Tributes
| Character Group | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Tributes |
| Type: | |
| Fandom: | The Hunger Games |
| Members: | Katniss Everdeen Peeta Mellark Finnick Odair Johanna Mason Haymitch Abernathy Annie Cresta Beetee Latier Rue Foxface Cato |
| Other: | |
| Related: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Tributes are the participants of the Hunger Games, chosen annually in a ceremony called "The Reaping" to fight in a duel to the death in which only one will survive. In total, twenty-four tributes are "reaped" (selected), one male and one female from each district. Tributes ages range from twelve to eighteen in most cases. All the children of reaping age have several ballots with their names in glass cases. During the ceremony, one boy and one girl are randomly selected from their respective urns.
The Hunger Games allows for volunteers to take the place of the reaped child and participate in their stead. In districts 1, 2, and 4, there are children who train and then volunteer for the Games. These types of tributes are called "careers."
Tributes in Fandom
Writing about the tributes in the Hunger Games presents a unique opportunity for authors to explore themes such as moral dilemmas, struggles, and survival. As the tributes are forced to participate in a duel to the death, they are inevitably faced with difficult choices that challenge their morality and humanity. In order to survive and return to their loved ones, the tributes may have to do terrible things such as killing or betraying an ally.
There are characters in the THG trilogy about whom we hardly know anything beyond their names and a few facts. Examples of these tributes include Cashmere, Cecelia, and Foxface. With so little information about them, fans are inspired to write their own stories and headcanons about how these tributes won the Hunger Games. Some tributes in the trilogy don't even have names mentioned in the book, such as the boy from District 3 in the 74th Hunger Games. Foxface is another example, as this is a nickname that Katniss gives her, alluding to her fox-like features. In the credits of the first film, all tributes have been named. The boy from District 3 appears as "Noah," and Foxface appears as "Finch." Many fans have adopted these names as canonical for these characters.
The Hunger Games edition that Haymitch Abernathy participated in was the second Quarter Quell, in which the Capitol chose to double the number of tributes to four from each district. This unique scenario has led to a plethora of fan theories and headcanons regarding Haymitch's experience in the arena, including how he managed to win despite the increased competition, what alliances he formed or broke, and what psychological toll the Games took on him.
In the Hunger Games fandom, there are also fans who create alternate scenarios for characters who never participated in the Hunger Games, such as Gale Hawthorne, Primrose Everdeen, or Madge Undersee, and write their own interpretations of what would happen to them and how they would act. These alternate scenarios often explore what would happen if a different character were to be reaped instead of the canonically chosen tribute. For example, what if Gale were reaped instead of Peeta, or if Katniss couldn't volunteer and Primrose was sent to the Games instead?
Another type of fanfiction centered around tributes are stories of how an original character created by the author won the Hunger Games. There were 75 editions and twenty-four tributes per edition. That leaves plenty of gaps for original characters to be inserted.
The Hunger Games concept can also be used as a crossover or fusion with other fandoms, such as Harry Potter, Marvel, or even Disney. For example, a Hunger Games AU with characters from Attack on Titan.
Fanworks
Fanfiction
- The Lumberjack and the Tree Elf by Oisin55 - An example of a story about how Blight won the Hunger Games.
- Look, Look, Look by Dream's Penumbra - The 74 Hunger Games from Glimmer's POV.
- 75 Games, 75 Drabbles by Jazzy Pseudonym - A drabble for a character in each Hunger Games edition. Lots of OCs and also canon characters.
- A Fish Out of Water - The 70th Hunger Games by RainbowUnicornShiz - A story of how Annie Cresta won the games.
- Deep In The Meadow of Her Heart -Gale becomes tribute.
- Ruse by purple_cube - Gale volunteers as tribute. Galeniss and Gadge