*ੈ✩‧₊˚ hello everyone! my name is lily (she/her, thai/chinese) and i’m a relatively new writer and welcome to my corner of the internet! i really enjoy writing and i can’t wait to share it with you guys 🤍
*ੈ✩‧₊˚ intp, daughter of poseidon, october libra, writer and reader at my core, future sports data analyst; probably playing golf, dancing or watching sports, figure skater, i play football for fun as well and ski in the winter! probably reading as well! hopefully will learn italian, french and spanish in the future!
*ੈ✩‧₊˚ writing projects:
the merciless siren (the hunger games)
*ੈ✩‧₊˚ other platforms:
wattpad: writingsbylily
ao3: lilydoeswrite
good reads: lilydoesread
tiktok: lilyyonice
*ੈ✩‧₊˚ shoutout to my moots: @sunniskyies @lost-in-reveriie @liseytopia @caesarflickermans @flowers-for-em @skeelly + everyone else!
AO3 link previous chapter series masterlist next chapter
summary: It is the 66th Hunger Games when Oceana Fontaine is reaped as tribute, and at just thirteen years old, the odds are certainly not in her favour. As much as it is seen as an honour for Oceana to represent her district in the games, it is also practically a death sentence. But Oceana knows she needs to go home and is determined to, no matter how low her chances are and with the help of her mentors, she might just do that. But if she is to win, she will have to learn where her biggest strengths start to turn into her biggest flaws and weigh her options carefully as she starts making choices that pushes her morality and the lengths she will go to for love.
tags: slow burn (finnick x oc), violence, death, canon typical violence the usual stuff when it comes to the hunger games, weapons, not sure what else
I nearly freeze upon hearing the voice but my legs somehow keep me running. Maybe it was the adrenaline flowing or the Mutts chasing after us but I can’t seem to stop. Cordelia? What was she doing in here? I turn my head back to look at where her voice is coming from before I hear another cry for help.
“Oceana! Please, help!”
Aurelia? I’m about to run back to where the voice is coming from when I feel Briar’s arm around my shoulder, preventing me from turning back. “Jabberjays,” she says, “they’re not real, keep running, Oceana!” She’s shouting so I can hear her voice above all the screams of help. I hear a few voices that I don’t recognise but brush it off, still concerned as to why Cordelia and Aurelia’s voices are being copied because Jabberjays copy, don’t they?
“Jabberjays copy!” I shout, looking at Briar who nods. I can’t read her expression but don’t get a chance to before she’s stabbing another wolf Mutt with her sharp spear. Right now, she’s probably the reason I’m still running to try to get out of the forest because I have a million questions rushing through my head and feel tears welling up in my eyes as the screams become more antagonising to hear. “Briar, Jabberjays copy! Where are they getting their screams?”
“I’m not sure!” She says as she shakes me a little, “look, we’ll figure it out later, just run. Run as fast as you can, alright. Don’t turn or look back.” I look at her and can see that she’s concerned although I’m not sure what for but I follow her instructions as we split up so as to take down more Mutts, slashing through the thick forest as we try to get to shore as quickly as possible.
“Oceana, save me!”
“Waves! Please! Help!”
I want so badly to cover my ears and scream but at this point, I follow Briar’s advice though, I don’t look bad at all. I’m running, no, I’m sprinting through the forest with Gill shouting warnings as to where the Mutts are coming from to help warn me.
“We’re almost there!” He shouts as the familiar scent of sea salt water fills the air.
I don’t even know if it’s him or the Jabberjays that are saying that so I keep running straight, jumping over rocks and logs until I finally reach the end of the cliff, my breathing ragged as I slow it down, “how are we going to get down?”
“Jump,” Gill says and I look at him, my eyebrows furrowing together, is he crazy? “What? There’s no time to find another exit, the fall shouldn’t be that deep…”
“We’re going to crash like lightning if we do that!” I reply, heaving in a sigh of relief as the Jabberjays have stopped with their screams.
