shesasurvivor:

rosegardeninwinter:

I’ve been sitting on this one for a bit. But this is a topic that is near and dear to my heart. And with the influx of new fans (which is awesome) I’ve seen some old discourse pop up about whether or not Katniss’s feelings for Peeta are genuine (which is hmm). And of course everyone is entitled to their interpretation, but sometimes it really surprises me that that’s a question or a hot take people come away with. It was always so apparent to me, from the very first book, that Katniss loves Peeta.

Not just feels fuzzy, sugary feelings for him (though she does that too), but actively makes the choice to devote herself to him. She finds her helpmeet, her partner, her person, in him. Anyway to answer your question …

For me, it’s the berries. I think she feels bound to him (in a good way) and feels her story woven with his as early as the bread. She realizes in the cave that she doesn’t want to lose him, and he makes her feel safe, “foolishly” happy, and loved. But she is also trying to keep them alive and she thinks he’s acting too, even if she is glad to be his friend, so her feelings get muddled and confused.

And then come the berries. I know it’s an awful situation that no one should ever have to go through … but she is ready to die for him in that moment. Even with Prim and her mom in the picture, even with Gale. And much like Finnick, I’m not saying in what way she loves Peeta (or he loves her, let’s be real about that growth) at that juncture. I’m inclined to say it’s the love of a friend, which is just as significant. But in that moment, the act drops. This is the moment when the personal connection should fall apart. That’s what the Gamemakers expect.

But that’s not what happens. She goes from saying she is determined to kill him and get home at any cost, to volunteering to die so he can live. I mean, not to get Biblical on you, but …

And then when he’s in surgery, she identifies herself with the loved ones of the dying, unable to look away. When she sees him again, there’s no hesitation to run to him and cling to him. And again, I’m not saying she’s madly in love with him (I think that comes later, and much like Finnick’s feelings for Annie, Katniss’s feelings for Peeta crept up on her), but she does love him.

One other thing. No one one ever seems in doubt that Peeta’s feelings are genuine, but rarely do I see analysis taking the extra step to realize that Katniss does a lot of the same things he does. We may miss it because we’re in her head and she doesn’t think as highly of herself as she does of him but she’s physically affectionate with him, verbally affectionate, ready to sacrifice for him, almost as much as he is with her. We don’t get inside Peeta’s head but I bet you that his thoughts on Katniss are more complex than we see outwardly, just as hers are for him.

And after, (or perhaps “so after” 😉) they make the choice to love each other again and again and again. To live for each other, rather than die. It’s beautiful. We love to see it.

Anyone else have a moment they identify as Katniss realizing she’s in love with Peeta? Someone want to make this meta make sense? 😆

I think it’s many moments, honestly. I don’t know that she has one big lightbulb. Or maybe it’s a series of lightbulbs. Fairy lights. Something.

But I know when I read the book for the first time the berries stood out to me as that pivotal moment when she chooses humanity over survival and love over life (as the back cover says).

TLDR: Katniss loves Peeta just as much as he loves her fight me (please don’t I’m weak and I will lose)

So the keyword on this ask for me is “realized.” I think Katniss was falling in love with Peeta during the first book, but I think the moment when she actually consciously realizes her feelings is the beach scene. That scene is a turning point in her behavior and actions. From then on out, she describes their relationship in such a way that she considers it mural. It goes from “I don’t know myself” to being jealous that others can easily recognize two other people in love, but would doubt her feelings for someone. Everything after the beach scene changes. I think she stuffs it down again after he’s taken, but even she’s aware of how she feels, as hinted in the line about how she didn’t dare let herself think about the beach kiss until she knew Peeta was back with her.