History Fanfic / SomeSemblanceOfMeaning

* ArcherArchetype: Subverted. Fen is a skilled and clever archer, but is also [[FieryRedhead hot-blooded, emotional, and rebellious]] as opposed to calm and stoic.

%%* LightFeminineDarkFeminine: [[TheIngenue Vale]] would be the light feminine, whereas [[EvilIsSexy Amber]] would be the dark feminine.

Vale is from District Twelve like Katniss. More specifically, she is from the Seam like Katniss. She is sixteen years old like Katniss. [[UnderStatement But she is not like Katniss.]]

Warning: ahead, there are major plot spoilers.

!!Provides examples of:

* AccidentalMurder: [[spoiler: Vale inadvertently kills Cassia, the girl from District Seven, when she is trying to protect Kit.]]
* ActionGirl: Several of the female tributes, naturally: Amber, Fen, and Brigid, just to name a few. Vale herself qualifies later on as she fights [[spoiler:Cassia to protect Kit, killing her.]]

* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: [[spoiler: Well, if you could consider Obsidian to be a bad boy, then Vale does eventually fall for him. Grudgingly.]]
* AlphaBitch: Amber Sheen is reminiscent of one, even if this is the Hunger Games we're dealing with (which then makes her more of a GirlyBruiser).
* AnguishedDeclarationOfLove: Kit declares his feelings for Vale's younger sister Laurel during his interview with Caesar Flickerman, fearing that he'll never be able to tell her in person. [[spoiler: Later, Obsidian confesses to Vale after she is nearly killed.]]
* ArcherArchetype: [[FieryRedhead Fen]] is a skilled and clever archer but is also hot-blooded, emotional, and rebellious as opposed to calm and stoic.
* AscendedFanboy: Obsidian used to idolize the tributes from his district who were chosen to participate in the Games. And now that he's one of them. [[spoiler: He realizes that it isn't all it's cracked up to be, at least not for someone who still has a conscience.]]

* {{Bambification}}: When [[BloodKnight the Careers]] kill a fawn, [[BrokenAce Obsidian]] views it as something awful, because he sees the fawn as something innocent and harmless. [[spoiler: It actually drives him to leave the pack and make a HeelFaceTurn.]]

** Do not ever threaten Kit's safety in front of Vale. [[spoiler: It's what got Cassia killed.]]
** Also, in Obsidian's own words, "You don’t hurt innocent things. That’s just wrong. You don’t kill sweet, innocent, harmless things."

* BigEater: Kit, despite being only 12 years old and skinny as a twig. He even lampshades it himself!
-->'''Vale:''' And you're good at keeping the sleeping bag warm—I'll give you that.
-->'''Kit:''' And don't forget eating. I'm good at that, too; Lavinia would vouch for that.

* BittersweetEnding: [[ForegoneConclusion Vale and Kit both die.]] [[spoiler:Obsidian is left distraught and suicidal and is later killed in an explosion. However, he reunites with Vale and the others in the afterlife and and Damon and Lavinia get married and have a child, naming him Kit.]]
* BlackAndGrayMorality: Comes with the territory. Although Vale is hesitant to fight, she will do what it takes to protect herself and her ally. And of course, some of the tributes (such as most of the Careers) are much worse and even kill for fun.

%%* BraidsOfAction: Phlox has these.
* BrainyBrunette: Vale is pretty smart and, like most people from the Seam, has black hair. Another example is District Eleven's Phlox, who is so clever that she [[spoiler: even managed to trap Obsidian and steal all of his supplies, although he broke free before she could kill him]].

* BreakTheHaughty: Although he enters the Games with Career-like confidence, [[spoiler:Obsidian is broken by the fact that the Games are not what he dreamed they would be. He feels great remorse for his kills, and this is why he doesn't ally with Vale the first time he gets a chance (along with the fact that Phlox had just allied with her, Fen, and Lark): he fears that he would probably kill her, as well.]]