“There’s a pond there!” Briar shouts and looks at us nervously before looking back as Alvise, Chase and Giselle miraculously make it to the edge. The next herd of Mutts are not far off but still, there’s no time to spare. “Look, we have to jump, if not, we’re dead, for sure!”
I analyse the height from where we are to the pond– it’s not that high but still high enough to give me goosebumps. Picking up a rock, I throw it down into the pond and watch as it splashes before sinking into the unknown. It’s deep enough to jump down. I’ve dived off a jumping board before, not this high, but close to this high. “I’m going to go, it’s deep enough, as long as we dive in properly, we should be fine.” I pull down the straps of my bag and take out my jacket, making a makeshift parachute for my bag before stuffing my boots in. “Now or never, right guys?” Everyone gives nervous glances at each other as I take a deep breath, throwing my bag down the cliff. Thank goodness for the wind and the laws of physics because the parachute idea actually worked. “There’s nothing left to lose,” I say before I take a deep breath in, getting into position as I put my feet together and bend my knees, my hands over my head. This is it.
It takes a significant amount of effort to jump but I manage to do so, the wind whistling in my ears before I feel the cold plunge of the water and finally manage to breathe properly. I splash the water on my face before I quickly swim out of the way, “it’s okay!” I shout back and give them a thumbs up I’m not sure they can see as I pull myself out of the pond to retrieve my bag.
One by one, I hear splashes and see that each of them have made it down– even Chase who still has blood dripping down his leg. “Ouch,” he groans as he stumbles out of the pond, limping as he takes a seat on the edge of it. “I hope the water helps.”
“At least it's all over now,” Briar sighs as she takes a seat next to me on the sand. Now, not only is the whole nightmare of the Mutts over but the sky is bright once again. I admire the glistening water and sigh, unable to get the voices from the Jabberjays out of my head. “You alright?”
“I can’t get the Jabberjays out of my head, that’s all,” I sigh as she puts a comforting arm around my shoulder as I rest my head on hers. “Where’d they get the voices?”
“Probably had some recordings and distorted them, I guess,” she shrugs, “they won’t actually do anything to our families so I guess it’s some kind of way to put us off.”
I nod and we sit with one another in silence. She’s right. I’m itching to ask her who she heard but I’m guessing it must be someone close to her because she seems just as affected as me. And just like that, we’ve turned into everyone else in the arena; scared kids. The whole ordeal has stripped everyone of their confidence and ego now.
Then, six plastic pots float down from the air with silver parachutes. Sponsor gifts!
One floats and lands gently on my lap. It’s rather big and I’m curious as to what’s in it. Curiously, I unscrew the lid and my eyes widen in shock. There’s bread and soup which look ever so delicious and a dozen knives and daggers. A dozen knives and daggers. I’m in awe and take one out to admire– they’re like the ones we had in the training centre. The first thing I notice is that they’re well sharpened and that they’re brand new. I get a comfortable feel of it before looking in the box to notice a small piece of paper.
‘I hope you’re okay, stay strong – Coral’ ‘Stay strong and stay tough, you got this – Finn’
I let out a dreamy sigh, this is more than I could ask for and I don’t even want to know how much the knives must’ve cost. How did they manage to get such a big sponsor gift for me so early into the games? “Thank you, Finn and Coral,” I whisper as I put the knives and daggers in my holster and count the remaining ones I had left after throwing almost all of them at the Mutts.
“Soup and bread?” Briar asks as she peaks over to my container and I nod.
“Same here,” she smiles as she tears off some of the bread. “Feels nice to have decent food again.”
I laugh as I drink some of the soup. Briar was right, the quality of food right now was significantly better than what we’ve become accustomed to in the arena. It tastes somewhat comforting, reminding me of all the good times I’ve shared with the victors in the Capitol. It also reminded me somewhat of home. Home…I miss home, but there’s no point in reminiscing if I don’t actually do something.
