#mockingjay tv spots

[mrs-kmikaelson]

Our Song and Dance³

Pairing: Finnick Odair x reader Summary: You'd grown used to dancing the same dance over and over again, the victor's dance, but then you start dancing with Finnick Odair and you feel things you never thought you'd feel. So you let yourself enjoy the dance, even though you knew that every song inevitably came to an end. Warnings: long, exploitation of minors, mentions of forced prostitution, suicidal thoughts, implied torture, violence, complicated relationships, complex mental health issues, and i involve finnick more in everything Words: 8.1K

Masterlist | Part 4

a/n: switching it up, so this part is from finnick's pov. it's basically mockingjay one, then i'll do one more part for mockingjay 2. ly guys!

Finnick Odair was not sure that love existed. Or, at least he wasn’t. He could barely remember what his parents looked like, let alone if they loved each other. But he had Mags; she proved to him that love existed because he loved her. It was the falling in love that he was unsure about.

And then he met Annie Cresta and it was like he suddenly understood. Yes, this was what the poets were talking about. This was love. 

But they couldn’t be together.

He was being sold off all the time, taking countless visits to the Capitol. He couldn’t endanger her like that, let her get involved in the fucked up world he lived in. So he didn’t. He loved her from afar, knowing they’d never really be together.

He thought it’d end there, but then one night, he saw you. Maybe it was the alcohol or maybe it was all his own will, but he walked up to you. He’d seen you at these events before, back home, and on TV, but standing there so close to you, it was like it was just hitting him how beautiful you were.

You were a victor, too. But he realized just how alike you were when he watched as you left a hotel room, in the same state as him. After that, it was you who took a chance on him until he almost looked forward to coming to the Capitol, just to see you.

You weren’t Annie. You didn’t remind him of what poets had written. No, he couldn’t describe you or what you meant to him in just words. What he grew to feel for you over time wasn’t akin to anything he’d ever read. This was so much more than that.

He loved Annie, he always would, but being with you made him realize what it was like to be in love.

But he never told you this, never said any of it out loud out of fear that he’d lose you.

Now he lost you, anyway.

The doors to his hospital room opened. He knew it was Katniss, but he didn’t say anything, staring right at the ground in front of him.

If he looked hard enough, he could see your face.

“Finnick.”

He looked up from his feet, but still didn’t look at her. He already knew what she looked like, and it wasn’t much better than him.

She was mad at him. She’d barely spoken to him since they got to 13, but he knew that she couldn’t have been much more mad at him than he already was at himself.

His voice was quiet when he spoke. “I wanted to go back for them—for Peeta, and Johanna, and Y/N… but I- I couldn’t move.” He twiddled his fingers with the rope in his hands, wishing it was your hand he was holding, but he wasn’t. You weren’t there. He left you.

He finally looked up at Katniss. She looked both emotionless and so emotional at the same time, lifeless but alive. “I- I love her, y’know?” He looked back down at the knot he was tying, sniffling involuntarily.

He was trying to keep it together, but without you, that was like trying to fix a broken glass without any glue. 

You were the glue that held him together.

And now the Capitol had you.

The words left his lips without much thought. “I wish she was dead.” He chose to stare at a spot on the ground instead of looking at Katniss’ reaction. His chest tightened. “I wish they were all dead and we were, too.”

If they had died, then at least they wouldn’t have been going through this, having to live but feeling so dead, anyway.

Katniss was silent until he eventually heard her leave the room.

There were words she didn’t say that still floated around the room, agreement that she didn’t voice. She was just as broken as him, holding on for dear life. He hoped that she’d keep holding on.

He had to have hope. He had to have hope that he’d see you again, that this wasn’t all for nothing, that they could build a better world that you could both live in. He needed to hope.

That hope was the only thing that kept him holding on, too.

He was in the cafeteria, sitting next to Katniss and Annie when it happened. The fanfare started playing, Caesar Flickerman’s face coming to the screen. He scoffed, tuning out and looking back down at the food on his plate, swishing it around. Recently, it had been hard for him to work up an appetite.

He looked back up when Katniss grabbed his hand, hers trembling. He soon realized why.

It was Peeta, on the Capitol TV.

Katniss got up, walking to the TV and standing right in front of it, shocked. He would’ve gotten up and followed her, tried to console her, but it was as if he was paralyzed.

Peeta was on the TV.

And you were nowhere in sight.

He heard the conversation that had everyone on the edge of their seat through muffled ears. Peeta didn’t look exactly like himself, but he still looked like the golden boy Panem fell in love with. It was so obvious that the Capitol was using him, playing him like a puppet, but what confused him was that they were using him and not the much more powerful weapon they had in their arsenal.

You were the Princess of Panem. Plutarch and Coin knew that; that’s why they wanted you. Katniss could light a fire, but if they also had you, then together you could cause an explosion. If the Capitol wanted to sway public opinion, why wouldn’t they just use you, someone who the people trusted and adored?

Suddenly, his stomach fell.

If they weren’t using you, then it was because you weren’t in a condition to be shown to the public.

He felt a hand on his, turning his head to see it was Annie, looking at him with a sympathetic expression. As if she could hear his thoughts, the smallest of sad smiles grew on her lips.  “It’s gonna be okay, Finnick,” she whispered. “Everything’s going to be okay.”

How the tables had turned. Now it was her assuring him.

In that moment, he understood Annie like never before.

Because he wasn’t so sure she was right.

After Peeta’s interview, Finnick didn’t leave his room much. He’d lie in bed and stare up at the ceiling, pretending that you were there with him. He could withstand the silence if he had you by his side.

But now, the silence was deafening.

Sometimes, he didn’t hear a thing. Other times, your voice would fill the gaps, memories of you flashing before his eyes like a movie. Sometimes, they weren’t memories at all. Sometimes, he imagined a different life for you where you were both happy, in love.

And, sometimes, he imagined what they could’ve been doing to you in the Capitol.

Whenever these awake-nightmares got too vivid, he’d find Katniss and sit with her, knowing she must have been going through the same thing. It was what you would’ve done, what you did with him and Johanna.

You wouldn’t have wanted them to suffer alone.

The next time he was around everyone else, it was per Coin’s request. She announced to them all that Katniss agreed to be The Mockingjay and that, in return, she’d look for an opportunity to extract you, the victors that had been taken.

Katniss moved next to him. “Finnick, I made the deal for Y/N, too.”

It was like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Hope—this was hope.

“Good,” he said. For the first time since he left the arena, he smiled. “That’s good, Katniss.” A small chuckle left him.

Maybe he’d get a chance to make those dreams of his a reality.

With a newfound ardour, Finnick threw himself back into the ring instead of avoiding the fight like he had been, sitting in on meetings and doing whatever he could to make this work. He would see you again; he’d make sure of it. 

He went with the propo team to 8, watching as the Girl on Fire did exactly what they’d all been waiting for her to do. He wasn’t the only one that was hopeful—so were people in the districts, the people in 13.

They played her propo at the next assembly. The crowd cheered, but as he stood with The Mockingjay herself on the sidelines, she didn’t look so cheerful. Finnick understood this, he understood it well, but he couldn’t afford to think like that with your life hanging in the balance.

She shouldn’t have to either, he thought.

He leaned closer to her, quizzing, “You don’t like hearing a fight song at a funeral, huh?” She looked up at him almost in the same way she did when he made that joke in the arena. At the memory of your response, a small smile arose on his face. “The more people on our side, the closer we are to Peeta and Y/N,” he reminded her.

She nodded, muttering, “Yeah,” and then turning back to the crowd. She didn’t look so convinced, but he left it there, knowing she was coping with this in her own way.

If Katniss loved Peeta even half as much as he loved you, then he’d let her do whatever she felt comfortable with.

But at the end of the day, it was love that kept them both going.

The next time Peeta was on TV, it was a wake up call for everyone. He didn’t look so refined anymore, so clean. There were bags under his eyes. He looked like he hadn’t slept or eaten in days.

If this was what Peeta looked like and they still had him on TV, then what about you? 

A bile rose in his throat. He ran to the nearest trash can and threw up whatever they served that morning for breakfast, your face flashing underneath his eyelids. You weren’t smiling like in the dreams he had, but screaming.

He knew you weren’t dead, that the Capitol wouldn’t kill you, but when he pictured your face, you didn’t look so alive.

Oh, he wished he could’ve made you smile more. But in the world you lived in, sometimes it was too hard to even do that.

That’s why we’re doing this, he reminded himself. We’re trying to build a better world. But there were no words that Coin could say to shake the guilt he felt, guilt for leaving you, guilt for being the reason this happened to you. There was no band-aid he could put over this wound, no pills that could kill this pain.

But he had to push through it, and he couldn’t do that by sitting in his room by himself; every time he closed his eyes, he saw you. So he went to Katniss’ room, finding her in a position so similar to his own.

That was the man she loved on TV, even if she hadn’t come to terms with her feelings. She must have been just as guilty as him, if not more so. Finnick could remember a time when he rejected his feelings for you, too, scared of caring for somebody, scared of this happening.

He went through the Hunger Games and the Quarter Quell, being sold when he was only sixteen, but falling in love with you was the scariest thing he’d ever experienced.

If that’s how Katniss felt, then he didn’t want her to be alone, not when she reminded him so much of you.

So he sat next to her in silence, letting all of the words he wanted to say hang in the air, hoping that she heard them. They sat there wordlessly until Gale came in, telling them it was time to go, that they were going to 12.

It was only when he was about to leave that he finally spoke, deciding that these were words he had to make sure that she heard, words that he needed to hear, too.

“We’re gonna get them back, Katniss.” 

She looked at him, forming somewhat of a smile and nodding. After staring at her for a few seconds, he left the room, going to get ready.

She didn’t know it, but the entire hovercraft ride on the way to 12, he repeated those same exact words to himself over and over again.

We’re gonna get them back.

While nothing could really ease Finnick’s worries, seeing the people fight back certainly helped. The revolution was picking up traction. The videos they shot in 12 had moved people so much that they were willing to put themselves at risk, just out of hope for a better Panem.

If they could do that, then he could, too.

He wondered if you knew about any of this, if you were even aware of what was happening or if the Capitol was just keeping you in the dark. Did you know? Did you hear Katniss sing?

Did it remind you of him the same way it reminded him of you?

He had so many questions, and so little answers.

Rebels in district 5 bombed a hydroelectric dam, cutting power in the Capitol. Not long after, Peeta Mellark was back on TV, talking about it. He no longer even looked like himself. He didn’t look like a victor, but like someone who had lost.

But Finnick supposed that was what a victor was.

Beetee managed to get through the Capitol’s firewall, cutting Peeta off with Katniss’ propo. They watched as tears filled his eyes on screen.

That was the first time he looked like himself.

Are you, are you comin’ to the tree?

He faltered. “Katniss?”

Finnick watched as Katniss got closer to the screen, shaking her head. She saw it, too. She saw the man that went into that arena with them.

But then, like a victor would, his mask went back up so quickly. 

“The attack on the dam was a callous and inhuman act of destruction-”

Where a dead man called out for his love to flee.

Peeta inhaled shakily, his lips so slightly quivering. “Think about it,” he said. “How will this end? What will be left?” Finnick walked closer to the screen, like he was caught in a trance. Peeta’s previously calm façade had broken and was replaced with someone who looked stricken by panic. “No one can survive this. No one is safe now. Not here in the Capitol.” He shook his head. “Not in any of the districts.” 

He stopped, looking right into the camera as if he was staring into Katniss’ eyes. He may not have known it, but he was.

“They’re coming, Katniss. They’re gonna kill everyone.” They heard quick footsteps behind the camera as Peeta rushed to get his words out. “And in district 13 you’ll be dead by morning-”

Then the camera cut out.

Finnick didn’t know what to say, glancing over at Katniss to see her cupping her mouth in shock.

Haymitch was much more calm. With Katniss spinning out, he had to be. “He’s warning us. That was a warning.” Behind him, Boggs said something in agreement.

Katniss looked to have gotten over her shock, frantically turning and fretting, “We have to get him out before they kill him.” She was ignored.

What about you? he wondered. Where did this leave you? But right now, what they needed to worry about was where it left them.

Otherwise, you wouldn’t have anything to come home to.

“It’s time for an air raid drill.” Seconds after Coin spoke, an alarm went off. Everyone that’d been fixed to their spot in the room was up, like they’d been preparing for this for a lifetime, and from what he heard, they had been.

Katniss went running, searching for her sister while he went looking for Annie and Mags, grabbing them and descending down the stairwell as soon as he saw them. Adrenaline pumped through his veins, his mind blank, just as it was in the arena.

If he let his thoughts take control, then he’d lose it, and he couldn’t do that right now. He couldn’t slip up right now with what was at stake.

It was your life on the line.

He couldn’t lose you.

But a part of him knew that, the second you were in Snow’s hands, the you that he knew was lost forever.

Down in the bunker, Finnick sat on the bottom bunk with Mags off resting by herself while Annie had fallen asleep at the top. Sometimes, with her episodes, it was easy to forget that she was a victor, too, that she had danced the same dance you had. But she was, and she was dancing like never before.

