possible. I feel like I'm forgetting somethin'." He turned to Groot, one of his ears was twitching with annoyance. 

"I am Groot." 

"Oh! Yeah. Introducing the idiots. Blondie is Thor,"  Rocket nodded at the woman's confused expression "Yea, he's the actual god of lightnin' or something like that. Now, that jacka-"

 A scoff cut off the raccoon. Phoenix looked to the man who Rocket had gestured to. 

"The name is Peter Quill, princess. But you can call me Star-Lord. And what's your name?"

Quill stepped forwards and offered her his hand. Phoenix drew back at his outgoing attitude. Didn't he just watch me kill three people…? She asked herself, confused as to why this man would want to know her. He was very nice on the eyes, of course he wasn't the god of lighting but his smile held a boy-ish element that drew her in. 

By the time all this had gone through her head, she realized an awkward amount of time had passed since his question. 

"Uhm, I'm Phoenix.." she stuttered out. She hoped that she wasn't as red as she felt. Thankfully Rocket saw her struggling with the interaction and quickly stepped in between the two.

"Muscle guy. Drax. Metaphors are gonna go right over his head. Completely literal."

Phoenix nodded to the last male being as Rocket introduced him.

"There's only one girl and she's got some kinda mindreader thing but with feelings, I guess. Her name is Mantis. "

Phoenix gave a little wave to the other woman and thankfully the empath, who didn't seem overly worried about Phoenix, waved back. 

"I am Groot!" 

The woman smiled at the Flora Colossus. He was smaller than when she last saw him but it was the same Groot she used to know. 

"I missed you too, Groot. You've gotten… younger..?" Phoenix questioned, unsure how such a thing could happen. 

"I am Groot, I am groot. I am Groot." Groot explained excitedly.

A small giggle escaped the woman. "So you're the reason the galaxy is safe right now?"

The small tree nodded, his chest puffed up. 

"Well, I believe it. Rocket always got into big problems with ease. And it looks like you've picked up quite the circus."

Rocket rolled his eyes. “Whatever kid, you're just as much trouble. D'you remember planet 429?" He grinned wolfishly at the woman's horrified expression.

Phoenix stood up at this comment and pointed an accusing finger at her furry friend. 

"Listen up, fuzzy, we agreed to never speak of that. Ever." 

"I am groot!" 

Rocket cackled while the woman glared at Groot "See? Even Groot agrees." 

Phoenix rolled her eyes with a grin on her face. She missed this banter. "Whatever." 

"I am done with this. Why are we still here?" Drax grumbled loudly. "I am all out of chips. Mantis ate them all. "

Mantis looked at Drax indignantly. "I did not! It was pEteR! I don't even like the type of things those are!"

Rocket sighed at the group.

Drax glared over at the leather-wearing man. 

"What?" Peter whined "I was hungry, dude!" 

Phoenix chuckled at this. She didn't fully trust the group but they were with Rocket and Groot, and quite hilarious 

 She was startled by a hand on her shoulder. It was Groot again. 

"I am Groot."

Phoenix paused. It wasn't a difficult choice, she would love to go to their ship but would they want her?

"Yeah, um, if that's okay, Groot." 

Rocket let out a noise in-between a grunt and a scoff. 

"Of course it's good. I thought we already established that you were gonna spend the day with us." 

Phoenix grinned at the raccoon as Groot led her out of the bar. 

"I sure hope this works out.."

When the group had made it to their ship, each being had gone to their respective rooms and ater getting the woman a change of clothes, Rocket took Phoenix to the main area.

He then explained how his group had crashed on this planet after they forgot to make a pitstop for gas and how the crew was now looking for little jobs here and there and how they were the Guardians of the Galaxy. 

“I got somethin’ I need to work on in the engine room and it gets hot as heck in there so you're welcome to check out everywhere else here on the ship,” he stated, hopping off of his chair. “It's good to have you back, Kid. ” 

A small smile spread across the woman’s face. “It's good to be back,” she admitted. 

Rocket padded out the door, but not before Phoenix caught a toothy grin spread across his furry face.

“Oh, yeah!” He stuck his head back in the room, “There's another person here, Nebula. She's a real charmer. Don't piss her off. And stay away from Quill. And if you need anythin’ let me know.” 

The woman chuckled quietly, the racoon was never one for being sentimental. 

