#strabo plinth

[risingoftime]

AGAINST ALL ODDS | CORIOLANUS SNOW X PLINTH!READER

As the last heir to the Plinth family, you're caught up in an arranged marriage with no one other than Coriolanus Snow. In a civilization that relies on power and survival, Strabo Plinth, for once, has obtained his ultimate desire - something that money can't buy - to secure his position within the Capital's commonwealth and establish the Plinth family as an influential figure in Panem.

You've always dreamed of a life beyond societal expectations and political alliances, where you can make your own choices in life and love. On the other hand, Coriolanus Snow is a cold and calculated individual known for his ruthless nature and thirst for power.

Tasked with redeeming the tarnished Plinth name after your brother Sejanus's death - you'll stop at nothing to ensure that you get the life you've yearned for and do not meet the same fate as your brother.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

chapter one

chapter two

chapter three

chapter four

chapter five

all chapters will also be posted on AO3

[mockingjaysnakes]

ACADEMY! SEJANUS PLINTH.

[catindabag]

What Dr. Gaul thinks the Mentors are doing after class:

What they’re actually doing:

What delulu Highbottom thinks Coriolanus Crassus Snow is doing to get more money from Sejanus Strabo Plinth:

What Coryo’s actually doing:

What Lucy Gray thinks Coryo and Sejanus are doing in ✨The Academy✨:

What they’re actually doing:

What the Districts think their Tributes are doing in the Capitol:

What they’re actually doing:

What Maude Ivory thinks Lucy Gray is doing in the Hunger Games:

What Birdy is actually doing:

For those who are confused AF, [Read this for Context]. Lol.

[katnissandpeetamellark]

[morally-grey-potato]

I'm so sad about Sejanus Plinth.

Little Sejanus, who gets ripped from his District because his father fought for the Capitol in a war he barely remembers, because his ma wanted to give him a chance in life, to keep him away from the danger that awaited the district kids.

And yet Sejanus Plinth remembers, he has District 2 in his blood, etched in his soul. The first Hunger Games happen when he's seven, and he's horrified, and everyone around him is adamant that they're necessary, that the districts deserve it, that its a reminder of everything theyve lost to them.

He avoids the Reaping, but year by year he has the impending thought, the one that's all consuming: "it could've been me".

His old neighbours die in the Hunger Games, and he doesn't know all of them but he does remember some faces. He wishes he didn't.

He has to grow up in the Capitol feeling like he's going crazy or that he's the only sane one, and he misses a home he can't come back to. No one likes him in the Academy, because he's District and because he's got a good heart, which in the Capitol often means you're not in your right mind.

So he's alone.

He only has Ma Plinth, because his father stopped feeling like his father the first time he sat him down in front of the TV and turned on the Hunger Games' bloodbath, when he grabbed his little chin and forced him to look as children killed each other "This is the world we live in now, Sejanus" he had said "We have to live with it".

From that day onward, Strabo Plinth was no more than a stranger in his home, so now he only has his Ma.

His Ma and Coriolanus Snow.

He would be so lonely, all of his classmates snarling at him and talking behind his back. He would try to be nice, too, like his Ma told him to. He would try for them to like him, to be a part of the group, to have friends. But his classmates were too prideful, too cruel.

Until Coriolanus came along. Until he offered a helping hand, and Sejanus grabbed it like a man in the dessert would grab a water bottle, desperate, aching for friendship, camaraderie. Maybe it was because he was so lonely that he didn't see the red flags. Maybe Snow was too good at concealing them. Maybe Sejanus Plinth needed to believe that there was someone good in the Capitol, that he wasn't the odd one out.

And he died because of it. He died because he was lonely and craved a friend, and because he trusted him so much, because he was so sure that he was good that he was unable to see any other possibility.

Sejanus Plinth called for Coriolanus before he was walked to his death. When he was about to be hanged, he called for his Ma. Because to him, in the world, he only had two people, and one was his mother.

The other was his murderer.

[safirefire]

suzanne collins really made such a point about selling out your own people to assimilate with a ruling class that will never see you as one of their own with strabo plinth, he did The Most and in the end he paid the way for his son's murderer, a vile tyrant, to have a meteoric rise to the top.

