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Last edited by Annie B.; 04/27/14 12:27 PM. Reason: Corrected Link
"Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat: "we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad."
"How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn’t have come here.”
- Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
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Posts: 2,823
Pulitzer
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Pulitzer
Joined: Feb 2008
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Wow. Very intense.
Jonathan is dead. What a blow this is to Clark and Martha.
What *did* Clark do during the games? Is it related to Lex Luthor? Was it hiding Lois's death? Is Lois really dead? Did freezing her help her make it till the poison died away?
President Snow knows Clark's vulnerabilities - Kryptonite, and people he cares about. And he's had Clark flogged. This probably isn't very smart in the long run. I sense rebellion coming. Except that it's always Lois who has those kind of ideas. He's lost without her.
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Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 3,662 Likes: 10
Pulitzer
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Pulitzer
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 3,662 Likes: 10 |
I have to mirror Iolathealias thoughts on this matter, President Snow has pushed the wrong buttons this time. True he knows most of Clark abilities and his weak spots, but sooner or later you push a person too far and they break. Rebellion is in the air. “I’m afraid he is, Clark. The Peacekeepers tried to help — they really did — but there was nothing they could do. Your father just … he died.” Good to know not all the Peacekeepers are monsters. Even the supervisor had threatened Thread when he refused to stop flogging Clark. Martha has to be applauded, despite her husband's unexpected death, she is still Clark's tower of strength. A rare woman indeed. One cannot help but imagine what Lady Lara would think of this simple farm woman who raised her son. “You saw what they did, Sid — what Snow did! Clark didn’t do anything wrong, but that power-mad bastard made him suffer anyway, just like he’s done with every other victor since he became president! It’s not enough to survive when all the other tributes die — surviving just means that you become a pawn in Snow’s power games.” She got up, flinging herself into her husband’s arms. “Remember what he did to us when I tried to stop playing his games?” She started sobbing.
Sid stroked her hair gently. “Shh, Mattie. Of course I remember. But this isn’t the time or the place to go over it.” We get a clearer picture of Mattie and the trials she suffered during her early days as a victor. No wonder the poor woman drinks. “I’d help you with the livestock,” Haver said, “but to be honest with you, I wouldn’t know where to start. I grew up in a factory family. I do know how to cook, though — I’ve been doing it for years. I can check on Clark, too — I need to talk to him anyway.” He set the papers on the table. “Dr. Greenlaw needs you to sign these, but it can wait. He’ll pick them up tomorrow when he comes to check on Clark.” Haver continues to emerge from this terrible chapter in Clark's life as a true gentleman. Revenge for Lysander’s death was the other plausible reason for what Snow had done to Clark. Lex Luthor was a tremendously wealthy and powerful man, and Clark had seen both men on television together, so it was obvious they knew each other. Most parents who lost children in the Hunger Games could only mourn them and try to move on, but Luthor had the power to take revenge. He might well have convinced Snow to punish Clark for killing his son — despite the fact that killing other tributes was legal in the arena, and despite Clark’s obvious shock and remorse when he’d realized what he’d done. Nope, when Luthor wants something done he does not leave it to chance. Besides, why let Snow have the 'fun' of hurting Clark? If he truly cared about Lysander he would do something equally nasty himself. “I talked to the Head Peacekeeper earlier,” Haver said. “He knows what happened today, and he doesn’t expect you to go home tonight … and believe it or not, they don’t usually check anyway. Speaking of Peacekeepers …” He waited until he had Clark and Martha’s full attention. “… Thread’s gone. He packed up his belongings from the barracks and left with Snow and his entourage this afternoon, wearing a new uniform indicating a higher rank. Where he’s gone is anybody’s guess, but he’s not in District 9 anymore, and not many people will miss him.” Glad to see that the Peacekeepers are not completely heartless. Thread is going to be the personal guard for Snow... Clark put his head down, his mind racing. My fault. It’s my fault. I was too much of a mess after the Games for them to tell me something so important. If I’d hidden things better … or acted like a normal person who’s won the Games … they would have told me, and I could have gotten Dr. Greenlaw to see Dad. If I hadn’t done whatever it was I wasn’t supposed to do in the arena, Snow wouldn’t have had me flogged, and Dad wouldn’t have gotten so upset that he had a heart attack. He’d still be here. Dear gentle Clark, he was a mess! Martha and Jonathan were only trying to protect him. Also, I suspect even with the best care, Jonathan would not have survived the trauma of seeing his son flogged. The blame for all of the Kent family troubles lay squarely on President Snow's elegantly shod feet. Amazing part. Don't be too late posting the next part! 
