#career pack

[cashmeresknife]

sotr trailer…more Silka scenes..

[myrddine]

thinking about the culture war vs class war and how the capitol distracted the districts by getting them to hate each other (careers vs others) even though the career tributes were victims just as much as tributes from 12 were

[lost-in-beacon-hills]

I think at this point everyone has different opinions on each of the Districts and honestly I love that. It's so fun to read people's thoughts.

(I'm sure I'm not the first person to think or say this but) I have a theory on why District One/Two win so many of the games beyond just being Volunteers in a game full of people going in blind.

It's something I've thought heavily about and even incorporated into my own fanfics.

But District One, I think, they win by raising their volunteers to be pretty. They train them to fight, yes, but I think they pull sponsors by making their kids "sexy." In both the book and movie, Glimmer is heavily sexualized. In the book, she's in a sheer gown that shows everything. In the movie, they tone it down but still show quite a bit of her body during the interview. Even the two victors we get to hear a little more about (Cashmere and Gloss) are mentioned to be pretty. Despite being a sibling duo, they're incredibly popular within the Capitol.

But even after they get 'popular' they don't turn down their attractiveness. She still dresses pretty with make up and smiles like she's been taught to do. He's still beefy and hot. You would think if they had any bodily autonomy they would start to tone themselves down in order to get away from the sex slavery.

I think sex appeal is what makes them a victor. Literally. People 'sponsor' them in the hopes of getting to fuck them. They get told that these people are who they're indebted to and most likely are forced into sex as a way to 'repay' them. Everyone says if Glimmer had won she would become the next Cashmere. Which is true. But no one points out how this is planned and a tactic that one consistently uses. Once they win they realize how fucked they are. They don't know they shouldn't want to win until it's over. It's too late to back out. Part of why Cashmeres life is devastating is because Gloss knew what was coming and he wanted better for her. But it happened away. And now they're stuck repaying the Capitol with their bodies.

In Two I think they raise fighters. They put all their effort into skill, endurance and survival. Out of all of the districts I think they do the best at giving them a chance. They make sure they send the best trained, the most skilled and the smartest. Clove is such a good example of this. She never missed her target. (Except for when Katniss moved the backpack making her miss). She was brilliant. Cato too. He was strong and a fantastic fighter. They only lost because the story demanded Katniss win. Hell there's so many moments where Katniss almost dies at their hands only to **magically** get away. (Thresh owing her, tracker jacker nest, not seeing her a few feet away) all of it. They weren't stupid meat heads. They were warriors. Children raised to kill.

I think they delbrately send plain victors. They don't want want to send "pretty" kids. They tone down any sort of beauty their tributes have. One of my favorite examples is Enobaria. She's pretty. And I think that's her downfall. It's mentioned in the series that she wins by ripping another tributes throat out with her teeth. (A popular theory is she was raped and used the very last thing she had in order to get away.) But she ends up getting her teeth filed down. While a lot of people think it was the Capitol, I believe it was her mentors. They filed them down, knowing she wouldn't be able to be raped again. I mean, who would have sex with her knowing one wrong move and you could be dead? She can bite your dick off in seconds if she wanted to. (Not to say she doesn't get booked) It would sway a lot of people away. I think much like Haymitch fighting against Katniss's breast implants, her mentors fought to get her teeth sharpened.

If they're able to I believe Two will alter the victors in order to make them less desirable. One plays it up, Two tones it down winning off skill and merit alone. Any sponsors they get isn't driven by sex.

It's why they win so much, and why the other districts have such a hard time getting sponsors.

I also think that District Four, the last of the career pack, has it's own way of creating victors. They send tributes like the rest but I think they do something different from the rest. My own headcanon is that they send orphans. It's fucked up but if I remember correctly they never mention Finnick having family.

I think they take the kids with nowhere else to go and put them in a training center. Whoever scores the best goes that year. Unluckily for Finnick, he was picked at 14. He was attractive, and part of me thinks Mags played into that to give him the advantage, thinking he didn't have family to leverage. It would have been fine, but then Annie happened. They use her as a control tactic.

I also think Finnick is the reason it was a one and done on leaning into the sex appeal. It fucked him over. Annie was pretty too but she wasn't used. (No one has ever said ah yes she's crazy let's just not rape her, fuckwads do it anyways.) But I think Mags learned from her mistake and played Annie down. Made her less pretty like they do in Two.

It's fucked. The entire system is fucked. But I think each 'career' district creates winners any way they can. No one in Four would volunteer they're disillusioned unlike one and two. So why not send the kids who have nothing, no one to come back to? In Two why not train them and maim them after to keep them safer? In One why not make them fuckable to win? They won't understand until its too late?

Maybe I've overthought this. Probably have. Idk. Just a thought.