He could tell that she had been trying hard to keep it together, but with all of the panic and the noise, it was hard. She fell asleep easily. 

Although the bunker was pretty quiet, his thoughts were still so loud. The last time he saw you played out in his head. He could still taste your lips on his, still feel your soft skin, still see your beautiful eyes.

I’ll see you at midnight?

Yeah, I’ll see you at midnight.

But he didn’t. He never saw you again. He would’ve never let you go if he’d known then what’d happen. He would’ve held you longer, kissed you longer. He would’ve told you he loved you.

If he’d known this’d happen, he would’ve told you long before The Games. The truth was, he couldn’t pinpoint exactly when he fell in love with you. It had always been Annie for him, and you were just there.

But that was exactly it. You were there. You were always there. 

Maybe he started falling for you after the first time you slept together. Maybe it was after your fifth time mentoring together. Maybe it was after the time he had a nightmare and you let him hold you. Maybe it was after you smiled, and really smiled, for the first time since you decided to start pretending to be a couple. He couldn’t be sure, but somewhere along the way, you became so much more to him than just Y/N Y/L/N, Princess of Panem and victor of the 67th Hunger Games.

You became the person he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

He just wished he could’ve told you that.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when someone walked up to him. “Hey.” He looked up, seeing Katniss. She looked beat, her voice quiet. “Can I sit?”

He nodded, moving over so she could sit next to him. She had her family down here, that’s why he hadn’t gone over to her, but he understood why she was coming to him. After going through what they went through, it was easier to be around people who went through the same thing, who were going through the same thing.

Like she was reading his mind, she asked, “Are you thinking about her?”

There wasn’t any need for further explanation. Truthfully, he answered, “Yeah,” looking down at the ground. Every moment he had that wasn’t dedicated to this revolution was spent thinking about you.

After a second, she spoke up again. “Snow’s using her to punish you. He’s taunting us with them.” She scoffed a little. “I didn’t understand that until just now watching that stupid cat.”

She was right. This wasn’t just about propaganda. This was about Snow’s little puppets misbehaving.

So now he was showing them that, even in 13, he still owned them. He still owned Finnick. He still owned Katniss. He still owned Johanna. He still owned Peeta. And he still owned you.

He was using you against him because he knew how much you meant to him, the same way he knew how much Peeta meant to Katniss, even if she didn’t see that herself.

Finnick sighed, debating on whether or not he should say what he was thinking or keep it to himself before deciding that he had held enough in, that holding his thoughts in had never done him any good. So he turned to Katniss and started, “I- Y/N and I, we hadn’t met until after she won her Games. We weren’t really friends, at first, but rumours start fast in the Capitol, especially when ‘royalty’ is involved.” He humourlessly chuckled. “People were saying that we were dating, and so she- she thought the best thing for us to do was to let them believe it, let them have their love story. The alternative, two people coping together- that was a lot darker than what the Capitol could handle.”

She tilted her head, furrowing her brows. He watched as she put it all together. “Wait, are you saying that…”

He nodded. “Yes. It was fake. Our love story was just that: a story.” Surprise was painted all over her face.

“But… you told me that you love her.”

A ghost of a smile came to his face. “I do. I love her. It wasn’t like that at first, but over time, I fell for her, Katniss.” He saw a look pass over her face: understanding. What he was describing wasn’t just you and him; it was her and Peeta. “Y/N and I, we learned how to play the game. If anyone could spot a fake relationship, it was us. After your first Games, we thought your whole romance was an act. We expected you to continue that strategy. But it wasn’t until Peeta’s heart stopped and he nearly died that… I knew I’d misjudged you. You love him.”

Katniss looked away, like what he was saying was something she’d never even considered. It was so clear to everyone that she loved him, everyone but herself.

“I’m not saying in what way,” he added, understanding her feelings so well because he’d right where she was. “Maybe you don’t even know yourself. But anyone paying attention can see it.” He maintained his stare, even as she looked away.

With the life they lived, you didn’t want to give yourself to love, to admit that to yourself, to allow yourself to be vulnerable. But you could only hide a love so strong for so long.

She swallowed, gaze still aimed at the floor. “How do you live with it?”

You’re asking the wrong person, he thought, but that wasn’t an acceptable answer. That wasn’t the answer she was looking for. Right now, Katniss was lost; he needed to point her in the right direction.

Even if he still had trouble doing that for himself.

He paused for a moment, searching for the right words to say. “I drag myself outta nightmares and there’s no relief in waking up,” he confessed. “But I- sometimes, when I’m awake, I let myself dream about her.” Finally, she looked over to him. “I dream that, one day, when this is all over, we’re living in a better world, happy.” The corners of his lips quirked up at the thought. “It’s hope, Katniss. That’s how I live with it.”

Katniss eyes were dull, red, tired, but even in the darkness of the bunker, he was able to see a tiny spark light up in her eyes.

Hope.

They’d fallen asleep in the bunker along with everyone else until Finnick woke up to Boggs shaking him, telling him that they had to go. Coin wanted Katniss to get in front of the camera, tell Panem that they were still standing after the attack.

But, as soon as they stepped outside, he watched her fall apart.

Roses.

A rose?

They’re a Capitol favourite.

You hated roses. Looking at them himself, he couldn’t even blame Katniss. He felt sick, too.

She couldn’t do it. She was almost hysterical, so of course Boggs let her go. They couldn’t put her on TV when she was like this. But they also didn’t have time to wait.

With Katniss gone, Haymitch and Boggs pulled him aside to a briefing room, getting started on a new plan.

“Okay, what are we doing?”

They gave each other a look, much like the look Plutarch and Haymitch traded right after the Quell, like they knew something he didn’t, like they were getting ready for him to explode.

“Finnick, the dam that went down in district 5 cut power in most of the Capitol,” Haymitch started. “Their defences are down—Beetee’s gonna be able to get in now.”

His brows furrowed. He already knew that. 

Sensing his confusion, Boggs cut in, “We’ve gotten word that the victors are in the Tribute Centre.”

Suddenly, it was like his heart stopped.

You were coming home.

He echoed his thoughts. “You’re going to get them?”

“Yes, I’ll be leading the mission-”

“Well, I’m coming.” Again, they both shared a look, like they were expecting him to say that, and why wouldn’t they? You were his girlfriend; of course, he wanted to be there to save you. 

“Finnick-”

He cut Boggs off a second time, repeating himself, “I am coming with you.”

“I’m afraid I can’t let you do that.”

He scoffed. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

“Finnick-”

“If you’re going to get Y/N, then I’m coming with you-”

“You are too valuable to this revolution for them to let you go,” Haymitch said, but Finnick really couldn’t give a damn about whatever reason they threw at him. You were all he could think about.

“I’m not just gonna sit here and do nothing while they’re being rescued,” he retaliated. For over a month, sitting around and doing nothing was practically all he’d been doing, fantasizing about you, unknowing of when he’d see you again or if he’d ever see you again, trying to imagine what you could’ve been going through.

He couldn’t just stand by while you were in a live or die situation.

If you died- no, he cut his thoughts off, refusing to finish the sentence.

You couldn’t die.

Haymitch sighed, glancing away before looking back at him. His eyes were always hard, but at that moment, Finnick saw flashes of sympathy. “You won’t be doing nothing.”

His eyes slightly narrowed. “What do you mean?”

The two shared another look before he told him, “Katniss can’t record right now. But you can.”

Another scoff left his lips, an incredulous look on his face as his voice was laced with sarcasm. “You want me to film a propo while you save Y/N?”

Haymitch didn’t respond right away, just staring at him like he was trying to properly articulate his words. The way he was looking at him unnerved him, like whatever he was gonna say could shatter him into a million pieces.

“Not a propo, Finnick,” he finally said, hesitation evident in his tone. “It’s a lot more than that.”

And, as Haymitch explained to him what they wanted him to do, Finnick learned just how much more that was.

Finnick Odair. That was a name synonymous with royalty, luxury, desire. Before he even met you, that was the name he’d built for himself—or, rather, the name that was thrusted into his arms.

A sex symbol.

When you won your Games, he could remember listening to the Capitol chatter. Stunning, refined, intelligent: a princess. You both already had so much in common, both from the same district, both so young when you won, but suddenly, as he watched you leave that hotel room that night in the Capitol, he realized that you had much more in common than he thought.

You were one and the same.

Those nights you spent together in the Capitol, out in the cold, you were silent. And then, even as you spoke to big Capitol fishes and gave speeches, you were still silent then, too, never speaking out about the injustices you’d been faced with.

Now, Finnick stood outside in the darkness, cold, but this time, you weren’t next to him. You weren’t next to him, and that was because Snow took you.

So he wasn’t going to stay silent anymore.

You deserved better than that.

He glanced around, almost as if he was trying to tell if his surroundings were real, if he was really doing this. 

He looked back when Cressida called his name, a careful look on her face. “Yeah,” he said, conveying he was okay without saying it, even if he really wasn’t. 

She didn’t look very convinced, but she still responded, “Okay.” She paused. “Take your time. Just remember to keep talking and don’t stop.”

He lightly nodded, looking up in front of him, seeing his breath in the air. For a moment, he was silent, but that moment didn’t last long. 

He had been silent for far too long already.

“This is Finnick Odair. Winner of the 65th Hunger Games,” he introduced himself, even though he knew that anyone watching must have recognized him right away. “And I’m coming to you from district 13, alive and well. We’ve survived an assault from the Capitol,” he recited. “But I’m not here to give you recent news.”

What he was going to tell them was much more than news about this rebellion. What he would reveal was about a war that’d started long before this rebellion ever did.

“I come with something much more valuable.”

I haven’t dealt in anything as common as money in years.

Well, then how do people pay for the pleasure of your company?

“The truth. The truth about being a victor, about being royalty.” Bitterness seeped through his tone. “Not the myths about a life of luxury. Not the lie about glory for your homeland.” He looked straight at the camera. “You can survive the arena. But the moment you leave, you’re a slave.”

We will never be free, Y/N.

He took in a breath before he spoke his next words, knowing that they held power stronger than a weapon. He may as well have been pointing the gun at his own head. But if he had to get burned to burn down the Capitol, then he would do it. He would do it a thousand times over.

And so would you.

“President Snow used to sell me. Or my body, at least. I wasn’t the only one.” Your face flashed in his mind. “If a victor is considered desirable, the President gives them as a reward or allows people to buy them. If you refuse, he kills someone you love.” Johanna.

It’s not fair. He killed her family. She said no, and he killed her family.

I know. It’s not fair, I know.

It was never fair. No riches or glory could ever be enough to compensate for that.

“To make themselves feel better, my patrons would make presents of money or jewelry. But I found a much more valuable form of payment.” The corners of his lips upturned slightly to form a small, humourless smile. “Secrets.”

The secrets he knew had the power to rip apart the Capitol’s so called “peace” at the seams. For him, for Katniss, for Johanna, for Peeta, for Annie, for you—this peace had fallen apart ages ago.

Katniss was forced to become the voice of thousands when she could barely do that for herself. Johanna turned to rage. Peeta turned to charm. Annie lost her mind. And you… what about you? 

It was about time that this peace was destroyed. It was about time that people understood exactly what victors really lost. And that Panem’s monsters weren’t hiding under the bed.

They were sitting on thrones.

“See, I know all the depravity, the deceit, and the cruelty of the Capitol’s pampered elite. But the biggest secrets are about our good President, Coriolanus Snow.” The biggest monster of them all. “Such a young man when he rose to power. Such a clever one to keep it. How, you may ask, did he do it?” He paused, looking right at the camera as if he was looking right into Snow’s eyes.

He hoped he was watching.

He hoped he was watching as they burned the Capitol to the ground.

“One word.” He lit the match. “Poison.” And then he dropped it.

“He stopped every mutiny before it even started. There are so many mysterious deaths to adversaries. Even to allies who were threats.” He could remember being at one of those dinners, watching a man fall onto his plate, his life over so quickly.

Once you were on the playing board, it didn’t matter how powerful you were. To Snow, you were all just pawns that he could knock off the board easily.

Not anymore.

“Snow would drink from the same cup to deflect suspicion. But… antidotes don’t always work, which is why he wears roses that reek of perfume. Help cover the scent of blood from sores in his mouth that will never heal.”

When Finnick learned this, he could remember the feeling he had, the satisfaction in knowing that a man who had spilled so much blood was bleeding himself. It was karmic.

How ironic was that?

“But he can’t hide the scent of who he really is,” he continued, remembering Cressida’s words. Don’t stop. “He kills without mercy. He rules with deception and fear. His weapon of choice is the only thing suited to such a man. Poison.” He scoffed. 

“The perfect weapon for a snake.”

Moments after Finnick’s last words, they were off the air. Cressida’s hand went to her ear, a dark look passing over her face. The Capitol air defence system’s coming back online, she said, and she didn’t get to say much else before he went running inside.

Much like every other day he’d spent in 13, your face came to his mind, but this time was different. This time, they went in to save you.

What if they couldn’t?