Morgana
A writer's job is to think of new plots and create characters who stay with you long after the final page has been read. If that mission is accomplished than we have done what we set out to do, which is to entertain and hopefully educate.
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Beat Reporter
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Beat Reporter
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The Hunger Games stripped Clark's innocence away, but now Snow has forced him to grow up. Clark will be a force to be reckoned with now.
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Top Banana
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OP
Top Banana
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Originally posted by IolantheAlias:
Wow. Very intense.
Jonathan is dead. What a blow this is to Clark and Martha.
What *did* Clark do during the games? Is it related to Lex Luthor? Was it hiding Lois's death? Is Lois really dead? Did freezing her help her make it till the poison died away?
President Snow knows Clark's vulnerabilities - Kryptonite, and people he cares about. And he's had Clark flogged. This probably isn't very smart in the long run. I sense rebellion coming. Except that it's always Lois who has those kind of ideas. He's lost without her. Clark has several theories about what it was he did in the arena, but he doesn't know which, if any, are true. He blames himself for what happened, both for the flogging and for Jonathan's death, but he doesn't know what he did. Snow enjoys controlling people and using them for his own purposes, but that can backfire -- and does, badly, in Hunger Games canon. As to what will happen in this story -- keep reading.
"Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat: "we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad."
"How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn’t have come here.”
- Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
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Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 1,114
Top Banana
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OP
Top Banana
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 1,114 |
Originally posted by Morgana:
I have to mirror Iolathealias thoughts on this matter, President Snow has pushed the wrong buttons this time. True he knows most of Clark abilities and his weak spots, but sooner or later you push a person too far and they break.
Rebellion is in the air. Snow has indeed made an enemy of the strongest man on Earth. However, Clark is still young, poorly educated, and possessed of a strong set of ethics. He could destroy Snow in the blink of an eye, but that would make him no better than Snow. He doesn't know what to do. “I’m afraid he is, Clark. The Peacekeepers tried to help — they really did — but there was nothing they could do. Your father just … he died.” Good to know not all the Peacekeepers are monsters. Even the supervisor had threatened Thread when he refused to stop flogging Clark. Martha has to be applauded, despite her husband's unexpected death, she is still Clark's tower of strength. A rare woman indeed. One cannot help but imagine what Lady Lara would think of this simple farm woman who raised her son. Lara would probably be happy that her son had been found by someone who loved him so much and raised him so well. “You saw what they did, Sid — what Snow did! Clark didn’t do anything wrong, but that power-mad bastard made him suffer anyway, just like he’s done with every other victor since he became president! It’s not enough to survive when all the other tributes die — surviving just means that you become a pawn in Snow’s power games.” She got up, flinging herself into her husband’s arms. “Remember what he did to us when I tried to stop playing his games?” She started sobbing.