[court-of-secrets]

on the hair of the career pack girls:

absolutely obsessed with the fact that our career girls have long hair, Cashmere and her curls, Clove with her bubble braids, Silka's long blonde hair, Glimmer with her blonde hair and fishtails, even Enobaria has long hair (we could even talk about Annie who also has long hair, but I don’t mention her as much because we don’t know what her hair looked like during her games)

While short hair seems like it'll be more practical, I'm obsessed with our girls having long hair for a few reasons.

district one I

I think the fact that their girls have long hair does a great job at reflecting their district's focus in the games. They have such a heavy focus on being desirable and getting sponsors, that it suits their girls.

That's not to say short hair isn't desirable, but there's a very heavy focus on classic almost grecian beauty for the district one girlies and that means luscious long hair

plus it's iconic that we see all three of our district one tribute with the matching gorgeous blonde flowing hair, 10 out of 10

district two |

Now they're a lot more practical in many aspects, so l could definitely see more of their female tributes having short hair, but I love that both Clove and Baria have long hair, because, BRAIDS!!!

Braiding your hair as an athlete is the absolute best way to lock in, it's precise, it's rhythmic, and a good braid leaves you feeling so put together and powerful, it's exactly the type of thing someone like Clove or Enobaria would love for training

And to make one last point, I absolutely adore that they put Clove in bubble braids in the movies. If you're a girl who distance runs, you probably know something that most people don't realize, and that's that bubble braids are the absolute best long run hairstyle. Braids definitely feel the most secure -that's why I race in braids- but anything 8+ miles will just tangle your braids and leave you with actual knots. Shockingly bubble braids are the best thing for keeping your hair tangle free, and so they're absolutely perfect for Clove, who l strongly head-canon as a distance runner, especially for her games

shout out to my workout bubble braids for inspiring this rant 💗

(yes I know a lot of these details are only confirmed in the movies but it’s still movie canon so I love it)

[danceofthelittleswans]

just wrote a clove-centric hunger games oneshot, pls heed tags

[darlingsnow0]

Thg dance academy au

Katniss always gets yelled at too smile more(not self projecting istg)

finnick takes every dance style, star pupil of snow, always gets the leads in shows

Johanna takes her anger out on her shoes

Effie is a teacher, specifically ballet, lyrical, and contemporary

Haymitch teaches jazz and tap and hip hop🤭

Cinna and the prep team help with costumes

President snow runs the school

The career pack are students who train SO MUCH, sleep, eat, and breathe dance

katniss is a scholarship student, so is peeta and gale ig

Madge is another one of the star pupils

prim and rue are baby ballerinas, twinkle toes🤭🤭

[grace19rob]

TRANSIENCE

Chapter Three

Three years after her gruesome win of the 72nd hunger games, Y/N L/N is thrown back into the brutal chaos of the capitol, love and loss as she fights to not fall back into her destructive ways and live through the rebellion - only if she survives the 75th annual hunger games; the quarter quell.

Not many people write for the career pack of the 75th hunger games so I thought I'd give them some love - hope everyone enjoys it!

TW! Mentions of Death

Capitol citizens screamed in excitement as each carriage flew through the large stone arena, the only sound I could hear above the loud roar of the crowds was the large horses' heavy galloping as they pulled us through the designated track.

Chaff and I stared straight ahead - poised and stoic as capitolites begged for a simple glance. Not giving them the time of day became easier each year as I learned it was just as easy to stare blankly under the guise of stoicism rather than wave at the rich spectators. We weren't performing monkeys for them to poke and prod at.

It wasn't until district 12 entered the large space that everyone went truly wild - women and men alike screamed for Katniss and Peeta as they interlocked their hands. The famed star crossed lovers were extremely popular as of late, their double victory was a new and exciting spectacle within the capitol as viewers and game makers alike yearned for their survival and success.

I tried to zone out the rest of the parade as I quickly became bored with the whole preformative show, suddenly too tired to care whether or not the president would even be bothered - surely, the newest additions to the pool of victors were enough to entertain him for now, allowing the rest of us some breathing room.

Once the carriages had been directed back to the station where the horses would be fed, Chaff and I hopped down from the gold chariot in search of refuge; the place we could rid ourselves of those ridiculous costumes.

As I made my way towards the elevators in order to find myself a little peace before the tribute training began that night Chaff had found himself being tugged away by Haymitch once again. I had bid the pair a good afternoon before steeping into the closing doors.

"Don't you look terrifying" came the teasing voice of Brutus as I pressed floor number 11. I spun around to face him only to be met with the smug glare of this year's career pack.

"Don't you look smug" I responded cheekily stepping forward to hug him. He chuckled slightly as he lent down to meet me halfway.

"Stop hogging her" Enobaria's sharp retort startled me as she tugged me out of her companion's arms, "I think you look beautiful" she whispered in my ear before pulling away.

"Hey Enobaria, you look stunning" I responded softly before squeezing her hand and stepping backwards.

There was only one left of our small group I had yet to greet as she stood at her brother's side behind me, "Cashmere" I breathed as I pulled her into a tight embrace. Cashmere had been my first friend amongst the victors after my win, she had been the one to comfort me through my days of endless tears and night terrors when everyone else was too afraid to approach me. The poisonous gas had still been in my system when I was cleared for release into the victor's shared chamber - I guess they were wary it's violent influence over my normally docile temperament as it had lingering effects. But Cashmere had brushed off Brutus and Gloss' warning, favouring comforting me in the first few days after my victory.

