#incorrect headcanons

(Since I’m bored)

Momo feels guilty thinking about Ken Takakura (the actor) now that she hangs out with Okarun

Okaruns hair didn’t stay curly after the Turbo Granny incident. Momo said she liked it so he keeps up the style for her

Aira tutored Chiquitita before he started school

Jiji records videos for Evil Eye to watch when he takes over. Usually they’re of Jiji dancing, making bad jokes or recommending shows he thinks Evil Eye would like

Seiko invites Jijis parents to dinner once a week as her way of apologizing for all they went through

Incorrect headcanon:

This was actually my original interpretation the first time I read the first book. That all the rest of the backstory is still true: Mr. Mellark pointing Katniss out, Katniss singing the Valley song, etc. But it was just how Peeta remembered her, not the beginning of years-long pining.

Quick disclaimer: I'm not trying to argue for this headcanon's legitimacy. In fact, I now know it's not true. While writing this post, I remembered that Peeta told Katniss during the Victory Tour he was jealous of Gale before he officially met her. So by his own words, Peeta's crush predates the first Hunger Games.

Still, reading the first book on its own, it’s a headcanon I always come back to, and I think works in its own way sometimes.

For one thing, it’s a bit beyond my suspension of disbelief that Peeta was reaped alongside the girl he was silently obsessed with for 11 years. It feels way more like convenience to me than destiny or anything like that. Not to mention, this is supposedly a crush that began and persisted long before Peeta hit puberty.

But it’s not just the realistic aspect that draws me to this hc. It's also because I love how much it contributes to the 'accidental soulmates' aspect on Everlark. The idea that these two were not meant to fall in love. That if their lives went the way they thought or planned, they never would have spoken. They would have rarely crossed paths, if at all. They would have married different people, if anyone when it came to Katniss, but Gale would be the sole candidate if she did. And they would have lived out their days and died as strangers. But through a series of completely unforeseen, bizarre circumstances in this cruel world that brought them together in the most horrific of ways, from it emerged a real bond between them. Even if it started as a charade for sponsors, it morphed into a real bond of love and care that was genuine, and beautiful, and selfless, and real.

My take is essentially that Peeta took his mother's final words to him about Katniss as bitingly true, not that that made them any less hurtful. And from that point forward, he figured if he was going to do something worthwhile before his inescapable death, it would be to help his District. And the way to do that would be to help the girl who could do that better than he ever could.

Sure, there are things like him keeping hold on Katniss' hand during the chariot ride, and teasingly prodding her for a kiss while she's treating him. But...ok, I hesitate to project onto a boy who was and is leagues above me in every way (feel free to flame me for this). But as a former 16-year old boy myself, who was roughly that age when first reading the story, I kinda figured he just wanted to experience a taste of romance before his inevitable death? Like the PG version of "I don't want to die a virgin."

Anywho, gonna whistle past that embarassing hot take lol. But I think this hc gels well too with all his actions Katniss finds questionable: telling her everyone was watching her during the chariot ride, the crush revelation, teaming up with the careers to throw them off her trail, and fighting Cato. He's doing it all for her to win, even at the expense of himself. Not because he has feelings for her (yet), but because he believes in her.

But it's at the point when Katniss finds him in the mud bank, and she does everything in her power from then on to keep him alive, that maybe his feelings for her take a turn for the real. She shouldn't be trying to keep him alive. It’s of no benefit to her whatsoever. But she refuses to let him die. She will not even discuss it. It makes zero sense to him. No one's ever valued his life this much, even his own family. Why is this girl he barely knows, who never noticed him before, suddenly sparing no expense to keep him alive? To the point of risking her own life for him?

This comes to a head when he tries to rebuke her for going to the feast:

"No! Just don't, Katniss! Don't die for me. You won't be doing me any favors. All right? "Maybe I did it for myself, Peeta, did you ever think of that? Maybe you aren't the only one who...who worries about..what it would be like if..." "If what, Katniss?" "That's exactly the kind of topic Haymitch told me to steer clear of." "Then I'll just have to fill in the blanks myself."

On that last line, I took that as Peeta seeing for the first time that Katniss actually does care about him. More than anyone ever has. That she wants him to live, just as much as she wants them to win. And that's when he truly falls for her. Sadly, he makes the mistake of presuming she feels the same way. That's the only blank he filled in incorrectly.

But did he, though? Because what follows that last line is the first kiss between them that makes Katniss feel "stirring in her chest" and "wanting another." This whole conversation made her want to shut the world out, because "whatever I'm feeling, it's no one's business but mine."

So maybe their feelings for each other kinda awoke at the same time? And deep, deep down, the two of them could sense that shift in emotion toward each other. Where performance became reality. For Peeta, much stronger. But for Katniss, she's not quite there yet.

Now yes, I'm aware Katniss gets Peeta to tell the story of his crush AFTER this happens. But as Katniss points out prior to this, he's the silver-tongued one. Not to mention an established good liar. So keeping with the idea this was when he first noticed her, maybe he blends the facts here a little, and decides to make this the point of where his crush began? He probably had it in the vault anyway since the interview.