[maytheblogbeforeverinyourfavor]

Y’all know what absolutely breaks my heart? Sejanus should’ve had the chance to grow up, he would’ve been SUCH an amazing father. Seeing all those little moments where he interacted with Maude Ivory so well… he would’ve made sure that she was taken care of when Coryo and Lucy ran away…. like, idk if anyone else thinks about this, but I do.

[too-early-for-katniss]

Rebels, to Strabo: Give us 10,000 dollars and your son will be returned unharmed Sejanus, from the other room: Wait, you think I'm only worth 10,000 dollars? Rebels: Sejanus: HE'LL PAY ONE MILLION! Coryo, also from the other room: SEJANUS STOP!

[mr-nauseam]

Snow is so dumb, the correct answer was: "I really like your son" and I swear Strabo would have given him a property right there but no, he had to be dumb and say "I really like Music" 🙄

[risingoftime]

AGAINST ALL ODDS | CORIOLANUS SNOW X PLINTH!READER | CHAPTER TWO

navigation | previous chapter | next chapter

The air in the vehicle was thick with tension, and Noll had yet to round the corner away from the industrial side of Panem, where the Academy resided. You knew it was coming before Coriolanus opened his mouth to speak.

“Do you have feelings for Romulus?” He asked.

His breath was steady as he waited for your response. Coriolanus was meticulous when displaying his emotions, and he wouldn't expose his hand if not necessary. You sighed exasperated, “I like him, as any friend would.” Choosing your words carefully, although there were no lingering ears, Coriolanus would hold onto any admission you gave him.

“Well then, I advise you to reconsider the company you keep.” Was that a threat? Coriolanus wouldn't bring him harm for being your friend, would he? Unsure if you should challenge his abilities to do so. Sejanus once told you of Coriolanus's proficiency in influence in a letter, and you were conscious of your lack thereof. He was not a person that you wished to have as a rival. Although Coriolanus and you were not yet enemies, you weren't friends either.

"He's my only friend, Coriolanus. Do you truly wish for me to be a recluse? I don't want to be seen as a lone wolf, too.” Your voice was docile enough, a silent plea for him to let this one go. And he did, for now, at least.

Of course, it would be great to have more friends, but as of late, it was hard to decipher who truly wanted to know you for you or as “Snow's fiancee and Sejanus’ sister.” The students of the Academy are captivated by secrets and use them as currency to push their agendas. Your association with Coriolanus Snow made yours even more expensive. Especially now that he had made quite the name for himself as the young apprentice learning underneath the infamous Dr. Volumnia Gaul. Coriolanus was one of the few mentors who survived the 10th Hunger Games, and District 12 as a Peacekeeper at eighteen was not an easy feat.

The vehicle halted to a stop in front of the building that you called home. Before Coriolanus exited, he turned to you and said, “If Romulus touches you, even once, he may as well be as good as dead.” You jumped at the impact of the door slamming as you watched Coriolanus retreat to the penthouse. He hadn't bothered to turn to see your reaction. When the day was all said and done, Coriolanus didn’t care to maintain the illusion of being in love if no one could witness it.

Coriolanus didn’t enjoy the thought of another having access to what he deemed rightfully his, and that is you. As a child, you thought Coriolanus to be self-indulgent. He’d never bothered to keep others close to him unless they proved themselves beneficial somehow. When you learned that the Snow family was practically penniless, you assumed that Coriolanus was being protective over Tigris and Grandma’am. But it was now revealed that he is egotistic and maybe jealous.

Noll offered you a half-smile while ushering you inside the penthouse. He had most likely heard what was said in the vehicle. Noll hadn’t been your assigned driver for long. Looking closer, you could see the signs of his aging. His curly ginger hair now had more gray hairs, and his brown eyes revealed crow's feet when he smiled. He’d come from District Four, leaving behind his wife and daughter, and that was all you knew about him, given his limited communication ability.

“Ma, I’m home!” you yelled out.

The luxurious condo smelled of baked goods. Ma came around the corner and walked to the grand mahogany oak and gold dining table with sugar cookies and pie in hand.

“I missed you! You’ve been gone for so long.”

She set the dishes down and wiped her hands on her apron before cradling your face. “No need to worry, Ma. I was just at the Academy.” She pulled you in closer for a hug and took a deep breath, grounding herself. “I know, it’s just– after… everything. I’m glad you’re home.” Ma choked on her words. Ma was one of the main reasons you went along with the marriage. She became like this often, holding on to a thread, hoping it won’t snap.

