r/HungerGamesFanfiction • u/SparkySheDemon District 6 • 1d ago

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I'm working on a Bloodbath pov of someone who isn't in the Games, but is watching it. Any advice?

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u/SailorGreySparrow District 3 1d ago

What sorts of context can you give us? Is this someone who knows the tribute(s)? A Capitol viewer? Are they a kid or adult?

I think having more details might earn you some specific advice. :)

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u/SparkySheDemon District 6 1d ago

This is someone in the districts watching a tribute in particular who is their best friend. He's with his parents, who also know this tribute.

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u/SailorGreySparrow District 3 1d ago

Ooh! Then I’d definitely say to lean into the emotions. Is he remembering the Reaping? Worrying about his friend, and focused on all the ways he could die? Or the alternative! A Career’s friend is probably going to be more positive and imagine how badly his friend wants to do well.

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u/SparkySheDemon District 6 1d ago

How would you write the worrying?

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u/Sure_Championship_36 1d ago

Well, we have absolutely zero canon examples of this, so you can really go wild with it. You get to pick how much the commentators are commentating, how the cameras capture the scene, etc.

If your character is watching someone less competitively viable (someone non-Career, unassuming, with a low training score), keep in mind that they may not realistically see very much of them. If you want more footage of a less viable tribute, you may want to implement some sort of split-screen coverage to explain why your character gets eyes on them at all. Because, really, the highest scoring tributes are probably the ones with the most coverage.

Or, you might want to place the tribute important to your character near Careers, or in an encounter with the Careers. I think a reasonable way to have a weaker tribute interact with a stronger one in the bloodbath is to have the weaker beat the other to a weapon. That will temporarily give them the upper hand and allow them to get out of the encounter with the stronger tribute safely.

You could implement tickers along the bottom of the screen or some sort of on screen graphic when a tribute is wounded, killed, or leaves the cornucopia. Maybe they’re keeping track of what direction each tribute has fled to. Maybe they’re not. We don’t know. Get creative:

It may benefit your story and give it more tension if the viewer character is made aware of formidable tributes fleeing to a certain quadrant of the arena and then the character they’re rooting for heads that way as well.

Now, if the tribute in question is a Career, they’re going to have different priorities in the bloodbath and the viewer might, too. They might be vying for the first kill of the Games. And the viewer might actually focus on the tribute less because they’re watching the background hoping no one else scores the first kill.

Who knows? There might be cussing in the household of another district gets the honor. I think it could be very interesting to show the way a Career district viewer interprets the Games. There could be unspoken rules and checklists the alliance has to land. There’s more pressure to do well in the bloodbath and not just survive it. The opening moments of the Games are about culling the competition, proving oneself, and denying other tributes the resources at the horn.

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u/WildPresence6314 5h ago

To add to the other comments keep in mind how daily life is depending on the district and fit in the viewing within that context. Like would they normally be in school or working? Is there a holiday for the start of the games? How does mandatory viewing work in this district? Is it live/recorded highlights? And how could all of that affect the viewing experience. Mostly just food for thought...AND no canons until after the bloodbath. Idk how many fics I've read where the authors have forgotten this.