Finally, I thought this better explained Peeta's anger at the end, when the mask is finally lifted for him. Because logically, why would he think what started as an established act would become real for Katniss? As Katniss says, they were strangers who'd never spoken before all this. Is it because he still thinks she can't lie? Well she proved him wrong there, if only for a moment. I thought the more likely reason he thought Katniss' feelings for him became real, is because that's exactly what happened to him. As I mentioned before, his presumption wasn't entirely off, and Katniss' words that "not all of it" was for the Games are true enough. But it doesn't make the revelation any less crushing for him.

I really do wonder sometimes what kind of story this would have made for if Suzanne took this approach in the sequels. I know now it's an incorrect headcanon, but I'm curious if anyone else ever shared it while reading the first book, and wonders the same.

my masterlist here

feat- Yuuji, geto, gojo, megumi, nobara, choso and panda

pt 2 here

Yuuji : I feel like he's the kind of guy to do absolutely nothing in classes, like does the bare minimum studying and somehow end up like getting okay grades but like everyone thinks he cheats or something, but like no he doesn't he just has a little brain somewhere in that head of his. like in all his fight scenes he has a really good fighting tactic and is quite observant but like acts like an idiot. Like that friend everyone has that seems dumb but isn't as dumb as they seem. I think Yuujis handwriting would be like one of two things; like either its handwriting that only people who are able to read it are his friends and the teacher, or like no one can read it and he gets called up to explain what word he wrote. I SWEAR HE HAS ADHD

Gojo:

omg that one guy in everyones class that is so obsessed with himself but if you get pass that they're kind of adequate? like they have friends that actually care about them but like their friends are so done with their bullshit like if gojo says something so narcissistic shoko or someone would like slap the back of their head and apologise for him? Like we know he's pretty, he knows he's pretty, goddamn everyone knows. Grades- so focused on himself he's doing the bare minimum . His handwriting is fucking chicken scratch. Gojo needs help-

Geto

that one guy that seems so friggin sweet and nice but like they've got these fucked up views that you usually don't uncover till much later and then you're just super concerned but you don't know what to say? kind of like the weird kid but like actually crazy views ( ex. "monkeys" i think thats what he called non-shamans) but like a bunch of girls have a crush on him and he actually has friends? Grades- pretty good, i feel like he would study a lot. i feel like his handwriting is like readable but like slanted to the side.

Megumi

undoubtedly that stoic kid but has a bunch of friends who are like crackheads but not actually crackheads. He definitely has the best grades in the class- i believe he has a funny obsession with like specific kinds of washi tape like ones that have little dogs on it, like his notes are so pretty and he writes his a's funny like the way it shows up when its typed (a) like i do this but like i feel like he would too, and he would put lines through his z's. that one kid that's notes are so pretty it's like they spend hours on it but he somehow does it in in class and keeps up with all his notes, like each topic is color coded. his handwriting would be so fricking fancy like you have no idea how he does it but its like so normal to him.

nobara

that one girl, that like has a shopping addiction and will refuse wearing anything that isn't the best of the best cotton or like silk. like she will be constantly complaining about how she doesn't have anything to wear but never wears the same outfit more than once a month like you have no clue how she does it, but if you go over to her house she has a fricking walk in closet and her clothes are colour coded, like she's got one section for black, one for red and so on so forth. Her grades, are like terrible for someone you've like never seen studying but she always says she does for like hours on end. her notes look like someone hung her from the ceiling and forced her to write them, like they're weirdly long and big but like when she writes essays they're quite good. When she does exams and stuff she doesn't do well in the slightest (#relatable), but she's super smart in class.

Choso -

since he's like super old but looks like a mid 20s guy, Imma do him too. That one kid that seems so scary but is like a total cinnamon roll. He's like that one kid that everyone wants to be friends with but for some reason he's really intimidating. Like for example, if you say something he doesn't like, or doesn't agree with, he'll just kind of stare at you and be like ??? wdym you don't like butter on toast??? its the best. I feel like he also has this unadulterated hatred for mayonnaise, he'll specifically ask the lunch lady like "miss, is there any mayonnaise???" i headcanon him as having this really cute love for like shiba inus, like his background on his computer is this really small and adorable dog but like everyone expects him to have a doberman or something. But no!!! SHIBA INUS. I think his handwriting would be so old fashioned like he doesn't write words such as "they've" he'll write something like "they have". Unnecessarily drags out words when he says them but like it's so cute cuz he's adorable. has no idea what goes on in class but actually does really well in his studies. I feel like he'll be that kid with the newest stuff but he has no clue how to use them.

Panda

the fact that no one even finds it strange how theres a panda in their class is concerning but maybe like they think he's a kid who just likes looking like a panda. HE LOVES SAUSAGES. like has like three of them in his school bag like buddy?? um go for it i guess. His grades are literally the worst. He'll be like OMG GUYS I GOT LIKE 32% like bro what?? his highest grade ever would be like 58% no clue how hes gonna get into uni. his handwriting?? Like gojo. Chicken scratch. He loves listening to music in class and doesn't pay much attention but somehow never gets in trouble?

Michael: I don’t.

Lloyd:

shows up in disguise

helps a protagonist for no logical reason whatsoever

has a moon-related alias