Tati_SwanJones

that moment

R&Tislove

Pure hunger and love.

Tati_SwanJones

and more

cherrios

It's a gentle kiss, but full of passion and longing at the same time. Neither wanting to break the bubble that had been created between the two of them before Johanna spoke up. They both wanted more and were halted before they could really enjoy each other.

R&Tislove

And I love what Nina said in the CF commentary: that right there is the moment that Katniss chooses Peeta.

cherrios

I think Peeta can give her the whole picture better than Gale can. I think Gale is important to her, but I think Gale holds on to stuff which drags him down. And he would be great to help her take on the world. But Peeta can do that as well and be there at the end to help her rebuild the world again.

rpmaluki

Gale is like the male version of Katniss but without her softness. There wasn't anything he could offer her that she didn't have herself. They are both fiery passionate characters but Gale is rather extreme as seen in how he treated those from the Capitol or those somehow connected to the Capitol versus how Katniss treated them. She didn't just brush everyone with the same brush of Capitol=Evil. There's wasn't anything Gale could do that Katniss couldn't do herself. She was self sufficient because of her hunting skills but with Peeta, it was so different.

With Peeta, she became vulnerable for the first time in her life since her father's death. It's odd how Peeta is her provider AND protector without the trappings of over-masculinity. Peeta didn't need to beat his chest to show how strong he was. There's just something about him that made him her perfect match. There was just something in him that drew her to him. In all three books she needed him, something she never experienced with Gale. I could go all day dissecting her relationships with Peeta and Gale but we all know it so I'll end with this...

She loved Gale but that love was ALWAYS going to be different to her love for Peeta.

OUATKatya

Peeta isn't traditionally masculine, and Katniss isn't traditionally feminine. They really balance each other in their own ways.

cherrios

Exactly, so well said.

I always loved the fact that Peeta was a man, without all the stereotypical masculinity stuff. He's a provider, care giver, who didn't go looking for trouble, but didn't shy away when he came across it. He bakes, paints, and uses his words more than his fists. Yet that doesn't make him any less a man. He has an inner strength that gives Katniss an anchor to keep her from going off into the abyss that is going around her. He makes her feel the hunger for him in her heart, while at the same time being able to calm her down. That's rare and should be treasured.

I remember in CF after Gale's whipping she decides to be with Gale. But then right away she wants Peeta to be there to comfort her through the darkness. And she tells herself she can't want that anymore. But when she's with Peeta in the arena and they kiss. I don't believe she's thinking of Gale at all. Just the desire she has for Peeta. I just think that she doesn't realize how much she loves Peeta. Since after her father's death, her mother's grief, and almost dying of starvation she turned off her heart. Except for Prim, but here comes Peeta and he opens her heart again. And she feels vulnerable and safe at the same time. And she doesn't realize it's love until he's been taken from her.

rpmaluki

I absolutely love your last statement because it's so true.

R&Tislove

Don't know what you have till it's gone.

cherrios

I remember the scene where she breaks down because Peeta's is capture and being tortured to break her. And she won't let anyone close except Haymitch because he loves Peeta too.

I didn't like how she wasn't there for Peeta when he had been hijacked. I understand that it's staying true to her character. But Peeta would never have done that to her. Haymitch did say that she could live a thousand lifetimes and never deserve him.

rpmaluki

It's actually a hundred not a thousand but true all the same.

ETA: Ok maybe I don't agree with Haymitch about Katniss not deserving Peeta. It took a while for her feelings for Peeta to shine through, when she entered the 2nd arena it became obvious to others that she truly loved him. I think when Haymitch told her that she didn't deserve him, he was basing it on the first games where there was a lot of pretending from her side except for some scenes in the cave and what happened after they were lifted up into the hover craft for winning the games, which he never saw. He was being harsh but I think it also helped to open her eyes a bit about her own feelings. Love is not about deserving anything, it's just a beautiful thing when someone loves you with their whole being and she didn't understand that at the time. So naturally she decides to sacrifice herself for Peeta, someone she believes is a far better person than she'll ever be. That's love as best as someone like Katniss will ever express at this stage.

This Haymitch scene always reminds me of the one in MJ where they tell each other off about leaving Peeta behind. Haymitch unfairly accusing her of not keeping Peeta by her side, as if she had a choice. Beeta and the others had practically forced them to separate to set up his plan of blowing up the dome. Katniss tends to be harsh with herself and so is Haymitch, it's not cruel but a way to get her to process things outside of herself. For some reason it all works out in the end. I love their little dysfunctional family unit, Peeta, Katniss and Haymitch.

cherrios

Whoops

So I found a quote that I like for them.

When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives means the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand.-Henri Nouwen

rpmaluki

That's a beautiful quote and so Peeta and Katniss.