Characters / Brutal Series Horrible

Horrible Males, District 1 - 6

Rome Gnaeus:

• Adaptational Villainy: Maybe a little annoying, but certainly not villainous in the original.

• Anti-Villain: He spends more of his time boasting and flirting than doing anything actively malevolent, and the only time he succeeds in killing somebody in the core storyline, it’s by indirect means. Despite this, he still definitely opposes the protagonists.

• Boisterous Bruiser: Decides he just has to take on a giant lizard mutt by himself for the fun of it.
• Brains and Brawn: The brawn to Ania's brains.
• The Casanova: Apparently dates dozens of girls at once.

• Dirty Business: How he seems to view killing females and the defenceless. He doesn't like it much, but feels he has to do it anyway.
• Et Tu, Brute?: Gets stabbed in the back by his ally, Ania.

• The Fighting Narcissist: Definitely fighting, and his introductory chapter was so darn narcissistic the author had difficulty writing it.
• Large Ham: "I, the great and powerful Rome!"
• Last Kiss: Kisses Ania as she dies in the sixth What If. Since he dies not long afterwards, this would make it his last kiss as well. Slightly subverted in that it's more creepy and manipulative than romantic.

• Love Martyr: Never stops hoping Ania will reciprocate his feelings, even when it's incredibly obvious she hates his guts.

• Manipulative Bastard: Surprisingly, he has a moment of this in the sixth What If when he tells Ania he'd feel a lot less guilty about killing her if she returned his affections, then exploits her desire to repay him so that she lets him kiss her.

• No Kill like Overkill: Amer tears his neck to absolute shreds in the first What If.
• Not-So-Harmless Villain: Does absolutely nothing – until he mortally wounds Fronce.
• Pet the Dog: Quite a few: he Took a Bullet for Ania on their first meeting, has a distaste for harming females and the defenceless (although he does it anyway) and was polite enough to carry Gries' body to where the hovercraft could get it in the sixth What If.

• Taking the Bullet: Shielded Ania from a hit on her first day in the Career training centre, for which she wants to repay him.
• WTH, Costuming Department?: In-universe. Rome didn't think the fake eyelashes went too well with his 'manly' angle.

Vash Zerlan:

• Accidental Murder: Possibly. The author has never confirmed if he intended to shoot Dardana at the bloodbath or was innocently testing out his crossbow.
• Adaptational Villainy: More neutral in Hetalia.
• Beware the Quiet Ones: Doesn't do much talking, but fine with killing.
• Dropped a Bridge on Him: Dies suddenly and unceremoniously from an explosion in the early stages of the Games.
• Et Tu, Brute?: Shoots his own district partner, Dardana, in the head.
• Evil Orphan: Hasn't had a morally-nurturing life after escaping the orphanage.
• Freudian Excuse: Lived a miserable childhood on the streets and in orphanages before turning to the Career training program as his only option.
• Lack of Empathy: Has absolutely no sympathy for any of his competition, killing Dardana and Meghna without a second thought.
• The Stoic: Devoid of emotion other than vague annoyance.
• Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome: In a way. The version of Switzerland in ‘’Horrible,’’ Switz, lasts nearly to the end of the Games, but Vash dies sooner and far more unceremoniously.
• Trigger-Happy: Is a little too eager to let loose his arrows.

Spain Carriedo:

• The Atoner: He does everything he can to make up for killing Atzinca.

• Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Can be a goofball, but can also kick butt if it comes down to it.
• Cynicism Catalyst: Between his sister's death two years previously, an accidental murder to his name, and the brief guilt of letting Perdita die, he certainly has a lot of motivation for trying to protect Lovi.

• The Fake Cutie: What Lovi starts suspecting him to be. At first, it's used in a comedic light when Spain jokes about it to her...then it's used in a horrifying deconstruction when Lovi almost murders him for it.
• Heroic BSoD: He starts slipping a bit when he sees that the arena to this year's Game is just like the one that Maria died in.
• Honor Before Reason: He chooses to save Lovi and sacrifices their supplies to Sadik.
• I Let Gwen Stacy Die: He has shades of this when he remembers how he wasn't able to save Perdita.
• Nice Guy: One of the least selfish characters in the series.
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Wow, Spain, nice job letting it slip that you strangled a chick… especially when you're playing the CHILDMURDER GAMES.