I finish drinking the soup and put the bread in the old container which holds remnants of the previous food provided by the gamemakers before collapsing onto the sand. I’m exhausted. Not just physically but mentally and I’m not sure how long I can hold my brave act up for. The Mutts alone were enough to affect me, but the Jabberjays and the screams of Aurelia and Cordelia have messed me up as they play in the back of my mind repeatedly like a broken record tape.
I’m trying to hold back tears as I think of all the ways they could’ve gotten their screams and how much I want to run into their arms for a hug. I close my eyes as I slow my breathing down, I’m too tired to move but I know the others would want to continue moving.
“You okay?” I hear Giselle’s voice and nod, my eyes still closed as I take more deep breaths before sitting up and opening my eyes to find Giselle and Briar seated on either side of me. “Are you sure?”
“Yes,” I nod, “the Jabberjays just got to me a little, that’s all.”
“I think they all messed with us one way or another,” Giselle says before turning her head behind which I do as well, watching as Gill and Alvise help apply medicine and bandages on Chase’s legs. “I’m glad Chase is okay, though.”
“Hopefully he feels a little better,” Briar adds before their attention is on me again, “Who did you hear?”
“My best friend and my sister,” I sigh, shaking my head before looking up at Briar, “how about you?”
“My brother and boyfriend,” she sighs.
“Boyfriend?” I ask, looking at her with a cheeky smile, “who is it?” I nudge her playfully as she laughs. “Ooo, Briar’s in love!” I tease as a small blush forms on her cheeks.
“Oh shut up, Oceana,” she chuckles, “I’m sure you have someone else well.”
I pause, thinking, did I? “No,” I shake my head, smiling.
“Not even a tiny crush?” Giselle asks and before I can say no again, I hesitate. What about Finnick? There’s no denying he’s good looking, not to mention he’s been incredibly nice to me throughout the days we’ve spent together in the Capitol and how we’ve clicked instantly. Then, my conversation with Gill comes up in my head, how Finnick had gone out of his way to comfort me even when Coral had told him not to. Then, I’m reminded of all my conversations and times spent with Finnick– it’s not much, but it’s enough to make me feel a little fuzzy. “Someone’s hesitating,” she giggles as she puts her arm around my shoulder.
“So, you do have someone!” Briar squeals excitedly, “tell me, who is it?”
“No,” I giggle, shaking my head adamantly. “I can’t tell if it’s a crush, anyways. We’re probably just really good friends.”
“That’s what people say when they have a crush,” Giselle shakes me slightly, “come on tell us!”
“Is he good looking? What is he like?” Briar pushes a little as I try to suppress a smile, feeling my cheeks heat up. “Come on, there’s definitely someone! Tell us!” She nudges me. It’s at this point that Giselle is also trying to pry information from me. “Fine,” Briar sighs, “if I tell you about my boyfriend, you have to tell me about your crush, alright?” I pause, think, and nod before linking my pinky with hers. “Pinky promise?” She smiles.
“Pinky promise,” I nod and she sighs.
“Alright…Well where do I start?” She says, looking up at the sky. “His name is Jasper…” She’s smiling so hard that I’m convinced her cheekbones hurt. “We met in school, he’s a little older than me…Well, I love him a lot…He’s got these dark brown, almost black, eyes that are light brown in the sun. I could stare into them forever. We like to go into town for small days together-”
“You mean dates?” I smile as I inch closer to her.
“Alright, that’s enough,” Briar hits me playfully. “Now tell me about the boy you have a crush on.”
“Well, I wouldn’t really call it a crush…”
“So it’s definitely a crush,” She smiles and I roll my eyes.
“We get on really well and he’s really nice to me,” I fiddle with my fingers. I can’t say too much because I know there’s a high chance Finnick is watching the games and there are chances that the cameras are on us. “He comforts me and talks to me, even when he doesn’t need to, he calls me these really pretty nicknames that no one else calls me by that I like–”
“Sounds like he’s got a crush on you as well,” Briar teases. Finnick? Having a crush on me? Impossible, although the sound of it is nice. I try to hide my smile but she catches me as she laughs.
