#thisiswhathappenswhenistartthinking

The staples of the Games are:

We Reap the children, and you don’t fight it

They either are programmed to play along, are threatened into playing along, are rigged to die, or are the approved/punished winner

We control the edit and everything done to try and disrupt is for naught.

There has to be one (1) winner

But then Katniss comes along. And outside of Haymitch (useless drunk mentor) she’s so removed from any connection to rebellion. Any paperwork on her would have included her loner behavior. And Peeta was probably recorded as saying he wants to make sure Katniss comes back, even when that means his death. (Before, in the apartment, not just the interview)

So against the odds, (with the caveat that Peeta wasn’t on some Secret Mission) 2 and 12 have both tributes alive! And the rules are fake changed. (Was that Plutarch’s whispering and planting? Or was Crane part of the Rebellion? Or was it just a poor stupid decision?)

And then! Katniss and Peeta out-survive Cato.

Remember how Peeta said he would be down to die to get Katniss home? Now’s the time to prove it! She’s risked a lot to save you, boy, return the favor and fulfill your promise! (thinks Snow, laughing at the Covey Girl playing tricks on a poor love sick boy)

Except she doesn’t kill him. And doesn’t passively wait for him to bleed out. And refuses to let the wolves come back. Instead she says “it’s both or neither.” And she means it. Them berries are in her mouth.

And Plutarch and BeeTee and Mags and probably Haymitch (and 13?) are all sitting there. Watching. If it’s in real time, they’re thinking “how can the Capitol edit this?” And the truth is, they can’t. There is no way to edit only one winner when Katniss brings out the berries. Maybe if they had time? But not 5 minutes. And if it’s post-edit broadcast they’re probably staring in gleeful disbelief that those two 16 year olds from 12 out smarted the editing room.

And here they are. Two (2) Winners.

And that breaks the real rules. No winner = nothing to lose, One winner = selfish hope, Two winners = daring hope

Better than any of the Haymitch or Maysilee Posters. Better than Snow cheating or Sejanus going in or Highbottom’s lack of circus. Better than whatever Johanna did.

Two developments of note:

Season 3 is moving along!

A non-binary actor has been cast as Bon-Chan!!

The President just came on national television and said “existing pool of Victors.” Yeah, that’s going to be devistating to Katniss and co but…

That’s a whole years worth of children who learned they will never again have their name in the reaping bowl, never again have dress up and stand in the roped off pens for the cameras, never again wonder if the odds are in their favor.

That’s parents and friends and other loved ones understanding their kid is safe.

It’s even a smaller sigh that all the others are safe for another year. Maybe the 76th will be back to normal but it’s only 6 years of risk, not 7.

Perhaps this sigh is immediately followed by guilt when they process what the envelope says. Maybe there’s an attempt at rationalizing “well they’ve already experienced the Horrors, it’s not like we have to pick our own neighbors or see twice as many taken.” There might even be a celebration of District Pride in places like 2 and 4 or 1 because they’re sure their Victor will win again.

With Katniss as our narrator, we don’t get to experience the average District person’s reaction. But how would you feel, three months before your last Reaping Day and the new rule disqualifies you?

Abernathy Twins: born too premature to survive in 12

Maysilee

Sid Abernathy: killed in the house fire

Older/Middle Mellark Boys: killed in the 12 bombing

I’d like to think it’s the girl, because she has the dark hair and Lenore Dove & Lucy Gray have the larger impact on the story than Tam Amber & Clerk Carmine. She dances in the meadow. So much inherited potential.

I don’t think Haymitch’s Birthday being Reaping Day is just about making him a sorrier story. Or about compounding on July 4th itself.

The Reaping is a Lottery (SO to Shirley Jackson) and what else in US history is a lottery that regularly takes the young and feeds them to horrors they didn’t vote for? The Draft.

And how did the U.S. make the Draft ‘random’ during Vietnam? They picked Birthdays. (The order the days were pick=the order the boys were recruited until no more were needed)