• The Pollyanna: Always tries his best to cheer Lovi up.

• Sympathetic Murder Backstory: Spain is revealed to have killed one person before the Games: a young woman who mocked his sister's untimely death.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: The calming Blue Oni to Lovi's more impulsive Red Oni.
• Retirony: Spain could've missed the Reaping- if only his birthday came four days earlier…

Wiremu Sachy:

• Attempted Rape: Tried to rape Finni. Thank goodness Sve got there first.

• Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: He's one of the least, if not the least, sympathetic Careers because of he tried to rape Finni.

Igris Kirkland:

• Anti-Hero: A wannabe of it; Igris keeps on saying that he's okay with killing people in order to get out of the Games alive, but when it comes down to it, he doesn't actually kill and never slides beyond a Disney Anti Hero at worst.

• Chekhov's Hobby: His skill with embroidery comes in handy when he has to knit up Fronce's wounds.

• Defrosting Ice King: At first glance, he seems like a callous jerk- but then you see him soften up like a marshmallow-pillow.
• Death by Adaptation: He doesn't fare too well in the What Ifs.
• First Person Smart Ass: As a result of him being a Deadpan Snarker, his narrative is also snarky.
• Genius Bruiser: He's very clever and smart, AND he's strong enough to subdue the Careers in battle.
• Honor Before Reason: Despite what he says about how Anti Hero he is, he never abandons Fronce even though it would've been the more pragmatic course of action. Heck, he doesn't even kill ANIA.

• Lonely Rich Kid: It makes it even more sad when Fronce, his first and only friend, dies. Even Shiran knows of that and thanks Amer for being Igris's friend.
• Messy Hair: Perpetually messy, Games or otherwise.

• Not So Above It All: It's noted that even though he tried to act like a gentleman, he got too annoyed by Caesar to fully keep his composure during the interviews. Amusingly, the same fate was also shared with his fellow Tsundere, Lovi.
• Only Friend: Due to his wealth and general Jerkass attitude, his only friend is Fronce and later Amer.
• Sibling Yin-Yang: He is cynial and aloof, while Shiran is optimistic and friendly.
• Sour Outside, Sad Inside: Always gratingly sarcastic, but deep down just terribly lonely and insecure.
• Skewed Priorities: Really, Igris? You really had to move out of your hiding place to make TEA in the CHILDMURDER GAMES?!

• Technical Pacifist: He has no qualms with combat; he just doesn't want to kill his defeated opponents.
• Tsundere: A platonic version to Fronce. Even though Igris tries to make himself look all grouch and stoic, his true feelings are shown in his narrative.
• Would Hit a Girl: Has no qualms with attacking the fierce Ania in self-defense.

Fronce Foybon:

• Accidental Murder: Neglects to tell his allies that his berry sauce is poisonous when consumed in large amounts. He is duly horrified when China eats too much one night and dies.
• Armor-Piercing Question: When he asks Igris if he would leave him behind to die like he did China. Although Igris doesn’t let Fronce know it got to him, he clearly thinks it over before his later No One Gets Left Behind moment.)
• Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: Igris expresses horror and grief when Fronce is severely wounded and eventually dies.

• Chekhov's Hobby: He's a good cook. This comes in handy during the Hunger Games.
• Chivalrous Pervert: An unashamed flirt, but a decent human being nonetheless.

• Hollywood Healing: Zigzagged. He initially survives a sword through the stomach thanks to only stitches and disinfectant, but dies later – though not of this injury, but infection from an unnoticed wound on his neck.
• I Will Only Slow You Down: Unsuccessfully begs Igris to leave him behind after he’s been severely wounded and infected.

• Meaningful Echo: After Igris abandons China to die alone, Fronce indignantly asks him if he would leave him behind in a similar situation. Igris responds that he would instead stick around to taunt him. Much later, after Fronce has been gravely injured and knocked out, he wakes up to discover Igris is carrying him on his back. The first words out of his mouth? "So you didn't leave me behind after all."
• Mortal Wound Reveal: The infected cut behind his long hair.