No, they had to bring you back- they had to.

He ran and ran until he got to ops, seeing Katniss crying in Haymitch’s arms. As soon as she saw him, she latched onto him and he reciprocated her hug tightly. He had to hold on. He had to.

He wouldn’t survive the fall if he let go.

He knows, he knows they’re in the Tribute Centre, she cried, and then for the second time that day, his heart stopped. He knew. Snow knew about the rescue mission.

His ears rang, eyes going blurry. And then things got a little blurry after that, too. Eventually, he ended up back in his room by himself. He didn’t know how he got there, but he did. All he could hear was your voices in his head.

No, you are coming home-

Finni-

We are both coming come. We are both coming home, Y/N, I swear.

He was supposed to protect you. He promised. He promised you that you would both make it home. But now where were you? You weren’t with him.

You never came home.

At one point, Annie came in, trying to be of some consolation, but she ended up leaving, unable to get through to him. He couldn’t hear her over your conversations that replayed in his head on a loop.

I told you. I’m not letting you die.

A tear raced down his cheek. He knew that you were maybe still alive, that you still had a chance, but that didn’t matter. It was never supposed to get to this point. He was never supposed to let it get to this point, a point where you could be dead.

He was supposed to bring you home.

Yeah, I’ll see you at midnight.

The doors suddenly slid open and Katniss walked in, breaking him out of his spell. He wiped the tears that’d fallen, clearing his throat. “Is there any news?”

Solemnly, she shook her head. “No.” He sighed as she sat down next to him, a big exhale leaving her lips, too. Both of them had passed the point of exhaustion, but it wasn’t like they could rest. Finnick wasn’t sure that he could sleep if he tried.

With this song playing so loudly, how could he?

Katniss was dancing the same dance as him, fighting the same battles. The man she loved was out there, too. She must have been just as scared as him.

They sat in silence for a while until she broke it, her voice raspy and just above a whisper. “Finnick?”

He turned to see her looking down at the ground. “Yeah?”

“I-” she stammered. It was only when she looked up at him that he saw the look in her eyes and knew why she was so nervous.

He shook his head. “It’s fine-”

She scoffed. “No, it’s not- it’s not fine-”

“Katniss-”

She cut him off. “I’m sorry.” Her words made him swallow. He knew she was going to speak them, but for some reason, hearing them was so different, surreal. She exhaled again, maintaining eye contact. “I am sorry.”

Finnick looked away. It wasn’t that he didn’t appreciate her apology, but he felt uncomfortable, looking into her eyes and just seeing the pure sorrow, pity. No, Katniss hadn’t been through exactly what he had, but at that moment, looking into her eyes was like looking into a mirror.

He couldn’t handle that right now, not when he stood at the top of the tallest mountain in the world and had such a long way to fall, everything to lose. 

He nodded, accepting her apology without words. It wasn’t her fault. She didn’t know, she didn’t know him back then. She hadn’t been a victor long enough to know yet. If anything, he was glad that she didn’t get to know their world, that she wasn’t sucked up by the same darkness that took you and him.

He was glad that her and Peeta got time in the sun, even if it was only for a little while.

“Y/N…” At the sound of your name, he turned back to her, seeing her brows furrow, eyes glazed over. “When I met her, she said something to me.” Realization flashed across her face as she looked up. “Was- was she-”

He cut her off, “Yeah. Yeah, she was.” When he blinked, he saw you walking out of that hotel room, the look on your face. He’d never forget the way you looked at him that night.

May the odds be ever in your favour, darling.

“There were more,” he admitted. “Any victor that the Capitol found desirable was taken. Annie only couldn’t because of her madness. Johanna-” a humourless chuckle left his lips. “Johanna refused, and her entire family paid the price.” He look back to Katniss to see that her mouth had fallen open, a look of horror on her face. “You and Peeta were spared because you were together. Hell, that’s the reason Y/N and I got together, to escape all this. And now look where we are.”

With you on the verge of dying and Finnick on the verge of losing everything.

You. You were his everything.

And you didn’t even know it.

“I never told her, Katniss.” He was breathless, like the wind had been knocked out of him. He’d realized this before, knew that he made a mistake, but now it was like he was realizing that he may never get the chance to correct it. “I- I never told her I loved her.”

I’m your girlfriend now?

Oh, come on, Y/N. You can’t be serious right now.

I am so serious right now.

You had no idea. You had no idea that you were the reason he kept living, that you were the reason he kept going, even when it hurt so badly. He’d walk through Hell if he could get to Heaven and be with you.

But what if you never knew that?

What if you died without knowing how he felt about you?

Katniss grabbed onto his hand. He looked to see tears welling in her eyes. “You will,” she whispered. “Hope, Finnick. You need to have hope.”

“Hope,” he echoed. Just like how he saw your face, he was able to see a future just as easily. It was so clear. That better world that Coin went on about, the better world that they were fighting for… it was just within their grasp. He nodded, managing to form somewhat of a smile. “Hope.”

He needed that, now more than ever. If he ever wanted to make it to that better world, to live in it with you, then he had to have hope—hope for the both of you.

Katniss didn’t say much after that; neither did he. Both of them were reflecting on their own, still trying to process all the turmoil that the day had caused. He spent his time thinking of you, imagining that better world.

In a better world, you and Finnick would’ve never been sold. You would’ve met, and he would’ve gotten the chance to fall in love with you the right way. He wouldn’t have been so scared to tell you. You would’ve given back to the community, not taken kids to their deaths.

You would’ve been so happy together.

But that wasn’t the world you lived in.

In the world you lived in, you and Finnick were sold at ages far too young. First, you sold your souls by winning The Games, and then your bodies were sold to people who had no business touching you.

In the world you lived in, you were only brought together because of tragedy. You only dated to try and save yourselves from a much greater evil, not because you loved each other.

In the world you lived in, Finnick fell in love with you. But he couldn’t tell you that, not when his biggest fear became losing you.

But in the world you lived in, he lost you, anyway.

So he had to have hope that a better world was possible- he had to. Not having that was another blow he wasn’t sure he could take.

When imagining your better world turned into reminiscing over all that’d happened to you both, he cut his thoughts off. He couldn’t let himself stop and break down now, not when he was so close to the finish line, so close to you.

So he pulled rope from his pocket, tying the same knots over and over again, a habit he’d picked up at a young age. Focusing on the knots was able to take his mind off everything, allowing white noise to play instead of this song.

He didn’t want to hear it without you.

He did this until he lost track of time. It was only when the doors slid open again that he was broken out of his trance. Katniss perked up right away. It was Haymitch behind the door, looking as enthusiastic as Finnick had ever seen him. “They’re back.”

She gasped, getting up and running right away, but it was as if Finnick was cemented to his spot. They’re back. 

You were back.

Just like that, he was shaken out of his shock, standing and quickly catching up with them.

They ran until they were in the medical area. As soon as they got there, he saw Johanna, ripping an IV out of her arm. Her hair was gone, shaven off, bruises all over her pale, pale face.

“Johanna,” Katniss muttered, but Finnick’s attention was elsewhere, eyes darting around the room, searching for you, heart racing.

And then he saw you.

His eyes went wide. “Y/N!” Without waiting another second, he ran to you. After over a month, here you were, right in front of him.

But it wasn’t so simple.

You flinched as his hands went to touch you, making him retract them right away. Your eyes didn’t look in his direction once.

Like you were scared of him.

At the thought, his heart clenched. It was only then that he noticed you were shaking, even as you were covered in blankets.

Your body was littered with cuts and bruises. You were pale, too, so clearly malnourished and sleep deprived. But it was your eyes that really got him. Your beautiful eyes no longer looked so lively. They looked empty.

You looked like a ghost.

“Y/N?” His voice cracked simultaneously with his heart. Why weren’t you looking at him? “Y/N-”

He was cut off. “Mr. Odair.” He turned to see a doctor standing on the other side of your bed, a hesitant look on her face and a look in her eyes that made a shiver go up spine. “Could I speak to you for a moment?”

He glanced back to you, seeing that you still weren’t looking at him. Your gaze was fixed on a spot on your bed. You hadn’t looked up once, even as the doctor spoke. Confused, he nodded, letting the woman pull him to the side, out of earshot from you.

But even as the doctor started speaking, he couldn’t get your eyes out of his mind.

That look in your eye was somehow worse than any of his nightmares combined.

“Mr. Odair, Ms. Y/L/N’s condition is… it’s quite complex,” she cautioned. He furrowed his brows, his worry increasing.

“What do you mean- is she okay-”

“No, I meant- physically, I’m not seeing much to be worried about. Of course, she could be better- much better, but this is what we were expecting.” She paused, glancing at you. “Mentally- I’m not even sure where to begin.”

He glanced back at you, too, to see that you were still staring at that same spot on your bed. He let the doctor’s words register in his brain. You weren’t okay.

“We’ve informed psych, but for now, you’re just gonna need to give her time.” Time.

He let out a breath, feeling his eyes getting wet as what she was saying really soaked in. “You’re telling me to leave.” Just as he got you back.

“Mr. Odair-”

“You’re telling me to leave.”

“Finnick.” She cut him off with a strong call of his name. “Your girlfriend’s mental state right now is unstable. She’s in shock; she’s not herself right now. It is going to take some time to get her out of this state, and it’s going to be hard for you to see her in it. In the meantime, the best thing you can do for her is take some time to collect your thoughts.”

She was telling him to go off and think. Did she know that’s all he’d been doing for hours, thinking and throwing himself into the worst possible scenarios, only to realize that one of them had become a reality?

But he didn’t tell her this, instead looking back at you. You were lifeless. When he looked back at the doctor, there was a pleading expression on her face. He didn’t want to leave you, but she made it sound like the best possible thing to do for you. So he did.

But the truth was, he just couldn’t bear to watch you when you were like that.

You were the love of his life. It was like his heart started beating again when he saw you there, alive, but then it dulled once he really looked at you.

You didn’t look like the girl he fell in love with, the girl that went into that arena, or the girl he said goodbye to. It only took a month, and now you looked like a completely different person, like you had seen things no man had ever seen.

In his haze, Finnick made it back to his room, but he didn’t make it to the bed, collapsing onto the floor, bringing his knees up to his chest as his mind spun.

You were alive. He thought that, when he finally saw you again, all of his worries would be erased, that everything would be okay again, that the world would go back to being in colour instead of this black and white that he’d been stuck in with Katniss.

But nothing seemed more colourful.

Nothing seemed better.

You were here. You were back, Y/N Y/L/N, the same woman he loved, the same woman he’d dreamt about for weeks. You were alive. 

But, oh, he should’ve known it couldn’t have been that easy.

Your heart was beating, your eyes were open, and you were there… but that didn’t mean you were alive.

I told you. I’m not letting you die.

Little did Finnick know, you were already dead. 

Taglist: @avoxrising @mxacegrey @littleshadow17 @lovelyteenagebeard @nasyanastya @catastrxblues @zodiyack @zulpix-blog @mushroomelephant @muggies @lantsovheiress @hobiebrowns-wife @notplutos @faeriepigeons

[caesarflickermans]

Why Plutarch Heavensbee is the likely protagonist of Sunrise on the Reaping

Plutarch embodies SOTR’s propaganda theme

“With ‘Sunrise on the Reaping,’ I was inspired by David Hume’s idea of implicit submission and, in his words, ‘the easiness with which the many are governed by the few,’” Collins said in a statement. “The story also lent itself to a deeper dive into the use of propaganda and the power of those who control the narrative. The question ‘Real or not real?’ seems more pressing to me every day.” (AP)

Plutarch’s character embodies the themes of propaganda and controlling the narrative. He understands that it is “moves and counter-moves” (CF, 32:20). In his foil against Snow, he laid out a plan to destroy Katniss’ image through overexposure on TV, thus employing propaganda to control the image of a growing rebellion he secretly wanted to foster (CF, 32:35).

This understanding is in line with David Hume’s first principles of government, where he states that “the governors have nothing to support them but opinion” (Hume, Of the First Principles of Government). Plutarch understands this, as his plan of rebellion is based on influencing the opinion through the images shown to the TV audience.

His expertise continues in Mockingjay, where he lays out his plan in the shape of “propos--which is short for 'propaganda spots'--featuring [Katniss], and broadcast them to the entire population of Panem” (MJ, 3). Katniss recognises him as the mastermind behind the production, and sees a resemblance between these actions and his role as the Head Gamemaker (MJ, 8). At the end of the war, Plutarch’s expertise grants him the role as secretary of communications, in line with his previously gathered experience (MJ, 27).