A few minutes passed.

Being alone now, Phoenix’s eyes swept over the messy room. 

There was a layer of grime on many of the pipes. It also covered the walls and she didn't even look at the floors. The smell of alcohol and engine grease were the only smells she could distinguish. 

Makes sense, it’s mostly a bunch of guys living on one small ship. Of course it was a disaster. She snorted to herself.

Peeking out of the room she could hear a clunking and beeping coming from far below her feet. Taking a breath, she stepped into the hallway. The ship wasn't as stuffy as she expected, cold oxygen filled her lungs. But the hallways were dark and small, putting her on edge slightly.

“Yeah, I'll just stick in here.” Phoenix mumbled to herself, not wanting to have a second episode today. 

Turning back to the cockpit, the woman stepped back to the windows. Unfortunately, because of her unawareness she didn't see the divot on the floor until it was too late. 

Her ungraceful flailing resulted in a loud crash that rang through the ship, jarring her head and making her bite the tip of her tongue. 

Phoenix winced at the flaring pain in her joints and mouth. 

"I hope no one heard that," she muttered tersely at her ignorant exploration.  Slowly standing up and rubbing her knees and elbows trying to soothe the sting, she kicked at the divot. As if to get payback on the inanimate object. 

Looking around once more, she noticed a stack of crates along the wall next to her crash landing area, a flash of orange deep within caught her eye.

Crouching down, Phoenix placed her hand on the side of the bin. The metal chilled her scarred fingers. Despite how warm it was in the room, the woman felt a shiver run down her spine. 

The orange object was hidden away under quite a bit of rubble. But soon enough, after moving the countless batteries, blasters, and miscellaneous out of the way, she could safely pull out the strange contraption. 

It was some sort of foam piece attached to a few wires, the wires seemed to be buried deeper beneath more junk so, Phoenix kept digging. Her interest grew with every piece of trash moved from the crate.

Reaching her treasure she pulled out a blue box with buttons. 

She sounded out the word, tracing her fingers over the letters printed by the little window.

“Saw-ney?” she sounded out, silently wondering how to pronounce the strange word. 

"Actually, it's Sony. But good try." A voice from the doorway made the woman jump and drop the box on her lap. 

Phoenix whipped her head around to see Quill leaning against the frame staring at her, she felt as if she had been caught doing something she shouldn't be doing. Until she realized he had spoken to her and was expecting a response.

"Right, thank you, Quill." She bowed her head, hoping the man might go away. 

Incoming footsteps shot that wish right out of the sky. Phoenix stayed completely silent as Quill sat down next to her.

"So, d'you know how to use that? " 

The woman looked at the leather-clad space pirate in confusion. "Not really?" She said it as more of a question than an answer. 

The man laughed. It wasn't a loud guffaw, it was warm and caring and Phoenix found herself becoming more and more entranced by it. 

 "Well, if you want?" Quill was looking at her expectantly.

 Crap. What did he say, she thought wildly. She had gotten too lost in the sound of his voice to notice that he had been talking to her. 

"Oh, um. I- sorry. Well, that sounds interesting… " 

Quill's grin made her feel as if there were a hundred butterflies in her stomach but that wasn't the weirdest part. 

The weirdest part was that she actually enjoyed them. That was, until, Quill breached into her personal space, she yanked her arm back ready to punch him while backing up in alarm.

……

Peter could tell the woman hadn't been paying full attention when he was talking, most women didn't and he was okay with that. 

Unfortunately, this chick could kill at least three people in a matter of fifteen seconds and she now was very ready to make that list four, it seemed.

"WOAH, Listen!" Peter put his hands up, surrendering to not escalate the situation. "I'm not gonna hurt you, okay? I'm just showing you what these do." 

He saw Phoenix's eyes flashing between him and the headphones 

"Just put your hand down. I'm not in any condition to attack you sitting on the floor here anyways. Actually-" Peter put the headphones in front of Phoenix. "You can put those on yourself." 

Lowering the clenched fist, the woman glanced down at the speakers in suspicion,   

"What do they do exactly?"

Peter stared at the brunette in disbelief. "They're headphones. You listen with 'em…  Aren't you from Terra? "

The woman scoffed. "I'm no longer from anywhere. I live where I chose, Quill." 

Peter rolled his eyes. God, are all Terran women this full of sass? he quipped internally.