• Non-Action Guy: Apart from a swordfight with Igris in the training center. Justified, as he is never given a weapon, and cannot fight with his bare hands.
• No One Gets Left Behind: Igris refuses to leave him to die, even when he’s badly injured.

• Prince Charming Wannabe: Treats China like a Proper Lady, but she remains unimpressed.
• Replacement Goldfish: He and Igris could be seen as Amer’s replacement goldfish for Eston and Raivis.

• Supreme Chef: That sauce must have tasted amazing...
• Taking the Bullet: Jumps in front of Rome’s sword to protect a blind, injured and unarmed Lovi in the first What If.

• Vitriolic Best Buds: Beneath all the petty squabbling, he and Igris really do love each other.

Horrible Males, District 7 - 12

Eston von Bock:

• Gadgeteer Genius: He says in his intro chapter that he’s very skilled with all sorts of technology, and that he could easily start a fire with a battery and some wire. In the third What If, it’s revealed that his dream is to become talented enough to work in District 3.

• Hesitant Sacrifice: In a truly heartbreaking scene, he goes off by himself and cries after a coin toss decides he must die for Raivis. This doesn’t stop him from eventually making the Heroic Sacrifice.

• Only Sane Man: Compared to the paranoid, the brain-damaged bully, and the kid with the hero complex...
• Replacement Goldfish: Raivis’ new ‘brother’ after losing Toris two years previously.
• Sacrificial Lion: His death definitely makes a difference for Amer... and Vahn.
• Shoot the Dog: Amer kills him in the third What If so that Raivis can be the Victor.

• Someone Has to Die: In the third What If, he and his allies Raivis and Amer are the final three tributes, but only one of them is allowed to survive. Amer volunteers to kill one of them and then himself. Eston loses a coin toss and dies in place of Raivis.
• The Von Trope Family: Courtesy of his Hetalian name.

Sadik Ottoman:

• Honor Before Reason: intended to go as far as he could through the Games without killing to entertain the Capitol. His resolve caved in pretty quickly when hunger got the best of him, although he still couldn’t bring himself to kill Lovi.
• Early-Bird Cameo: He features in the Brutal epilogue before becoming a more important character in Horrible.
• Last Episode, New Character: Appears in the Brutal epilogue.

• Never Bring A Knife To A Fistfight: Sadik commences his and Amer's fist fight by pulling a knife, and promptly loses it. Guess who wins. Sort of zigzagged, though, since he wasn't trying to play dirty by taking out the knife, just warning Amer not to mess with him.

• Shoot Him, He Has a Wallet!: Zigzagged. Sadik is killed for pulling out a knife, averting this trope, but he was doing so to dissuade, not harm, his attacker.
• Sitcom Arch-Nemesis: With Gries. Unlike most of the rivalries in the series, it isn’t too serious and doesn’t culminate in violence in the arena.
• Slashed Throat: Dies when Amer cuts his throat with broken glass.
• The Stoic: Doesn't do much overreacting.

Vahn Larus:

• Accent Adaptation: Sort of. Since most citizens of Panem probably don't know what on earth Russia is, his Russian accent is interpreted by his adoptive parents as a speech impediment and by the doctor as a rare disorder.
• Asshole Victim: True, Amer Jumps Off the Slippery Slope when he kills him, but after everything he's just done to Eston and Raivis, it's easy to sympathize with the murderer.
• Bad Boss: Keeps his 'allies', Eston and Raivis, in line with threats and violence.
• Break the Badass: His crying at his death scene shows the reader just how dangerous and merciless Amer has become.

• The Bully: Acts like this to Eston and Raivis, and was implied to be one back in District 9, beating up Russia for his optimism and having a gang of cronies.

• Cruel and Unusual Death: Has all of his guts ripped out.