* CanNotSpitItOut: This was true for Kit towards Laurel Whitaker until his interview with Caesar Flickerman.

* ConflictingLoyalty: At the start of the Games, Obsidian seems torn between his allies in the Career pack and the friendship he seems to feel for Vale and Kit. [[spoiler: He leaves the pack when they kill an innocent baby deer for the fun of it and never looks back.]]
* ContinuityCameo: Several characters from the Hunger Games series make appearances, although the fanfic occurs thirty years before the original series. Hazelle, Vale's youngest sister, is said to be the same Hazelle who will become Gale's mother. Then, of course, Caesar Flickerman appears to conduct the tributes' interviews. Apparently, Katniss's father, still a child, lives down the street from Vale's family, and Vale reportedly once had a crush on a boy named Saben Undersee, who could be the future mayor or a relative. Obsidian once mentions having two younger brothers- twins, named Castor and Pollux. Also, young Effie Trinket eventually makes an appearance.
* CoolSword: Obsidian uses one. So does Achilles.

* CryIntoChest: [[spoiler: Vale cries into Obsidian Citrine's jacket one night when she thinks she's losing her mind.]] This marks a shift into their relationship, from "tentatively non-hostile acquaintances" to actual friends.

* DarkAndTroubledPast: Vale has a minor one, in that her best friend was killed in the Hunger Games four years previously at the age of twelve, by the male tribute from District One. (Vale's own extreme mistrust toward Obsidian can be somewhat attributed to this.)

* DefrostingIceQueen: In a platonic way, Fen. She warms up to Vale after [[spoiler: she sees how much Vale cares about Kit, and later, how Vale tries to protect her and Lark when Phlox turns on them]].
* {{Determinator}}: Vale, among others.
* {{Deuteragonist}}: Although the spotlight mostly stays on Vale, occasionally the POV switches to other characters, especially as the Games progress. The main candidate for this seems to be Obsidian. [[spoiler: He does become the de facto main character after Vale's death.]]
* DiedInYourArmsTonight: [[spoiler: Kit dies in Vale's arms from injuries he obtained in a fight against a mutt.]] Later, [[spoiler: [[TheHeroDies Vale dies]] in Obsidian's]].
* DoNotCallMePaul: After [[spoiler: being traumatized by Vale's death and his own subsequent "victory"]], Obsidian lashes out at his caretakers who call him by his given name, instead telling them to call him Sid.
* DoggedNiceGuy: Despite his status as a [[PrivilegedRival Privileged Rival]] to Vale, Obsidian also tends to play this role to her, [[spoiler: at least for a while]].
* DreadfulMusician: Vale cannot sing. At all. [[spoiler: She even attempts to pull a Katniss and sing Kit's favorite song to him when he is dying, but he asks her to stop because she's so terrible.]] Luckily for her, she's a very good storyteller to make up for it.

** [[spoiler: Kit attempts to kill himself by jumping off the roof of the Training Center on the night before the Games. Also, Blake from District Eleven killed himself after he and Phlox escaped the bloodbath.]]
** Later, [[spoiler: Obsidian]] attempts suicide multiple times after [[spoiler: he wins the Games and is left to deal with the subsequent trauma. He doesn't succeed.]]

* EmbarrassingMiddleName: Apparently, Lark's middle name is Asphodel. His mother allegedly thought it was manly at the time. Vale and [[spoiler: Obsidian]] later discuss their own middle names (Chastity and Agamemnon, respectively), though the latter doesn't actually find his middle name as embarrassing as Vale thinks he should.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: In his interview, Obsidian reveals that he volunteered not only because he wanted to compete in the Hunger Games but because his thirteen-year-old cousin was the male tribute who had been selected. (Then again, Obsidian isn't quite evil, to be honest, even if he is part of the Career pack.)
* EveryoneCanSeeIt: Several people seem to be well aware of [[spoiler: Obsidian's feelings for Vale, even before he realizes them]]: Phlox, Laurel, Amber, even Caesar Flickerman.