"Listen, just put the dang headphones on so I can show you the coolest thing literally ever."  Quill ordered, thrusting the headphones onto Phoenix's lap. 

He grabbed his walkman and opened it up checking which one of his tapes were in.

 Awesome Mix Vol. 1

Perfect. She looks like she'll know these. He thought giddily. 

It had been quite a bit of time since he met someone who appreciated music like he did and finally popping the tape in, he turned to Phoenix. 

"You ready?" he asked, his eyes sparkling with joy.

……..

She held the headphones on her ears waiting for whatever it was Quill was going to do. 

A quiet melody drifted through her ears before gaining volume and quickening its tempo. 

'Listen baby, ain't no mountain high, ain't no valley low, ain't no river wide enough baby-'

Phoenix's eyes widened with excitement, she knew this song. She had no idea how, but it was familiar. Every note was perfectly sung, the horns were surrounding her, the crash of the symbols gave her chills. She couldn't remember the words but the melody was embedded in her brain like concrete. The world slipped away, the smelly ship, the leather-clad man in front of her, even the sunlight through the window felt different as the song played. 

Humming along quietly, the woman had forgotten that she wasn't alone and soon enough was brought back to reality. Glancing up, obviously embarrassed that she had completely spaced out

Phoenix's eyes caught Quill's and a small smile graced his face in response. She slowly removed the headphones.

"So…?" The leather-clad man asked expectantly, as if daring her to say something against the song. 

Phoenix let out a genuine chuckle "I really loved that song way back. I don't remember why exactly. But thank you for sharing with me, Quill." 

"Aw! Hell yeah. It's a classic. Of course I would show it to you! You're the only other human I've met for quite a long time out here-" Quill rambled on animatedly, waving his hands around for extra effects. 

Phoenix couldn't help but be taken back at his openness. She was never that open with others and others were never that open with her. It wasn't an issue, it was her lifestyle. She would repeat to herself. But then here came this music loving space man who completely turned her day upside-down. 

Phoenix chewed the inside of her lip lost in thought.

A snap in front of her face bright her back to reality. 

"So, spacing out seems to be a thing for you." Quill smirked at her rosy cheeks.

Phoenix fiddled with the headphones in front of her, setting them to the side she replied slowly

"Sorry… I'm honestly not used to having long conversations with anyone really. It can be a waste of time with a lot of people…" Phoenix looked down at her lap self-consciously. Playing with the hem of her shirt, her head was panicking. 

Why did I say that… I shouldn't have said that.. He probably thinks I'm talking about him…

Quill got strangely quiet at her proclamation. He placed the walkman by his side and straightened his posture. “It's not a waste of time. Everyone needs somebody." He stated firmly. Although his expression told a different story. It was almost as if he agreed with her. 

Phoenix felt extremely guilty at this, she obviously brought up something he would rather not talk about and she barely knew the guy. 

The atmosphere felt awkwardly quiet now. Phoenix fumbled with the headphones before setting them in front of Quill. He took them and messed with the contraption before opening his mouth. 

But instead of Quill's cocky tone, a deep, sonorous voice cut off the leather-clad man. 

“Oh! I do hope I'm not interrupting anything.” Thor chuckled, stepping into the room. 

Phoenix breathed out a sigh of relief at the god's arrival. Hopefully she could find an excuse to get out of this embarrassing encounter. 

“Nope, yeah. No. Of course not,” the woman rambled while stumbling to her feet. 

Quill was still silent, as he stood he seemed to be weighed down. The change in personality was a complete difference, like day and night. 

“Quail, I think the Rabbit is in need of assistance.” Thor announced while 'Quail' rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, well. First off, it's Quill. And second, did he ask for help?” Phoenix could feel the opposite energies from the men clashing like oil and water. 

“Yes, that's what I said. And of course! That's why I came to find you!” The god's cheer-y attitude seemed to agitate Quill even more and he stormed out of the room muttering curses under his breath. 

Phoenix let out the breath of air she was holding and fiddled with the hem of her shirt. The god kept walking to the windows of the cockpit and slumped down in one of the seats. 

“I hope he wasn’t making you uncomfortable, ah, feel free to take a seat,” he motioned to the seat across the aisle. 