• Death Equals Emotion: Serves as The Stoic for most of the series, but breaks down crying and wishing to go home right before he bites it.
• Early-Bird Cameo: Briefly mentioned in Brutal as having attacked Russia; a rather important supporting character in the sequel.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Although he tries to avoid Natalya and has no problem with her dying so he can get home, he does claim to genuinely love her (though not in the way she'd like, thank goodness...)

• Freudian Excuse: Hinted at; he lost his parents at a young age.

• Happily Adopted: Natalya's parents took him in and paid for his surgery after he was injured in the machinery accident that killed his parents.

• Husky Russkie: Strong and based on Russia.

• Kick the Dog: Cuts off Raivis' finger just to keep him in line.
• Lack of Empathy: Sees nothing wrong with murdering and chopping off fingers for punishment.

• Oblivious Adoption: Possibly. His adoptive mother told him she was his real mother, and it's unknown if he ever figured out the truth.
• Pet the Dog: States that he really does care for Natalya, despite her Yandere tendencies. Subverted in that he'd be perfectly fine with her death as long as it means he can win.
• Rasputinian Death: He has most of his abdominal cavity removed before his cannon fires.

• Russian Guy Suffers Most: Gets what might be the most painful death in the entire series, having everything – all the way through to his spine – hacked up and ripped apart.
• The Stoic: Doesn't show much emotion until begging for mercy from Amer.

• Villains Want Mercy: Begs Amer to stop his No-Holds-Barred Beatdown.
• Would Hit a Girl: Kills Celladora at the bloodbath.

Amer Jones:

• The Atoner: During the latter part of Horrible. Notable in that all his attempts to make up for what he had done wrong failed miserably, through no fault of his own.

• Be All My Sins Remembered: Can't rebuild his self-image as hero after killing Vahn.
• Beware the Nice Ones: Nice enough to swear protection over most people he meets... And horribly murder anyone in his way.
• Big Brother Instinct: To Raivis and Eston (ironic in that he's younger than both of them) as well as his own brother, Matt. Eventually extends to Shiran as well.
• Big Damn Heroes: He rushes in to save Raivis and Eston in chapter 25.

• Big Eater: One chapter opens with him whining for more food, which is apparently a habit.
• Bonding over Missing Parents: He bonds with Shiran over their missing friend/brother, Igris.
• Broken Bird: He's pretty much traumatized for life by the end of the story.

• Cynicism Catalyst: It's hard to pick just one for him, between the deaths of all four of his allies, his survival at the cost of Igris' life, his murder of Sadik, torturing and killing Vahn, and losing his illusion of himself as a hero. Suffice to say that he's pretty broken as of the epilogue.

• Death by Adaptation: As he won Horrible, he's pretty much doomed to die in every What If ending.

• Driven to Suicide: Almost. Played nearly straight in the first ending of What If: he doesn't kill himself, but allows Gries to slit his throat. Played straight in the sixth What If.
• The Dulcinea Effect: Platonic version; he is more than willing to die for friends he's known for only a few days.

• Face Death with Dignity: At the end of Horrible (although it winds up being Igris who dies) and in the third What If.

• Failure-to-Save Murder: He believes Shiran will hold him responsible for the death of his brother, Igris. Shiran proves him wrong.
• Fighting from the Inside: He tries darned hard not to go psychotic again.

• Heroic Sacrifice: He volunteers for the Hunger Games in place of his twin brother, Matt, although slightly subverted in that he doesn't die. This trope is played straight in the Third What If.

• Hero with an F in Good: He tries so hard to be the hero, but constantly makes things even worse.

• Idiot Hero: Doesn't seem to realize protecting others means killing at first.

• Improvised Weapon: Uses his own broken glasses to kill Sadik.
• Interrupted Suicide: Zigzagged. He's about to kill himself so that Igris can live, but is interrupted not by his brother, but the thought that his brother will be watching.

• It's Personal: His opinion of Vahn goes from general dislike to Unstoppable Rage after the aforementioned kills his allies.

• Kick Them While They Are Down: Continues to mutilate Vahn, even when he's so injured he can no longer be called a threat.