* EvilCannotComprehendGood: [[BloodKnight Amber]] just cannot seem to understand why Obsidian would be so "dysfunctional" as to care about others and want to protect innocent "weaklings." And she [[WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove views love as a foreign concept]].
* FaceHeelTurn: [[spoiler: Phlox allies with Vale, Fen, and Lark because she plans on trying to kill them all in their sleep. Thankfully, she fails.]]

* FalseFriend: [[spoiler: Phlox. See "Face Heel Turn" entry above.]]
* FamilyExtermination: Downplayed. After Vale's [[spoiler:rebellious speech in the Games, Snow ensures that each of her siblings are reaped at age sixteen. This lasts until Laurel is spared due to her friend taking her place. Since [[SavedByCanon Hazelle is Gale's mother]] Snow likely stopped rigging the reaping to kill the rest of the children.]]
* FieryRedhead: Fen. Her brother Lark seems to be an aversion.
* FireForgedFriends: Vale with [[spoiler: Fen and Lark, as well as with Obsidian]].
* FirstKiss: As Vale laments being reaped, she thinks of the fact that she'll never get her first kiss. [[spoiler: Naturally, she does get it later- from Obsidian. Her reaction is [[SacredFirstKiss not exactly what]] [[{{Tsundere}} he'd been hoping for]].]]
* FloralThemeNaming: Another thing derived from the source series. Several characters are given floral names: Laurel, Briony, Phlox, Tansy Leefinch ([[spoiler: the real name of Lavinia Gilden]]), etc.

* FriendlyRivalry: Obsidian views rivals Vale and Kit as friends. (This is a bit one-sided, though.)
* FreudianExcuse: All of the Careers. Whether some of them are downright loathsome or not, they couldn't help that they were trained from birth to be murderous [[BloodKnight Blood Knights]].

* GoodAngelBadAngel: Vale has recognizable versions of these in her mind: the "pragmatic voice," who tries to convince her to trust no one in the arena, and the "idealist," who is Vale's more trusting and dreamy side. [[spoiler: The final confrontation is truly more between these two voices than anything else.]]

** Later on, [[spoiler:during their alliance]], we learn that Vale also misjudges Obsidian by thinking that, as a well-trained and strong Career, Sid must not have any problems, while he is simultaneously [[spoiler: plagued with constant questions about the morality of his actions, as well as the fear that he is no different from Amber and the other Careers]]. Sid also misjudges Vale by thinking that she is a peaceful type who could never hurt anyone and therefore lacks the kind of worries that consume him.

* IAmNotPretty: After Vale's makeover, she is stunned when she sees her reflection, because she has never felt pretty before in her life. (It's implied that she's wrong, though, or at least that certain people think differently.)

* InSeriesNickname: Kit is sometimes referred to as "Kitty" and variations, while he usually refers to Obsidian Citrine as "Citrus." Laurel is the first to refer to Obsidian as "Sid" (although the author has been doing it for a while). Vale will eventually begin to do it, as well (instead of referring to him as "He-Who-Is-Ridiculously-Named"). Also, Vale is occasionally referred to by Sid as "sparkle girl," and Damon refers to her as "the girl who wore stars on her heart," which she likes.
* InTheBack: When [[spoiler:Obsidian is leaving the pack]], he ends up stabbing [[spoiler: Ford]] in the back. This comes back to haunt him, and later on, in his fight with Achilles, the latter mocks him for being a backstabber. Then, [[spoiler:when Obsidian has him prostrate on the ground and is preparing to kill him, Achilles asks him to just let him turn over first, so he won't stab him in the back, and lets him stab him in the chest instead.]]

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Obsidian, though fairly easy on the "jerk."
* JumpedAtTheCall: Unsurprisingly, the Career tributes. (Then again, Obsidian apparently volunteered mainly to keep his little cousin from having to go into the Games before he was ready.)
* KidSidekick: Kit to Vale.

