no one i love like that old bitch elder

Dandelions are considered by many people to be weeds. They're not toxic, but they're eyesores in any perfect garden or lawn; they spread fast due to the way they seed, so they're considered invasive; their one use—attracting pollenators—is negated by the fact that their pollen is low in nutrients.

In other words, they're useless. They're pests.

Peeta throughout canon is treated similarly. It's a repeated theme that he is always brushed aside and disregarded in some way, second best to someone or something else. He's the third son. His mother deems him inadequate, he loses to his brother in wrestling, his father always wanted a daughter. Haymitch saves Katniss over him in the first games, the rebellion saves Katniss over him in the Quell. Peeta, in the eyes of others, inculding himself, has very little value. It's partially why in Catching Fire he says on the beach, "Nobody needs me."

And yet, we see how Katniss views dandelions, just as she views Peeta. To Katniss, dandelions are a sign of spring, the first bit of food bees get after winter, a sign of cultivation and new life on the horizon. They mean being sustained, for every bit of a dandelion is edible. They represent hope. To Katniss, dandelions are beautiful.

Peeta is her dandelion. He takes a beating to feed her when she's starving. The bread he gives her is enough to keep her alive for when spring comes, and she can forage in the woods. At her lowest, most cynical, and most suicidal, Peeta returns to her and plants a garden outside her window so that she can mourn in peace, and bakes her bread for breakfast the next morning so that she can eat. So she can live.

There is so much in the text that shows us how valuable Katniss finds Peeta. To her, Peeta is incredibly kind, talented, and intelligent. He's a wordsmith. He's her hope. He's beautiful.

But I think it's best expressed in Catching Fire, in response to Peeta's assessment of his worth: "It's true his family doesn't need him. They will mourn him, as will a handful of friends. But they will get on. Even Haymitch, with the help of a lot of white liquor, will get on. I realize only one person will be damaged beyond repair if Peeta dies. Me.

'I do,' I say. 'I need you.'"

brushbuddy doodles <3

come on qifrey had to have made this joke at least once when olly started growing out his facial hair

very very successful fabric shopping trip! (for @honey-0tu)

He's bad for her, right?

Sure, I'm protecting her from you! might be the option that lets you abort the Weird Route, but every unchosen dialogue option casts its shadow over the ones you do select. He's a bad friend (and he is; he admits it). She deserves better. She deserves to fix things with Kris. This unresolved state, this tension, isn't it better if we define it? If we rekindle that intimacy? Because nothing outside that little Holiday-Dreemurr mythos could possibly matter to her, right? Not really.

...Deltarune frames Berdly's self-concept as Kris's Rival, in a sort of classical JRPG sense (direct competitor and counterpart and the Childhood Friend's other romantic option) as kind of pathetic: his protectiveness is a symptom of his own insecurity and need for validation; we're not stealing Noelle from him, Noelle's not his.

But there's still this pervasive sense among fans, or at least in fic, that as Noelle gets more confident she'll naturally start to find Berdly as annoying as the presumptive audience does. Rekindling her old friendship with Kris comes as a part of building a new relationship with Susie, and so does not being friends with Berdly.

See, you know what? Berdly is annoying. And it's frustrating to see his characterization backslide after Chapter Two. But he's a friend Noelle made on her own, and despite the rockier aspects of their dynamic, she's perfectly willing to call him a friend. She's building something new for herself. If you want to say Berdly's not your Rival, you have to mean it.

Hello tumblr. I’m reviving my old blog from the dead with some of my PHM fanarts.