“Did you make these for me?” Desperate to lighten the mood and give a distraction to your mother.

“Yeah, thought you ought to have a snack while you do your homework. Don’t touch the pie, though!” Ma readjusted her apron, which she wore when you were a child in the Districts. The kitchen had always been her safe space, and Pa hadn’t bothered to argue when she packed her culinary decor from our childhood home.

“Why? Does it still need to settle?” you asked.

“The Snows are coming for dinner tonight. Didn’t your father tell you? I told him to.”

Ma was summoned by the chirp of her alarm in the kitchen, signalling her to base and tend to the turkey. Leaving you to begin your work in the dining room. Pondering on the essay assignment by Professor Satyria, “How is all of Panem complicit in the Games?” You began writing:

A sickening hierarchy is ingrained within Panem’s complicity—compliance, driven by a control system, infiltrating every corner of our nation. Dismally, as long as we remain compliant with the spectacle of the Games, we come to be complicit, in varying degrees, in the horrors that unfold. The Capitolites, the privileged few who reside in the opulent heart of Panem, are the profiteers of this labyrinthine system. They revel in the grotesque mockery made of the district Deaths, reaping the benefits of this cadaverous entertainment.

The pen moved swiftly across your notebook as your thoughts moved faster than you could write. The essay could’ve been completed in one night if given more time. The dinner with the Snow family would take up the rest of the evening, and with everyone in attendance, it must be due to something of importance.

𓇢𓆸

The dress that you chose was tighter than you had remembered. It’s been a while since you’ve had to get ready to socialize due to the Academy requiring their students to wear uniforms, and your father was invited to fewer gatherings than before. Knowing the Snow family, they would come wearing their Sunday best, especially with Tigris’ promotion as one of Fabricia‘s stylists at her storefront. She had access to a plethora of fabrics and textures.

Walking down the grand staircase in heels posed a threat to your safety, given the fact that the dress felt snug around the knees. You have been so focused on your feet that you hadn’t noticed Coriolanus lounging in the living room. He held your schoolbook in his hand, deep in thought as he read.

“Hasn’t your mother taught you that it’s impolite to search through other people's things?” you cleared your throat and raised your eyebrows as he continued to finish the last sentence.

“You left it open on the dining table. I would hardly call that searching,” Coriolanus scoffed. Turning around to look down the hall, you could see that your school supplies had been moved as the Avox housekeeper set the dining table for dinner.

“Where is Grandma’am and Tigris?” Ma remained upstairs, still composing herself for the evening, and Pa was surely in his study. Yet, Coriolanus had made himself at home on the couch.

“You don’t see yourself as a part of the Capitol? You confuse those from the Districts as Martyrs,” answering your question with his own.

“I’m not from the Capitol. Isn’t that the point of our matrimony? For the Plinths— my father, to successfully assimilate into your world. I’m not confused. The districts are martyrs, in my eyes; their only crime was rebelling against the Capitol during the dark days.” Your voice was slightly raised and laced with conviction. The anger you had swallowed earlier in the day had arisen again and was harder to conceal.

“Careful, you’re beginning to sound like Sejanus.” Confirming the mistake you had made to disclose that to Coriolanus.

“I am his sister after all.” Consequently, you should’ve known better, but it felt good. Your eyes challenged him to speak, to say anything indecent about Sejanus. Coriolanus did not grieve your brother in the way that you had, and maybe it’s juvenile, but you would’ve wished for your brother’s best friend to be more distraught.

Cogs turned Coriolanus’s mind to how to settle the dispute without escalating further. His gaze roamed over your stature, only now taking in the way the garment hugged your figure, not leaving much to the imagination, unlike the uniform he's used to seeing you in. Pfft, typical.

Strabo Plinth entered the living room from his study. “Ah, Coriolanus, you’ve found her.” He said this as if he had gone searching for you. Your father only sought you out if he needed something. The relationship was purely transactional. 

“Yes, I was telling your daughter the good news.” The lie came easily to him. 

“Marvellous! Let me fetch my wife, please, both of you make your way to the table. I’m sure Tigris will be here any minute with your grandmother.” Your father offered a tight-lip smile before retreating to the main bedroom. 

“Good news?” You asked. 