When Hume speaks of “the implicit submission, with which men resign their own sentiments and passions to those of their rulers” (Hume, Of the First Principle of Government), it is Plutarch Heavensbee who mirrors this understanding and informs Katniss about it in the shape of Panem et Circenses; “Panem et Circenses translates into 'Bread and Circuses.' The writer was saying that in return for full bellies and entertainment, his people had given up their political responsibilities and therefore their power.” (MJ, 16). The fact that this is Plutarch who views the Games as such appears pivotal enough that Collins mentions him in reference to the quote:

SC: But there’s a dark side to bread, too. When Plutarch Heavensbee references it, he’s talking about Panem et Circenses, Bread and Circuses, where food and entertainment lull people into relinquishing their political power. Bread can contribute to life or death in the Hunger Games. (Scholastic, 2018)

Suzanne Collins’ previous interest in Plutarch

But when I step back and look at the series, she's not the character that I would identify most with. [...] This is such an unflattering thing to say about yourself, but it would be Plutarch Heavensbee. [...] Because he's the head gamemaker. Plutarch is creating the story, and he's creating the arena, and he's manipulating the characters--a writer isn't far from a gamemaker. I'm not for creating arenas or anything, but if you look at it from a creative perspective, we're really doing the same job. (times, 2013)

Suzanne Collins’ interest in Plutarch has culminated in the 10th Anniversary interview, where she makes frequent references to him, such as speaking about the reason why he was motivated to rebel. This indicates that Suzanne Collins has had deeper interest in Plutarch as a character and has an extensive backstory for him:

SC: Plutarch is the namesake of the biographer Plutarch, and he’s one of the few characters who has a sense of the arc of history. He’s never lived in a world without the Hunger Games; it was well established by the time he was born and then he rose through the ranks to become Head Gamemaker. At some point, he’s gone from accepting that the Games are necessary to deciding they’re unnecessary, and he sets about ending them. Plutarch has a personal agenda as well. He’s seen so many of his peers killed off, like Seneca Crane, that he wonders how long it will be before the mad king decides he’s a threat not an asset. It’s no way to live. And as a gamemaker among gamemakers, he likes the challenge of the revolution. But even after they succeed he questions how long the resulting peace will last. He has a fairly low opinion of human beings, but ultimately doesn’t rule out that they might be able to change. (Scholastic, 2018)

Not only is Plutarch the character linked to propaganda, but he is further juxtaposed with Snow, the first prequel protagonist. In this interview abstract, she places these two characters at odds, potentially indicating that Plutarch can be seen as an antithesis to Snow:

DL: One of the things that both Snow and Katniss realize is the power of media and imagery on the population. Snow may appear heartless to some, but he is very attuned to the “hearts and minds” of his citizens . . . and he is also attuned to the danger of losing them to Katniss. What role do you see propaganda playing in the war they’re waging? SC: Propaganda decides the outcome of the war. This is why Plutarch implements the airtime assault; he understands that whoever controls the airwaves controls the power. Like Snow, he’s been waiting for Katniss, because he needs a Spartacus to lead his campaign. (Scholastic, 2018)

Fitting as a future protagonist

YA protagonists are aged between 14-18 (Writer’s Digest), which Katniss (16-17) and Coriolanus (18) fall into. Thus, SOTR’s protagonist is unlikely to be someone older like Tigris, Snow, or Caesar. If the casting choice was representative of Plutarch’s age, he is within the fitting age range during the 50th Hunger Games.

A Gamemaker would offer a new perspective unlike the previous tribute and mentor point of views. Potentially, Plutarch could serve in the role of a junior or intern Gamemaker in between the Capitol’s High School (Academy) and College.

Suzanne Collins has hinted at several potential plot points that might be addressed in the prequel, such as:

At some point, [Plutarch’s] gone from accepting that the Games are necessary to deciding they’re unnecessary, and he sets about ending them. (Scholastic, 2018)

What was that point? What motivated him to wish to end the Games?

Like Snow, [Plutarch’s] been waiting for Katniss, because he needs a Spartacus to lead his campaign. There have been possible candidates, like Finnick, but no one else has captured the imagination of the country like she has. (Scholastic, 2018)

When and why did Plutarch realise he needed a “Spartacus to lead his campaign”? When did this campaign begin? Who else was a possible candidate?

“[...] They never planned on anyone using it as a weapon. It made them look stupid that he figured it out. I bet they had a good time trying to spin that one. Bet that's why I don't remember seeing it on television. It's almost as bad as us and the berries!” [...] “Almost, but not quite,” says Haymitch from behind us. (CF, 14)

Was Haymitch’s “almost” rebellion perhaps the original inspiration for Plutarch to organise a rebellion through the arena? How did they try to spin his act? Was he the first possible “Spartacus”? Was there perhaps more to it that only the Gamemakers and Haymitch know about? Was footage manipulated or adjusted? Was the live show already manipulated or only later footage? How do the Gamemakers control the narrative? Will there be any insight helping us understand why the Gamemakers acted the way they did for the 74th Hunger Games?

Plutarch Heavensbee has been, for several years, part of an undercover group aiming to overthrow the Capitol. [...] We are currently on a very roundabout journey to District 13. (CF, 27)

Who was part of this group? How did he get in contact with District 13?

"Tigris," she says. "We need help." [...] "Plutarch said you could be trusted," adds Cressida. Great, she's one of Plutarch's people. / Tigris. Deep in my brain, the name rings a bell. She was a fixture--a younger, less disturbing version of herself--in the earliest Hunger Games I can remember. A stylist, I think. I don't remember for which district.  (MJ, 23)

How did Tigris and Snow fall out? How did Tigris become one of ‘Plutarch’s people’? Did they perhaps meet when Tigris was still a stylist and what was her life like then? Which Districts did Tigris work for?

"No. My mother and younger brother. My girl. They were all dead two weeks after I was crowned victor. Because of that stunt I pulled with the force field," he answers. "Snow had no one to use against me." (MJ, 12) / The crew hurries inside to edit the material, and Plutarch leads Finnick off for a chat, probably to see if he has any more stories. (MJ, 12)

Why and how was the decision made to kill Haymitch’s family? Did any people within the Capitol die due to Haymitch’s force field trick? Some that Plutarch might have known—possibly giving a personal motivation for rebelling against Snow?

Others begin to die off and it becomes clear that almost everything in this pretty place—the luscious fruit dangling from the bushes, the water in the crystalline streams, even the scent of the flowers when inhaled too directly—is deadly poisonous. (CF, 14) / A clock. I can almost see the hands ticking around the twelve-sectioned face of the arena. Each hour begins a new horror, a new Gamemaker weapon, and ends the previous. (CF, 23) / He made sure the wire was among the weapons. Beetee was in charge of blowing a hole in the force field. (CF, 27)

Were the arenas intended to be parallels to one another, seeming paradises until the true threats were revealed? And was the usage of the force field as the final act to destroy the arena an intentional parallel to Haymitch’s rebellious act?

As far as I know, Haymitch has only been here once, when he was on his Victory Tour decades ago. But he must have a remarkable memory or reliable instincts, because he leads us up through a maze of twisting staircases and increasingly narrow halls (CF, 5) / And finally, how our mentor, Haymitch Abernathy, betrayed us both for a cause he pretended to have no interest in? (MJ, 2)

Will we learn why Haymitch knew the Justice Building in 11 so well? Could a young Plutarch perhaps have accompanied him on the victory tour who knew the place? Was this tour perhaps the beginning of their plotting together against the Capitol—with Plutarch trying to convince Haymitch to trust him?

[etfrin]

ꜱʜᴇ ʟɪᴋᴇꜱ ᴀ ʙᴏʏ! ɪ'ᴍ ɴᴏᴛ ᴀ ʙᴏʏ — ʟᴜᴄʏ ɢʀᴀʏ ʙᴀɪʀᴅ ♡

☆　ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢ: SFW | mentions of canon typical death

☆　ᴘᴀɪʀɪɴɢ: Lucy Gray x fem! Capitol! Reader

☆　ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ: you confess your feelings to Lucy Gray by a song and the aftermath of it

☆　ᴀ/ɴ: this was inspired by She Likes A Boy by nxdia! Give the song some love! And i used the lyrics from that song!

masterlist | navigation

You were a Capitol citizen too. But when you heard Sejanus Plinth, your best friend was volunteering to be a medic, you didn't hesitate to do the same. You didn't know the actual reason why he had done so, but things got clearer when you saw Coriolanus Snow on the same train.

Then came Lucy Gray Baird in District 12. She with her mockingjays and snakes. The victor of the annual Hunger Games. She was different from what you saw on TV. Prettier for starters, her voice softer, her accent thicker when she talks to you. She explained the beauty of twelve so simply that the Capitol seemed boring to you.

It didn't take much for you to fall in love with her. It wasn't just her songs, but everything about her. Her knowledge about nature, the way she cares about the Covey. Everything about her made you devote yourself every day.

Even though you volunteered to be a medic, Lucy Gray was healing you.

You also knew that Lucy Gray and Coriolanus Snow were together. You don't regard Coriolanus as a good man. His eyes are too hard and sharp, unlike the boy you knew in the Academy. This is a man, a demon in the flesh. You avoided him as much as possible, but sometimes it's impossible too because he was always near the songbird. Keeping an eye on her, being jealous of any man near her. You were lucky you were a woman otherwise you probably would have been shot by now.

It was a day when Coriolanus Snow wasn't present in the hob that you decided to spill your heart to the songbird. In the morning, no one was present, you and Lucy Gray had volunteered to clean the space for some quick change after a party. You take time cleaning mopping the floor, wondering if you should walk up the stage and sing the pathetic song you wrote about her.

You knew you couldn't outright confess to her, that you would get rejected on the spot. So, music was the only way because you can lie about its origins. You walk up to the stage and Lucy Gray doesn't notice. The mic was on and you swallowed your palm sweating. You were so, so nervous.

And then you begin singing,

“She likes a boy!

She likes a boy!

and I'm not a boy!

and I'm not a boy!”

Your voice is awkward, but it gets her attention so you continue,

“she’s covey with a pretty face

strawberry lips, oh it’s wasted

on this dumb boy who likes the chase”

You meet her eyes and she knows this song is for her despite the fact your singing isn't very good and your eyes are watering because you want her, you want her, you love her. She doesn't feel the same.

“Fuck that guy!” You finished screaming, in a similar manner Lucy Gray had when her name was spoken in the reaping. You wipe the tears that had fallen and you want to run, not wanting to face the inevitable fallout of your actions.

She walks up to the stage and turns you around so you can look at her. She holds both of your hands. And you begin to speak, being ready to lie straight from your teeth that the song is not about her.

“Lucy-”

“Shush,” she whispered, her doe-brown eyes looking into yours. “Let me…” she whispered before she leaned in to kiss the tears still falling from your eyes. She does it with a few teardrops, with each kiss her lips are closer to yours. You stopped crying, your heart beating out of its ribcage out of anticipation.

She doesn't kiss you, much to your disappointment. She pulls back and doesn't say anything. She doesn't have to, the silence is her answer. You run out of the hob, ignoring her yell for you. The next day, Sejanus Plinth is dead. Your best friend is dead because he was a traitor. The mayor's daughter is missing. Everything is a mess. And you find comfort in nobody, your heart sure that Coriolanus Snow had something to do with it.

Early in the morning, Lucy Gray comes to you whispering about the North. And you agree without even thinking (anything for you, my love). You asked if Coryo was coming and the beautiful songbird shook her head. And, oh, that just cemented your promise even further to go with her.

Within the hours, you travel and travel along with your love who doesn't quite love you back yet to the North, hoping to find paradise.

Years later when you sing the song again. It's sung with joy and a past bitterness. It doesn't matter whether you're a boy or not. Love doesn't work that way. She loves you all the same. The way Lucy Gray smiles at you, she would never do the same with that snake.

You have your North and it's Lucy Gray ♡

[pray4saint]

starving trials

masterlist & descrip. tv-ma. 15+. established relationship. fem!reader. hunger games au. hg!schlatt. hcs for pre-games, intra/peri-games & post-games/mockingjay rebellion era. short post centred around schlatt's relationship throughout the games. 75th annual hunger games, quarter quell. SHIT POST.

a/n. inspired by a post by @nvmadic & @st4rrybear, i have more on just schlatt but i wanted these out of the way

before you and schlatt were entered into the games

i think schlatt is probably in district 3, the tech, auto & weapons producers

anyways i think your relationship, at least at first was forged by your parents to be beneficial for both families – and then you end up falling for him and he falls head over heels for you

in a way, has been training with the weapons the district produces on the off chance he ended up in the games

tried to teach you how to use the firearms and other weapons,, but some were easier than others and he figured even if you were opted into the hunger games, you'd get on just fine with your other skills – although of course he was still worried about you

despite how clear it was you were supposed to get married and have kids, he absolutely did not want to have them in the world you were living in, knowing they'd have to deal with the fear of being tossed into the games too

since the women are chosen before the men – he's absolutely shocked and his head immediately whips around to look for you when he hears your name called to represent your district in the games

so obviously he's even more shocked when he hears his name called to join you and the announcer on stage – he's staring at you the entire time, eyes seemingly blank at his gaze lingers on your face

during the games

goes for the weapons first, but definitely sticks around to make sure you get what you need before going your separate ways

he tries so hard to focus on the moment and not about how eventually he'll have to make a tough decision – although truthfully he already knows he's going to sacrifice himself for you

really focused on getting through each day without killing anyone, but of course, it's the games and they find a way to flush him out of his spots towards someone else every time

when he does end up pushed towards you, he just hugs you, letting a limited number of tears fall from his eyes, he refuses to give the capital the satisfaction of seeing him cry (of course the viewers eat that up and end up sending in gifts)

he was so scared of losing you and prepared to sacrifice himself for you when the field went down and the game finally ended

mockingjay rebellion era, after the games

his first instinct is to find out what your role is and how safe you are

promising you every day that he'll come home in one piece even though he's not entirely sure of it himself

always comes home to you, crying about the trauma from the games and his new role in the rebellion and you both end up sobbing for hours, but at least you're together

pray4saint© do not copy, translate or repost my work without my express permission.