“I don’t think he likes me though,” I admit with a disappointed sigh.
“Why not?” Briar scoffs. “You’re really pretty and nice, not to mention talented, why wouldn’t he have a crush on you?”
“Well, I’m sure a lot of other prettier girls have a crush on him, and he’s really popular…” I say, trailing off as I try to get my thoughts together.
“So you think you’re not good enough for him?” Giselle joins in.
“Well, maybe…” I sigh before turning to Giselle, “how about you, Giselle? Do you have anyone?” I ask. “I see how you look at Chase, is it him?”
“What?” She asks, suddenly tensing up.
“I see the way you look at him with those lovey dovey eyes,” I say, a smile tugging at my lips, “do you love him?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Oceana,” Giselle shakes her head only to receive a groan from Briar.
“Come on! Oceana is right, Giselle,” Briar shakes her head, “for anyone not to see it, they’d have to be blind. The eyes, they never lie, and I see the way you look and care for him.”
Giselle opens her mouth to answers, but before she can, Alvise is shouting at us. “Are you girls going to sit there all day?”
“Oh calm down, Al,” Briar rolls her eyes and stands up, “we all could use some rest.”
“We don’t have all the time in the world,” he argues back, “Chase is feeling better, so I reckon we should explore the other islands. We’re thinking of the one with the meadows.”
“And what if they’re Mutts?” She retorts back, staring at Alvise who is growing frustrated.
“Whatever, let’s just keep going, you can’t talk all day,” he says before walking away and Briar looks back at us, making me laugh with her judgemental expression.
We quickly pack up our belongings and get ready for a long swim to the next island. I take a look at my holster which now holds more than enough knives and daggers for me to use in the event of Mutts once again or an attacking tribute before looking up to see Gill grinning at me before putting his thumb up. It’s a question– are you okay? I smile and nod, giving him a thumbs up back and he nods. I have to say, it’s nice to know that he genuinely cares about me despite all of us fighting for our lives here where only one out of the twenty four can go home.
At least there’s some humanity left in him.
author's note: GUESS WHO'S BACK!!!! I AM!!! AND I'M MORE THAN EVER DETERMINED TO GIVE YOU ALL WHAT YOU DESERVE (a completed fic)! to the ogs who are reading this thank you for waiting for so long! and to the new ones, helloooo!!!! as always, constructive criticism is welcomed and if you liked this please consider reblogging and/or commenting! love you guys and I WILL BE ON TMS WRITING GRIND AGAIN
Luis Díaz (16')
Alexis Mac Allister (24')
Cody Gakpo (34')
Mohamed Salah (63')
Destiny Udogie Mohamed Salah (69')
Liverpool FC 🏆 | 5 - 1 | Tottenham Hotspur
2024/2025 Premier League - matchweek 34
GAME TONIGHT WHERE WE’RE PROBABLY WINNING THE LEAGUE AND MY HOUSE WIFI AND SIGNAL IS DOWN. ITS BEEN DOWN SINCE LAST NIGHT. OH MY DAYS. IM ACTUALLY FUMING.
𝓗ello people on the internet! i’m lily, sometimes (but rarely) called lills. chronically online, also chronically overthinking. libra sun, libra moon, and sagittarius rising (if someone can so kindly tell me what it means i’d appreciate it). 18! most of the time in an endless chase and pursuit of perfection and greatness because i refuse to be average. the obsessed artist trope is quite literally my life. i’d rather go mad than lose, but that’s just how i am, obsessed. also suffer from terrible anxiety and depression with an ever so declining mental health so forgive me if i’m not active sometimes. i spend most of time at home and in my room because i hate going out. also because i barely have anything to do or anyone to do anything with. homeschooled as well.