• Miles to Go Before I Sleep: Amer would certainly like to kill himself at the end of the third What If scenario, but that would mean leaving his two allies to kill each other. So he has to Shoot the Dog before offing himself.

• My Greatest Failure: Being unable to save his allies and killing two tributes, one extremely violently.
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: His desire to avenge Raivis leads to Eston's death.

• "Not So Different" Remark: Realizes that anything bad he says about Vahn would also apply to himself, as they have both been responsible for deaths in the Games.
• Polar Opposite Twins: Amer is outgoing, brave and excitable, while his twin brother Matt is introverted, shy and calm.

• Revenge Before Reason: He charges off to kill Vahn after Raivis’ death, ignoring the fact that he’s just left his other ally alone and defenceless. This makes everything worse.
• Russian Roulette: Does a variation involving poison with Igris at the end of Horrible.
• Sadistic Choice: Being forced to choose between killing himself, thereby traumatizing his brother, and killing Igris/letting him die. In the third What If, he immediately chooses to kill himself, but then has to choose between doing so right away or killing Eston first.

• Shoot the Dog: Does this to Eston in the third What If so he won't have to kill Raivis.

• Superpowered Evil Side: After snapping from Eston's death, he does some serious damage to some serious opponents.

Sve Oxenstierna:

• All Love Is Unrequited: Finni never returns his feelings.
• All of the Other Reindeer: Was largely avoided in District 11 due to his strange appearance.

• Beware the Nice Ones: Kind and quiet, but is the first to kill a Career.
• Kill It with Fire: Jumps into flames sent by the Capitol.

• Despair Event Horizon: After Finni is killed, he completely loses the will to live.

• Dogged Nice Guy: He never gives up on trying to make Finni love him.
• Face Death with Dignity: Rather than trying to escape the fire the Gamemakers set after them, Sve and Natalya jump into it holding hands as a final act of defiance.

• Friendless Background: Hence why he’s so attached to Finni, one of the only people not to immediately shun him.
• Gentle Giant: Is tall and strong but quite affectionate.
• Heroic Sacrifice: Volunteered - and is willing to kill himself - for Finni.

• Love Cannot Overcome: played tragically straight - all of his devotion is not enough to overcome Finni's fear of him and the careers.

• Sacrificial Lion: One of the more developed characters to die.

• Together in Death: With Finni. He even sees (or at least thinks he sees) her moving towards him as he dies in the third What If.

Raivis Lithu:

• The Alcoholic: In "Hit the Bottle", he tries to Drown his Sorrows after winning the Games.
• Ascended Extra: Barely mentioned in Brutal; a rather important character in the sequel. Even more important in one of the What Ifs, and the central character in the oneshot "Hit the Bottle" (which is based off that What If scenario.)

• Broken Bird: Sort of. His brother's death made him incredibly paranoid, and the Games did even more to scar him. However, he's not cynical in the slightest.
• Corrupt the Cutie: Becomes a drunkard and almost kills his father in "Hit the Bottle". Fortunately, he gets better.
• Cowardly Lion: He's scared of nearly everything, but when it comes down to it in the third What If,he was willing to put his life on the line to give Eston a chance at going home.

• Distressed Dude: Needs saving from enemies... and sand.
• Drowning My Sorrows: After the third What If, he becomes a depressed alcoholic.
• Doomed by Canon: In The Hunger Games, District 12 has only ever had four victors (three in the canon series, one established by Journey's other fics), so you pretty much know he's going to die.
• Early-Bird Cameo: Gets a brief mention in Brutal.
• Fingore: Loses a finger as punishment for trying to escape Vahn's alliance.

• Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Childish and innocent? Check. Blonde? Check.

• Lovable Coward: Will run from anything, but adorably so.
• More Expendable Than You: Plays this card when Eston and Amer are going to die for him at the end of the third What If.
• Nice Guy: Is actually terrified of hurting people.

• Older Than They Look: A mild example; he is 16 but apparently looks (and definitely acts) closer to 13 or 14.
• Properly Paranoid: High-strung, but he is in the Hunger Games...

• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Tried to escape from Vahn's alliance. It didn't go too well.
• Spared By Adaptation: Lives in "What If Amer Stopped Raivis?"