[shipcestuous-two]

re: Tigris and Pres Snow later in their lives, we do know that--when Katniss meets her in the final book--she despises her cousin (never mentions he's her cousin to Katniss though). However, there's a lot left untold when it comes to exactly what happened between them in the many decades between the prequel and the main series, and when. Although he changed for the worst, I can imagine kind Tigris kept trying to get through to him and be involved in his life for a *while* before giving up

so based on the vague info we get in Mockingjay (like Katniss vaguely recognizing Tigris from tv suggests she was a capital stylist till maybe a decade before), lots of people theorize she didn't cut off Coryo till around that time (popular theory is after seeing how he sold off tributes like Finnick, since the book implied Tigris had to resort to sex work to provide for her family and so it'd hit too close to home that he could do that to somebody else). who knows what happened before that...?

[x]

I can see her staying with him/standing by him for a long time before it all gets to be too much and his methods are just too dark for her to put up with. I think you're right, that she wouldn't just give up on him without spending a long time trying to 'get him back', so to speak. I can only imagine how heartbreaking it must have been for her to decide that he was lost.

I didn't do much digging around, but I saw some theories that the alterations she made to her body were in response to their relationship. May simply have been the pain of losing him or of accepting that he would never be the way he was when they were growing up. I also saw it theorized (these were both in main entries on the wiki, I think) that him letting her live was a sign he still had a soft spot for her.

We've got decades worth of scenarios to imagine before they're estranged.

[dandelionlovesyou]

If THG's characters are living in modern world (now), what do you feel would be their profession?

Also, what would they study in university?

PS : For Peeta (baker or painter) and Mrs Everdeen (nurse or doctor), could you list another profession beside those please?

You can include as many characters as you can or want.

Thank you so much 😀

@curiousnonny

Hi @curiousnonny =)

Such a fun ask!

There are so many possibilities, but I've decided to make a list ala "Dirty Jobs" style. Lol. I figured to break off from the usual. I love the series Dirty Jobs hosted by Mike Rowe. Not all the jobs on the list are "dirty"!

Sorry for the weirdness! Feel free to gloss over this post. Not everything makes sense! =D I just had fun!

TW: Mention of death.

Katniss - Scrap Metal Recycler. 

Katniss also does metal sculptures on the side as a hobby. She's excellent with welding machines, angle grinders, chisels, etc. She knows how to operate all the heavy equipment in the shop, and makes wearing a coverall very, very sexy.

Peeta - Bridge Painter. 

Never afraid of heights and dangling in the air while suspended in a harness, Peeta loves having a perspective from above. He does it for the breathtaking sunsets that he can only see from higher elevations. 

On the side, that's how Katniss first saw him. She was collecting metal scraps below for recycling, and he was hanging by Panem Capital bridge, eating a sandwich while still hanging. Without her knowing, Peeta spotted her too!

Haymitch - Outback Treasure Hunter. 

That's how he created his fortune. He found an ancient relic by the edge of a cliff. He trudged on for days, following historical clues and his instincts.

Effie - Celebrity Pet Groomer. 

Effie will groom your pets to the most elevated and loveliest quality. She has a TV show on Capitol One and boasts 15 million followers. Effie practically built an empire with her brand, Trinkett and Mahogany.

Finnick - Shrimper and Oyster Farmer. 

The most handsome and easygoing shrimper and oyster farmer you will ever lay eyes on! Watch our golden boy weave nets and hammocks by the beach in his free time. Want to know his secret to living a carefree life? Come visit his farm and bring him some sugar cubes!

Annie - Mushroom Farmer. 

She's a genius at this. Grows all sorts of mushrooms for restaurants -- she even has medicinal ones!

Johanna - Pathologist. Particularly an after-death one. 

Jo has no qualms about cutting into ribcages and skulls and dissecting organs as long as it solves the mystery of why someone died. She's en route now to the laboratory with Seneca Crane's blood samples that need testing.

Gale - Bell Maker. 

Our boy is super good at blacksmithing and forging. He also does restorations of historical bells. Gale's a history buff, and it's all he talks about. That was how he got Madge Undersee, the Mayor's daughter, as his girlfriend. She's an antique preserver and collector. Her most prized possession is a Mockingjay pin from the Uprising.

Primrose - Sled Dog Breeder. 

She does it with Rory, who takes care of the training. They're all scientific about it, but really they just want to cuddle Alaskan Huskies!

Seneca Crane - Baby Chicken Sexer. 

Someone's gotta do it, right? We have to separate the flock when they're just chicks. Seneca prides himself on being the best sexer there is. He's very serious and methodical in his reaping and does this while sporting an intricate beard. 

Sadly, he was found dead recently.

Cinna - Special Effects Artist. 

Okay, it's not so far off from what he does with the fake fire on Katniss' dress, but I just couldn't stop myself! He would be so good at making special effects!

Plutarch - Doomsday Seed Banker. 

He has to make sure that humanity survives at all costs! We are fickle creatures after all.

Chaff - Deadly Snake Wrangler. 

He collects venom for scientific research. When he was eighteen, he lost his arm from a neon Gaul snake muttation.

Snow - Cabbage Farmer. 

Snow is currently hiding in a backwater town because he is under investigation for murder. He thinks nobody would look for him on a cabbage farm.

[arthdoesart]

Chapter 3 of The Royale Capitol Games

Now moving on with the scoring for Tribute zero-zero-two… 

The four of them immediately stiffened as the channel spasmed, shortly cutting to a video of a sixteen-year-old girl. 

Effie's blood ran cold at the state of her feet. 

"...oh, dear—"

"What the fuck?" Haymitch let out a curse over the intense sound of a dark classical music accompanying the girl's frantic leap and majestic spins across what they could tell was a ballroom. 

Their silence grew tense when they spotted the Mockingjay Symbol messily spray-painted several times on the four walls that surrounded her.

"How long do you think she's been dancing?" Katniss questioned darkly, leaning forward from her seat. “Is this her training?”

“Perhaps this is the skill she wanted to show,” Peeta wisely suggested. 

“So, she chose to dance?” 

“This isn’t like the former schematics where your scores are televised so that it could lure you some sponsors or intimidate other tributes to target you inside the arena,” Haymitch explained, suspicious over the way the girl was beginning to stumble during her dance. “Obviously, they’re making them go all out with their performance. It could be they’re really pushing them not to fail since there’s a punishment that’s awaiting them—”

Effie’s whetted gasp pierced their ears. Peeta was the second to panic, taking a shuddering breath as the girl almost tripped from exhaustion. Her movement was becoming sluggish. He could even feel Katniss freeze in terror from beside him. Haymitch bit back a curse and resorted to madly pacing again while Effie had retreated by completely covering her face in fear of the consequence. 

“...they won’t hurt her if we give her a high score,” Peeta stated as calmly as he could, yet his hands were clammy from extreme nervousness. “We just need the passcode to work.” 

“Depending if they give us the passcode on time,” Haymitch laughed out loud, but it was clearly humorless. 

“Oh, please don’t say that!” Effie cried from behind her palms that still covered her face. “It’s bad enough that those children are being…tortured! F-For having an immediate zero—”

They weren’t prepared when a throwing knife made an appearance. 

It sailed from behind the camera and unto Sara Goldcross when the girl bent sideways in her dance. 

She barely avoided the sharp edge as it cut the side of her left hip.

 The Royale Capitol Games (22557 words) by PinkMuseSundays Chapters: 3/? Fandom: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes - Suzanne Collins Rating: Not Rated Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Alma Coin/Plutarch Heavensbee, Haymitch Abernathy/Effie Trinket, Katniss Everdeen/Peeta Mellark, Annie Cresta/Finnick Odair (mentioned), Katniss Everdeen & Peeta Mellark, Katniss & Primrose Everdeen (mention), Haymitch Abernathy & Plutarch Heavensbee, Caesar Flickerman & Plutarch Heavensbee, Fulvia Cardew & Plutarch Heavensbee, Alma Coin & Plutarch Heavensbee Characters: Plutarch Heavensbee, Alma Coin, Haymitch Abernathy, Katniss Everdeen, Peeta Mellark, Effie Trinket, Beetee Latier, President Paylor, Johanna Mason, Annie Cresta, Annie Cresta and Finnick Odair's Son, Finnick Odair (mentioned), Enobaria (Hunger Games), Caesar Flickerman, Coriolanus Snow, Coriolanus Snow's Granddaughter, Fulvia Cardew, Gale Hawthorne, Original Characters Additional Tags: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Thriller, Mystery, Kidnapping, Romance, Drama & Romance, Quarter Quell (Hunger Games), Fourth Quarter Quell, Inspired by Black Mirror (TV), Hunger Games-Typical Death/Violence, 76th Hunger Games, Alternate Universe, Child Death, The Capitol (Hunger Games), Capitol Hunger Games, Suffering!Heavenscoin, Funny!Hayffie, Veteran!Everlark, Canon-Typical Violence, Hunger Games Victors, Victors as a Family (Hunger Games), Plutarch and Haymitch bromatism, Plutarch "I'm so stressed out" Heavensbee, Alma "This is what I fucking deserve" Coin, Caesar "That's how you put on a show" Flickerman, Symbolic Hunger Games Series: Part 4 of The odds came with blood and peppermints Summary: "To remind the Capitol that their nefarious deeds will never be forgotten, twenty-four children are reaped from their families to participate in a Battle Royale. Unlike its predecessor, the tributes are chosen at random despite their age, sex, and societal status." The voice chuckled over the last line, as if disbelieving any of the kids from the Capitol were beyond poorer than the high middle-class citizens. "…of course, tributes who refuse to participate within the rules of the game will have their shock collars activated. Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the first ever Royale Capitol Games, with it also being the Fourth Quarter Quell from the discontinued series of the Hunger Games." The announcer laughs, unaware of the sheer number of Capitol parents that have fainted from the live announcement. They were giddy for a while at having to recite the dreaded line, along with a sickening twist added by the end. "And may the odds ever grant you their favors."   Pairings; Heavenscoin with a side of Hayffie & Everlark.

[petruchio]

how do you feel about the mockingjay movie? and how do you feel about the use of snow's pov that we see in the movies? especially in mockingjay? for me, I think mockingjay lacked imagination it needed to capture the atmosphere and katniss's state from the books. and something about seeing snows pov in the last 3 movies made me cringe lmao

to be entirely honest i don't think i've seen either of the mockingjay movies in full since they came out... i think the first two movies, much as i hate them as adaptations of the books, are KIND OF passable as movies, and are ok to have on in the background but mockingjay i genuinely would not watch again on purpose... so i guess that answers the question of how i feel about the movies HAHA 

and i hated the snow pov. i actually really dislike how much time they spent with the powerful captiol people in the movies. i think it was a way to kind of emphasize the degree to which the hunger games is one big performance and one big show, which we get repeatedly in katniss' narration in the books, but i never felt like it worked well enough to justify that choice. like, for example, the way the books open with katniss reaching out to find her sister and finding her not there, foreshadowing the rest of the series and her devotion the the protection of her sister at any cost... and then the movies open with a scene of seneca crane and caesar flickerman debating the merits of the games having turned into a spectacle and celebration for the nation. sure, i get what they were going for. but as a framing device i feel like it makes the whole film feel so much more hollow than centering it around katniss and her deep devotion to those she loves. like, i don't WANT to see the captiol on film, the way capitol citizens would. i think a more effective portrayal would've been only if we had watched the captiol tv spots IN district 12, and highlighted that division. by putting nothing but the capitol on screen, it centers the story around them in a way i feel is fundamentally antithetical to the novels and their themes. 

alternatively, i think it would've been better to spend more time with haymitch rather than the gamemakers, because i think one of the few effective line deliveries in the films is when haymitch says "it's all a big show." (woody harrelson is one of the few actors i feel like. actually does a good job in the movies lol) and i think that would've again highlighted the need for the performance for the captiol, while still centering the story around district 12 and katniss and her relationships. 

so yeah to answer the question i agree, i don't like the snow pov at all. i get why they did it, but i think it also takes away from the way katniss progressively realizes more and more what is being demanded of her and the way she has to perform these various acts, and it just tells you right from the beginning rather than having you realize it along with her. and i don't like that lol.