“Thank you.” She quickly sat in the squishy leather seat. “No, I think I just said the wrong thing. He was being quite nice. ”

Thor gave the woman a look of concern, before hunching forwards to rest his elbow on his knees. He took a deep breath and slowly let it out.

“Don't judge Quill too quickly, he lost a great deal and-...You do know about Thanos and the saving the world thing..?” he questioned tentatively.

Phoenix shook her head, confused at his hesitant tone. She hasn't heard of her old planet needing saving. “What's a Thanos? When was Terra or in danger?” 

Thor froze, she could see the gears turning in his head. Maybe trying to find a way to explain? she thought to herself. 

“Where to start… ” the god mumbled under his breath. “Well, a huge purple guy came down to earth and he had these powerful stones, super powerful, and all together he could erase half of all living things. He wanted to balance the universe and he did, he beat all of us and some lost more than others“ He took a breath, it seemed he was trying to keep control of his emotions which made Phoenix's heart ache, this poor man had lost a lot more than what he let on. She was sure of it. 

“Everyone who was dusted came back in the end though. Those who didn't come back were killed by Thanos himself. Quill lost his partner, the earth lost three of its mightiest heroes, I lost my brother, and Nebula lost her sister.” Thor had his head ducked to hide, what Phoenix assumed were, unfallen tears. The thought of these kind people losing so much made her eyes water, she sniffled slightly which seemed to remind Thor of what he was doing and he quickly wiped his eyes and straightened up.

 “So! You know, a few people are gone but we're learning to live with it. They will always be here in our hearts.” He ended with a saddened tone, a tone that betrayed the loss and grief he had gone through. 

The man was in such a vulnerable state that Phoenix couldn't help but reach out to place a hand on his shoulder. The amount of emotion swirling through Phoenix's heart was overwhelming. She hurt for this man, she barely knew him but he immediately broke down her walls and was crying with her within hours of them meeting. 

She knew what it was like to be alone, to wish someone were still there. How that heavy feeling pulls oneself down till you can't even imagine what happiness feels like. 

“I'm so sorry,” she whispered, placing her hands in her lap. “I have an idea of what you're feeling and I know it's draining and hollowing but it gets better. ” 

Thor looked at her, with a bittersweet smile “Thank you. I'm sure it will. I'm sorry that you've had to bear the same weight. ” 

Phoenix let out a small smile, before turning to the windows in front of them. “Thank you.”

The two sat in silence for a few minutes, staring out the windshield at the planet in front of them. The dust and faint noise of the city was still noticeable through the glass.

The peaceful silence was broken by a question that made Phoenix tense. 

“Do you mind if I ask what happened to you? ”

She swallowed thickly. “I'd rather not talk about it. It's something I'd rather leave behind. I've been working on starting over again and thinking about it isn't going to make any changes in my life right now."

 “Of course, you shouldn't feel pressured for something like that,” he replied consolingly while nodding his head. 

Phoenix let out the breath she was holding. She felt at ease with this man. He was pleasant to talk to and was extremely welcoming.

Please God, higher power, source energy, whatever you want to be called. Please help me make this group work. I really would love to stay… 

[callmecherxe]

#VIPERWP

[maggie32432]

Prisoners - Finnick Odair Imagine (Part 3)

Finnick Odair and Sirena Nighthart both won their respective Hunger Games at age 14. Both from District 4. Finnick and Sirena both grow up in the Capitol, though keeping their distance from each other. What happens when both get reaped at the Quarter Quell for the 75th Hunger Games?

Third POV

A few floors above Finnick and Sirena are Peeta and Katniss.

This morning Haymitch Abernathy is taking the time to show Peeta and Katniss all the tributes that they will be facing. Tributes that he is all too familiar with. 

"Cashmere and Gloss. Brother and sister from District 1," he says while showing the pair of siblings on the screen. Both tall and extremely well-built for the Games.  "They won back-to-back Games. Capitol favorites, lots of sponsors, and will indeed be lethal," 

The screen switches to Brutus and Enobaria from District 2.  "What's with her teeth?" Katniss asks, referring to the sharpened teeth on the woman, 

"She had them filed into fangs so she could rip people's throats out," Haymitch says, increasing the nerves of both Peeta and Katniss. 