Sid stroked her hair gently. “Shh, Mattie. Of course I remember. But this isn’t the time or the place to go over it.” We get a clearer picture of Mattie and the trials she suffered during her early days as a victor. No wonder the poor woman drinks. And uses morphling. Her experiences have been very painful, making her bitter and cynical. Later in the story, I am going to reveal what happened to her. “I’d help you with the livestock,” Haver said, “but to be honest with you, I wouldn’t know where to start. I grew up in a factory family. I do know how to cook, though — I’ve been doing it for years. I can check on Clark, too — I need to talk to him anyway.” He set the papers on the table. “Dr. Greenlaw needs you to sign these, but it can wait. He’ll pick them up tomorrow when he comes to check on Clark.” Haver continues to emerge from this terrible chapter in Clark's life as a true gentleman. Haver was overjoyed to finally bring another kid home alive from the Hunger Games (in 35 years, only Matilda and Clark have survived). He knew that Clark was likely going to have to face some unpleasant things, but this was something he didn't expect. Haver is also familiar with the symptoms of PTSD, so he's keeping a close eye on Clark. Revenge for Lysander’s death was the other plausible reason for what Snow had done to Clark. Lex Luthor was a tremendously wealthy and powerful man, and Clark had seen both men on television together, so it was obvious they knew each other. Most parents who lost children in the Hunger Games could only mourn them and try to move on, but Luthor had the power to take revenge. He might well have convinced Snow to punish Clark for killing his son — despite the fact that killing other tributes was legal in the arena, and despite Clark’s obvious shock and remorse when he’d realized what he’d done. Nope, when Luthor wants something done he does not leave it to chance. Besides, why let Snow have the 'fun' of hurting Clark? If he truly cared about Lysander he would do something equally nasty himself. What Clark did is a mystery to him. It terrifies him that he doesn't know what he was punished for, because if he doesn't know Snow's rules, how can he follow them and protect those he cares about? “I talked to the Head Peacekeeper earlier,” Haver said. “He knows what happened today, and he doesn’t expect you to go home tonight … and believe it or not, they don’t usually check anyway. Speaking of Peacekeepers …” He waited until he had Clark and Martha’s full attention. “… Thread’s gone. He packed up his belongings from the barracks and left with Snow and his entourage this afternoon, wearing a new uniform indicating a higher rank. Where he’s gone is anybody’s guess, but he’s not in District 9 anymore, and not many people will miss him.” Glad to see that the Peacekeepers are not completely heartless. Thread is going to be the personal guard for Snow... Thread is actually a canon character in Catching Fire. He becomes Head Peacekeeper of District 12 and quickly proves very cruel. To get to the position of Head Peacekeeper, he would have to get experience somewhere, so I put him in this story. As to what he will do between flogging Clark in 66 and becoming the Head Peacekeeper of 12 in 75 -- keep reading. Clark put his head down, his mind racing. My fault. It’s my fault. I was too much of a mess after the Games for them to tell me something so important. If I’d hidden things better … or acted like a normal person who’s won the Games … they would have told me, and I could have gotten Dr. Greenlaw to see Dad. If I hadn’t done whatever it was I wasn’t supposed to do in the arena, Snow wouldn’t have had me flogged, and Dad wouldn’t have gotten so upset that he had a heart attack. He’d still be here. Dear gentle Clark, he was a mess! Martha and Jonathan were only trying to protect him. Also, I suspect even with the best care, Jonathan would not have survived the trauma of seeing his son flogged. The blame for all of the Kent family troubles lay squarely on President Snow's elegantly shod feet. Martha and Jonathan worried about what would happen to Clark if he had to kill someone in the arena -- and they were right to worry. Clark can't forgive himself for what happened to Lysander (or Lois), even though he had been pushed into a situation where he had no real choices or the ability to stop bad things from happening. Amazing part. Don't be too late posting the next part! The next part will be posted today. (I aimed to post it on Saturday, but between crazy weather, rehearsals, and family stuff, I'm posting Sunday. C'est la vie.)
"Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat: "we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad."
"How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn’t have come here.”
- Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
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Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 1,114
Top Banana
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OP
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Originally posted by AmyPrime:
The Hunger Games stripped Clark's innocence away, but now Snow has forced him to grow up. Clark will be a force to be reckoned with now. Clark is definitely going through a baptism by fire. His life has been torn apart, and he doesn't know how to put it back together. He's strong, though -- both physically and emotionally -- so keep reading.
"Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat: "we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad."
"How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn’t have come here.”
- Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
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