Horrible Females, District 1 - 6

Ania Jerume:

• The Baroness: Cold, female, villainous, and (presumably) German to boot!

• Better to Die than Be Killed: Her motive for killing herself in the sixth What If after she’s gravely wounded by Spain.

• Dragon-in-Chief: She may be Rome's right-hand woman, but she lasts longer and is definitely more of a threat than he is.

• Lack of Empathy: At first, it's played straight. Then it's unusually averted; Ania gets nightmares from all the people that she's killed.

• Not So Stoic: Eventually gets nightmares from killing other tributes.
• The Quiet One: Sadik comments on how she doesn't talk much in the interviews, and you don't see her saying much during the Games.

• Perpetual Frowner: Ever read a passage where she's smiled?
• Pervert Revenge Mode: Her killing of Rome has shades of this. Especially when you consider how much she snapped at him for checking her out.

• Taking the Bullet: When Amer slices his claws at Rome, Ania quickly shoves him out of the way and gets her face clawed up instead.
• The Starscream: She used to be The Dragon until she finally killed Rome.

• Sugar-and-Ice Personality: In one of the What Ifs, when she slits her wrists to kill herself to not slow Rome down. It could also be seen as her giving herself a Mercy Kill to finally have some control over her fate.

Dardana Angstrom:

• Accidental Murder: No one's sure if Vash intended to shoot her or not.
• Death as Comedy: "Quit trying to distract-" *Shot*
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Her friendship with Corianne.
• Et Tu, Brute?: Is shot in the head by her district partner.
• Faux Action Girl: she’s been trained for two years to avenge her friend’s murder in the bloodiest way possible, but goes out extremely early without killing anyone.
• Killed Mid-Sentence: Shot while telling her partner not to distract her.
• Pet the Dog: Her friendship with Corianne gives her a little more humanity than the average Career.

• Revenge Before Reason: She wanted to volunteer to avenge Corianne’s death in the very next Games, despite the fact that she wasn’t anywhere near well-trained enough. The trainers make her wait two more years.

• Undignified Death: What else do you call training for the Games for two years only to be shot by your own district partner in the first five minutes?

Lovi Vargas:

• Accidental Murder: Almost. After deciding not to kill Spain, she accidentally conks him on the head with the hammer, giving him a concussion which would likely have landed him on her kill list if it wasn't for Ania.
• Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: Gets this quite a bit, particularly when she thinks she and Spain are about to be killed by cat muttations.

• Cynicism Catalyst: Her death turns her sister Feli into a paranoid, overemotional wreck.

• Et Tu, Brute?: She is very disturbed by Spain's admission that he's killed someone before the Games, worries he will betray her, and almost stabs him in the back for it.
• Eye Scream: Gouges out her own eye with a hammer in the first What If.

• Gender Flip: Of South Italy, who is male.

• My God, What Have I Done?: After injuring Spain in Horrible and actually killing him in What If.

• Polar Opposite Twins: She is aggressive and surly, while Feli is submissive and needy.

• Sir Swears-a-Lot: So much that chapters featuring her usually begin with a warning in the form of an Author's Note, although her swearing was edited out in later revisions.

• Sour Outside, Sad Inside: It's hinted that her gruff exterior is a result of the inferiority she feels over being The Unfavorite.

• The Un-Favourite: Her intro chapter makes it clear that her grandfather preferred Feli to her. It's also telling that he didn't come to see her after the reapings, while apparently giving Feli advice on staying away from Careers when she was reaped.
• Yank the Dog's Chain: After complaining of hunger for quite a while, she and Spain finally get some food donated to them... only for it to be stolen by Sadik.

Taberah Atalanta:

• Anti-Villain: She has no interest in killing people, but does so only to win the money for her ill father. Outside of the bloodbath, she never succeeds in killing anybody.

• Token Good Teammate: Among the Horrible Careers, she volunteers for the least selfish reason and displays most remorse about killing.

Perdita Adva:

• Tears of Fear: Said to be "sobbing too much to get a word out," [[spoiler before her death]].