[anatomical-puppet]

if you read manga or watch anime, top 5? if not, then books or shows :)

I was into anime and manga for a little bit in middle school, but I haven’t stuck with it, unfortunately. The only shows I really remember are Pokemon Indigo League, Death Note, a little bit of MHA, and like 2 episodes of Haikyuu lol

So aside from that, I guess I’ll do books bc I’m not a huge TV person haha (i’m awful at remembering authors’ names so i probably won’t include most of them lmao-)

1) Cemetery Boys is,, so fucking good. It’s very gay, the main character is trans (and actually written really well!!), and it focuses a lot on Latinx culture, which I’m not personally very familiar with, but it was really cool to learn about!! There’s also a bunch of paranormal shenanigans and it’s just really good, 10/10 would recommend

2) Can I just list all of the Percy Jackson books in one spot? If so, my answer is All Of Them. They’re all so good. But if I had to pick one, my favorite is probably Son of Neptune. Hazel and Frank my beloveds,,

3) The Outsiders. The classic story, read it in 7th grade and got attached to all the characters because they’re all gay as fuck, I do not care what the author says. Yes I kin Sodapop, moving on

4) The first Hunger Games book is,, so good. Catching Fire is also good, but I’ve read the first one wayyy more, so I prefer it. I hated Mockingjay and never even finished it lmao-

5) A List of Cages. Picked this up at the library before The Quarantine(tm) and read the whole thing in the span of, like, 12 hours. It was wild. Never read a book that fast in my life. It was great, very sad tho

[throwaway3844893]

Imagine: Katniss reminisces on Peeta's proposal

The first thing Katniss saw when she woke up was her husband's sleeping face. A smile spread on her face as she took a deep breath of the fresh morning air and examined the ring on her finger. It shone in the sunlight, and the pearl that Peeta had given her in the Quarter Quell arena looked dazzling in the direct rays from the sun. She turned to the side, pulling the thick sheets up around her bare arms, and watched as Peeta slept. Katniss had grown so used to the practice that she was able to spot the imperfections you could only find if you truly looked. Of course, with her Peeta had no imperfection other than her. But that thought was immediately replaced as Peeta stirred, and she grinned to herself as she allowed the self deprecating thoughts to wallow away as she rejoiced in the atmospheric eyes of her husband. "Good morning," she whispered, stifling a yawn in the process. She stretched her limbs so that her toes touched the edge of the birch headboard.

"Good morning," Peeta replied, resting his head on his hand. "How did you sleep?"

"No nightmares," Katniss said, the realization hitting her. "It's been so long since I've been without one. I think the excitement of the day just wore me out."

Katniss observed the room, and it gave her an ultimately peaceful feeling. Sunlight bled through the blinds, illuminating the whole room into a magnificent blend of neutral colors. Waves overlapped the sand, which was evident because the open window allowed Katniss and Peeta to hear the crash of the waves upon the sand. She soon realized that they had the entire day to themselves, and it filled her with joy to know that she could spend her entire day in a tranquil bliss.

"Peeta?" Katniss' voice was quiet, and her eyes met his.

"Yes?"

She paused for a moment, then asked, "Can we stay like this all day?"

Peeta chuckled a bit, "Sure, I have no objections. We can just have people bring us food. It may not be the Capitol's food, but I'm sure the seafood District Four provides us with will be just as good.

"I'd love that," Katniss sighed. Peeta's free arm unwrapped itself from her, and pushed the button on the wall that called one of the staff members to bring them food.

He moved his arm back over Katniss. His lips touched mark he'd left on her the night before.

"Last night was... amazing," he whispered, "but are you okay after-"

"Yes," Katniss laughed. "you're supposed to bleed the first time. You don't want to know how many times my mother has tried to or had that conversation with me." Their hands intertwined, and Katniss' eyes looked at the shiny diamond ring on her ring finger.

Katniss thought of the day Peeta proposed.

My yellow sundress flows through the wind as we walk back laughing into the house. We're both soaking wet, dripping into the grass. Our hands disconnect for only a moment, but that moment makes me feel empty. I need him. It makes me physically sick to not have him with me. That's why whenever he's working, I always roam around the new Hob. Every day at eleven thirty I stop at the bakery, and he always has fresh cheese buns out of the oven waiting for me. After lunch, I somehow always end up near what used to be the Seam. Shops upon shops have been built from the rubble. Today I stopped at a local jeweler to get my Mockingjay pin polished and the jeweler was always looking over his shoulder, like he was doing something forbidden. I assumed he was just nervous, a lot of people still look wary after I pass them or they see anything related to the Mockingjay. I don't blame them, I'm afraid too. Every day I'm afraid that somehow, someone will take away what I need most.

Later this evening, after I got home, I put on a yellow sundress and head to the lake, leaving a note telling Peeta to come when he was done with work. Soon after I saw him walking and sitting down next to the stream next to me. My hand twirled in the mud, picking at a katniss root, which I was named after. The rock he sat on was sturdy, but loose, so if he leaned over he will fall into the small lake.

"Hey Peeta, can you lean over and take a look at this plant?" I asked him. He soon leaned over and, as expected, tipped over and fell face first into the lake. His head popped up to see me rolling on my belly, laughing hysterically.

"Not. Funny," he said through chattering teeth, his golden hair dripping water droplets into the lake. Soon I felt my foot being grabbed and helplessly grabbing grass while laughing, I was plunged into the cool water. My head resurfaced, watching as he laughed loudly, not knowing I was silently behind him. I was only a foot away when a big wave fell over his head.

"Shi..." He began to say, but was muffled by the water going into his open mouth and over his head.

Giggling, I pushed myself out of the water, grabbing Peeta's arm and pulling him onto the soft dirt-turned mud. He shivered slightly, making a chattering noise with his teeth.

Soon after, we left which lead to this moment.

Inside the house, I had on a fresh pair of pajamas, and was just chilling on the couch watching TV when Peeta called me into the living room. I stood up with a sigh, and, feet pattering across the wood flooring, entered the dining room.

The scene before my eyes was incredible.

On the cherrywood table an uncountable amount candles were lit, giving off a sweet aroma and illuminating the room with a soft glow. Piles upon piles of my favorite foods were lined up, and my eyes instantly landed on the savory cheese buns I had every day, and the lamb stew Peeta only made me on my bad days, where I could hardly bring myself out of bed. The pictures of our families, both of us young, seemed To stare at me in the flickering light.

"Peeta... this is too much, it's not even a special occasion," I said, barely above a whisper. My hand was to my mouth, and I stared into those blue orbs that held the chair that must be mine. He just motioned with his hand to sit, and I hesitantly did so. He walked around the table, sitting in his own seat. After I realized there was no hope of getting an explanation of why he was doing this, other than the fact that he loved me dearly, I served myself and dug in.

After, when my belly was stuffed to the fullest, Peeta walked back to me and grabbed my hands. Standing up, we walked until we were near the edge of the table.

"Katniss Everdeen..." he said quietly, almost as if he was speaking to himself. It would've seemed that way too, had we not been holding each other's hands. Slowly, he let go of one hand. "You are the love of my life." Leaning down, and reaching into his pocket, my heart began to race. Was this really happening? "And I wouldn't want to spend it..." his other hand let's go, leaving me out of his grasp. Soon a brown box opens, revealing a small, diamond ring. He grabs my right hand again, "with anyone else. So, Katniss Everdeen, will you marry me?"

"Yes."

It is in this moment Katniss realized, smiling to herself, that all of her doubts and worries were worthless. She thought he wouldn't love her in five years, that she'd be alone, but then, laying there, she whispered to herself, "He's not going anywhere."

[babieyangyang10]

violent ends (chapter 10)

(chapter 10)

series masterlist

genre: hunger games!au

pairings: huang renjun x oc, na jaemin x oc

warnings: language, mentions of injuries, mentions of sex, fighting, and death (so sorry for this one)

previous | next

Jaemin's POV

"Athena, run!" I yell, before my feet start moving. Flames rip at my skin as I pass more and more trees.

However, I don't get far, before I'm colliding with something hard. I grunt falling down to the ground.

"Jisung!" That something was Mark Lee. We stare at each other with wide eyes.

"Hyung, I don't think that's Jisung." Chenle trails off. I crawl backwards, trident no where to be found.

"Athena, get-" I turn around for help, to be met with just trees behind me, "Wait, where'd she go?"

"Who?"

I explain, still breathing heavily, "Lee Athena, she was right behind me. I guess we must have gotten separated."

"We're looking for a kid named Jisung. Blond hair. Kinda skinny. This tall." Chenle gestures his height above his head.

"I haven't seen him," I realize that not only do I not have Athena, but I also don't have any weapons or supplies, "Oh fuck, what am I going to do now?”

"Well, they should be close by. Maybe we could look together!" Chenle suggests.

"Chenle, he's dangerous." Mark spits at the younger boy.

"Yeah, with no weapons or even anything on him. Real dangerous," Chenle rolls his eyes, "Besides, even if he wanted to kill us, he would've tried by now."

I hate to say it, but I am desperate. I literally have nothing. If I disagree with Chenle, Mark Lee will definitely kill me right here.

I began pleading with him. "Listen, I need to find her," I pause, "she's just really important to me. I'll even help you find the kid."

A look of pity appears on Mark's face. "Fine, but we're splitting up and Chenle," He looks to the boy, "you're going to be the one who stays with him. Always keep your weapon ready. Meet me back at camp at sunset."

"Thank you, Mark." I breath out, truly grateful.

“I’m going to be looking in the direction of our camp to see if they’re in that area. The two of you will check around here.” He heads off towards the direction of the Lake.

Meanwhile, Chenle and I begin in the opposite direction. We decided to try to retrace our steps and try to find tracks where we last saw them.

As time passes, I feel my chest sink more and more. How could I be so stupid to lose her like that? Although, I haven’t heard any cannons. That’s good, right?

“So, what’s the deal with you two? Is it really real?” Chenle asks about the girl on my mind.

I hum, “I think so. I meant what I said.” It was the truth, even if the cameras are on me now.

“Ooh, love at first sight!” He teases in a high-pitched voice.

Laughing, I respond with, “So, how did the three of you decide to team up?”

“Mark was the one who asked us. Jisung and I were really surprised,” He furrowed his brows, “Like, why would this strong guy want to team up with us, the smallest tributes? I guess it was because we’re all in the lower districts and grew up very similar.”

Before I can respond, I hear the sound of laughing. “Careers!” I point, “Let’s hide in that tree.”

Grabbing on to a high branch, I pull myself up first. Chenle goes to do the same, but the branch snaps, causing him to fall to the ground.

“Look!” The Careers have spotted us.

Leaning down, I hold out my hand. I pull him up only just before they stop at the trunk of the tree.

“Haechan, go get them.” Lee Jeno barks at the man.

Haechan tries to climb the tree, but only falls down. Since the branch snapped, there’s no way he’ll be able to grab on to anything.

“I can’t. There’s no way!” He yells, frustrated. I can hear Chenle snickering from beside me.

However, no one laughs at Huang Renjun’s next harsh words, “Use your bow then.”

Chenle turns to me with fear in his eyes. Looking above, there’s no where else for us to climb. The two of us can’t take the three of them with just Chenle’s knife.

The District 1 tribute reaches back into his pouch on his back to load his bow. We wait in silence, until his hand comes out empty, “I forgot it at the Cornocopia.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Jeno looks furious, “Go get them, before I slit your neck open while your family watches on tv.”

Haechan, looking close to tears, begins towards the Cornocopia. Meanwhile, Jeno suddenly makes an observation, “Hey lover boy, where’s your girlfriend?”

Striking a nerve in me, I spit, “That’s none of your business.” I notice that it was starting to get dark. Mark should be waiting for us at the camp.

“Did she finally decide to ditch you?” I look down to see Renjun, looking intensely up at me.

“No.” I deny. Seeing that Chenle is rummaging around the tree, I try to distract the two of them.

“Why, are you missing her too much?” I direct it towards Renjun. Jeno, intrigued by my comment, turns to observe his ally’s reaction.

“Nope. Why would make you say that?” He pretends to be unaffected. Although, for a second, I swore I could see a hint of anger in his eyes.

“Oh, come on,” I narrow my eyes, “Don’t tell me you’ve never had a soft spot for Lee Athena. You grew up together didn’t you? Always competed with the other in school.”

“Really?” Jeno says, taking in my words.

“Yep, she told me all about it.” I laugh dryly to myself.

Renjun just pauses, he looks up at me with dark eyes before simply asking, “Did she tell you what happened the night before the first day of the games as well?”

Before anyone else can speak, a cannon goes off in the distance.

Athena’s POV

"I need to find Mark and Chenle. Could you help me back to our camp?" Jisung suggests after we finish eating the crackers from my bag.

That was easier said than done. Judging by both our conditions, we wouldn't make it far. Not to mention, how do I know I wouldn't be killed on sight by Mark Lee if I returned him?

Before I can answer, however, I hear the sound of beeping. From the sky, a little crate is falling from a parachute. A sponsor!

I catch it in my hands, quickly opening it. I first spot a piece of paper. The writing says, “heal up, hero.—T.”

Taeyong.

“Thank you for the sponsorship.” I gratefully say to the camera, before pulling out the jar inside. It contains a gooey substance, which I’m presuming is for our burns.