* LightFeminineDarkFeminine: [[TheIngenue Vale]] would be the light feminine, whereas [[EvilIsSexy Amber]] would be the dark feminine.
* LittleMissSnarker: Kit could be considered a male version.
* LoveConfession: Naturally, this fanfic has several of them. Kit's confession to Laurel in his interview, [[spoiler:Blake kissing Phlox right before he kills himself, then Obsidian's to Vale later on, Damon and Lavinia...]]
* LoveIsAWeakness: From Obsidian's point-of-view, we can gather that Careers have had this drilled into their heads ("In the arena, your life comes first and foremost. If you have a choice between saving your best friend’s life and your own, leave the poor sucker to get eaten by mutts" comes to mind). We can also gather that he wasn't listening.
** His district partner, Amber, is definitely of this mindset, partially due to the fact that [[spoiler: her older sister was killed at the end of the 40th Hunger Games by her district partner, who she had fallen in love with]]. Amber herself does not believe in love or compassion, and she is thus convinced that this will give her the strength to win.

* MagneticHero: Vale is one of these, as evidenced by her alliances. There's Kit, [[spoiler: Fen, Lark, Phlox (though she quickly betrayed her), Obsidian...]]

* MeaningfulName: Vale will point out that her name means "low place," and it can also refer to a lament. Also, Amber has amber eyes like her name implies, and Kit's last name, "Littleby," references his smallness.

* MyEyesAreUpHere: Vale uses this in her first conversation with Obsidian, who had been [[AttentionDeficitOohShiny admiring the sparkly necklace her sister gave her]]. He calls her "sparkle girl" and tells her that it's shiny and pretty, and she responds, "Yeah, my eyes are pretty, too, One- not that you’re looking at them." (That may have been the moment when we realized that Vale was a {{Tsundere}}.)
* NaiveEverygirl: Vale is not nearly as world-weary as Katniss and is often caught off-guard by how cruel reality can be. She struggles to keep from shaking during the parade and thinks she can at least hit a target with an arrow despite having never fired a bow before. At times she forgets that she is headed for the Games and that the tributes around her are her opponents.

* NiceGuy: Lark and Damon. Kit is also a nice kid at heart, though he does have his bouts of biting sarcasm, and both [[spoiler: Obsidian and his cousin Glint]] are Nice Guys, as well, in spite of what one would assume.
* NonActionSnarker: At twelve years old, Kit is not much of a fighter and stands no chance against the older trained combatants like the Careers. He makes up for it with a dry wit that verges on the edge of cynical. When Lavinia asks him about his "angle" for the interviews he snarkily responds with "What angle?" to her delight.
* NotSoDifferentRemark: After he [[spoiler: allies himself with Vale]], Obsidian confesses that he's concerned that, despite calling himself "not the ideal Career," he isn't so different from the rest of the pack at all. [[BloodKnight Amber]] throws this in his face later, as well, as she's giving him a [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech "Reason You Suck" Speech]].
* ObliviousToLove: Vale could easily be accused of this. Also, [[spoiler: Obsidian]], in that, by the time he finally realized his feelings for [[spoiler: Vale]], [[EveryoneCanSeeIt several others--Amber, Phlox, Laurel, and possibly even the head Gamemaker--had already picked up on it long ago]].

* OverlyLongName: Vale makes it clear that she finds Obsidian's full name--Obsidian Agamemnon Citrine--to be "ridiculously long."

* PowerTrio: When [[spoiler: Vale teams up with Fen and Lark]], they form one of these. Technically, in that grouping, [[spoiler: Fen]] would be the one who is dubbed "TheHero."

* PrivilegedRival: The Careers, of course.

* RageBreakingPoint: [[spoiler: Obsidian]] is willing to put up with [[spoiler: the other Careers' indifference to the death of one of their own. He's]] even willing to [[spoiler: keep his mouth shut when they maliciously joke about killing Vale next, just after the death of Kit.]] But when they [[spoiler: kill a defenseless fawn for the fun of it, that's going too far for him.]]

