#coagulate

The only qualm I have with SC’s writing of that change is the “but Peeta wanted them so badly” which even with the background of the story does and can at first glance read “Peeta pestered her into having children”. I think a cleaner line might have been something like her affirming her constant love and trust in Peeta and his thoughts, especially with something so intense. I mean we’ve gotten it throughout the series I don’t think one more time would have hurt anyone

Oh, for sure. And I think it shows how deeply she loves her not-yet children, because she won’t subject them to the horrors of the world that is already so awful to her, a child. She’s not remotely in the space for that, and good on her for being aware of it. But even she says if the fear and defenses weren’t there (and please don’t hear me say that her aversion was invalid: far from it), she could envision a future like that for herself.

I understand why the “Peeta wanted them” line sometimes rubs people the wrong way, because, I confess, on very first glance, it rubbed me the wrong way too.

I don’t know why, though. Genuinely, I’m curious. 🤔 I also don’t know why that read on Peeta is so prevalent, because the man hardly talks about children at all, much less indicates he’s desperate for a family (outside of Katniss). It’s Katniss who walks us through her thoughts on family and children, Katniss who says what a good father Peeta would be ... except for the baby bomb before the Quell, it’s all Katniss.

I get you, Nonny. I get why the line reads funny — but even I have a hard time figuring out why. I think on one hand it may have to do with this idea that Katniss can only fall into one concept of empowered womanhood (broadly speaking, it’s often some variation on the Strong Female Character™ trope) and when she doesn’t fall into cookie cutter place in the pursuit of what she wants, people assume there must have been some coercion involved. So maybe it really has to do more with expectations placed on the characters than it does with the actual actions of the characters. Katniss making the choices that she wants to make after all the manipulation she endures is really important to me, on an in-text and meta-textual level.

Displace

Bard, Cleric, Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard

Conjuration cantrip

Casting Time: 1 Action

Range: Self

Components: V, S

Duration: Instantaneous

Quickly blinking out of existence, you teleport to an unoccupied space within 5ft of where you currently are.

Coagulate

Bard, Druid, Ranger, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard

3rd-level Necromancy

Casting Time: 1 Action

Range: 60ft

Components: V, S, M (a small piece of iron shaped in a spiral)

Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

Choose a target you can see within range. That creature must make a Constitution saving throw as you harden their blood. On a failed save, the creature takes 2d6 necrotic damage and are stunned, half as much on a successful save excluding the stun. A creature can repeat their save at the beginning of their turn, repeatedly taking the damage and staying stunned for every failed save.

Sylveth's Speed of Thought

Wizard

4th-level Divination

Casting Time: 1 bonus action

Range: Self

Components: V, S

Duration: Instantaneous

You speak rapid arcane words and time begins to slow as your thoughts speed up. For this turn only, the excessive arcane knowledge flowing through your head allows you to take two Actions instead of one. The actions can only be used to attack or cast a spell.

“Visit the Interior of the Earth and by Rectifying what you find there, you will discover the hidden stone, the true medicine.” Art/Temperance from Thoth Tarot. The Major Arcana card for Sagittarius. Alchemy. The Philosopher’s stone. The Coagulation, reassembly.

open.spotify.com/episode/7bNDm2Z5WrfkITJHEZBLHO