“Okay, Jisung. This might sting a little.” I warn, before crouching down. I apply the cream over his leg. His doe-eyes open wide, while he whimpers softly in pain.

Quickly, I notice the burnt skin on my hand where the cream had touch was now completely healed. I applied more to my other hand. Now, I can actually hold a weapon again. I also put in on my leg, feeling the pain ease away.

I feel as good as new. However, while Jisung’s skin is looking extremely better on his wound, he still is unable to walk. Because of this, I add another layer of cream for now.

“Okay, so your base is across the lake, take a left at the tree stump, then go straight?” I ask, while he eagerly nods.

“Well, I’m going to bring them back to you, since you can’t come to them. I’ll leave you with a knife. I wonder if there’s a way you could warn me of danger?” I ask myself.

“Well, back in eleven, we have this little signal.” He whistles a four-note melody, which causes mockingjays to sing it back to him.

“How about every now and then you whistle to check in on me? If you don’t hear it back from the mockingjays, then somethings gone wrong.” Jisung explains.

Once giving him a spare knife, I grab my things and begin following the stream upwards. Like we agreed, I would whistle and listen as the mockingjays would echo. Whenever I would hear it return, I couldn’t help but let out a little smile.

The stream eventually leads me to the lake, where I cross. I follow the directions Jisung gave me until I am met with a small shack of sticks.

“Athena?”

I throw my knife, which lands just centimeters away from Mark Lee’s head.

“Woah, I come in peace!” He holds up his weapon-less hands.

Breathing heavily, I apologize, “Sorry, but Jisung told me to find you. He’s injured. I left him by a pond, come follow me.”

Before we went, I whistled once more to Jisung. I waited and was met with the sound of silence. Even after trying again, there was still nothing.

“Something’s wrong!” I cried.

We began running, the water from the lake and stream, soaking us. However, all we cared about was Jisung. As I neared the pond, I could hear the sounds of excessive splashing.

Turning the corner, I am met with the sight of Haechan holding a struggling Jisung under the water. Hands flailing, he is trying to free himself, while Haechan is killing him slowly.

There was no hesitation. No guilt.

When the knife went flying from my hand, straight into Haechan’s left eye.

[zutaralesbian]

Dude we could have had it ALL with the onscreen hunger games series and normally I’m not as angry about it as rn but like IF THEY HAD JUST HAD IN THE RIGHT HANDS and the people in charge didn’t care about it being flashy or impressive but rather what the story ACTUALLY HAD TO SAY not only would the love story they butchered (while using it as a way to gloss over the reality of the material and shit) have been way more impactful but also it would be a on-screen series that would go down as LEGEND

Oh yeah. The THG movies missed the mark of what the story was about. By a ton lol. Anyone whose known me for a while most likely knows that I love Peeta/Katniss as a ship (they were my #1 OTP for a time during my teenage years) but neither they or the triangle should have been promoted in the movies as much as it was. It wasn’t the main focus.

Along with that the movies focused way too much more time on making the Capitol 'cool and flashy' than they did trying to showcase the actual themes of the story, which is obviously yikes 😬. Katniss should have been played by a woc since she was at least implied to not be white in the books and it makes the most sense for her character and arc to not be. They erased Peeta's disability as an amputee (in the books he has to have his leg removed after the first games). I could honestly go on.

I used to want a TV adaption of The Hunger Games that actually portrayed the theme of the story accurately but tbh, the canon material of Mockingjay would have to be re-worked A LOT. I still have a soft spot for the series because I loved it as a teen but the way Suzanne Collins demonized the rebellion in Mockingjay was...not it. (I said once that the ending of Game of Thrones was strikingly similiar to the ending of The Hunger Games series and I wasn't lying :/ ) There was always something that didn't sit right with me about Mockingjay and the older I got the more I realized why 🙃

[finicky-finnick]

Finnick might have voted YES for another Hunger Games

I know this might be an unpopular opinion, but during my recent reread of THG trilogy it struck me that Finnick might actually have voted ‘yes’ to another Hunger Games had he lived in order to protect Annie (and possibly also himself, although I don’t think he cares much about his own physical safety) from Coin.

Annie says that Finnick would vote no if he were there. I do not doubt for even a second the truth of that statement if the vote were solely about his personal convictions. I am in no way saying Finnick personally wanted another Hunger Games. But I still think there is a possibility he might have voted with Coin. 

This is going to get long. Apologies. 

First of all, there is evidence early on in Mockingjay that Finnick has Coin’s number. You can see this when he and Katniss watch the Distirct 8 hospital bombing propo. Finnick’s political awareness and strategic intelligence are on full display. The most striking part of the scene is how quickly his mind works. 

What happens is this: an interview with Peeta comes on right after the rebel propo about the Distict 8 hospital bombing. Finnick and Katniss watch it. Peeta is in very bad shape. He implores Katniss to stop making propos, asks if she can trust the rebels, insists she is being manipulated into being a cause of death and destruction.

Finnick presses the button on the remote that kills the power. In a minute, people will be here to do damage control on Peeta’s condition and the words that came out of his mouth. I will need to repudiate them. But the truth is, I don’t trust the rebels or Plutarch or Coin. I’m not confident that they tell me the truth. I won’t be able to conceal this. Footsteps are approaching. 

Finnick grips me hard by the arms. “We didn’t see it.”

“What?” I ask. 

“We didn’t see Peeta. Only the propo on Eight. Then we turned the set off because the images upset you. Got it?” He asks. I nod. “Finish your dinner.” 

And Finnick’s plan works. (“I pull myself together enough so that when Plutarch and Fulvia enter, I have a mouthful of bread and cabbage. Finnick is talking about how well Gale came across on camera. We congratulate them on the promo. Make it clear it was so powerful, we tuned out right afterward. They look relieved. They believe us.”)

This demonstrates that Finnick has Coin’s number while also demonstrating that he understands Katniss well enough to know she is not capable of playing the game she needs to in order to survive right now. He is in such bad shape mentally at this point that he “basically lives at the hospital” and yet he is sharp enough, astute enough, and quick enough to realise in a matter of seconds that: 

a) people will be checking on them any minute, 

b) Katniss will have to publicly respond to Peeta’s comments as well as assure Coin and Plutarch that she completely trusts them and the rebels if word gets out they saw Peeta, 

c) Katniss does NOT trust the rebels or D13 or Plutarch, and especially not Coin, 

d) Katniss is, in that moment, incapable of acting well enough to convince Coin and Plutarch that she does trust them, and 

e) the consequences of that would be bad, bad, bad. 

Therefore, it is highly likely that Finnick would be aware of the fact he and his loved ones are unsafe when it comes to Coin, and this knowledge would have been a factor in how he voted during the Games vote at the end of Mockingjay. 

In fact, he probably realised this a lot sooner than the Games vote. Finnick probably understood immediately that he was now expendable - and potentially a threat - the moment he laid eyes on Peeta, the newest member of the Star Squad. 

Katniss is a lot less politically astute than Finnick, so Boggs has to spell it out for her. 

“But you’ll throw support to someone. Would it be President Coin? Or someone else?” [Boggs says]

“I don’t know. I’ve never thought about it,” I say. 

“If your immediate answer isn’t Coin, then you’re a threat. You’re the face of the rebellion. You may have more influence than any other single person,” says Boggs. “Outwardly, the most you’ve ever done is tolerated her.”

“So she’ll kill me to shut me up.” The minute I say the words, I know they’re true.

“She doesn’t need you as a rallying point now. As she said, your primary objective, to unite the districts, has succeeded,” Boggs reminds me. “These current propos could be done without you. There’s only one last thing you could do to add fire to the rebellion.”

“Die,” I say quietly. 

“Yes. Give us a martyr to fight for,” says Boggs.

Boggs tells Katniss explicitly that Coin wants Katniss dead because whomever Katniss supports as the new leader of Panem is who the new leader will be.  Katniss has this amount of influence because she is “the face of the rebellion.” Aka she is extremely famous at this point - dare I say, as the Mockingjay, a living legend.

Who else is a living legend in Panem? Finnick. 

I think Finnick would have realised Coin might now consider him a potential threat the minute he understood that Coin saw Katniss as a threat, which I think he would have pieced together the moment Peeta joined Star Squad. While Katniss undoubtedly has the most sway over who will be Panem’s new leader, it is highly likely Finnick held some influence, too. He is one of the most famous people in all of Panem and is now famously a rebel due to the several propos he made. Being the Capitol Darling for 10 years probably limits how much political sway he has over the general public, and his mental breakdown in D13 probably lost him some credibility with the rebels. However, he probably gained quite a bit of credibility points and general influence after his powerful confessional propo that revealed Snow’s forced prostitution of the desirable victors, Snow’s deadly rise to power, and other salacious details about the other most powerful people in the Capitol. His primary use was his ability to turn the Capitol against Snow. Now that he’s accomplished that, he is expendable to Coin - just like Katniss. It just took longer for Katniss to become expendable than it did for Finnick. 

So Finnick would have  known he could not afford to give Coin the impression he did not support her fully and without hesitation. He had Coin’s number from pretty early on and has a sharp political mind. This leads us to the vote. 

If you look at the Victors who voted ‘no’, you realise the none of them have much influence over public opinion. Peeta (a ‘traitor’ due to his capitol tv spots during MJ, then an ‘evil Capitol mutt’ when returned hijacked) doesn’t have much influence. His credibility is shot. Annie, who has a very public reputation as the mad victor, also votes no. So does Beetee. Beetee has more credibility than Annie or Peeta with the public, but he is older, in a wheelchair, and not one of the most famous victors so he likely doesn’t hold much sway. He also cites political concerns for his vote, not moral objections, a move reminiscent of a wise advisor to a king. He also demonstrated his loyalty with the bombing of the Capitol that killed Prim.

So basically, the victors who vote against Coin are the ones who don’t pose a threat to Coin. Johanna and Enobaria vote yes out of a desire for revenge. The victors with more credibility and sway (Katniss, Haymitch) vote yes knowing that they can’t be seen to not support Coin (Kat) and knowing what Katniss is planning (Haymitch). 

I think Finnick would have known immediately what Katniss was planning, but I don’t think that would have any influence on his vote. 

Bottom line/TL;DR: I think he would have voted ‘yes’ to protect Annie. Because he would have known Coin might see him as a threat and his experience has taught him that presidents use his loved ones to punish him or keep him in line. He has seen the similarities between Coin and Snow from the beginning and has been given no reason to assume Coin will behave differently. 

[rosereview]

Book of the Month (Feb): The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

In the month of February I read four books with one of them being a reread and another one that was for school. Although I don’t consider any rereads for my Book of the Month picks, this one was a close first against the reread, which was no surprise given both of these books. But anyways, this is the list for the books I read in February and then I’ll get into the review:

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins (4.5 stars)

A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas (reread- 4.5 stars)

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (4 stars)

Antigone by Sophocles (unrated)

Characters

First I would like to say that I usually really like a villain backstory and an anti-hero character. I just love the way an author can make you hate and understand a character so well, and I think the psychology of how a “villain” becomes bad is so interesting. If done well of course. And Suzanne Collins did a very good job in my opinion. Coriolanus Snow is not someone you like, but seeing his life in a post-war environment with bigotry all around him, you can very much see how he got to the places he did. And even though he does such bad things in the end, I could totally understand and sympathize with how he got there and why he became the evil president in the end. Throughout the whole book, Coriolanus is just focused on survival for himself and his family, much like Katniss in The Hunger Games, but unlike Katniss he doesn’t fully stick to his values and he gets lost in this complicated world he is trying to navigate. I found it so interesting with where his mind would go while thinking about everything he had to keep secret from everyone else, but I could also really sympathize with the way that he needed to keep it all a secret too. He was just trying to make a better future for himself and his family, which I can relate to, but it is also obvious that the way he did it was not good either. 

The next character that I want to talk about is Lucy Gray, our lead lady, who I thought was magnificently written. She was the perfect opposite position for Coriolanus’ view points, bringing him down to earth multiple times to make him see what she lived everyday because she was district. But besides the relationship between her and Coriolanus (I’ll talk about that more later), as an individual character she was super interesting to read about mostly because of all the relationships with her music and the songs that we know about from The Hunger Games. To see that connection between Lucy Gray and our future Katniss was really cool and the mystery of what happened to her in the end I found to be really fitting for Lucy Gray and her character. 

Relationships

I can’t really talk about anymore characters without talking specifically about their relationships to Coriolanus so this next part will also fill in what I think about certain characters. First I want to touch on the relationship of Coriolanus and Lucy Gray, which I thought was also well done. It was nice to see how Coriolanus had some humanity in him before he was corrupted by the government around him into the President Snow that we know now. Lucy Gray was the biggest part of showing us his human side while also being a big part of his downfall. His insecurities revolving around her were really what set him off, and it was so interesting to see how her relationship with the musical mockingjays and Coriolanus’ reaction to them was so different and was an interesting metaphorical take on their views of government and control. 