* ReplacementGoldfish: Vale comes to see Kit as another sibling that she wants to protect. Then, [[spoiler: after his death, she teams up with the siblings from District Five and comes to view Lark in a similar light. The text says, "Vale told herself that she would help Fen to protect her brother. If she was helpless and hopeless to save Kit, at least she could try to help Lark for as long as she could. Kit, Lark, Averill [Vale's real brother]... Sometimes, even when she was wide awake, the names seemed to blur together in her mind."]]

* SacredFirstKiss: Vale thinks of her first kiss as a very big deal [[spoiler: and [[{{Tsundere}} lashes out at Sid]] after he kisses her for the first time without warning]].
* SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl: Damon and Lavinia, very much.

* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: [[spoiler: Vale's attitude in the end when she defies the Capitol during the final confrontation. Katniss would be proud.]]
%% * SecondLove: [[spoiler: Glint Citrine is this for Laurel, several years after Kit's death.]]

* ShipperOnDeck: Fen comments, during a discussion on her brother's cold-hearted ex-girlfriend, that she wishes that Vale had been born in District Five, implying that she thinks Vale would make a better match for Lark.

* ShrinkingViolet: Vale is very shy and self-conscious, especially at the beginning of the story. %%Her little sister Laurel may also qualify.

* SiblingYinYang: Fen and Lark. Fen is a clever, mistrustful FieryRedhead who [[spoiler: really, really hates the Capitol, to the point where she wants to rebel]], whereas her younger brother Lark is openly kind, trusting, and mellow.

* SingleTargetSexuality: [[spoiler: Obsidian toward Vale, apparently. He doesn't even respond to district partner Amber's advances, except with disgust- and apparently, she's quite pretty.]]

* SmugSmiler: Several Careers, notably Amber.

* StarCrossedLovers: [[spoiler: Vale and Obsidian, no matter how much the former tries to fight it.]]

* SupernaturalGoldEyes: Amber has amber eyes, of course.
* TagAlongKid: Kit seems to fear that he is this to Vale, only good for keeping their sleeping bag warm and little else. Ultimately, [[spoiler: he is fatally injured trying to help Vale fight off a mutt, and [[TearJerker as he dies, Vale tells him that he was a brave, loyal hero]] ]].
* ThatManIsDead: Obsidian comes to accept his nickname, Sid. [[spoiler:After he wins, he refuses to go by his real name. He eventually runs away to District Twelve and takes up the name Sidney Whitaker.]]
* TheCynic: The pragmatic voice in Vale's head has a bitter view of the world and wants her to put her survival above things like morals and human decency to match everyone else in the Games. She tries to ignore it so that she can keep her promise to Laurel that the Games will not turn her into a killer like other victors. It urges her to abandon Kit when the Games start to save herself and wants her to [[spoiler:tell Obsidian to kill himself, which he would willingly do, so that she will win the Hunger Games before she dies from her injuries. She refuses both times]].
%%* TheHero: Vale.
* TheHeroDies: [[ForegoneConclusion Vale is killed during her Games.]]
%%* TheIngenue: Vale could be called this.
* ThePollyanna: Lavinia Gilden[[spoiler: /Tansy Leefinch]] always seems to be trying to look on the bright side even when it comes to the Hunger Games.
* ThePowerOfFriendship: How Vale makes it so far in her Games, not by fighting everyone but befriending them. See also: her alliance with Kit [[spoiler: and Fen and Lark, and then Obsidian...]].
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: The pragmatic voice in Vale's head seems to greatly enjoy giving her these. Also, [[spoiler: Amber]] delivers a particularly cutting one to [[spoiler: Obsidian]] and he gives her one right back even though he's ''in tears'', rebuffing all of her points epically.
* TheReveal: A big one comes right before the Games: [[spoiler: Lavinia reveals that she is not actually from the Capitol. She was originally from District Twelve, from the Seam like Vale. She stowed away to the Capitol after her older sister Violet died in the Hunger Games and eventually became an escort for her home district.]]
* TheSneakyGuy: Phlox--so stealthy that she was able to lurk at the outskirts of [[spoiler: the Careers']] camp, stealing supplies, for at least several days straight, without ever getting caught.
%%* TheStoryteller: Vale.
%% ** Apparently, [[spoiler: Lavinia, as she tells Vale's story to Katniss Everdeen in the end, after the events of the Hunger Games series]].