China Wang:

• Accidental Murder: Dies this way after eating too much of Fronce's poisonous sauce.
• Brainy Brunette: Apparently her interview angle was a "smart survivalist."
• Cynicism Catalyst: Her death serves as this for her little brother, Riben.

• Death by Irony: A talented cook who dies from poisonous food.

• Plucky Girl: Quite determined, and doesn't let anyone run the show for her. Though that eventually gets her into trouble...

• Stay with Me Until I Die: Discussed when Igris and Fronce abandon her to die alone. Fronce is sure she would have wanted this, but Igris claims that Fronce's presence would just have made her angrier (since she died from eating too much of his unknowingly poisoned food.)

• Yank the Dog's Chain: Sick of Igris and Fronce bossing her around, she sneaks behind their backs and eats the rations they wouldn't let her have. This turns out to have been a very, very bad idea.

Horrible Females, District 7 - 12

Laine Berna:

• Cloud Cuckoo Lander: Abnormally upbeat, especially for someone in the Hunger Games.
• Die Laughing: Possibly, she dies amused that the spear that killed her looks like a carrot.

• Trademark Favorite Food: She loves carrots.

Gries Karpusi:

• Brilliant, but Lazy: One of the biggest minds in the Games, but spends most of her time sleeping. Although that's exactly how she wants it.

• Early-Bird Cameo: Got a cameo in the Brutal epilogue before becoming an important character in the sequel.

• Gender Flip: In the canon series, Greece is male.

• Lack of Empathy: Although she does acknowledge it, she has a disturbing lack of pity or sympathy.

• Manipulative Bitch: She successfully talks Amer into letting himself get killed in What If.

• Teen Genius: Sadik mentions that she's the top student in Math and Philosophy. And then, think of all her philosophizing, her common sense, and her plans for the Games...
• Took a Level in Badass: Almost sleeps through her interview, spends most of her time hiding ... then kills a career when half-asleep!

• Warrior Poet: In between bouts of philosophy, she also manages to kill at least two people.

Natalya Larus:

• Abhorrent Admirer: Towards Vahn. Not because she's ugly, but because she's his sister.
• All Love Is Unrequited: Thankfully, Vahn never returns her feelings.

• Avenging the Villain: Defied; she is mature enough to realize that killing Amer will not bring Vahn back to her.

• Defiant to the End: After Vahn dies, she and Sve discuss surviving to the final two and then killing themselves so that the Capitol will have no Victor. When they are punished for this, they decide to Face Death with Dignity by deciding just when to die rather than trying to escape.
• Despair Event Horizon: After Vahn dies. In the third What if, this is so extreme that she loses the will to feed herself and dies of dehydration.
• Determinator: Say what you want about her, but there’s something to be said for scouring an entire mountain for your brother over two days on the sustenance of nothing but an apple.
• Face Death with Dignity: rather than trying to escape the fire the Gamemakers set after them, she and Sve jump into it holding hands as a final act of defiance.

• Lighter and Softer: Her portrayal here, as opposed to the portrayal of Belarus in many other fanworks, including the author’s other Hetalia fic, The Rules. Her canon Yandere and Psycho Knife Nut tendencies are often exaggerated in fanworks; here, the worst thing she does is stalk Vahn and try to break down his door, never killing or even harming another tribute.

Meghna Cinge:

• Satellite Character: Take away her friendship with Laine, and she's pretty forgettable.

Finni Vaina:

• Gender Flip: In Canon, Finland is male.

• Living Emotional Crutch: To Sve. When she dies, he feels he has no purpose left in life.

• Love Cannot Overcome: Played tragically straight – all of Sve's devotion is not enough to overcome her fear of him and the Careers.

• Together in Death: With Sve. He even sees (or at least thinks he sees) her moving towards him as he dies in the third What If.

Celladora Talith:

• Accidental Murder: Vahn wasn't entirely intending to kill her with that pickaxe.
• Doomed by Canon: In The Hunger Games, District 12 has only ever had four victors (three in the canon series, one established by Journey's other fics), so you pretty much know she's going to die.