Another super interesting relationship was Coriolanus and Sejanus Plinth, which honestly made me mostly anxious. Sejanus was such an interesting and good character, but really it was stressful to see his goodness also be his downfall. He trusted Coriolanus too easily and was definitely too open with his secrets, which I guess just showed how manipulative Coriolanus could be but also was a sort of metaphor on how easily the trustworthy and honest people are killed off in a corrupt society. Most of the time I was just really hoping that Coriolanus would be more understanding of Sejanus and not betray him in the end, but being able to hear Coriolanus’ thoughts and how he continued to be annoyed with Sejanus and his treachery to the Capitol, almost made me feel the same. It’s crazy how believing in something so much can really make even your friends not be enough to change you. And their whole relationship really made the end hurt more when Coriolanus betrayed him and watched his death only to steal his spot as a rich man’s son when he got back to the Capitol. I really wished it didn’t have to end that way (but I also knew that it would).

The last relationship I wanted to talk about was Coriolanus and his cousin and grandmother. I thought it was very interesting that even though Coriolanus’ grandmother was so against District people, both him and Tigris were actually sympathetic to the Districts at the beginning. It was very interesting to see how much Tigris believed in the hunger games being bad and wanting to find peace with them, when her cousin- practically brother- became the biggest controller and leader of those games. It just really shows how even if you grow up in the same way as someone, that doesn’t mean that you will grow up to be the same as them, especially when you are put into different situations outside of the family unit. 

Plot

Now for the final points, we move to plot which was overall well executed but still crazy. The only reason why this book got a 4.5 rating instead of 5 was because I thought that the book was a little bit longer than necessary, especially comparing it to it’s previous Hunger Games books, which are much shorter. Although that being said, every chapter did feel like it was important (even if some weren’t as interesting as others). I have to say that I was very very surprised with the plot twists, namely when Coriolanus became a Peacekeeper and goes to District 12 and when he almost runs away with Lucy Gray. I was not expecting that from the future President of Panem. Because of those interesting surprises, I thought this book was incredible, and I really did think that it was worth the read. I know that a lot of people are saying that this book didn’t need to be added to the world of The Hunger Games, I disagree. If you are like me and you like having background knowledge of the way a certain world is formed and made into the world it becomes in a previous book, then you’ll like this (because it explores the whole invention of the games and how they become the crazy TV sensation that you know in the original trilogy). Also, if you love philosophy and questions on morals and law vs. lawlessness then you will also like this book, because it totally explores it from multiple angles which were very cool. Overall, I think that it was a really good read if you liked The Hunger Games and love to go back to series that are already “finished” then this is the book for you. 

Thank you for anyone who made it to the end of this. I know my thoughts are always pretty much all over the place, but I had to get them down.

Until next time!

~Rose Reviews

[beautifulpaxielreads]

March Wrap Up

Books Completed (ratings out of five stars)

Educated by Tara Westover (begun in February, ★★★)

The weight of feathers by Anna-Marie McLemore (begun in February, ★★★)

Serpent & dove by Shelby Mahurin (Serpent & dove #1, ★★★★)

All the bad apples by Moïra Fowley-Doyle (★★★)

The Hunger Games* by Suzanne Collins, audiobook read by Tatiana Maslany (The Hunger Games #1, ★★★★★)

Books currently in progress

Ace of shades (The Shadow Game #1) * by Amanda Foody, audiobook read by Saskia Maarleveld

Catching fire (The Hunger Games #2) * by Suzanne Collins, audiobook read by Tatiana Maslany

Radio Silence by Alice Oseman

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

The gilded wolves (The gilded wolves #1) by Roshani Chokshi

*reread

Challenge and Game Participation

Completed Historical Fantasy Fiction Bookcub Recommends quiz on listchallenges.com, set by @bookcub​ (my result on Tumblr here)

Completed the Queer Books Bookcub Recommends quiz on listchallenges.com, set by @bookcub​ (my result on Tumblr here)

Answered @lizziethereader​’s Weekly Bookish Question #173 (March 22nd-28th) - If you’re currently quarantined or self-isolating, what effect does that have on your tbr? (my response)

Tag Game - Name Your Top 5 Female Characters from novels you’ve read, tagged by @karynlibrarian​ (my response)

Ask Game – Some new bookish asks for you all, tagged by @elfspectations​ (my responses)

Shelf Confidence Book Photography, March, Day 10: Archenemies (set by @myownlittlebookcorner​)

 Answered @lizziethereader​’s Weekly Bookish Question #171 (March 8th – March 14th) – Have you already tried something new this year? A new genre, reading spot, reading project,.…? (my response)

Completed Aliteraryprincess’s 100 Best Books in YA Literature quiz on listchallenges.com, set by @aliteraryprincess (my result on Tumblr here, see my tags)

TBR Buster Challenge, set by @bookbandit​ – completed The weight of feathers

GoodReads 2020 Reading Challenge – 19 books out of 70 (27%) completed. According to GoodReads, I’m 2 books ahead of schedule. That’s 1 book down from last month where I was 3 books ahead of schedule.

Reading (and reading-related) Goals for April

Before I begin this, I should say that I’m currently in near-lockdown conditions where I am thanks to the dreaded COVID-19 outbreak, so that means I have less of an excuse not to achieve this month’s goals. And the next month – and the next…

Finish all the books currently in progress, especially the audiobooks

Read Slay by Kim Curran. It involves a boy band who have a side job as demon-slayers. Not my usual fare, but it got good reviews so it should be a fun, light read.

Read at least 1 book from my backlist

As ever, participate in at least one bookish challenge or game

MAYBE start doing reviews now I have more time to do so. Don’t hold your breath though.

Update the spreadsheet I’m using to track my reading

Try my hand at making moodboards. I have said I’d do this previously, but this time I’m really going to do it. Time to start exercising those graphic-making muscles again!

Make a start on my last book purchases this month – The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon, and a non-fiction book, On the Trail of Genghis Khan: an epic journey through the land of the nomads by Tim Cope. The latter book is a written account of Cope’s overland trip from Mongolia to Hungary, a trip documented in a TV series I watched some time ago and really enjoyed.

Make a start on Mockingjay as read by Tatiana Maslany. I have no doubt her work will again be excellent.

Reflections on March’s Reading Goals

Despite my not actually reading as many books this month, I did complete all but one of my reading goals, so yay me!

Didn’t start reading Northanger Abbey until the end of March and am still reading in April, so there goes that resolution. Hopefully, I should finish it by the end of this month though.

New Followers

36 new followers! Thanks one and all – as ever, know I appreciate every single one of you and please feel free to get in touch. This goes for my rusted-on followers as well – I promise I don’t bite!

Interesting observations

So I didn’t read as many books this month – instead, I thought about what books I wanted to read! That counts, right?  On a more serious note, I do want to read more that I’m under near-lockdown conditions.

On the strength of her reading of The Hunger Games trilogy, Tatiana Maslany needs to do more audiobooks. As a side note, I’ve started watching Orphan Black and it’s creepily disturbing, but so good! Thank you, Ms. Maslany!

Audiobooks seem to be a theme for me this month – I also started rereading Amanda Foody’s Ace of Shades, read by Saskia Maarleveld. I’ve downloaded Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid to listen to at some point, as it features a stellar voice cast and is – from what I’ve heard – the best way to appreciate this book.

In a review I wrote a couple of months ago, I described myself as a convert to the cult of Alice Oseman. This month I started reading Radio Silence and I have to say I’m a bit disappointed – don’t get me wrong, it’s still very well-written but it doesn’t have the same knock-out punch that I was born for this had.

That’s a wrap for March! I hope you’re all keeping well both physically and mentally during these challenging times. On to April!

[delicatebluebirdruins]

THG: Catching Fire

Part 1

- I love the opening scene so much

- I love learning about things like Greasy Sae and how she started a collection to sponsor Kat and Peeta... I really want to know who chipped in

- poor Darius

- Katniss admits that she feels a little bit of longing when hearing Peeta’s voice

- everytime without fail Snow turns up and I am shook

“snake like“; “finding a fanged viper instead of stew“; “snake lips“; “not lie to one another“ that last quote reminds me of Gaul so much

- I love Katniss so much about Parcel Day and her joke about the prep team and her relationship with her mother improving through understanding

- I love the description of the Quarter Quell

- I love the prep team watching Mrs Everdeen braid Kat’s hair

- i love the kiss in the snow 

- Oh the chat about Victors children going into the arena... I wonder if Ceceila’s kids are okay 

- Katniss and her favourite foods

- this conservation

“Doesn’t Peeta need prepping? I ask/ Not the way you do Effie replies“

- “its good to feel his fingers entwined with mine again”

- I love Kat’s speech in District 11 and the execution is always so jarring

- Haymitch hiding the microphones

- Nights on the train!

- the “conservation” between Snow and Katniss on the night of her engagement

-- I don’t really care for parties or soup but I would go this one glare at everyone and try the pink soup

- the mockingjay as a popular icon for the Capitol must have made Snow seethe

- Peeta: maybe subduing the Districts was wrong... I wonder how different things would be if Kat repeated that to Gale

- Plutarch’s watch

- I love Madge

- I love Kat everytime I read this section I always laugh because she is so shook about Gale declaring his feelings for her

- the whipping how so many layers to it like the crowd vs the victors vs the peacekeepers etc

-- Did Leevy survive?

- I love Mrs Everdeen go into healer mode

- Katniss: chooses Gale> a few hours later> I want Peeta to comfort me

Part Two

- I love Katniss helping Bonnie and Twill

- D13 mention and the way to see it is through a mockingjays wing

- I love the east and west conservation/ them annoying the peacekeepers

- it’s cheese bun time and scrapbooking time (you know when I realised where I was I started to sing to the tune of “it’s meme time” it’s cheese bun)

- How confused and unnerved was everyone when Katniss turned on the TV? the answer is very

- Katniss and the prep team makes me happy

- The Quarter Quells are terrifying and if we get a novel about them I hope we’re not in the tributes heads

- I have... mixed feelings about Haymitch especially when he tells Katniss that she could live a hundred life times and not deserve Peeta

- my poor baby Katniss wanting to joke about the QQ to reassure her family but bursting into tears instead

- I love them all training like careers

- “my goodbyes still hanging on my lips”

- I am always so sad when the Victors get reaped

- awe sofa snuggles are the best

- I still want to know more about Madge

- Was all the poison in Haymitch’s games because there was more kids? I really want to know the thought process about the set up for this particular game

- Katniss eating the melted chocolate with a spoon is a mood

- I think I prefer this tribute parades costume then the first books

- this first interaction with Finnick and Peeta reacting to it makes me laugh-- I really do think that what happened to Finnick is what broke Snow and Tigris

- Poor Darius

- I love the knot tying teacher

- Finnick! Wiress! Beetee! Mags!

- force field

- I love everyone requesting Katniss as a ally after they saw her shoot

Bonus: i love Mags just wanting a nap

- the hanging of Seneca Crane is something I kind of want to see from a gamemakers perspective because some broke glass because they were so shocked

- I love the rooftop picnic

- the prep team saying goodbye :(

- “the capitol audience is mine”

- the toasting explanation

- the victors speeches and the mockingjay dress is always my favourite thing

- I love Peeta so much and the baby bomb is always A+

- I love how Finnick and Johanna tried to join Kat and Peeta in the elevator

- Cinna :( 

-- I wonder if Cinna and Tigris knew each other

Part Three

- I really love Finnick and Mags and I really want to know Finnicks reaction to learning Katniss wanted Mags as a ally

- I really want to be inside his head in other words

- CPR Scene! the locket!

- “not as many (dead) as last year. But it seems like more since I know most of their names”

- Everyone applauding Peeta when he used the force field to cook the food

- “Peeta rubs a tense spot between my shoulders and I let myself relax a little”-- anyone got massage fics for everlark?

-- You know I wasn’t planning on rereading THG but during/and after Ballad I kept thinking about it and well obviously here I am

- oh acid fog... here we go

- I love Finnick cheering them on

- “Maybe because they are shiny with tears” :(

- the morphling protecting Peeta is another event I want to know the things leading up to it

- Peeta talking to the morphling is just so good

- I love Katniss and Finnick waking Peeta up it is a crime that was not in the film

- i love Johanna looking at Kat with loathing and Katniss wondering if this is what it felt like to have an older sister

-- I remember reading the scene where Katniss realises that the arena is a clock really clearly from the first time I read the book in 2012

- Wiress :(

- Jabber jays *shudders*

- Katniss staring at Peeta trying to keep it together

- Johanna is great and I would live it if she and Aelin met

- Odesta :(

- beach kiss *happy sigh*

— I was rewatching the film as I was reading this bit its now the end credite as I type this up as I have finished the book

— again what was going through Finnicks head when he saw them together

-- Peeta, Katniss and Finnick masage chain?

- i love the pearl

In this song there is a very specific lyric that screams everlark

- love the I’ll see you at midnight kiss

- i love Katniss wanting to reach her pearl as the force field explodes

- that last scene between Kat and Finnick makes me so sad

- I still don’t understand why Gale decided to tell Kat what happened to 12 straight away