The Plutarch, Crispus, and Fulvia dynamic is so much fun to write. They're getting sent on a side quest because it's so much fun.
Laurentio is going full sicko mode. Unlike Fulvia, Crispus, and Plutarch, he's not from old money. He's hustled to get where he is, and he respects Charlemagne for doing something similar. Now Charlemagne is giving him access to the victors and telling him that as long as he's discreet, it's fine to fool around. Fulvia hasn't noticed a single one of his romantic overtures, so he feels entitled to the victors. Because the three gamemakers who died in the 50th were his colleagues, he views the arenas and victors very differently from Fulvia.
Haymitch and Victoria are good buddies. One of the things I noticed about his narration and his movie version was just how much he respects the people around him when they're trying to do right by others. Victoria was someone who trained her entire life for the games, and had no sense of identity beyond them. When she was in the arena, she didn't figure out who the real enemy was, but she did realize that the real enemy wasn't the malnourished kids from 12 and ended it as quickly as possible for them. Haymitch respects that.
Yes... a huge part of Fulvia is that she has no idea how to utilize her connections to get things done. She can only be as smart as the narrative allows her to be. The photoshoot is going to happen because it's another step in her deconstruction. Still, it's also her acknowledgment that this is an area where she disagrees with Snow/ her society as a whole. She, like many people, has noticed that her victor co-workers are hot af, funny, and seem to take care of each other. Unlike someone else, Fulvia stops there because she can see the power imbalance, and she doesn't want to cross certain lines.
Cecelia is about to introduce a side plot that spans several chapters and gives Crispus grey hair. I've noticed that fanon tends to portray young Cecelia as sweet and demure, and I think that's a valid interpretation, but it doesn't entirely align with what we have from canon. Eight is among the first districts to rebel; she's in on the arena plot and goes out during the bloodbath of the 75th (meaning she went for a weapon/supplies). Compared to the other victors, she's functional enough to have three children and is one of the very few adults who act motherly towards Katniss in the books. She doesn't push herself as an ally, just tries to stop Woof from eating bugs. That interests me.
Comment on The Head Gamermakership of Charlemagne Royage
crunchy_granola on Chapter 2 Mon 28 Jul 2025 01:39PM UTC
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