i keep thinking about the scene in catching fire where peeta hits the forcefield and his heart stops, particularly how katniss reacts to the whole thing. we know later from her conversations with finnick in mockingjay that this was the moment that he realized she truly loved peeta, and we can infer from katniss that this is when snow realized it as well. it's such a poignant scene because we as the readers can hear katniss' thoughts - especially her panic over not hearing peeta's heartbeat when she lays her head on his chest on the spot where she sleeps - but finnick and snow and everyone watching don't hear that. the scene hits because, as haymitch later points out, katniss is impactful when she's not being instructed. her entire relationship with peeta through the hunger games and the first half of catching fire is scripted, for the cameras, and perceptive people can tell it's not entirely genuine. but in that moment in the arena, there are no cameras, no games, just a very scared girl faced with the painfully stark reality that this boy she has come to rely on, to need, and yes, to love, is dead, and she reacts so genuinely that she expresses how strong her love is for peeta when she isn't even aware of it herself. and i really think that this is the point of no return for katniss - that no matter how confusing her feelings are for peeta, from this point on you know she will choose him. without him, she's stuck in the arena forever, with no one to wake her from the nightmare. and it's all wrapped up in this one small scene in the exact middle of the series - the center point between katniss falling for peeta and coming to terms with it.
pixelskylines
jacobvanloon
turnnoffyourmind
blakekathryn
theartofmadeline
kianamaiart