“𝓛ife now cannot exist without medicine, law, technology, engineering, science, and business. but life may as well not exist without art, media, literature, and media.” — me (yes i’m quoting myself but i think this represents me with justice)
constantly hoping that i’m not an idiot who got too much praise, and that i am actually capable of being somewhat great. i thrive off the idea of being the best and i think i’d rather destroy myself than just be nothing but wasted potential. also have a disgustingly strong urge to be extremely beautiful and disgustingly over educated (though i can probably give up on the ‘extremely beautiful’ part of that). i am a writer and reader at my core, as well as sensitive and passionate. so much so, that i think that it will one day be my downfall, but let’s not count on that. also i come across as ditzy and shallow, but i promise i am so much more than that and i’m actually interesting once you know me.
i’ve got a dozen different passions and interests, where do i even start? in sports, i am huge on motogp, formula one, football, figure skating, ballet and golf. though i indulge in a fair share of gymnastics, tennis, skiing, and rugby. also trying my best to get into ice hockey, but i’m severely confused (if anyone would love to help out, i’d appreciate that). also have a concerning reliance and love for red bull, i’ll say that i can’t drink coffee because it triggers my anxiety too much but gulp down a whole can of red bull (although ill turn down any other energy drink).
i love art, literature, film, music, and most importantly, writing. also strangely obsessed with learning and studying. though if someone tells me that i’m an ‘incredible intelligent girl, and smart in many ways’ i will go insane. what good is genius if it doesn’t show on paper? i also live in my head most of the time; be it in my imagination or my ever so spiralling thoughts. i also have a concerning relationship with myself and food, but nothing’s new— i’d like to thank my days as a figure skater for that. i thrive off the feeling of knowing i’m great at something and will break down if i’m not great at something, especially if i’m meant to be good at it. the thought of not knowing something and being average makes me nauseous, failure also feels like death to me.
also, as said, an ex figure skater. although as much as i’d like to leave the sport in the past, i have a never ending urge to crawl back to it. no matter how hard i try to tell myself it’s for the better. i can’t imagine who i’d be without figure skating but also i hate it and what it has done to me. if someone asked me to write an essay about how a sport can make and break someone, i’d exceed the word limit. dabbled in horse riding, ballet, and football. also ski during the winter, but don’t be fooled, i’m nowhere near good. as of now, i play golf, but i am constantly injured (don’t even get me started on how bad my lower back hurts all the time).
my favourite books include the hunger games series, the bell jar, the handmaid’s tale, and i who have never known men. also still powering my way through daisy jones and the six (both the book and series) even after a year, but i listen to the songs religiously anyways. trying to get into classics but that’s a whole other challenge. favourite films include interstellar, little women, the virgin suicides, both top gun movies, and the hunger games catching fire specifically. i also have a never ending watchlist and read list which keeps growing at a ridiculous rate. some tv shows i like are the queen’s gambit, disney’s percy jackson, daisy jones and the six (which, as said, still trying to power through). currently watching spinning out. favourite music artists include lorde, olivia rodrigo, fleetwood mac, the neighbourhood, arctic monkeys, and florence + the machine.
if you haven’t notice, which i doubt you haven’t, i tend to write too much and talk too much. i also find too much comfort in rain and thunder as well as nighttime. it’s peaceful and it makes me feel as though i’m not alone (although i am, quite literally, as an only child and as a homeschooled girl with no more than two in person friends which have started to make our trio into a duo). i have a disgustingly strong urge to learn every language, read every book, do multiple university degrees, and watch every film. also extremely passionate about sports science and women’s sports, specifically acl research in women’s football.
i relate a little too much to beth harmon, nina sayers, jo march, and cecilia lisbon. maybe even luna lovegood. i’m everything but reassuring.
would give up on studying but i have a goal to work towards and i know that the women who came before me that had to protest for the right to receive an education and to work did not go out on the streets risking themselves just for me to be a lazy, mediocre, piece of shit who is taking everything for granted. education is a privilege and i’m going to do everything it takes to be great because average does not cut it.
and also if hamilton could write 51 essays in 6 months i can go through over a 100 revision notes in a day.
and also because i have an endless supply of redbull.