* TitleDrop: Happens a few times. The first time occurs when Vale first boards the train to the Capitol and promises to be Kit's ally. "She had already come to the decision: she would do whatever she could to protect this little boy. She was going to die defending him and bringing comfort to him. At least that would give her death some semblance of meaning."
* TogetherInDeath: In the "land without districts," [[spoiler: Vale is reunited with the friends she lost in the Games: Kit, Fen, Lark, and eventually Obsidian, when he dies in an explosion not much later]].
* TookALevelInBadass: The Vale at the end of the Games is much less weak than the Vale at the beginning (even if she is still nowhere near being on par with Katniss).
* TraumaticHaircut: [[spoiler: Vale]] receives one from Achilles during the latter's fight with [[spoiler: Obsidian]]. [[spoiler: Achilles grabs her and puts a sword to her neck]], and when [[spoiler: Obsidian]] tells him that he'd better not hurt one hair on her head. He grabs a fistful of [[spoiler: Vale]]'s hair and slices it right off.
* {{Tsundere}}: Vale might not seem like it at first, but she's a definite Type B. (The author really enjoys commenting on it.)
** Even the pragmatic voice comes across as a tsundere in Chapter 75, when it compliments Vale during a fight, only to tell her that it's not like the pragmatist likes her or anything. Then, it calls her an [[UsefulNotes/{{Baka}} idiot]].

* UnknowinglyInLove: [[NaiveEverygirl Vale]] could easily be accused of this. Her LoveInterest, Obsidian, isn't quite as bad as she is, but even so, by the time he finally realizes his feelings for Vale, several others--[[BloodKnight Amber and the other Careers]], [[TheSneakyGuy Phlox]], [[ShipperOnDeck Vale's sister Laurel]], and probably even Caesar Flickerman and others in the Capitol--[[EveryoneCanSeeIt had already picked up on it long ago]].

* UptightLovesWild: [[spoiler: Damon and Lavinia again]].
* WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove: Amber cannot seem to comprehend why Obsidian insists on caring about and protecting Vale, even though she is an "innocent, helpless weakling." Obsidian later comments that love is like a completely foreign concept to her.
%% * WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue: The ending shows [[spoiler: Lavinia, now old with grown children of her own ([[DeadGuyJunior who are named after Vale and Kit]]), relating Vale's story to Katniss. We also find out that [[CheerfulChild Laurel]] ended up with Obsidian's cousin Glint, and that both families survived the bombing of District Twelve and the war on the Capitol]].

* WigDressAccent: Lavinia [[spoiler:has been disguised as a Capitol native ever since she was ten. Vale and Kit find out when she takes off her makeup and lets her accent slip.]]

* YourApprovalFillsMeWithShame: Mentioned during the fight with Achilles. Vale generally hates to agree with the pragmatic voice about anything, but after Vale stabs Achilles in the stomach to escape him and thinks that she'd rather kill him than watch Obsidian die, the pragmatist approves, and she thinks, "For once, your approval doesn't fill me with shame."

%%* ShoutOut: Several, when one is looking for them (or occasionally, they'll just be pointed out in the author's notes): Series/TheTwilightZone, Literature/The39Clues, Music/TaylorSwift, Music/{{Paramore}}, Theatre/TheMusicMan, WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}}...

