Go, Write Me a Letter

Submitted for This Would Have Happened Challenge Summer 2024 - Districts Apart

Read the first four chapters on ao3!

Many many thanks to @mollywog, who gave the inspiration for this story and encouraged me to write it! 💐

Read on Ao3

She sees his boots first, the well-worn angled toe stopping short of her cheek pressed to the cool tile of the bathroom floor. Chaff thought the liquor might help loosen her up after her stiff performance in 12. It had worked… in a way.

The boots sit down beside her slowly. Katniss recognizes their wearer as her eyes flit to his face then quickly away. “Thought you could use this,” he says, extending a wedge of the thin circle bread they eat here in District 10. She drags herself up to sit against the wall, facing forward as she takes the offering. “I’m Peeta by the way.”

A Home on the Shore by thesweetnessofspring

The sea reaches for the land, its waves rushing forward and extending as far as it can until it must return to that great unknowable realm. But it never stops reaching, never leaves the land alone. There on the shore, the sand and the salt kiss again and again.

So Peeta does with his little girl, his beard tickling her with his kisses. Child-giggles join the sounds of the waves outside the nursery, free and unburdened by any concerns. Outside the moon shines bright, its white reflection rippling on the dark water, while the room is filled with the hazy glow of nightlights, warding off any creature that would frighten the child.

Peeta pulls away, still hugging his daughter and savoring the moment before he’ll have to put her on the mattress, tuck her in, and say good-night. The little girl senses it and holds tighter around his neck.

“Papi,” Halcyon says, “Tell me the selkie story.”

Peeta knows she’s asking because she’s putting off sleep. It’s his favorite story of all and when his little girl asks, even he bends to the request. 

“One story,” he agrees, then leans forward so their foreheads touch and her blue eyes squish closer together in his sight. “Then it’s bedtime, little star.”

Halcyon gives a hum of excitement and settles against her father’s heart, right where she’s laid her head ever since he held her in his arms for the first time. As he begins the story the same way he always does, she listens to the rumble of his voice in his chest, low and comforting.

Continue reading on ao3

Okay so….. my silly ass signed up for an ao3 challenge without having an ao3 account. Anyway. Here’s my submission for TWHHA challenge by @promptseverlark

I chose to do district 10 Katniss! Mostly because I love mounted archers

commissions open!

Read on Ao3

He’d been 5 the first time he’d heard it. They were in one of the fenced yards District 13 used for aboveground recreational time. He'd been holding his father’s hand, watching his brothers wrestle when the first bird had flown over. It wasn’t the usual chirps and chittering, but high and clear notes intoning an unmistakable melody.

The next bird that passed echoed the song but in a slight variation, taking up the harmony.

His father’s grip tightened as he inhaled sharply. His brothers stopped their tussling and craned their necks to see the source of the sound. Even his mother, though her mouth pinched in a frown, stared up at the sky. Peeta scanned the faces of the crowd: Everyone frozen as if under a trance, the entire yard falling silent as the flock of mockingjays passed.

The mountains reverberated a final somber echo and the spell was broken.

@thesunpersists

Is there a Sleepless in Seattle AU out there?!

Yeehaw Peeta anyone?

This is just for fun! No wrong answers. I'd just love to get a lot of different thoughts on this:

if you were to explore Everlark growing up in a different district - which district would you choose to explore? Why?

What narrative differences/similarities would you play around with?

Would the rebellion still happen? Would it still make sense for them to be Tributes/Victors?

How does the backdrop of 12 enrich the story versus if Suzanne had put them in any other district?

Let's play in the space!

Oh I love these games 🩵.

1. Career District! Maybe Four since I love the ocean and water and the beach aesthetic. But I would say a career district because it’s what we know the most of outside of Twelve, like Katniss specifically told us the most info about the career districts versus like Seven where Johanna’s from. Katniss gave us almost nothing besides lumberjacks from Seven but imo gave us a more full picture of One, Two and Four. And in large part I just like this idea of Everlark in a Career district because I love boarding school stories and movies. Idk why but I do. And so Career Academy Everlark is a very appealing idea for me.

2. Hmm I’d probably keep their personalities and social hierarchies at the start mostly in the same vein. Peeta would probably come from a family with more money or expertise and Katniss would probably be one of the kids who barely made it into the academy/not getting the better training/having to learn skills herself. Maybe she’d still learn archery from her father but it’s not something taught in their school/valued by their district. I’d definitely keep her as more of an underdog in the games versus Peeta.

3. Definitely still be tributes and victors. And I’d probably have the rebellion happen in a similar way, except their home/family/culture would be different and probably react differently. And the rebellion coming from one of the Capitol’s lapdogs? Huge betrayal. Maybe some people back home wouldn’t be happy with them either. But otherwise the rebellion could occur in a similar sort of way as canon.

4. I mean she crafted the series to be an Appalachian love story so I suppose that fact enriches it in a multitude of ways because Katniss (and Peeta) being from Twelve is a huge part of the DNA of the Hunger Games. I suppose if they came from a richer district it wouldn’t be the same because would Katniss know what it felt like to truly be starving and neglected? Idk. It would be very different. Her whole character may be different. Softer, sharper, more aware of her own heart, etc. Who knows.

Anyways I had fun doing this 🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵

I was thinking to have a new summer challenge for @promptseverlark , would you be ok if I use this idea for a writing challenge titled “Districts Apart”? Would anyone participate?

I think that would be a phenomenal idea!!!!! It's all yours. We could partner it up with @thgcommentfeast because I know they wanted to do a summer one too.

AND I had the idea that we could make the due date The Fourth of July. We'd have a Reading Reaping!

That’s a great idea! it but @thgcommentfeast is for May if they want to do another for Summer/July they can do it instead of @promptseverlark . It really doesn’t matter who organise then ☺️ if they don’t do it one for July then I will work to set up the “This would have happened anyway challenge 4th edition “

I love this :)

So Do I organize the 4 th edition of This would have Happened anyway challenge with theme “Districts Apart”

But I would need help… it’s a lot of work just for one person 😅