"Y/N" she had whispered back as she squeezed me tightly before gently tugging me between her and Gloss as we all stood in the tight space of the slowly rising elevator.

We conversed quietly as Enobaria quizzed me on what I was going to do in the arena, who I was going to ally with etc, Brutus had gripped her hand firmly but softly as to calm her inquisitive nature. I had simply responded quietly saying I didn't yet know, missing the determined glances passed throughout the group.

Eventually, the elevator dinged signifying to our small group that I had reached my destination; quickly hugging each victor goodbye and promising I'd see them later I swiftly exited the cramped box, eager to rest for a little while.

Once again I found myself stuffed into another tight outfit, the designated training suits were almost bearable if not for the tight mesh it was somewhat made out of.

Victors were sat sporadically throughout the training arena, I found myself standing awkwardly in the corner as I tried to find my place alongside them.

There was one major difference between myself and everyone else in this game - I was the only person not supposed to win.

I found myself hiding behind a large piece of metal, the arena this year appeared to be a demolition sight, rubble, partially smashed buildings and half standing metal structures were everywhere.

The older boy’s voice taunting me as he searched for my small figure. I had found myself facing off with the last tribute standing, my theory that hiding and scavenging during the night had proved successful as I made to the final two.

Footsteps neared my shaking form as I tried my hardest to prevent my sobs from slipping from my tightly pressed lips. We had been like this for hours, me hiding and crying while Jori from district 4 hunted me.

Sooner than later the game makers will get bored I thought as I tugged my legs tighter to my chest - the small hole I had crawled into prevented my hunter from spotting me, without actually climbing into the space with me he would have never been able to spot my curled form as I shook.

“Come out wherever you are little bitch” his furious snarl rang out as he neared me once more.

The game of cat and mouse continued for a few more hours before a clinically sweet scent filled the air of the arena.

Taking a deep breath of the mouth watering scent drew me out of my secure temporary home, my empty stomach rumbling with vicious need as I clawed at the metal.

Emerging from the metal structure I circled the outskirts of the area in search of the source of the scent - it seemed to be coming from all around me.

I grew irritated as my search became frantic and I continued to come up empty handed - it seemed that as my anger and viciousness grew I became less and less aware of my own safety.

My own stomach’s disgruntled growling and roaring drowned out the sound of approaching footsteps.

Suddenly a solid weight knocked me off my feet, a pained gasp leaving my dry cracked lips as I tried to regain my balance.

Jori was on top of me, raising a long spear like metal stick as he tried to finally end my life.

Suddenly, in my panic stricken fight to get away from the tall boy I lifted my leg from beneath his wriggling form and kicked him straight in the nose, not even sparing a cringe at the crunching and squishing under my foot as I dragged myself away from his dazed figure as he dropped the spike and rolled onto his back away from me.

I grew even more angry and disgruntled as he continued clawing at my departing form, eventually giving into the growing rage madder haze threatening to overwhelm my mind as I began throwing punches and kicks straight back at him.

Suddenly, a cold rage pierced my being as I stomped and hit as his body - his weakened form now retreating as to protect himself from my furied hits.

I found myself stood over his trembling form, crying, pleading and spitting threats at my shaking self as I neared him.

In one final crazed move, feeling as if I was unable to control my own movements as a furious thunder rumbled throughout me I lifted the metal spike, and with all my might I lifted the spear above my head and thrust it down into his eye socket.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the winner of the 72nd hunger games - Y/N L/N”

[moonslesbology]

i very much have little to no evidence on what headcanon i have, but i’m still putting it out there

i genuinely think that volunteering in career districts was done as an act of defiance until the capitol manipulated it.

like i cannot see kids volunteering if they witnessed / knew of the conditions the first lot of hunger games was in. why would they? tributes were kept in cages, treated like zoo animals, literally given medical exams by an actual vet.

who would volunteer for that?

now we know that after lucy gray’s game, snow put forward the idea of sponsors, victory village etc. luxuries really. but i don’t think that would be enough for someone from 1,2,4 to volunteer.

i like to imagine ppl from those districts did volunteering out of loyalty to their people. protecting the weak and vulnerable, you get me?

but of course that defeats the purpose of the games. now they lack the control, sometjing the capitol has to maintain in order to secure order and therefore manage chaos.

so what’s a better way of gaining control than controlling the volunteering system in the districts? it’s constantly reminded to readers that preparing for the games is forbidden, but the capitol seem aware that these kids are prepared prior. it’s never outright stated, but it’s almost like an unspoken fact. even districts, who lack details about each other, are aware of it.

the capitol would’ve easily been able to manipulate the career system. propagating volunteers who win, for example, would definitely be a method. highlighting how extravagant their lives are. meanwhile it’s so easy to vilify someone who “benefits” from the system. thus, hatred is directed at career tributes and not the capitol.

perfect method of deflection