“Dr. Gaul would like me to be a game maker in the 11th Hunger Games, and she’s tasked me with the opportunity to implement new reforms.” Coriolanus smiled wide, flashing his white teeth. He was beaming with pride from the decision. He would be one of the youngest ever to do so. Your stomach turned at the vision of Coriolanus subjecting another generation of tributes to his advanced military strategies. 

 𓇢𓆸

The sound of scraping utensils and chewing was all that you could hear as you all silently ate the feast that Ma had prepared for supper. The table was filled with food; knowing Ma, she would have the Snow’s leave with plenty of leftovers. Ma and Pa sat at the head of the table while Coriolanus sat beside you, with Tigris and Grandma’am sitting across. Grandma’am had not said much throughout the evening. The woman was in her private world and often muttered incoherently under her breath. Tigris remained polite and entertained Ma’s attempts to make small talk. 

“Oh, Tigris, I had forgotten to ask! Would you be willing to help me with some of the decor for the wedding shower?” Ma exclaimed. You stopped chewing your food and found it difficult to swallow. This dinner was about the wedding. You and Tigris met eyes briefly. The two of you hadn’t many conversations, but she was the closest you’ll ever have to a sister. 

“Why is the maid talking?” Grandma’am said. 

You looked at the older woman, unsure if you were to pity Grandma’am or set her straight once and for all. The sickness of old age overtook her mind, but she never forgot to turn up her nose at anyone she presumed to be beneath her. 

Tigris cleared her throat and corrected her, “Grandma’am, that’s Mrs. Plinth, remember? Coriolanus is getting married to her daughter.”

“Coriolanus is getting married! It should happen on top of the penthouse that overlooks the city of Panem, with my rose garden surrounding it. Beautiful, isn’t it?” she exclaimed. 

“I think that would be a lovely idea, Mrs. Snow.” Stabo’s facial expression was rigid, his voice void of emotion. He’d only talk like that when he was displeased. Sejanus was usually on the receiving end of this, and it was bittersweet that for once, he wasn’t. 

Ma’s face was slightly tinged pink from embarrassment, but she hid it well, unlike Coriolanus, who looked agitated by Grandma’am’s condition. There was no trace of empathy on his face. 

“When will the wedding shower be?” you asked. 

“In two weeks, your eighteenth birthday will be a grand celebration.”

“My birthday! Out of all dates, Pa, please.” 

“We’ve already sent out the invitations; don’t be crass. Three events within the next month are overkill, and your mother has already booked the venue.” Your father took another sip of his white liquor, dismissing you. 

Tigris tried to lift your spirits, “I’ve been daydreaming of the most breathtaking dress that would be perfect. It’ll be the talk of Panem.” You offered her a small smile. 

“If anyone could turn rags to riches, it’s Tigris,” Coriolanus added.  

Tigris's eyes narrowed at the comment, but Coriolanus hadn’t noticed, taking more food on his plate. It didn’t matter how much he’d eaten. There was always an insatiable hunger for more. He ate as if any meal could be his last. And like that, the dinner commenced as it had before.

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[mswyrr]

sejanus plinth: doing good vs feeling good

It's necessary to start off by saying that Strabo, his father, really failed him. He brought Sejanus to an entirely new culture at an age when that is difficult. Not only that, but it was a culture, in the Capitol, that Sejanus had every reason to be repulsed by and yet Strabo didn't provide his son with support in adjusting.

Strabo should have arranged special tutoring, arranged advantageous friendships, and provided his son with mentoring and emotional support in making the adjustment. He failed his kid and, since Sejanus dies before he gets to grow up, the fault is mostly with his parents. And given that Strabo and his wife seem to have a marriage where "the man" makes all the decisions and Ma was treated more like another dependent than an equal partner, the responsibility falls on Strabo.

All of that said: Sejanus could have done a lot of good long-term and instead he focused on short-term making himself feel good.

He was the heir of a munitions empire, the heir to the power of District 2, which is the military might the Capitol relies on to maintain control. If he'd been more strategic, he could have ended the tyranny in a matter of decades by decapitating their military power.

He was also "best friends" with a Snow, someone with the family name and social savvy to become president one day. If Sejanus had effectively cultivated that relationship--like, say, noticing that his best friend's family was going hungry/barely scraping by and helped out--they could have worked together to basically change the place without too much bloodshed, the president and the guy with the munitions power. By the time they were in their 80s (Snow's age at the time of Katniss' first Games), the place could have been a democracy.