** Later on, [[spoiler:during their alliance]], we learn that Vale also misjudges Obsidian by thinking that, as a well-trained and strong Career, Sid must not have any problems, while he is simultaneously [[spoiler: plagued with constant questions about the morality of his actions, as well as the fear that he is NotSoDifferent from Amber and the other Careers]]. Sid also misjudges Vale by thinking that she is a peaceful type who could never hurt anyone and therefore lacks the kind of worries that consume him.

* NotSoDifferent: After he [[spoiler: allies himself with Vale]], Obsidian confesses that he's concerned that, despite calling himself "not the ideal Career," he isn't so different from the rest of the pack at all. [[BloodKnight Amber]] throws this in his face later, as well, as she's giving him a [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech "Reason You Suck" Speech]].

''Some Semblance of Meaning'' (link can be found [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8396718/1/Some-Semblance-of-Meaning here]]) is a ''[[Literature/TheHungerGames Hunger Games]]'' fic published on Fanfiction.net by author Volcanic Lily about the 44th Hunger Games, which mainly focuses on the experience of Vale Whitaker.

-> ''"Once upon a time, in a land too close for comfort… there was pain. Th-there was pain and suffering and sadness and darkness. The land was divided by barriers that could never be overcome, it seemed. Everything was desolate and bleak.... And then, there was another realm: a place without districts.... A place without districts. A place where there was no pain or suffering, no sadness or darkness. No one got sick, and nobody... died. In that place, there was no war. No bloody battles, no one who would do harm. No bitter cold. Only peace and happiness and love. Everywhere, it was always filled with warmth and light. It was a place without arenas and silly Games. It was there that all the good people went when they died—rich and poor, tributes and citizens alike. Everyone who did good in their lives."''

* AscendedFanboy: Obsidian used to idolize the tributes from his district who were chosen to participate in the Games. And now that he's one of them... [[spoiler: He realizes that it isn't all it's cracked up to be, at least not for someone who still has a conscience.]]

* BattleCouple: [[spoiler:Vale and Obsidian]], toward the end of the year's Games... although [[spoiler:Vale]] isn't the best at combat, and [[spoiler:Obsidian]] would prefer that [[spoiler:she]] stay out of harm's way if possible.

* BewareTheSillyOnes: Obsidian comes off as rather silly, what with his friendly attitude toward Vale and his [[AttentionDeficitOohShiny comment about liking shiny things]]. Then, the Games begin....

* CanNotSpitItOut: This was true for Kit towards Laurel Whitaker... until his interview with Caesar Flickerman.

* FirstKiss: As Vale laments being reaped, she thinks of the fact that she'll never get her first kiss. [[spoiler: Naturally, she does get it later- from Obsidian. Her reaction is... [[SacredFirstKiss not exactly what]] [[{{Tsundere}} he'd been hoping for]].]]

* SacredFirstKiss: Vale thinks of her first kiss as a very big deal... [[spoiler: and [[{{Tsundere}} lashes out at Sid]] after he kisses her for the first time without warning]].

* ThePollyanna: Lavinia Gilden[[spoiler: /Tansy Leefinch]] always seems to be trying to look on the bright side... even when it comes to the Hunger Games.

* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: The pragmatic voice in Vale's head seems to greatly enjoy giving her these. Also, [[spoiler: Amber]] delivers a particularly cutting one to [[spoiler: Obsidian]]... and he gives her one right back even though he's ''in tears'', rebuffing all of her points epically.

* TogetherInDeath: In the "land without districts," [[spoiler: Vale is reunited with the friends she lost in the Games: Kit, Fen, Lark... and eventually Obsidian, when he dies in an explosion not much later]].

* TraumaticHaircut: [[spoiler: Vale]] receives one from Achilles during the latter's fight with [[spoiler: Obsidian]]. [[spoiler: Achilles grabs her and puts a sword to her neck]], and when [[spoiler: Obsidian]] tells him that he'd better not hurt one hair on her head... he grabs a fistful of [[spoiler: Vale]]'s hair and slices it right off.