"District 3. Wiress and Beetee. Not fighters, but indeed brilliantly intelligent," Haymitch says, showing the two older tributes on the screen,  "He won his games by electrocuting six tributes at once," 

They both raise their eyebrows, impressed that anyone without fighting skills was capable of winning the games, 

"District 6. The morphlings. Basically, won their Games by hiding until everyone else was dead," Haymitch explains, "Self-medicating ever since. Which I applaud, but indeed not a threat," He says. 

The screen switches to reveal a blonde man with a white sweater on the screen, a smirk plastered on his face. Beside him is an intense-looking girl with bright blue hair and shocking blue eyes, she doesn't share the same smirk, but instead a serious look and sharp jawline.  "Finnick Odair and Sirena Nighthart, right?" Katniss asks, 

"Yes, both from District 4. Both won their respective back-to-back Games at age 14, being the youngest ever. They both are the Capitol darlings and are deeply loved here. Finnick is known to be extremely charming and smart. He and Sirena are both extremely skilled in combat, particularly in water," 

"What are their weaknesses?"  "None. That I currently know of," he says, making Katniss and Peeta both more nervous. 

Sirena's POV

I stand intensely still as about a dozen designers and make-up artists work on my face, hair, and costume for the tribute parade.  My dress is blue and quite ocean-y, which is always the goal for District 4. 

Lots and lots of sparkles on my nails, lips, and face. I also have this huge and heavy seashell crown on top of my head. 

I groan as my hair is yanked to be put up in a big dramatic braid. Blue and gold makeup is done on my face while I watch in the mirror, they do fish-scale-looking makeup on the sides of my face. My lipstick is also a vibrant blue and purple color. 

As it all comes together I do admit that I kinda look badass, and much cooler than I did the first time around.  I get guided by all sorts of people down to where the chariots are awaiting us.

Just before I enter the area Finnick walks over to me. 

His costume is insanely more simple than mine is. He has no shirt on and has a fishing net type of bottoms on.  I can't help myself but stare just a little bit at his bare chest.

Just a little.

"Hey, Blue," he says with a grin and I raise an eyebrow,  "C'mon if we're gonna be fighting for our lives together I may as well give you a nickname, right?" he asks and I smile just a little bit, 

together

"You look gorgeous, by the way," he grins and I roll my eyes,  "Flattery gets you nowhere, Odair,"  He smirks while taking my hand to walk into the main area. The hand holding is only a strategy at this point to get people to be on our side and adore us.

That's been the goal since we were 14 years old. 

On the way to our chariot, we say hello to dozens of people that we both know including some victors we will have to fight very very soon.

I continue to remind myself to put on a smile, at least for now. I've always been known to be much more soft-spoken than Finnick, so in some ways, I'm relying on him to strengthen allies for both of us. 

I look to my left to see Katniss Everdeen, and I gotta admit, she is pretty damn intimidating. "Should we go introduce ourselves?" Finnick asks me with a grin and I simply nod. 

He keeps holding my hand, which I appreciate.  "Katniss," I say and she turns to both of us walking over to her, 

"Sirena. Finnick." She says and Finnick asks,  "You want a sugar cube?" 

Where the hell did he find that?

"I mean they're supposed to be for the horses, but they got years to eat sugar, whereas you and I...well if we see something sweet, we better grab it," he says in his charismatic voice. 

Is that flirting? 

"No thanks. But I would love to borrow that outfit someday," Katniss says to him, and I smirk as does he.  "Well, you look pretty terrifying in that getup. What happened to the pretty little girl dresses?" he asks cockily, 

"I outgrew them,"  "You certainly did," he says with a grin, 

"Shame about the Quell thing. You could've made out like a bandit in The Capitol. Jewels, money, anything you wanted," He says,  "Well I don't like jewels and I have more money than I need, so... What do you both do with all your wealth, anyway?" she asks, 

"We don't deal in money," I say, speaking for the both of us,  "Then what riches do you have?"  "Secrets," I reply with a smile,  "What about you, Girl on Fire? Got any secrets worth my time?" He asks, stepping close to her, 

"I'm an open book. Everyone seems to know my secrets before I know them myself," She replies 

I like her 

"Unfortunately, I think that's true," he says, and he turns to see Peeta and Cinna walking over to us, 

"I'm sorry you had to cancel your wedding, I know how devastating that must be for you, " Finnick taunts, leading me to smile again.

We all are well aware of the fact that their love story is a complete sham, anyone trying to survive the Games would've done the same thing.