My read of Coriolanus is that he's not ideologically driven, he's driven by what gives him comfort, safety, and control. A better person than Dr Gaul could have offered him those things, but it would have to be a better person who possessed those things. And the only one with that was Sejanus, but he didn't know how to use it.

Instead, Sejanus consistently makes moves about morality that are about his short-term emotional satisfaction. They're about feeling good. He says things instead of holding his tongue and actually making things happen. He makes dramatic gestures that are easily subverted (going into the Arena). And all of these keep costing other people--his father and Coriolanus--in ways that further diminish his ability to do long-term good.

All of this is why I don't think he's like Katniss Everdeen. True, they both seem to struggle with social skills, a situation I sympathize with. But it is possible to learn to at least recognize and deal with those kind of politics as someone who isn't naturally gifted and Katniss does often desperately try to learn what she needs to do on that level. Sejanus seems not to be interested at all; he refuses to take what little guidance someone is offering, when Coriolanus points things out. Katniss actually tries to listen to Peeta and other people who are trying to give her a clue. She holds back in moments when doing something she wants to do would have knock-on effects politically and for others. Sejanus seemingly refuses to think of the consequences, politically or for others.

She also has none of his potential power. Sejanus had a tremendous pool of power, money, and privilege at his command; he is the heir of of it and he wasted it all. Katniss had nothing and yet did the best she could with it, often prioritizing doing good over feeling good, or else she would have just, like, shot someone instead of shooting the apple out of the pig's mouth that one time.

If Katniss had his kind of power available to her, I think she would have done better with it.

It's not his fault, and he's not a bad guy or anything. I like the character. I think he's well written and interesting and I feel for him. And Strabo is the ultimate one responsible for putting his son in such a no-win situation, but Sejanus, while feeling morals deeply, doesn't actually take advantage of all the ways he had at his disposal to actually make Panem a better place. And that means that he fails entirely to do good in the pursuit of making himself feel good and righteous.

And it's a bitter, horrifying irony, that Snow ends up the heir to that huge pool of power because Strabo failed his son and Sejanus did not have the natural social social and political insight to manage despite being failed. On some level, Strabo wanted a son who was naturally pragmatic and socially gifted like Snow so much that he refused to actually raise and love the son he had, so Snow is what he ended up with.

It's pretty cool that, in the "friendship" between Sejanus and Coriolanus, Collins set up all the ingredients for the two of them to remake and improve Panem and yet the tragedy is that, due to circumstances and personalities and choices, that possibility dies in District 12 on the hanging tree and another, far darker, future is born.

[mockingjaysnakes]

new stills! (part two).

[catindabag]

Part 2 of “What they’re actually doing” in my TBOSAS on Crack!AU.

Here’s [Part 1]

What D13’s mole people and mole leaders think President Ravinstill is doing inside his office:

What the crazy old man is actually doing:

What Billy Taupe thinks Lucy Gray is doing without him:

What the rainbow bird is actually doing:

What Tigris thinks Coryo and Sejanus are doing every weekend:

What they’re actually doing:

What Strabo Plinth and the Grandma’am think Coryo and Sejanus are doing inside their new bedroom after the SnowPlinth Royal Wedding:

What our two newlyweds were actually doing:

What Alma Coin thinks President Sejanus Plinth-Snow and his “First Lady” Coryo are doing inside the Presidential Palace:

What Grandpa Seji Pie and Grandpa Snow Bae are actually doing:

[katnissandpeetamellark]

Live look at me reading the Epilogue of TBOSAS (for like the 10th time)

[julietasgf]

I think sejanus and his relationship with his dad to be complex and with layers, but if someone asked me to sum up my thoughts, I would just play this edit

(credits to @/madsyale on tiktok)

[snowjanuscentral]

!TBOSAS HOT TAKE ALERT!

Although I love Strabo as an abusive father fanon, I do believe there is another way; Strabo as genuinely thinking he is doing what's best for his son AND Sejanus knowing that his father is truly trying to help him the only way he knows how.

Like I am not particularly attached to Strabo Plinth, but at the same time I think it makes a lot more sense for him to be sympathetic in a "dang this stupid man is really trying, just in COMPLETELY the wrong way".

Don't get me wrong, I like abusive!Strabo Plinth as much as the next angst fic enthusiast, I just haven't seen a more sympathetic Strabo and would personally LOVE to read that, so if anyone has any fic recs along these lines, lmk!!